Free Web NovelChapter 294: Chapter 294 Against the Odds
Christina’s POV
We walked along the shoreline for what seemed like hours without discovering any additional remnants of the yacht.
My legs began to throb, muscles aching with each step as I massaged them reflexively. The endless stretch of sand ahead sapped what little hope I had left. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"This is useless," I whispered to myself.
Bitterness churned in my stomach like poison. This island was obviously too vast for two people to search properly, yet likely too small for rescue teams to notice easily—assuming anyone was even searching for us.
I kept that grim realization to myself. The longer I thought about it, the more I wished I could go back and stop myself from impulsively diving into this mess and pulling Hudson down with me.
That’s when I saw Hudson changing direction, walking straight into the dense woodland.
I froze in place.
Sunlight made it safer, certainly, but uneasiness still crept through me. The towering trees crowded together, casting deep shadows. I’d always disliked enclosed spaces that felt like traps.
"We’re actually going in there?" I shouted, unable to hide my worry.
Hudson looked over his shoulder. He stopped walking, then turned to face me completely.
Without hesitation, he came back and took my hand in his.
The warmth of his skin shocked me, sending an spark through my body.
"Don’t worry," he said, his tone softer. "I won’t leave your side. Not for a second."
I gazed at our joined hands, completely off-guard.
Since when had Hudson and I become so... close?
"What’s going on here?" Akira sounded entertained in my mind.
"Nothing," I replied internally, but I’d already missed my chance to break free. Before I could think clearly, Hudson had been guiding me forward for several minutes.
His hand felt scorching against mine. When I glanced up, his face stayed calm, eyes focused straight ahead.
Was I overthinking this? When he said he’d stay with me, it probably wasn’t romantic. He was likely just being practical, helping me through unfamiliar ground.
Hudson turned and saw me staring. I felt his fingers tighten around mine.
As we moved deeper, I realized the forest wasn’t as scary as I’d thought.
Many trees along our route had fallen from the tsunami. What should have been a choking wall of branches now felt surprisingly open and easy to walk through.
Without feeling trapped, I considered letting go of Hudson’s hand, which moved and touched mine with each step.
"Skin contact releases bonding hormones," Akira said happily. "That’s why you’re feeling so... warm."
"Shut up," I told her silently.
I touched the leaf piece still stuck in my hair, reminding me of our risky situation. In the end, I kept holding his hand.
We walked until we found a stream.
The water flowed clear and fast, but this wasn’t some small creek I could hop across. It stretched at least ten feet wide and looked deep enough to reach my chest in the middle.
I frowned and looked at Hudson. "Swim across?"
Hudson shook his head right away. "No way. We can’t risk getting too cold. If we get wet now, our clothes will be soaked when it gets freezing tonight. Without enough food for energy, we won’t be able to stay warm. Too dangerous."
Almost without thinking, I gripped his hand tighter, feeling better from his confident plan. "Then how do we cross?"
Hudson looked around, his gaze stopping on something to our right. He let go of my hand and walked toward whatever caught his eye.
I hurried after him, not wanting to be alone in this strange forest. Even with Akira’s sharp senses, being away from my Alpha in unknown territory felt wrong deep down.
He leaped cleanly over a huge fallen tree. His movement was swift and effortless—from years of Alpha fighting training. I felt jealous as I clumsily climbed around the trunk instead.
When I caught up, Hudson stood waiting with folded arms.
His face grew serious when he saw me coming. "Why didn’t you follow right behind me?"
"Not all of us can jump over half the forest," I grumbled, brushing dirt off my makeshift dress.
He started to speak, then stopped. "That was careless of me. Next time, I’ll—"
"What?" I asked when he didn’t finish.
Hudson looked at my face closely, his blue eyes intense. Then he suddenly changed topics. "I found a way across."
"How?" I asked, curious despite being annoyed.
He pointed at the stream. "Those rocks in the water. If they’re solid in the riverbed, we can use them as stepping stones."
I looked where he pointed and saw several big boulders staying firm against the flowing water.
Relief rushed through me, a fragile happiness growing in my chest. "Let’s go then."
We walked to the water’s edge.
Hudson told me to wait while he tested the crossing first, jumping from stone to stone with the grace of a hunter. Only when he reached the other side did he turn back and signal that the path was safe.
But I stayed frozen in place.
Standing by the rushing water, I looked from Hudson to my feet where small waves touched the shore. My head dropped as I held the edge of my leaf dress.
I’d realized the problem earlier when trying to climb over that fallen tree.
This homemade dress was fine for covering me, but useless for moving around. One big step made the bottom ride up dangerously high. Only my bikini underneath kept me modest. Even so, one quick movement would probably tear the fragile weave apart.
As I hesitated, a shadow fell over me.
Hudson had crossed back without me noticing.
Before I could react, the ground vanished under my feet. Everything tilted sideways, and when it steadied, I found myself held in Hudson’s arms.
I stared up at the hard line of his jaw, heat rushing to my face. "What are you doing?"
I squirmed, trying to get free. His hand pressed firmly against my thigh, sending an unwanted shiver through my body.
"Your dress will rip if you try jumping across," he said matter-of-factly.
The more I struggled, the tighter his hold became.
His eyes met mine, his jaw tense and voice clipped. "Don’t move."
