The Alphas prize novel Chapter 31

The figure stopped a few feet from me, and their eyes were the only thing I could make out, nothing more. This person clearly wanted to conceal their identity, keeping enough distance between us that I could only see what they wanted me to see.

My wolf snarled at the figure, warning me of the dangers that lurked mere inches from us. “Who are you? What do you want?” I asked them, attempting to conceal the unease in my tone.

They remained silent for a moment, staring at me with calculating eyes. “Going beyond this point will bring you nothing but misfortune, my dear; it would be a wise decision for you to turn around and go back home.” The voice was soft yet firm and feminine, telling me the person was a woman.

I narrowed my eyes, knowing they were trying to deter me, trying to stop me from getting what I needed. “I am looking for a cure, and it’s in the forest of the damned. Nothing and no one will stop me from getting it, not even you.” I stood my ground, not letting her affect me or my decision.

She let a deep and sinister chuckle. “Foolish girl, the forest will test you, like no other before, pushing you and your wolf to the absolute limit and even if you get past that, obtaining the cure you seek is no easy task. So you are better off just to turn around and go back home.” She said casually.

I snorted. “Try as you might, but it won’t work, and you don’t scare me. I am going into that fucking forest, and I will get that fucking cure. The one I love needs it, and it's mine, come hell or high water. When it comes to those that I love and care for, I will do terrifying things to anyone or anything that crosses my path.” I growled out as a grin spread across my lips. I was done being told I couldn’t do this. I was sick of people underestimating me, thinking I was too weak mentally and physically to do this.

Her eyes narrowed as the colour of her irises brightened, almost as if staring into my very soul. “Fine then, but heed my warning and enter at your own peril.” Her tone was deadly and angry, clearly not pleased that she couldn’t persuade me to leave this place.

Before I could even respond, she disappeared into the fog, taking it with her. The sun started to shine through the trees again, near blinding me, and Gunnar was standing before me now, his hands clasped around my arms, as he shook me violently.

“Freja, Freja.” He said frantically, worry in his tone.

I wiggled in his hold. “Stop shaking me, would you? You are making me dizzy.” I told him as I pushed him away from me.

Gunnar glared at me. “For fuck sakes Freja, you scared the shit out of me. You were like a statue, not blinking, not moving, nothing. I didn’t know what the fuck was going on.” He said in a huff.

I pursed my lips. “Honestly, I can’t explain what happened. I was here with you one minute, and the next, you were gone, and this awful fog started to surround me, then this creepy woman appeared.” I told him truthfully.

He wrinkled his nose. “That’s fucked up, and what woman? Did she say anything?” Gunnar asked curiously.

I sighed. “I don’t know who she was; I could only see her eyes and nothing else. The woman was trying to get me to leave here, to turn around and go back home, but I essentially told her to shove that suggestion up her ass.” I said with a cheeky smile.

Gunnar shook his head. “Of course you did.” He groaned out.

I looked behind me. “Come on, the forest is just ahead; we are almost there.” I turned around and started to walk in the direction my wolf was urging me to go in, but Gunnar gripped my arm, stopping me from continuing.

I looked back at him, with a bewildered expression, curious as to why he stopped me.

He stared at me intently, then into the direction of where I was headed. “How do you know? What if it's not?”

I turned my head back, looking into the wooded area, and my wolf chuffed, telling me to trust her, to let her guide me. “Just trust me,” I said softly, subtly asking him not to question my intuition.

His features held no expression as he once again glanced out into the distance. “Ok, I trust you, but I want you to follow behind me, understood?” He said sternly, a brow raised.

I held back a smirk and saluted him. “Yes, sir,” I said sarcastically. I knew this wasn’t the time to be joking around, but I may break if I didn’t try to make the best out of a shitty situation.

Gunnar closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he groaned loudly. Then, without saying another word, he moved past me and started walking straight ahead, going off the path and into an unknown part of the forest. We walked into the brush, branches scratching against our skin, but we pushed our way through until we stumbled into an opening.

The area was less dense, mostly surrounded by large, withering trees that looked melancholy and decayed. I felt a surge of dread course through my bones, and my wolf snarled, letting me know danger lurked around us. After that, everything became eerily silent around us, no birds, no crickets, nothing. The sun was gone, and the moon barely peeked through the thick, dark clouds that loomed above us.

My wolf went quiet, listening closely, and I did the same, but neither one of us picked up anything. Finally, Gunnar looked over his shoulder at me, a troubled expression on his face. “I don’t hear anything, but I know for sure that we aren’t alone. Be on full alert.” Gunnar said in a low voice.

My eyes scanned the area before I nodded my head in agreement, not saying a word in response, as I was hyper-focused. Then, suddenly, my wolfs hackled raised, and she crouched down into attacked mode, a deadly snarl rumbling up from her belly. Things felt eerie, making my skin crawl, and just then, a cold breeze swept across the land, making me shudder.

We continued walking, deepening ourselves into this seemingly abandoned wasteland. Gunnar’s body was rigid and tense as he cautiously continued forward. The ground ahead of us seemed soft, almost appearing to be a swamp. Gunnar and I stopped just before reaching the sinister-looking muck, looking at each other with questioning expressions. A gust of wind stirred around us, bringing with it the stomach-churning stench from the swamp.

I gagged and turned my head away. “Omg, that smells fucking horrible, like rotting, death,” I said, trying not to throw up.

Gunnar’s brows furrowed, and he wrinkled his nose. “Yea, no shit! But we have to find a way across, and from what I can see, the only way is to go through this shit.” He said distastefully.

I stepped closer, peering down at the black goo; it bubbled, and puffs of green smoke emerged. “We can’t fucking walk through this shit; it will either eat us or turn us into some unknown creature from hell.”

Gunnar groaned. “You are right, but what other choice do we have? We either walk through this or go back home.” He said, and for me, that wasn’t an option.

I looked all around and noticed a large, fallen-down tree. I rushed over to it, inspecting the damage. The log appeared to be sturdy and long enough to carry us across. I looked to Gunnar. “Come help me with this; we can use it as a bridge to get across that shit,” I said, hopefulness in my tone.

He walked over and kicked the log, causing pieces of bark to crumble onto the ground upon impact. Gunnar raised a brow and looked at me with an unsettling expression. “This thing is going to snap into a thousand pieces. Especially with my weight.”

I threw my hands in the air. “Do you have another suggestion?” I asked him, irritation in my tone.

He sighed before bending down to grab the log and then drug it back to the swamp. Gunnar stood the log up straight in the air and pushed it forward; it landed on the other side with a bang, damn near evaporating as it hit the ground. I cringed, hoping that this would work.

Gunnar looked at me, his jaw tense. “You should go first; if I do, it will only weaken the log more, putting you at higher risk of falling into the swamp.” He said, hesitantly and I knew he didn’t want to do this, as he didn’t trust the makeshift bridge.

I stepped forward and lifted my foot onto the log, but Gunnar stopped me. “Crawl across it for better balance.” He said quickly.

I nodded my head, agreeing that was a good choice, as it would lessen the chances of the decaying wood snapping beneath me. I got down on my hands and knees, trying to balance myself on the log. My wolf began to pace, anxious to get across and away from this unknown substance. I sucked in a deep breath and started to crawl, slowly making my way to the other side.

The swamp goo continued to bubble and gurgle beneath me, causing my heart rate to pick up. I was almost across, mere inches away from safety when the wood began to crack and make unsettling sounds. I froze, not moving an inch, fearing it would split at any moment, plunging me into the dark abyss beneath me.

“Freja, don’t move!” Gunnar Shouted.

I peered over my shoulder at him. “What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” The wood groaned beneath my hands, causing my heart to pound in my chest.