The Untold Forest by Elisa Menz (ebook offline reader TXT) 📕

eyes closed, and a tired sigh left her lips. “It’s not my fault she died, but nothing I did saved her.”

“But you tried. I’m sure you did your best, and there is no shame in—”

“I miss her.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “She withered and died because she blamed herself for my brother’s death. I needed her too. Why didn’t she try for me?”

Like a frozen river cracking under the unwavering push of water, Maeve’s hidden pain broke free and surged through her body. She gasped, letting go of the exhaustion that went beyond physical weariness. Her head hung limply to her side, finding shelter on his shoulder while her fingers curled desperately between his. He realized this was the first time she talked about her mother’s death, and Hakken tensed, worried about saying something thoughtlessly.

Maeve snuggled closer, squeezing his hand. “So you’re staying right here. I won’t go through that again, and you’re stuck with me for life, Hakken.”

What an unexpected and captivating idea. To live with Maeve for the rest of his—no longer miserable—life. But would that make her happy? “I know I didn’t exactly ask for your opinion when I brought you here—” he rested his head on hers— “but you’re not bound to stay with me if you don’t want to.”

The afternoon sun hid behind rainy clouds. A fairly common occurrence for summer, these short, refreshing rains caught you off guard and left you dripping wet in the middle of an errand. With the cave’s entrance only a few steps away, he could pick up Maeve and carry her inside before the downpour drenched them.

I need to stop carrying her and pushing her around. He scolded himself, now aware treating an adult like he treated Maeve was unbecoming. All his fondness had come for the fact he thought of Maeve as a little girl; nothing indecent about it.  But since she was a woman, he should no longer take the same liberties.

“I’d love to stay with you if you’ll have me,” Maeve said.

The first raindrops fell thick and loud around them. One cold, nasty drop splashed right on his nose, but Hakken didn’t care. She wants to stay with me! How did she always say the things he wanted to hear the most? A broad smile tugged on his face, and he realized two things. One; with no effort on her part, Maeve had him eating from her palm, and two; he loved it.

Not even the weather would damp his joyful epiphany, so when the drizzle became a legitimate rain, it was Maeve who stood and pulled him towards the cave. “Hakken, come on! You’ll get soaked.”

He jumped to his feet, and with one swift movement, Hakken picked Maeve from the ground and cradled her, eliciting a little cry of protest from her. The human glared at him. “You need to stop doing that.”

He chuckled and kissed her loudly on the cheek. “Never.”

CHAPTER XIX

I WILL PROTECT YOU

Maeve

The weather had been lovely all week, and her little orchard thrived. The Forest soil was so rich, every single seed she planted had sprouted. Mynte sat close by, admiring the result of Maeve’s efforts. Little leaves peeked all around.

Despite being so early in the morning, Hakken left the cave as soon as the sun rose. A new habit he adopted last week. Sleeves rolled, Maeve ripped weeds while chatting with her friend, who had unsparingly denied her help.

Ever since the river incident, and the big fight-reconciliation with Hakken, things had been peaceful.

Well... no, not really.

Everyone tried so hard not to alarm her, Maeve didn’t know how to ask what was wrong. Would it be disappointing for them to learn she knew all along? Hakken and Mynte worked so hard to make her feel safe and welcome, but despite their efforts, Maeve had a hunch about what all the fuss was about.

“Another group arrived today. Are they from another tribe?” She learned from Mynte the term ‘tribe’, sounded much more polite than ‘pack’.

“Hey! You are not even trying. You must practice if you want to learn our language.”

Maeve groaned, noticing how Mynte dodged the question. She tried a different strategy and switched to the half-breed language. “Who are they?” Ha! Let’s see if you can dodge this! 

Mynte rolled her eyes before answering. “They came from the Gray Glade Tribe to meet with the matriarch.”

Ever since visitors arrived, Hakken insisted on having their meals inside the cave. And Mynte helped to keep her out of sight. She knew no one in the River tribe bothered about her presence anymore, so this had to be a precaution. Considering humans could not be in the Forest, half-breeds from other tribes might react poorly.

The isolation was unfortunate but necessary, and Maeve understood the harsh measures guaranteed her own safety. While the matriarch made her presence in the Forest known, it didn’t mean the Children of the River would brag about her outside their territory.

“Where is Hakken? I swear I’ll never understand the man. Until last week he was unbearably clingy, and now I see him only for a few hours at night.”

“Why? Do you miss him being clingy?” Mynte replied, a smug smile playing on her face.

“No, I don’t! Stop smiling and pass me the rake.”

Mynte laughed with malice before handing the tool. “I still can’t believe the idiot thought of you as a little girl! How dense can he be?”

Indeed absurd, but it explained a lot. Maeve would find it funny, if not for the fact thinking about it made her fluster. Hakken no longer acted goofy and touchy. They shared the bed at night, but he gave her some space now. He still took excellent care of her, but he allowed her more freedom and privacy.

Maeve appreciated the change, even though there was one complication. How fidgety they both acted around each other now.

Ever since coming to the Forest, they spent most of the time together. Even if his hugs and constant kisses made her shy at first, she had grown used to his