CHAPTER FOUR: CLUES

“Are you well rested?” 

The birds chirped with careless abandon as I stepped out of the cabin. Frey was standing a few feet away, staring up at me with a smirk on his face.

I turned away from him, dragging my eyes to the scenery at the elft side of the cabin. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, on the sounds of the forest.

Behind me, Frey cleared his throat, and I heard the floorboards creak as he stepped closer to me.

The smell of fresh air and the sound of water rushing through stones, filled my ears. This was one gift of mine that I appreciated, my ability to hear things from afar.

I honed in on the sounds: rustling leaves, chirping birds, and that faraway hum of life within the forest. It was peaceful here, or at least it should have been.

I felt Frey's presence behind me, but I didn't turn around and acknowledge him. He'd made it his mission to get under my skin, and today wasn't going to be the day I gave him the satisfaction.

 "I didn't ask," I muttered, not looking at him. "It doesn't matter."

Frey let a low chuckle in his throat, and the mocking tone surging through me instantly became an annoyance. "Right. I'm sure it doesn't. But I'm sure you're more than capable of hiding that exhaustion under your stubbornness."

I cramped my fists at my sides to hold off snapping back. Why did he have to make everything so difficult?

"I'm fine," I said, trying to force the words to come out as firm as possible, though even to my ears they sounded weak.

The smirk never left his face. "Sure you are." There was a pause, and I could feel his eyes on me-as if he were trying to figure me out. "But, you know, I was beginning to wonder if you ever talked to anyone other than yourself.

My lips compressed. I wanted to snap at him, tell him I wasn't interested in talking to him at all, but I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't about to give him further ammunition to use against me.

Instead, I walked toward the edge of the cabin, hoping to lose him. The distant stream called to me, a quiet invitation to escape for a while.

Frey didn't follow at first, and in one wild moment I actually imagined that I might have indeed gotten rid of him. But just as I made for the trees, he was behind me once again.

"You really think you can outrun me out to the stream?" he asked, not without great mirth in his voice. "Quaint.

I bit my teeth the moment a wave of frustration swept through my body. Of all places, why did I have to end up with him? 

"I don't have time for this," I grumbled, hastening my pace. I needed a moment of solitude from his constant taunting.

The stream wasn't far from the cabin. I was familiar enough with this place by now, however. Its cool rushing water would clear my mind-at least, for some time.

Frey's footsteps slowed but he didn't stop talking. "Is that how it is, then? Run away whenever things get tough?

I didn't answer. My heart quickened as the stream came in sight, the burble of water loud in my ears now. My feet sank in soft earth as I approached the water's edge.

"Just leave me alone, Frey," I said, but my voice wasn't as strong as it needed to be.

I was done with this. I could barely focus anymore. But no sooner had I reached the stream than a flash of movement caught my eye-figures in the distance, lurking just beyond the trees. I froze.

 It was members of the Silver pack. 

I hunched low and hoped they wouldn't see me. If they did, there was no telling what they could do to me.

I was exiled which meant that I was supposed to be far away from here, from the pack.

 My breath caught in my throat as I watched them. My heart pounded painfully in my chest. 

They were talking in low murmurs, not far from where I stood. One of them held something in his hands-something small, shiny, and suspicious.

My instincts screamed for me to run, to get away before they noticed my presence; I was unable to divert my gaze away from the scene, though. 

I saw one of the men, draped in the same cloak I'd seen in my dream. He was too far away to see his face, and I had to remain hidden.

Then I saw him dig into the earth, and then he hid whatever he had under a huge rock, and then carefully closed it back up.

Was it… was it something important? 

My mind worked overtime, thinking of what it could be. My fingers itched to dig into the earth and find what was covered, but I didn't move, too terrified to make a noise.

As they at last had turned and moved to leave, a little wave of relief washed over me. They were going. I could get out.

But just as I did, my foot scraped against a noisier branch, and it snapped with a loud crack. My heart skipped a beat.

"Shit," I hissed quietly.

I looked hastily around me for a means of escape, but the exiled wolves hadn't traveled very far. They were turning around.

"Who's there?" one of them called, his voice gruff and commanding.

I had no other option than to run. I ran along the edge of the stream, my breath coming in quick gasps as my legs started to burn. I couldn't afford to stop. I couldn't let them catch me.

After what felt like eons, I finally managed to find a spot where, concealing myself behind a thick bush, I pressed my back to the earth, holding my breath, praying they hadn't seen me.

The heavy, calculated footsteps of the exiled members of the pack trudged on their way. I didn't dare move until I was certain they were truly gone.

When the coast was finally clear, I let out a slow breath before rising to my feet and shaking my head. My legs were weak, and I couldn't give up now. I had to see what they had buried.

I went back to the rock, my hands shaking. My heart was pounding inside my chest as I reached for the spot where the man had buried the object. 

The earth was soft, freshly disturbed. My fingers scraped against something hard as I dragged it out. Carefully, I pulled it out. My breath caught when I saw what it was.

A tiny anklet made from silver, with the most intricate designs on it-my mother's anklet.

Tears swam in my vision. There was no mistaking it. I had seen that anklet on her every day of my life. She never took it off. Not when she—

The thought cut off.

I glanced around, my breathing shallow. What the hell was happening?

Had they stolen my mother's anklet?

Had they been the ones to—

A twig broke and I panicked. Someone was there. 

My heart leaped into my throat, and I hastily shoved the anklet into the folds of my clothes, desperate to hide it.

But it was only Frey.