14.The Cabin-1
1015 Words
|| Selene's POV ||
I sat in the corner of the small tavern, quietly eating a simple breakfast of porridge and fresh bread.
Across from me, Calla glanced around the room for what had to be the fourth time.
"My lady," she whispered, leaning closer, "couldn't we have stopped at a better town?"
I scooped up another spoonful of porridge.
"Just eat, Calla. No one here knows who I am, which means no one cares."
She frowned.
"But this place isn't fit for you."
"Maybe not," I replied calmly, "but it's the perfect place to pick up information. All you have to do is sit, watch... and listen."
Leaving Arkandale, I had never intended to ride straight back to the North.
If the border packs truly had ties to the rogues, I needed answers before crossing the border. Rumors traveled fastest through taverns like this… where guards drank too much, merchants talked too freely, and strangers were quickly forgotten.
Calla lowered her voice even further.
"This is dangerous... especially with your lycan still missing."
"You worry too much."
"If anything happens to you..." she murmured, "...your brother will never forgive me."
A faint smile tugged at my lips.
"Then let's make sure nothing happens."
I lifted my gaze, pretending to admire the tarnished metal decoration hanging on the wall. Its polished surface reflected the room behind us just well enough.
The man sitting at the table behind us finally rose to his feet.
Good.
I had been waiting for that.
Without turning around, I watched his reflection as he tossed a few coins onto the table and walked out of the tavern.
Only after the door shut behind him did I place my spoon down.
"Come on," I said, already rising to my feet. "Let's go."
Calla blinked in confusion.
"Go?" Calla asked, leaving the half eaten bread on the plate, hurrying after me. "Where?"
I tossed a generous tip onto the table before slipping out of the tavern.
The last thing I wanted was to lose his trail.
The second-to-last thing was letting him realize he was being followed.
"My lady," Calla called softly as she caught up with me, "where are we going?"
Instead of answering, I guided her away from our car in the parking and into the crowded market area.
"See that man?" I whispered, nodding toward a figure wearing a red cap and a dark flannel shirt. "We're following him."
We kept a comfortable distance between us and him.
Close enough to keep him in sight.
Far enough to avoid drawing attention.
"Why are we following him?" Calla asked.
I pulled her behind a large dumpster as the man stopped at a quiet street corner to meet two other men.
The farther end of town was nearly deserted. Beyond the road, the forest stretched endlessly, its shadows swallowing the afternoon light.
"Hush," I whispered. "You ask far too many questions."
She pressed her lips together.
Ahead of us, the three men exchanged a few quiet words before leaving the road altogether, disappearing onto a narrow trail that wound into the woods.
I motioned for Calla to follow.
Keeping well out of sight, we tailed them through the trees.
The deeper we ventured, the quieter the forest became.
Eventually, a weathered cabin emerged between the pines.
Its roof sagged with age, and several of its windows had been boarded shut.
The three men slipped inside without looking back.
Calla and I ducked behind the trunk of an ancient oak, watching the cabin from the safety of the trees.
"My lady," Calla murmured, "this could be dangerous."
A grin tugged at my lips.
"That's exactly why I brought you."
She frowned.
"You can handle one or two men like them, can't you?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I can," she replied seriously. "I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about what happens afterward. If something goes wrong… or if I kill one by accident… the implications could be dangerous, especially since they have alpha aura."
I snorted.
"The implications of killing rogues?" I shook my head. "There's nothing wrong with that, trust me."
Calla's expression tightened.
"Rogues?" she asked. "Are you certain? They have legit scents."
I nodded.
"Did you notice the tattoo on the side of their necks?" I replied.
She frowned, thinking.
"It was identical to the one worn by the rogue who attacked me in the woods," I said. "I'm willing to bet it's some kind of symbol... their mark."
Calla's eyes widened.
"Oh, Goddess..."
Her gaze snapped back to the cabin.
"This could be an entire rogue den." Her voice was cautious this time.
"It could," I admitted.
Then I smiled. "What? Are you scared?"
She let out an exasperated sigh as she spoke, "Goddess, Princess. I'm not scared for myself."
Her eyes met mine.
"I'm scared for you. What if they capture you?"
The smile faded from my face as I replied, "They won't."
I turned my attention back to the cabin, my expression hardening.
"I trust your skills."
Then I rested a hand against the dagger at my hip.
"And I trust my own."
My fingers tightened around the hilt.
“With or without my lycan.”
Then I turned to Calla, my voice steady despite the tension coiling inside me.
“Now tell me,” I asked quietly, “how many are inside the cabin?”
Calla nodded once and closed her eyes.
I watched her closely as she reached outward with her senses, her breathing slowing into a controlled rhythm. She wasn’t just listening. She was reading the forest itself, pulling information from scents carried by the wind, from vibrations under the earth, from heartbeats too distant for ordinary wolves to detect.
A few moments passed before she spoke.
“There are three on the main floor,” she said.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she concentrated harder.
“And the cabin has a basement… I can sense five more lives down there.”
Her eyes snapped open suddenly.
“And—”
Her body turned sharply toward me.
“Behind you!”
- Writer
