Raine had already decided that she was in a bad mood the moment she stepped outside the pack house when the coldness of the morning air bit her nose, and her breath turned into small clouds in front of her face every time she exhaled. She indeed hated coldness. She indeed hated this journey even before they left the pack house.
And that was before she knew Landon would come along, too. She was displeased. Her mood dropped to the point she didn’t think it was possible, maybe even lower than the temperature here.
She stood beside the steps of the carriage with her arms crossed, glaring at the man standing before her as if his very existence had personally offended her.
On the other hand, Landon stood with the calm confidence of someone who had absolutely no intention of changing his mind and saw no reason to explain himself.
She stared at him. "You are not coming. You are sick. You shouldn’t travel much."
Landon didn’t even bother to look at her. "It should be okay. I will travel with a healer."
"You can’t even use that as an excuse, Landon. Seriously. How can I preserve your life when you keep throwing it away?" Raine groaned in annoyance. "You don’t have to come. It’s not like you can help to identify the flower."
Landon ignored the protest. "Get in the carriage, Raine."
Narrowing her eyes, she rejected bluntly, "No."
"You have two choices," he said calmly. "You can ride in the carriage, or you can walk for hours to town. Suit yourself."
Raine then shifted her attention toward Cole. "You knew."
Cole lifted both hands innocently. "I suspected."
She knew he was lying. "And you didn’t warn me."
"Honestly, I was curious to see your reaction." He grinned from ear to ear.
Raine made an irritated sound in the back of her throat. "Fine," she muttered. Then she spun around sharply and stomped away from the carriage.
Unfortunately, the ground had other plans. Raine made it exactly three steps. Her boot caught on an uneven stone.
The pain was sharp enough to make her yelp. The world tilted forward suddenly as she lost her balance. For one horrifying moment, Raine was certain she was about to land face-first in the frozen ground.
Then a hand caught her arm. Strong fingers closed around her sleeve and pulled her back upright. She blinked in surprise.
Landon was standing behind her; his grip was steady as he kept her from falling.
For a moment, they remained like that.
"See?" he said dryly.
Raine scowled. "See what?"
"See who is trying to kill themselves."
Raine immediately pulled her arm free. "I tripped." And Landon said nothing.
Raine felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She knew immediately what had happened. She had twisted it. Perfect. It was exactly what she needed before a three-hour journey in this damn carriage.
She didn’t want Landon to notice it, though. So, she turned away quickly before he could notice it. She forced herself to walk normally toward the carriage, while each step sent a sharp pain through her foot.
With difficulty, Raine climbed inside the carriage and sat down, carefully stretching her legs. Her fingers moved to her ankle, massaging the joint.
A moment later, the carriage door opened again. Raine looked up, and she saw Landon step inside. Her eyebrows shot up, and she straightened up. "I don’t want you here."
He sat across from her. "You can walk if you want. Be my guest."
Raine was speechless. She leaned back against the seat and crossed her arms. "Why are you even here?"
Landon’s eyes briefly moved toward her ankle.
"You can shift into your beast," she said quickly to avert his attention. "So, why don’t you?"
"A healer says I am sick."
"If you are well aware that you are sick, you shouldn’t be here."
Landon leaned his head back against the seat. He said nothing and closed his eyes. Completely ignored her.
Outside, Cole climbed onto the driver’s seat, and the carriage began to move. The wheels rolled over the frozen road with a steady rhythm. The journey started. The road out of the pack’s territory was quiet.
Inside the carriage, the silence had stretched for nearly half an hour. Raine and Landon were sitting across from each other in the carriage. Neither of them spoke.
"I hate winter," Raine muttered. She had wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and was staring out the window.
She tried to ignore the dull ache in her ankle and stretched it slightly, looking for a comfortable position.
Across from her, Landon remained perfectly still with his eyes closed. But Raine didn’t buy it. "You’re not actually sleeping, are you?"
No response.
The carriage jolted a little as it passed over a rough patch of road. Raine shifted instinctively, and pain shot through her ankle. She sucked in a small breath.
The road stretched long and quiet ahead of them. Outside the carriage window, frost-covered fields slowly changed to patches of forest.
Time passed.
At some point during the journey, Raine’s irritation slowly faded into exhaustion.
Her ankle still hurt, and the little warmth inside the carriage made her eyelids grow heavy. She glanced at Landon in front of her briefly.
Landon’s eyes were closed, but still, Raine had the distinct feeling he was not actually sleeping.
And he wasn’t. His mind was working through possibilities.
Meanwhile, across from him, Raine shifted slightly in her seat. Her head tilted toward the window. A few minutes later, her breathing became slow and even.
She had fallen asleep. Too exhausted to stay awake the whole journey.
And finally, Landon opened his eyes. He studied her for a moment. Even asleep, her expression looked faintly annoyed, as if she were arguing with someone in her dreams.
***
The carriage eventually slowed. They had reached the edge of the town. Cole jumped down from the driver’s seat and opened the carriage door. "We’re here," he said. Then he noticed Raine. "Asleep?"
Landon nodded. Cole glanced toward the street. "Should I wake her?"
"No. Let her sleep for a while."
"We’re in a hurry, aren’t we?"
Landon leaned back. "The shop will be open until evening."
Cole studied him for a moment. Then he grinned. "Well," he said, closing the door again. "That gives us time."
Inside the carriage, Raine continued sleeping peacefully.