She held on for dear life as Theo's legs shot off more power than any horse could. The wrong move or a slacked grip was likely to send her off the wolf—an accident she couldn't risk. She knew if she slipped even a little, she would be reinforcing Keenan's belief that she was a part of this attack.
Suddenly, Maya heard a horse bellow loudly enough to startle the birds in the nearby trees and the flapping of wings as they took off filled the air. She turned her head to see behind her just as the ground shook and the horse Keenan rode on fell on its side.
Keenan jumped off the horse just in time and Maya noticed that a wolf was standing beside the fallen horse. The wolf seemed to be the reason for the cry and the fall of the horse.
She felt a squeeze in her chest as she saw the wolf now approaching Keenan, but he hadn't shifted into his wolf form yet. That wasn't the only worrisome part; she could see two more wolves slowly exiting the trees.
It was getting hard to twist her neck to see while Theo ran at full speed, and the view was getting much smaller. She turned her attention back to Theo, but the latter didn't even slow down or look worried.
Did he have that much faith in Keenan? She said a silent prayer to the moon goddess to keep him safe. If Father sent these wolves, she was certain they wouldn't spare anyone.
Keenan growled at the approaching wolf. He was still in human form, slowly backing away as he watched it. He could see the wolf's hesitancy to attack, and Keenan sneered in its face.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see two wolves trying to ambush him from behind and he knew the wolf in front of him was waiting for some sort of signal to attack. They wanted to catch him off guard.
He knew they would attack any second now to prevent him from shifting and were most likely trying to catch him mid-shift. That's why the one in front of him wasn't exuding any hostility until the others were closer.
However, there was something they didn't know: Keenan didn't shift at the same speed as everyone else. He was faster. Perhaps it was due to the many involuntary shifts that still affected him.
The air changed and the three wolves launched at him simultaneously. Keenan reacted immediately, bending his knees he leaped as high as possible and shifted mid-air. The wolves stopped in their tracks, completely caught off guard by his quick shift.
Keenan had anticipated that. It would normally take at least ten seconds, so he understood their shock. He leaped over them and began to run. He should have bought enough time for Asher and Theo to get some distance away, and if there were attackers in front, he was certain Asher would take care of them.
The three wolves chased him, but Keenan outran them easily. He didn't take the trail; rather, he dashed into the woods. With the trees in the way, it would be harder for them to keep up with him. He could easily outrun them, but he was hoping he could lose them in the woods.
Keenan easily jumped over fallen trees, roots sticking out of the ground, and the rocks stuck in the earth. He didn't need to look back to know there was quite some distance between him and the wolves chasing him.
He could feel the emerald necklace bounce softly against his chest. He had suspected it was magical since the gold mine. The fact that he had had it since he was a child, yet the emerald necklace always seemed to be the perfect size.
Another thing was when he shifted, the necklace also fit his increased size, and it was the only thing that didn't tear off or break.
However, he had truly confirmed that it was indeed magical in the last war with the Mad Witch. If it weren't for this necklace, he would have been dead as soon as he arrived on the battlefield.
He was malnourished, extremely weak, and had never fought in a war a day in his life, but he not only survived but managed to chase the Mad Witch and her army away from the territories that she had captured years ago.
He winced as he remembered who gave it to him. Penelope was still protecting him from the grave. If he hadn't taken it from her, perhaps she would still be alive. If Vilhelm had not taken him from her, perhaps she would still be alive.
The anger he felt was sharp, distinct, and clear. Clearer than the image of her face. The only thing he could clearly remember was her eyes: large blue crystal balls that always glimmered whenever he brought a new game they could play.
Keenan stopped suddenly. He did say they shouldn't attack, but the rage coursing through his body needed to be abated. There were no better toys to play with than the ones from the family who ruined his life.
His fur was not hard to miss, especially in broad daylight, which meant his assailants would notice that he had hidden. He was hoping they would use their noses and separate to try to find him.
Keenan couldn't properly hide his huge wolf form behind any tree, nor was there any time to climb a tree and wait. But it was irrelevant what method he used; all he wanted was the element of surprise.
Keenan twitched his nose as the smell of fur drifted toward him. He showed his fangs. The moon goddess was surely on his side as the slight breeze blew his scent in the opposite direction.
Keenan jumped out faster than the nearest wolf could react. It was the same one that had headbutted his horse. He sank his fangs into the neck of the wolf as hard as he could.
The smaller wolf howled in pain and that howl only intensified Keenan as he shook hard, ripping out the neck of the wolf.