Chapter Fifty Two - Deeper Than We Realize - Damian's POV

After leaving, I keep turning around to look back at the estate and continue to look in that direction long after it's out of sight. The thought of leaving her there is driving me insane. It doesn't matter that I left part of my most trusted warriors behind or that they will keep the pack safe. What if they don't keep her safe? Not only that, will they watch her like I do? She's a flight risk and probably will bolt the moment she thinks she isn't being watched. Then she'll roam these woods and I may not find her in time. 'Something troubling you, alpha?" Simon asks, his voice low enough the others don't quite hear. 'No," I mumble beneath my breath. 'Nothing at all." 'Your shoulders are tense, you look plagued, and I know something is going on," he says with a huff. 'You might as well tell me and stop trying to hide it. Anyone can see with one look that your wolf is riding you hard." I step over a fallen log and my foot lands on the other side, crunching the leaves beneath my boot. It does little to distract me from my wild thoughts. My wolf pushes against the restraints, begging to be let loose so he can go back to her. But I can't. I need to find these rogues and end the threats. Not that it will work. They will just keep coming, but it may slow them down. And slowing them down is what I need. 'He wants to claim what is his," I whisper. 'To have her." 'You will if she is the key like you think she is," he says, looking off to the side to see how close the others are. 'Everything will work out in our favor and according to fate, won't it?" 'Yes, but my wolf doesn't enjoy leaving her. He's already broken free twice around her. It's only a matter of time before I lose control of him and he marks her." Simon grunts. 'Well, if that is what fate wishes to happen, then so it will be. Then she'll be yours and we're saved." Saved is a funny word. Even if the prophecy is fulfilled, and the curse lifted, we still have enemies. And they want us dead. They are the last ones who want me to lift the curse and save the shifters. 'She will run." He laughs. 'Of course, but your wolf won't let her get far." 'That isn't what I fear," I say, my thoughts drifting elsewhere. 'They might find her, then they'll kill her to send us straight to death's door." We fall into silence as we keep pressing on. The woods are thick and we have to watch our steps. As the sun moves to a higher point in the sky, my stomach growls, letting me know I've gone too long without food. I reach into the pack at my side, pulling out some jerky. Simon eyes me, but says nothing. After what feels like hours, we have roamed the entire territory line. We find spots of blood where there was a fight, but there weren't any scents to follow and just when I think we won't find anything to help us go further, a piece of fabric flaps in the wind. It's white and hanging on a branch in the gentle breeze. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have sensed it at all. There is no scent on the wind. 'What is that?" 'Maybe it's a flag of surrender?" Tony suggests. 'No, that isn't surrender. If they can mask their scent, then they want us to find it. They put it somewhere too obvious." I eye the area and look for any other signs, only to find another piece of white fabric hanging from another limb twenty feet away. 'And it looks like they left us a path." 'Should we go?" Simon asks, his voice hesitant. 'If they left it for us, then they want us to follow and it probably leads to a trap." 'But we need to know who is doing this. I know there are vampires, and that is probably who laid out the pieces of fabric, but who else is with them? How many more enemies do we have besides the other packs?" Simon scoffs. 'I really want to question their alpha about why they are attacking us. We are all on the same side. If you don't finish the prophecy and lift the curse, then they all die, too." 'We know that. They think if I die, then their problems are solved. Don't ask me why they think like this. It's rather stupid." No one says a word as we study the white fabric in the distance. We need to go on, but how far do these signs go? What do they lead to? Will we meet our death? Instead of wasting time, I shake my head to dismiss those thoughts. No, I need to know and I'm going. At least I know I'm heading into a trap, so I can be prepared. 'We're following the trail." As I head in the direction of the fabric, no one follows me for at least the first few steps. One by one they fall in line. Everything is quiet except the sound of our footsteps against the fallen leaves. I glance up as we pass the first marker and then quickly find the next one. Every time I find one, it isn't long before I find the other and we keep going. This goes on for miles until we reach a river. I stop at the edge, followed by the others. There isn't a marker in sight. 'Where do you think they went from here? There aren't any signs of them," Simon says as he leans down to look at the ground. 'There aren't any prints left behind either. How are they doing this?" 'I don't know. This may go deeper than we realize."