Chapter 57: A Confrontation and a Plea

I follow the scent, so light and refreshing. My heart longs to breathe it in more fully, to bury my face in her hair while I hold her in my arms.

Aurora.

A quiver goes through me at the thought of seeing her at the end of this trail.

I should be tracking the scout, trying to pick up his path, but my feet refuse to heed my brain's command and instead take the route my heart craves most.

The scent leads me to a clearing in the woods, then finally a cabin. It's a modest structure, built from logs and slate. It's well below the means I am used to living in, but it appears sturdy.

A man exits the cabin and I instinctively draw back behind a tree. By the moonlight I can see he's an older wolf, past his prime, but still strong. His head tilts, and there in the lines of his profile, I see Aurora's features made masculine and bold.

"I know you're out there," Aurora's father calls. I hear him pump the barrel on a shotgun, then see it when he brings it to his shoulder to take aim into the night.