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

clumsy tenderness. Learning he only treated her with such familiarity because he thought of her as a little girl made her happy. How sweet could he be?

“Come on now, you lovebird! You’ve done your work, now you have to help me with mine. Those roots will not boil themselves.” Mynte dragged her back to the village. Things were quiet, so she seemed confident enough to take her to the matriarch’s hut.

In the middle of the day, most hunters traveled far. Only their visitors gave her odd looks, while everyone else minded their own business. As they dodged the loud children, Mynte gave her a thoughtful once-over.

“You should get proper clothes soon. Your flimsy dress will not last much longer.” She was right; the soft fabric pushed its limits. “I don’t care about you being naked, but I’m sure Hakken would not be indifferent.” She winked before laughing at the sight of Maeve turning a deep shade of red.

“Oh please, shut up!” She nudged her shoulder. “The last thing I need on my mind is—”

Their bickering was abruptly interrupted when a tall man came out of nowhere and pushed her hard. Maeve hit the ground, and the bitter taste of dirt coated her mouth, as a burning sensation spread on her palms. This didn’t feel like an accident.

Mynte added a few words to her vocabulary while shouting at the man. This was not her imagination going wild, nor a misunderstanding. He attacked her. And even if a nasty push could hardly be considered a death threat, when Maeve stared up at him, her blood ran cold.

His unpleasant smirk partly covered the glare of disdain. Seeing her on the ground, hurt and vulnerable, was what he wanted. However, that wasn’t what scared her.

Hatred oozed from those eyes.

She scrambled to her feet, took Mynte by the arm, and gave the man one silent, defiant look before going on her way. He was trying to provoke her, and she was at a disadvantage. Maeve didn’t want to cause any trouble for the tribe.

“That man is dangerous,” Maeve whispered with a shiver. She thought of Hakken and yearned for his protective arms around her.

Mynte fumed by her side. “Paid the asshole no mind. If he were not a guest, someone would have punched some teeth out of his ugly face.”

“What?” Maeve looked around to find everyone in the village throwing murderous glares at the rude man. A group of children followed them, forming a wall between him and the girls.

She had lived among them for less than two months, but they were willing to protect her, an outsider. Gratitude overwhelmed her. It wasn’t only Hakken and Mynte. Everyone in the village was so kind.

Mynte noticed her struggling to hold back the tears and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you extra work so you can forget about this.”

Hakken

This turned out to be a lot harder than expected. After days of hard work, his mistakes were piling up, and Hakken admitted defeat. He dropped to the ground, surrounded by rocks and wood, aching everywhere and looking hopeless.

Kniv’s boisterous laugh startled him. “Giving up so soon? Considering the number of material you gathered, I imagined you were planning to build a palace.” Hakken growled in annoyance, turning his back on him. The sun hit, relentless; the sweat and dirt clung to his body. He was not in the mood to entertain Kniv.

“Come on! No need to be so sour.” Kniv sat beside him, still snickering. “First, tell me, why did you decide to build yourself a cabin? You have your cozy little cave.”

Kniv taunted him. He wanted to flip him off and remain offended, but he was also seeking the answer to the same question. Half-breeds lived in caves or community huts and only built their dwelling upon finding their loved ones and starting a family. So why was he building his own hut?

“She is lovely, Hakken. I’m sure everyone will be happy with your union. You most of all.”

“I am not...! She will never...!” He stopped and pressed his lips before giving Kniv more reasons to tease him. “I’m not planning on taking her as my mate. I just want to give her a beautiful place to live.”

Kniv smiled at him with a fatherly glint in his eyes, and it made him uneasy. It was the same smile he had given him eleven years ago when he announced he was in love. A pang of guilt pierced him while remembering his beautiful mate. Since Maeve’s arrival, he hardly thought about her anymore.

“We might go to war soon, so I’m happy to see you are planning for your future.” Kniv’s voice held so much sorrow. “I’ve watched you wither away with pain all these years, and my heart broke along with yours.

“When we lost her...” Kniv muttered. “You two were so happy together. My sweet daughter was so happy.”

Hakken kept his eyes fixed on the ground. They never talked about her. He couldn’t stand it. Ashamed, he realized he wasn’t the only one in pain. He had left Kniv to mourn on his own all those years.

But his friend was not as selfish as he was. Kniv patted his shoulder. “I’m glad to see you fall back in love once more. You have every right to be happy, and little Maeve is the sweetest and most caring companion you could have found.”

Hakken shrugged, his head hanging from his shoulders. “I fear I’m betraying her memory. I can’t shake the feeling I should have died alongside her.” How liberating, finally saying those words.

Kniv gave him an encouraging squeeze. “But you live, and you deserve to be happy. Honestly, I don’t know why you are still in denial. You are already head over heels for your golden beauty!”

Hakken chuckled. Love? Was it love what made him smile every time he laid his eyes on his little ray of sunshine? Too soon to tell, and he was not ready to analyze it. The only thing he was certain of was he cared about