Immediately, hands and faces rose, as many volunteered themselves. Saxon looked around at each of them, with a look of approval, before turning to Haden, his eyes briefly going blank, apparently communicating something he didn't want all to hear.As his eyes cleared again, Haden gave him a short nod and took my hand, tugging on it gently, to lead me away from the crowd. "Wait!" I said, feeling a pit of worry forming inside me, and pulled my hand away, turning back to Saxon. They both gave me frustrated looks, but they quickly faded as I wrapped my arms around Saxon's waist tightly. "Be careful, please," I whispered, and he rested his head on mine for a moment, wrapping his arms around me in return."Of course, love," he said gently, with such a beautiful warmth in his tone, and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before releasing me. "Don't worry, I'll keep him safe," Trin said with a playful wink, as Haden took my hand again, trying to lead me away once more.I gave Trin a warm smile
Haden looked frozen in place for a moment, the expression on his face more troubled than ever. "Do you think..?" I began, and he shook his head, sighing deeply. "I don't know," he said heavily, his voice sounding as troubled as he looked. "We need more information, before we begin making assumptions that could only make things worse."I nodded understanding, "Aerin?" I suggested gently, "She might have heard.." Haden nodded and began moving before I could even finish the words, looking over the list from Nera as he walked, his other hand clasping mine tightly. I could feel the tension in his usually calm grip, and it was deeply unsettling. "Your Mother used herbs, didn't she? Would you recognise any of these?" he asked, handing me the list as he led me back towards the doors at a brisk pace. I looked it over quickly, recognising many of the names, though some I noticed were regional alternatives to those I'd grown up using. "Most of them," I said with some degree of uncertainly, "T
Haden watched him go, looking deep in thought for a long moment, then took my hand, leading me out of the small cottage, and back towards the packhouse. We walked in silence, though it didn't take words to feel just how unsettled Haden was by the situation. And it was understandable. His generation of the pack had only known peace their entire lives, aside from occasional rogue attacks, and now..Well, now, it was anything but peaceful. The rumours of the truth behind the war between Nightfall and Silver Waters had already had my mates on edge, but no one could have predicted this. As we neared the pack house, I noticed it was very quiet. Too quiet, in an eerie sort of way. Haden felt it too, I could tell, as he exchanged an uncertain glance with me, then quickened his pace. Most of the pack would be helping either with Saxon's pursuit, with patrolling and defense, or at the hospital, but even so, people needed to eat, sleep, and take care of other basic tasks within the building..
We continued through the darkness in silence, until we reached the next junction, and Haden hesitated, turning towards me. Just like before, a faint floral scent wafted from one of the passages, and just like before, Haden seemed oblivious to it. I frowned, but nodded towards the scented one, picking out another small, crushed stem from the corner of a beam this time. Haden seemed just as confused as before, yet with no other guidance, we continued to follow the way they led us, and I desperately hoped it was Aerin, or someone else we trusted, who was leaving them behind. The silence stretched out, as the words we'd heard played over and over in my head, almost making me miss one of the scents. At this one, there was no junction of passages, but a gap in the wall to our left, that only led straight up and down. I turned back as I noticed the scent, staring at the dark opening with a growing sense of apprehension. Haden turned when I stopped, moving beside me, seeming every bit as
"We noticed," Haden said with concern, as he sat down on top of an old storage crate, "The pack house was completely deserted when we came to find you. We thought there'd be more with you.."Aerin held up her hand to silence him again, as his tone only grew more fearful as he continued speaking. "They're safe," Aerin said, glancing towards Lanna. Haden sighed deeply in relief at Lanna's confirming nod, and he took a moment to compose himself. I found myself watching Lanna again, and she seemed to feel my gaze, her expression turning from sympathy to mild surprise, as she turned to look back at me. I blinked, confused at the way her presence seemed to pull at me, and she gave me a small smile, before turning back to Haden. "What else?" she asked him, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I can sense it, something more is troubling you.. both of you, deeply." Her voice was soothing. Calm, and yet.. something else. I noticed both Haden and I beginning to relax, to open up,
The passages twisted and branched, though Lanna seemed to know them well, taking each turn as though confident of where it led. After a while, she slowed her pace, as she traced her fingers along the walls, seeking.. something. Eventually, she found it, stopping and placing both hands on the wall, shimmying the loose panel upwards this time. She climbed through, holding it up for the three of us to do the same, then carefully lowered it, trying not to make a sound. The sound of harsh laughter suddenly came from behind us, followed by a match strike, filling the room with an eerie, dancing light as we turned to face them. I could feel Ceridwen immediately on edge, stirring again in the depths of my mind. "Excellent!" exclaimed the haughty male voice Haden and I had heard earlier, its owner standing before us, as several others moved out of the shadows behind him. "Reagan," Ceridwen snarled inside my mind, her fury kick-starting my adrenaline into overdrive.I froze, staring up at h
Reagan screamed the last few words with such vigor that he was panting for breath by the end, his eyes bulging wide and his veins pulsing with obvious bloodlust. "No!" I screamed at him, trying to shake Aerin and Lanna off me again. They both looked pale, in shock, but determined as they still held me firmly, even as Ceridwen began infusing me with her own strength, and her own rage. "Get off me!" I snarled, struggling in their grip, Ceridwen's fury mixing with my own as I tried to get to Reagan, but their combined Lycan strength was far stronger than my own. "She's getting stronger," I heard Lanna mutter towards Aerin, who acknowledged her comment with the smallest of nods. Her expression was steely, and I could sense them getting ready, for.. something.What, though, was unknown, and my attention was drawn to Reagan instead, who had turned to me. His expression was one of anger, at first, but upon meeting my eyes, it split into a wide, triumphant looking grin. "Now, that is beau
I woke slowly, my hearing returning first, before I'd even regained the strength to open my eyes. As my mind slowly cleared of the heavy foginess, I kept them closed, listening to the voices around me. My heart sank as I desperately tried to hear Haden, but Ceridwen's voice in the back of my mind was soothing. "He's close," she murmured groggily, "I can feel him." Her words brought some relief, and I focused on assessing the situation we now found ourselves in. Listening for a long moment, it was clear there were guards around us, yet I couldn't hear any signs of Reagan himself close by. I was grateful for that, but a new rush of fear swept through me, as I thought of Saxon. Had they warned him? Was Reagan hunting him now? Or worse, I wondered, with a deep feeling of dread. Ceridwen made her frustration clear, though, and I turned to gently testing the binds I felt around my wrists, feet, and chest, instead. They felt strong, and tight, and I dared not test them too much, in case