ChapterFive
1086 Words
I wake up to chattering voices—rogues.
The rogues who found me last night are different from the ones I used to avoid. They look lean, bony, starved, hard-eyed but caring. I see them looking at me while they gossip. I caught the name of their leader—Talon—a tall man with a mixture of black and grey hair and a scar down his cheek.
He looks at me in a manner that says,“ I know I can’t trust you, but I don’t know how to prove it yet.”
Now, sitting by the fireside, I watch the flames wave from side to side and ask myself, “Who am I really?”
I need more answers.
I get up and scrape dirt off my attire. “ From now on, I’m dead, and I’m going to be living like it,” I whisper.
VEYRON’S POV
The. Council hall opens, and smoke fills the clearing. All I sense is deceit.
“ Order has been restored, my Alpha. The Hunt did its job. The forbidden bond between you and that rogue has been severed. The Moon goddess is pleased,” Elder Maelis’s voice breaks the silence.
I clench my jaw so tight that I might lose some teeth if I press harder. “ Aria,” I let out her name, my gaze on the ground.
“ The rogue.”? Maelis asks.
“Yes, what was the nature of her death?”
“ She fell from a height. The wild animals in the forest had already feasted on her remains before the hunters could retrieve her.” Maelis answers.
I lock eyes with him and stare for a while. His tone seems to be rehearsed.
“She didn’t die easily,” I say.
He smirks. “None of them do.”
My fist balls. I keep my words to myself. Seren, my sister, stands near the door with a daunting demeanor. She has no idea about the truth and my silence— I stay like this just so she can live. Lyra sits in a chair, scanning through the room, her fingers curled around a glass of wine.
Maelis leaves. Lyra strolls towards me. Her deceptive voice echoes, “I can see that you’re restless again.”
“I’m fine.”
She reaches for my shoulder,“ Do you still dream about her?”
I pull away. “Enough, Lyra!”
The smile fades from her face.:" You’re giving the impression that you’re weakening. Don’t give them a reason to replace you.”
“I’m their Alpha,” I growl.
I turn away and pace towards the door. I push the balcony doors open, almost taking off the hinges.
I grip the railing. If she’s alive…
I just can’t shake off that thought.
ARIA’S POV
Talon walks towards me as I lace my boots.
“ You run like someone who’s been running away from people all your life,” he says.
“I am a survivor”
He gives me that stare again. “Same thing,” he says.
His rogues gather behind him—five of them, all studying me like a book or maybe an enemy perhaps.
“What’s this about?” I ask.
“ The pendant on your chest glows like nothing I’ve ever seen, you’re not just a rogue, are you? I need answers.”
I roll my shirt over the pendant. “I wish I knew what I was, then I would tell you.”
He raises his brows. “You expect me to believe that?”
Before I can answer, a shrill whistle cuts through. The rogues stiffen instantly.
Talon growls. “Hunters!”
I focus my ears on the surroundings— the sound of drawn blades, metal boots, and the scent of wolf blood hits me.
“ We must hide,” I suggest.
Talon grins. “We fight.”
He strides forward at a pace and the peace is consumed by chaos.
My claws erupt. The pendant glows, and I glide forward without hesitation. This time around, my move feels guided and precise. It’s as if I’ve done this a thousand times before.
A sword comes for my head. I bend low, I stand up, and send him flying with just one punch.
Talon has been watching, his eyebrows raised. “What the—“
“Not now, later!” I shout.
After a few minutes, the last hunter falls. The gathering falls back to silence. The rogues lock eyes on me, breathing heavy—sweating. They continue to stare.
Talon wipes blood from his cheek. “You just saved us, ghost girl.”
“Ghost girl?”
“ The way you fight, it’s something else, girl. You fight like an ancient one— you fight like you’ve known battle all your life,” Talon says.
I don’t say a word. I am lost in thought, my whole being shaking from what just happened.
“The council will turn the world upside down just to find you, if they find out someone like you exists.
“Then they’ll have to find me first,” I say.
VEYRON’S POV
Word reaches the council hall two days later. A group of hunters was found lifeless, dismembered with their weapons dug into the ground.
Maelis blames rogues. Lyra believes it’s a rebellion. The council calls for a purge.
But I have a thought of my own.
At dawn, I mount my horse and take to the forest, ignoring the guards’ warning. The atmosphere is full of fog and the scent of blood. I use my wolf senses to guide me. I reach a tree. I see it— a single claw mark carved deep into the tree.
I hold my breath for a moment. I reach for the mark and press my palm against it. I feel the warmth.
“She’s alive,” I whisper.
The wind echoes my words back to me.
ARIA’S POV
It’s nighttime again. The camp is quiet, tucked between cliffs and wild rivers. The pendant glows with every heartbeat. I sit alone, staring at it. I need answers to the questions I have.
A wolf howls from a distance— I know this one. It is Veyron. My chest tightens.
If he finds me, everything I’m planning will fall— he must not find me.
I close my eyes, gripping the pendant. “Stay away,” I whisper to the night.
And I know the next time we meet, one of us won’t walk away.
- Writer
