INTO THE SHADOWS
780 Words
đź“– Chapter Two: Into the Shadows
The moonlight barely reached the thick canopy of the woods as I followed the rogue named Lucian deeper into unfamiliar territory.
Every instinct screamed at me to turn back.
But there was nothing left to return to.
No pack.
No family.
No mate.
The silence between us stretched until I couldn't bear it.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked finally, my voice hoarse from crying and running.
Lucian didn’t slow down. “Somewhere safe. For now.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’ll get until we’re far enough from Blood Moon’s patrol lines.”
I clenched my fists. “You talk like they’d kill me on sight.”
“They might,” he said flatly. “Rogues don’t get second chances. Neither do traitors.”
“I’m not a traitor,” I snapped.
He stopped so suddenly I nearly bumped into him.
Lucian turned to face me, his silver eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “You left your pack, Aria. You ran during a sacred ceremony. That alone is punishable.”
“I was rejected!” I shouted, the pain surging back in waves. “He humiliated me! In front of everyone!”
His expression didn’t change, but I saw something flicker behind his eyes. Sympathy? Understanding?
“He didn’t deserve you,” he said softly.
I blinked. “You don’t know me.”
“I don’t need to,” he said. “I saw the look on your face when he said the words. You would’ve died for him. And he still threw you away.”
My throat tightened again.
Lucian looked away. “I’ve seen that before. Too many times.”
"You were rejected too?"
He didn’t answer. Instead, he motioned for me to keep walking.
By the time we reached the small cabin hidden in the forest, my legs were numb and my thoughts even worse.
The place looked abandoned — half-covered in vines, the windows fogged with dust and time. But the inside was clean, simple, and warm. A fire crackled in a stone hearth. There was only one chair, a table, a bed with faded sheets, and silence.
Lucian tossed a blanket at me. “Dry off. You’re shaking.”
I hesitated.
He sat on the floor, not the bed, and leaned back against the wall like he wasn’t planning to sleep.
“You live here?” I asked.
“Sometimes.”
“You’re not going to lock me in or chain me up?”
He arched a brow. “Should I?”
I glared at him. “I’ve had enough of cages.”
Lucian’s expression darkened. “So have I.”
I curled up in the corner of the bed, clutching the blanket like a shield. My mind kept replaying the rejection. Damon’s voice. The smug faces in the crowd. The cold moonlight on my skin.
I was nothing to them.
A nobody.
But Lucian’s words echoed too.
You’ve got fire in you.
Was he right?
Could I be something more?
I must have dozed off, because I woke to the sound of rustling outside the cabin.
Lucian was already up, crouched near the door, silent as death.
“What is it?” I whispered.
He raised a hand, signaling me to stay quiet.
A moment later, a low growl echoed from the trees.
Lucian opened the door just a crack.
Then slammed it shut.
“Pack patrol,” he muttered. “They’re tracking your scent.”
My heart stopped. “They’re looking for me?”
“No. They’re looking to kill anything that smells like me.”
He moved quickly, gathering a blade from the corner, slipping a dark cloak over his shoulders.
“I need to draw them away.”
“What? No, you can’t—”
“I’ve done this before,” he said. “They’ll follow me if I run north. You stay here. Do not open that door.”
“But what if they—”
Lucian was already at the door. He paused.
“If I don’t come back by sunrise... run. Head east. There’s a border town that won’t ask questions.”
Then he was gone.
The hours stretched endlessly.
I paced. I waited. I prayed.
Dawn bled into the sky like fire through clouds.
Still no sign of him.
He’s not coming back.
I pushed open the door.
The forest was silent. The air smelled of pine and blood.
I took a step forward.
Then froze.
A wolf stood on the path — massive, silver-gray fur, golden eyes.
It wasn’t Lucian.
And it wasn’t Blood Moon either.
Someone else had found me.
- Writer
