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Chapter 276: Chapter 276 How did this happen?
"What is it?" Ash whispered, eyes darting around for signs of danger.
"Something’s watching us," Rowan replied, his voice tense. "In the bushes... big... definitely not just an animal."
Before they could react further, the creature made a sudden move, dashing away into the forest with incredible speed, disappearing into the rain-soaked night.
Ash and Rowan stood frozen for a moment, hearts pounding in their chests.
"That thing was fast," Ash breathed, lowering his sword slightly. "Too fast to be anything normal." 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Rowan nodded grimly. "Whatever it was, it didn’t want to attack us. Not yet, anyway."
The two male exchanged a silent understanding—they needed to stay vigilant. With a final glance into the dark forest, they returned to their post by the cave’s entrance, determined to keep watch through the storm. The wind continued to howl, and the rain showed no signs of letting up.
Back inside the cave, the warmth of the fire continued to flicker softly.
Ash and Rowan stood vigilantly at their post, still shaken from their earlier encounter with the glowing eyes in the bushes.
Despite the rain and wind that whipped around them, they kept their senses sharp, scanning their surroundings for any signs of the creature’s return. Neither wanted to disturb the others inside the cave; it was better that the group got their rest while the two of them handled the situation quietly.
Ash stifled another yawn as he glanced at Rowan, rubbing his eyes. "Soon it’ll be Leo and Jax’s turn to take over. beastgod, I’m already feeling so sleepy." His voice was barely above a whisper, but the fatigue was evident in his tone.
Rowan shot him a sideways look, raising his eyebrows as Ash yawned again. "You can’t be serious," Rowan muttered, unimpressed. "We’re on guard duty, and you’re yawning like you’re ready for a nap."
Without thinking, Rowan reached over and pinched Ash’s waist, causing him to jump and shout, "Ouch!" But Rowan quickly covered Ash’s mouth with his hand, eyes wide as he looked around to make sure no one in the cave had been disturbed by the noise.
"Keep it down, you idiot," Rowan hissed, shaking his head. "We’re supposed to be quiet."
Ash narrowed his eyes at Rowan, feeling the sting of the pinch lingering on his side. With a smirk, he suddenly kicked Rowan in the leg. "That’s for pinching me, jerk," Ash muttered under his breath.
Rowan winced, but he bit back his own reaction, trying to stay focused. "You deserved it," he shot back, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. Despite the tension of their situation, the familiar banter between them helped ease some of the pressure.
After a few moments of playful bickering, both male resumed their watch, though Ash’s yawns continued to slip through every now and then. Rowan kept a watchful eye on the area where they had seen the creature earlier, his mind racing with thoughts of what might still be lurking out there. The rain had not let up, and the wind made it hard to hear anything clearly, but Rowan refused to let his guard down.
"Maybe it was just passing through," Ash said quietly after a while, his eyes scanning the treeline. "I mean, it didn’t attack us. Could’ve just been curious."
"Maybe," Rowan replied, though his tone was less certain. "But until we know for sure, we stay alert."
Ash nodded in agreement, and the two fell back into silence, their senses on high alert. Every rustle of the leaves, every crack of a branch in the wind, had them on edge, but they remained vigilant. As they waited for Leo and Jax to take over their shift, Ash couldn’t help but sneak in another quiet yawn, earning another eye roll from Rowan.
"Just hang in there a bit longer," Rowan said with a smirk. "You can crash as soon as they’re up."
Ash grinned sleepily, feeling a bit of relief that their watch was almost over. "You’d better hope Rylan doesn’t snore as loud as he did last time. Otherwise, none of us are getting any sleep."
Rowan chuckled softly at that, shaking his head. "One battle at a time, Ash. One battle at a time."
Lucas blinked groggily as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, still half-asleep. The warmth in his arms felt comforting at first, and for a moment, such warm hard body.
he thought he was holding Kyra. That was until the snoring reached his ears—a deep, rumbling sound that definitely didn’t belong to her.
Wait... hard body... snore?
Lucas’ eyes snapped open in realization, and he was horrified to find himself clutching onto Rylan of all people! Somehow, in the middle of the night, Rylan had rolled over onto their mat, and now Lucas had him trapped in a tight, affectionate embrace.
"Argh, no..." Lucas groaned quietly to himself, desperately trying to untangle his limbs from Rylan’s. But the man was a heavy sleeper, and every time Lucas tried to pry himself free, Rylan seemed to snuggle in closer, letting out little grunts of contentment.
This wasn’t happening.
Lucas’ patience quickly wore thin. "Get off me!" he hissed under his breath, giving Rylan a sharp kick to the shin.
"Oww..." Rylan whimpered in his sleep, his arms loosening just enough for Lucas to escape. He quickly rolled away, glaring at the oblivious Rylan who was now sprawled out, still snoring loudly.
With a huff, Lucas rubbed his face, trying to calm down. He glanced over at Kyra for some comfort, but when his gaze fell on her, his frustration only deepened. She had managed to almost curl herself entirely under Damon’s broad form, her small body tucked securely against him. Damon had one arm draped protectively over her, his large frame keeping her close even in sleep.
Lucas couldn’t help but frown. How did this happen? He usually had no problem keeping his spot beside Kyra, and now, somehow, he had ended up snuggling Rylan while Kyra ended up practically buried under Damon!
Lucas grumbled to himself, feeling a surge of possessiveness he didn’t quite understand. He wasn’t jealous wolf, but the sight of Kyra snuggling so perfectly against Damon was irking him more than it should.
