The Cabin
1251 Words
Emma awoke to warmth.
Not the comforting warmth of her apartment after a winter walk, but the deep, soothing heat of a crackling fireplace. It seeped into her chilled bones, coaxing her back to consciousness one slow breath at a time.
The first thing she noticed was the scent.
Fresh pine.
Cedar.
Something savory simmering somewhere nearby.
Clean linens.
Her brow furrowed.
Where...?
She blinked several times, trying to clear the haze clouding her vision.
A wooden ceiling came into focus.
Heavy log beams stretched overhead, and morning sunlight spilled through a nearby window, painting golden stripes across a handmade quilt tucked around her.
She wasn't outside anymore.
She wasn't lying in the ravine.
Emma's heart skipped.
She shot upright.
Pain exploded through her ankle.
"Ah!"
She gasped, falling back against the pillows.
"Easy."
The unfamiliar voice startled her.
Emma turned toward the doorway.
Standing there was the tallest man she had ever seen.
He had dark hair that fell just above his shoulders, broad shoulders that nearly filled the doorway, and piercing golden-brown eyes that studied her with careful restraint.
He looked to be around thirty.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't frowning either.
He simply watched her.
"You shouldn't put weight on your ankle yet," he said calmly.
Emma's pulse hammered.
"Who are you?"
The man hesitated.
"...Roman."
"And where am I?"
"My home."
Home?
Emma looked around the room.
The walls were made entirely of polished logs. A stone fireplace crackled quietly across from the bed. Handmade furniture filled the room, simple but beautiful, as though every piece had been carved by hand.
Nothing about it looked threatening.
But none of it explained how she'd gotten here.
"My...home?" she repeated cautiously.
Roman gave a small nod.
"My brothers and I found you unconscious in the forest."
"You carried me here?"
"Yes."
Emma swallowed.
Her memories came rushing back.
The storm.
The fall.
The howls.
"Wolves..."
Roman's expression didn't change.
"You were lucky we found you before they did."
Something about that answer felt...carefully chosen.
Before Emma could question it further, another voice drifted through the hallway.
"Is she awake?"
A second later, a blond man poked his head through the doorway.
His grin appeared almost instantly.
"Well, look who's alive."
He stepped into the room carrying a steaming mug.
Unlike Roman's serious demeanor, this man radiated effortless confidence.
"Name's Asher."
He offered the mug.
"Tea?"
Emma accepted it cautiously.
"...Thanks."
"You had us worried."
"We?"
Asher pointed toward the hallway.
"There are five of us."
As if summoned by those words, another man appeared.
This one had soft brown hair tied loosely at the back of his neck and kind green eyes.
He smiled warmly.
"I'm Finn."
He knelt beside the bed.
"May I look at your ankle?"
Emma hesitated.
Every instinct told her she shouldn't trust complete strangers.
But...
Someone had cleaned the cut on her forehead.
Someone had changed her soaked clothes into soft cotton pajamas.
Someone had carefully wrapped her ankle with a proper splint.
If these men wanted to hurt her...
They already could have.
She slowly nodded.
Finn gently lifted her injured foot.
His touch was surprisingly careful.
"You've got a bad sprain."
"No break."
"You'll need a week or two before hiking again."
Emma sighed with relief.
"I thought it was worse."
"It could've been."
Finn smiled reassuringly.
"You were lucky."
Lucky.
That seemed to be the word everyone kept using.
A quiet scoff came from the hallway.
"Or unlucky."
Another man leaned against the wall with his arms folded.
His dark hair was shorter than the others', and his amber eyes held none of Finn's warmth.
If anything...
He looked annoyed she was awake.
"This is Kai," Asher said.
"Our resident ray of sunshine."
Kai ignored him.
He looked directly at Emma.
"When you're healed..."
"You leave."
The room fell silent.
Roman shot Kai a warning glance.
"Kai."
"What?"
Kai shrugged.
"I'm saying what everyone is thinking."
Emma tightened her grip around the mug.
"If I'm causing problems, I can—"
"No."
Roman's voice was firm.
"You'll stay until you're well enough to travel safely."
Kai muttered something under his breath before disappearing down the hallway.
Asher rolled his eyes.
"Ignore him."
"He likes exactly three things."
"Hunting."
"Sleeping."
"And being grumpy."
Finn laughed softly.
"I think that's only two things."
"For Kai, grumpy counts as a hobby."
Despite herself...
Emma smiled.
It lasted only a second.
But Roman noticed.
He quickly looked away.
---
A loud crash echoed from another room.
"Ow!"
"I didn't do anything!"
Asher laughed.
"That would be Leo."
Moments later, a young man with messy blond hair burst into the room carrying a basket overflowing with blankets.
He couldn't have been much older than twenty-three.
"Oh!"
He froze the moment he saw Emma sitting upright.
"You're awake!"
His face lit up.
"I'm Leo."
"I...uh..."
He nearly dropped the basket.
"I'm really glad you're okay."
Emma couldn't help smiling again.
"Thank you."
Leo beamed as though she'd handed him a trophy.
Roman cleared his throat.
"Leo."
"Right."
The younger man awkwardly placed the blankets in a corner before hurrying back out.
Asher chuckled.
"He gets excited."
---
Later that afternoon...
Emma slowly hobbled into the main living area using a wooden walking stick Finn had carved that morning.
The cabin was larger than she'd expected.
A spacious kitchen opened into a cozy living room filled with oversized chairs and shelves lined with books.
Everything felt...
Lived in.
Comfortable.
The smell she'd noticed earlier came from a large pot simmering over the stove.
Finn stirred it while humming quietly.
"You cook?" Emma asked.
He looked surprised.
"Every day."
"You'll find out quickly that the others eat enough for twice their size."
Asher wandered in.
"That's because we're hardworking men."
Kai, passing through, replied flatly,
"You're hardworking for about ten minutes a day."
"I've been insulted."
"You'll survive."
Roman entered carrying an armful of chopped firewood.
Without a word, he stacked it neatly beside the fireplace.
Emma watched him for a moment.
He barely spoke.
Yet everyone seemed to unconsciously look to him before making decisions.
Even Kai.
Especially Kai.
Roman caught her watching.
"Our cabin isn't much..."
"But you're safe here."
There was something sincere in the way he said it.
Emma lowered her eyes.
"...Thank you."
Roman gave a single nod before turning back toward the fire.
---
That evening...
The six of them gathered around the large wooden dining table.
Conversation came easily between the five men.
They teased one another.
Argued over who had burned breakfast the day before.
Laughed about Leo accidentally chasing a porcupine.
Emma listened quietly.
They didn't feel like strangers anymore.
They felt...
Like a family.
A strange one.
But a family nonetheless.
She found herself relaxing for the first time since the storm.
Until...
She noticed something.
It happened so quickly she almost thought she'd imagined it.
Asher laughed at one of Leo's jokes.
For just a heartbeat...
His eyes flashed.
Not brown.
Not hazel.
A brilliant gold.
Bright enough to catch the firelight.
Emma blinked.
The color was gone.
She looked toward Finn.
His eyes were normal.
Then Kai turned his head.
For the briefest instant...
His eyes glowed too.
Emma's smile slowly faded.
Her grip tightened around her fork.
No...
That couldn't be right.
Could it?
Across the table, Roman met her gaze.
For the first time since she'd awakened...
He looked worried.
As though he knew exactly what she'd seen.
And feared what she might ask next.
- Writer
