I wasn't woken again until well into the morning.

"Get up," a deep voice said.

I groaned as I felt a foot rest on my shoulder and shake me.

"Fuck off," I grumbled.

"We have a war to win remember?"

I opened my eyes to see the leaf-littered floor of the forest. Then I felt the stiffness of my neck and the bright sunlight as my vision adjusted. And reality came hurtling through.

I let out one more groan before I sat up and squinted as I looked up at Alpha Rivers, who stood staring down at me.

"Where is everyone?" I asked noticing the emptiness of the camp.

"I assigned them all posts around the bridge and surrounding forest," he said. "They all have a clear sight of the road well in advance."

I grimaced and looked around, noticing his men scattered around all with their eyes on the road.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"You looked like you needed rest," he replied. "You missed twenty minutes of sleep cutting hair this morning, remember?"

I nodded, "Looks worse in daylight," I said looking at his hair.

He let out a short laugh, "Cheers. Now come on. Get up."

"Where is my post?" I asked.

"You're with me on the left side of the bridge," he said already turning away from me and walking over to the bridge.

"Joy," I muttered, dragging myself to my feet and following him.

At first, we sat in silence only exchanging the minimal amount of words when absolutely necessary.

"How was scouting with Lou last night?" he asked me hours later when boredom had really started to set in.

He'd been sat sharpening a stick with his knife until it took the form of some kind of gruesome torture device. He smiled down at it in satisfaction, twisting it in his hand and prodding the sharp point.

"Peaceful," I said, "We get on."

He looked up from the stick, "Hmmm," he hummed, "You know he has killed members of your pack too?" he added in a sly tone.

"And who's orders was he carrying out?" I countered.

After that, there was silence until midday when a messenger from another patrol appeared.

"Alpha," he said jogging up to us, "There's a group of Alpha Kane's men planning to use the Northern road late this afternoon. I don't exactly know when but my commander sent me to inform you."

Alpha Rivers nodded, "Where did you get the intel from?"

"An enemy soldier we captured at the border last night," he replied. "Since yesterday your messenger informed us you were planning to guard this bridge today so we knew it was vital that you know."

"Do you know how many of Alpha Kane's men there will be? Or when exactly?" Alpha Rivers asked.

"No," he replied bowing his head, "The prisoner was badly injured and bled out before we could find out much."

Alpha Rivers nodded, "Spread the message to as many patrols as you can find. Tell them to head to the Northern road and prepare for an ambush."

The soldier bowed his head again before leaving us.

"There's only nine of us," I pointed out, "We need more soldiers."

Alpha Rivers shook his head, "Discretion is key, Esme," he replied, pointing the carved stake at me, "So long as we have plenty of small groups lining this road, they don't stand a chance of getting through alive. We have the upper ground and the element of surprise."

He then stood up and strode over to where Lou sat before briefing him on the situation and then the other six soldiers before he sent Asher up to tell Eli, who was scouting alone in the spot we had used last night about a mile North.

He then sat down back in our position and we once again returned to silence. I kept my eyes on the road and my bow in my hand. It had only just gone midday and the messenger had said late this afternoon but with nothing else to do, I devoted my attention to keeping an eagle eye on the track at the bottom of the gulley.

Alpha Rivers pretty much didn't move too. Every now and then he glanced around the forest before returning to his slightly creepy stillness. He was hardly even blinking.

He was a strange man.

His personality was as malleable as molten metal. Sometimes he was all about theatre and spectacles. Sometimes he was charming...almost nice. Sometimes he was sly and devious. Sometimes he was simply quiet and brooding. And sometimes he was just plain rude. He seemed able to manipulate it at the snap of his fingers and it was unsettling to say the least.

When I got up to stretch my legs about an hour later, he finally broke the silence.

"You know we could...talk," he said.

"Why on earth would we do that?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the track below.

He shrugged.

"It could be hours until they get here," he replied.

I looked down at him. His eyebrow was raised as he waited for my response and from his straight expression I could tell his suggestion was surprisingly a serious one.

We'd done nothing but fight since we met. His sudden change in attitude was odd.

I scoffed, shaking off the disconcertion he had created in my mind.

"Ah yes, nothing better than an argument to pass the time," I remarked, looking back to the track, "You don't know how to have a civil conversation."

"Oh, so I'm the hostile one?" he questioned, "You've never said a nice word to me."

I opened my mouth in shock as my face hardened with anger. 

The audacity.

"And you have to me?" I replied, snapping my glare to him, "'I want you in my bed', doesn't count. And have I killed any of your pack members? Did I fill your life with constant stress for years? So in answer to your question: yes. Yes, you are the fucking hostile one!"

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

I could tell he had a lot more to say than a blunt 'whatever' but for some reason, he was holding it back. He didn't usually bother to refrain from expressing his thoughts in the most honest and efficient way possible no matter how harsh, offensive and inflammatory they were. What was different?

"What would we even talk about?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, "I don't have anything to say to you."

He shrugged.

"I don't know. Fucking apples," he said. "I don't care. Anything would be better than this silence."

I looked down at him again, "Apples?"

"Do you like apples?" he asked.

"Who doesn't like apples?" I questioned, "They're the superior fruit."

He smiled and reached into his pocket before pulling out a bright red shiny apple.

He took a large bite and grinned at me, "Do you want some?"

My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten in hours.

I gazed at it hungrily and nodded.

He handed it to me and I took a bite of the glorious, juicy apple. It filled my mouth with a beautiful sweetness and it had the perfect crispy crunch.

"If you want another bite, you have to tell me three facts about yourself," he said, as he took the apple back.

I frowned, "You're gonna bribe me into talking to you."

He smiled, "Go on."

"You go first," I said, still reluctant to talk to play along with whatever scheme it was this time.

"Fine," he said before pausing to think, "...I have the same dream about a giant caterpillar at least once a week, the sound of pigeons drives me insane and I can actually lick my elbow."

I couldn't help but smile as he took another bite of the apple.

"Prove it," I said, trying to hide my grin. "Lick your elbow."

"You don't believe me?" he asked.

"Your arm is long and your tongue doesn't seem to be abnormally big," I said, "I'll only believe it when I see it."

"Fine," he said passing me the apple, "Hold this."

He then proceeded to distort his body into the most hilarious shape and then project his tongue to comfortably reach his elbow.

I couldn't contain my amusement anymore and my face creased with laughter at the sight of him abandoning his normal stone-cold serious stance.

"How?!" I giggled.

"The secret is in my super flexible shoulders," he replied, grinning ear to ear. "Now. Are you gonna tell me some things about you or do I get this apple to myself?"

I narrowed my eyes in thought.

"Okay... I can't stand mushrooms, I'm left-handed and I have a birthmark that looks like a hickey."

"Hmm, interesting," he said tossing me the apple, "But I already knew you were left-handed because I pay close attention when I watch you shoot and I noticed the hickey-birthmark almost immediately after we met."

I brought my hand to my neck where the birthmark was.

"Is it really that noticeable?" I asked.

He shrugged, "It is to someone extremely attracted to your neck."

I rolled my eyes, "So you have a caterpillar fetish and a neck fetish now?"

He grinned and snatched the apple out my hand, "In the dream, the caterpillar is actually my Grandmother so not quite," he corrected.

I laughed and shook my head, "That is so strange. Every week?!"

"Without fail," he said, "And what do you have against mushrooms?"

"It's the texture. They're squeaky and it makes me shiver," I replied.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "Squeaky?"

"If you know, you know," I replied.

I then sat down on a log opposite him. The track was still empty and the scout would inform us at least ten minutes before they showed up. I guess we did have a brief moment to spare.

We shared the rest of the apple as he teased me relentlessly about my hatred of mushrooms before I began to imitate the sound of pigeons.

"Do it once more and I will never share my apples with you again," he threatened with a large grin of his face just after I had taken a deep breath to release another 'coo coo'.

I suddenly paused.

Apples were my all-time favourite and I'd learnt that Alpha Rivers never messed around with his threats.

His eyes glinted as he watched me think better of it and close my mouth.

"Besides," he began looking up at the deep blue of the afternoon sky, "Alpha Kane's men could be here soon and we don't want to draw attention to ourselves by doing impressions that in no way under the sun could be mistaken for a pigeon."

"Rude!"

He laughed before smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back, my previous feelings of extreme anger towards him dissolving.

Just then, we heard footsteps heading our way.

It was Lou.

He was out of breath, sweating and with a frantic look on his face. Fifteen minutes ago he had gone to the scout point to check on Eli and take him some freshwater but he was back very quickly, as if he had sprinted at least one way, and there was the faint smell of blood on him.

"The scout is dead," he announced, "They know we're here."

"Fuck," Alpha Rivers said prizing his knife from where he had embedded it in the log he was sat on. "How long do we have?"

"Five minutes," he said.

I picked up my bow and made sure my arrows were ready to be drawn.

"And how many of them are there?"

"Ten. But there are more on the way for sure," Lou replied.

Alpha Rivers clenched his jaw before whistling to one of his men, "Asher," he said before beckoning one of the men to come over.

"Find another patrol, I don't care which one, and send them straight here," he ordered, "Alpha Kane's men know we are here and we need back up ASAP. Spread the word."

The soldier nodded before running back to his post and passing the message along to the other men before he disappeared into the forest.

"What's the plan, Alpha?" Lou asked.

"We fight and pray our back up arrives before theirs does," he replied before his eye caught me.

He paused before taking a deep breath, "Did you see which direction Asher went, Esme?"

I nodded.

"Follow him," he commanded.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because shit is about to go down here and I don't want you here," he replied.

"No. You aren't cutting me out of this, Alpha Rivers," I said, "I am fighting and that is not your decision."

"Esme," he said sternly.

"Do you care about me or something now?" I snapped, "Or is this about me being a woman again? Because as you agreed with Alpha Brynn, whilst you are united with the Nightingale pack, you will treat our female and male soldiers equally."

He sighed, "I don't have time for this," he grunted, "Lou, stay with her while I brief the men."

Lou nodded before Alpha Rivers marched off, taking long strides as every muscle in his body tensed like rigid wood.

"You tricked me into thinking you were getting along when I first got here," he replied.

"We were...for a brief moment," I said.

"And then he reminded you why you hate him," Lou said speaking my exact thoughts, "As I've told you before, don't let yourself forget it, Esme."

I nodded and looked over to him as he gave instructions to his men with a face of stone and an unnecessary sharpness in his tone. They stood completely still, their heads bowed and I couldn't help feel partly responsible for their subdued, wide-eyed expressions. Like the flick of a switch, I'd triggered his temper and now he was taking it out on them.

As Alpha Rivers finished barking orders at them and turned his back, their shoulders all relaxed as they reached for their weapons and silently got into their positions, ready to obediently carry out the commands.

He then strode back over to Lou and me.

"We are sticking with the ambush. When they arrive, if they are have figured out our plan and are anticipating it, they'll already be off the track and my men will aim to lure and chase them back down so that we have the upper ground. If they are still down there, we will keep them down. Esme, I want you on the bridge ducked out of sight but ready to shoot down and pick them off one by one. If you are captured just fucking surrender, okay? I know it's not your style but if you want to live, let them take you and I swear when the back up arrives we will get you back, understand?"

I nodded, "I'm not stupid," I told him, sincerely.

A slight reassuring smile tugged at his lips before his face straightened again, "Good," he said, "And I am commander, remember? We ambush on my signal only."

I looked into the trees. There was the faint sound of footsteps in the distance. We needed to take our cover and now.

"Esme, look at me," Alpha Rivers said snapping his fingers.

I looked up at him and shrugged.

"Do you understand?" he repeated, "On my signal."

The footsteps of the enemy soldiers approaching us were getting louder and with him staring down at me, refusing to move until I nodded, so I caved and agreed.

He nodded in acknowledgement before turning his ear out into the woods.

"Get down," was the last thing he said to me, his voice still strong and deep but hushed to a whisper before he headed over to his post.

He took a lasting glance as I backed down behind the wall of the bridge before he clenched his fist around his knife and pressed his back against a nearby tree.

Lou gave me a reassuring smile before taking his position too and we all waited in silent anticipation as the footsteps grew closer.