The Darkness

New Addition

Night poured over the desert. It came suddenly, in purple. In the clear air, the stars shown down out of the sky. I had never witnessed such an unobstructed view of the sky and it made my wolf fight for freedom.

It wasn't a surprise to any of us that we hadn't been invited to spend the night in Braun. The excitement of our appearance disappeared just as quickly as it had began. People hurried back to carrying large basins of water and large bundles of veggies from building to building and while occasionally they would stop to watch us with both curiosity and anger, Leena was quickly ushered to follow her mother though the rigidity of her shoulders told me she wasn't happy about it.

We had walked for what felt like forever until we reached a watchtower. The tower, patched unevenly with black ivy, arose like a a forgotten stone pillar from the dying grass around it. The sun setting behind the hills cast its long shadow over us.

Arched pillars held up a very high ceiling that echoed with the sounds of footsteps as the men bustled about their business, unpacking our things to set up camp for the night. We had rolled out some quilts inside the rickety old door, but I quickly decided against it when an owl dive bombed Cage when he went exploring up the high ladder. Cage came barreling out of the building, hollering about a wild bird attack and swore the beast was trying to eat him.

As the commotion settled down and camp was fully set up, Jonas began to warm the food. His shoulders stiffened as someone appeared in the last of the evening light a few yards ahead of us, but made no move to stop the figure.

As she came closer, light slid on her skin like liquid silver, as if eager to caress the soft arch of her shoulders, the perfect arch of her slender neck. There was mischief in her dark, deep eyes. It touched her full lips, arching them in the slightest scarlet smile. A cascade of dark curls not quite tamed by a braid reached to brush her back. I was reminded again of her beauty, despite the strength of her gaze as she came quietly out of the shadows.

Cage growled lowly under his breath as she approached, though Jonas made no move to react.

"I had a feeling you would be along, Leena." Jonas said softly, a small smile pulling over his lips. A silent understanding seemed to fall over them as she inched closer to us.

"Are you running away from home?" I asked, giving voice to the question that had been on my mind for hours, since I watched Leena be all but dragged away from us by her mother. Cage seemed to relax slightly beside of me, though he was still clearly on guard in case things turned south.

"That place is not a home. It's a prison. It's not home if you want to run away from it." She paused to brush a strand of hair from her sweaty face. "She knows that if I'm not mated soon, it will cause a power funnel to the next possible heir. She's already chosen another man from the village to take as a consort. Once I've outgrown my purpose, I'm useless to her."

"Are there no eligible Mates in your Region?" I asked slowly, not understanding why Demi would be so cold to her own daughter. While my father had been ready to marry me off to the first strong eligible man, it seemed Leena's mother thought differently.

"That's not the way things work in Braun. She uses us as long as she can and moves on to the next. If I hadn't come, I would have continued being her slave until she decided to get rid of me and my Pack would never be free. This isn't the first time I've tried to run away from her tyranny." Her face turned to stone with thought. "She will never stop hunting you now that she knows you are vulnerable. You need me."

"I know." I thought of my frustration and I couldn't even imagine how sick of running Leena must be. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help more."

"That's why I had to come."

Cage's eyebrow c****d upward. "And here I thought you came to see me." I elbowed him between the ribs and Leena rolled her eyes.

"I wish to pledge my personal alliance to the High Wall in exchange for refuge."

"You are aware that is late, the sun set quite a while ago." Jonas said then, the look on his face seemed more defensive than I had seen in hours.

She did know. She explained in detail that it was one of the reasons why she had left so long after us and had been tracking us to this spot. When the Pack changed guards and the sun was below the sandy hills, she could more easily slip away without being noticed.

While I could tell Jonas was on edge about the idea of Leena joining our group, a realization settled on me that, while she was a hybrid like myself, she was also an unmated Guardian. Was this the surprise Fern had sent us to Braun for? Was Leena the answer to one of our many problems?

And then I laughed, because it was so ridiculous and so perfect. The bewilderment in Cage's eyes made me laugh harder at the perfection of the situation.

Leena was the answer. She had proven to be a strong protector and leader for Braun thus far and despite the fact that we would never have an alliance with the region because of it, I was sure my father could accept this loophole.

"My past doesn't matter anymore. I'm moving on. I'll just keep running, if that's what it takes." The conviction in her tone was staggering.

"We are happy to bring you with us. We can discuss your future in the High Wall with the council."

"Absolutely not." Cage protested, shaking his head as Jonas opened his mouth to give his own opinion on the subject.

"I wasn't asking you." I said simply.

"Alaray, I think it is a serious safety concern." Jonas added. Leena shifted uncomfortably, swaying on her feet with a similar anxiety as Cage had shown earlier on. "Do you think we can trust the young lady?"

"We will set up security rounds. Cage can take first shift. I will sleep in your tent and Leena can sleep in the tower. We will head back at dawn."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come." Leena said softly, in a way that reminded me of a lost child.

"Jonas and Cage are not in charge. You can stay. We will keep you safe. I don't need to explain my decisions to them, no matter how much I respect their opinions."

The smile that crossed Jonas' lips could easily have been confused with respect for his Queen, but I felt it meant more than that.

"Join us, Leena. Are you hungry?"

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As night fell over our group, glowing insects began to flicker around us. The more Leena explained about her life in Braun, the more my stomach twisted in knots. It didn't take long before I gave up my reservations about Leena joining us for the journey back. The way she spoke about her mother resembled the way I thought of my own.

"She doesn't think of us as her children. She produces heirs with elder members of the Pack to produce hybrid children and control them until the next is born." She said with malice as she offered me the rest of her dinner. "The make heirs live much longer, but my father was her favorite. I think if she hadn't been so infatuated with him, I would have been finished off long before now."

My heart hurt for the girl beside me. She didn't have a parental figure to show her love and affection the way I had with Nym.

"I think, even though she hates Lorelei for pushing us out, she has a respect for her. After all, she rules similarly and she definitely has followed in her footsteps with her children." Leena laughed with anger, though frowned as she realized how quiet I had become. "I'm sorry."

"There's no reason to be sorry, Leena. We all have a past and I'm no stranger to Lorelei's trauma."

The group grew quiet as we all bid each other a good rest. Jonas instructed Cage on his first round and when we would leave to start our journey, assigning him to Leena's personal security. It would put a strain on my own security, but I had a feeling that Leena wouldn't give us a hassle if we were ambushed.

As snores rose from the tent Jonas disappeared into, my stomach felt solid with anxiety. Leena disappeared into the tower, followed shortly after by Cage and soft voices echoed down from the top of the tower as they reached the top and talked. The feeling was bitter sweet as I heard Leena's twinkling laughter flow from above me, but the anxiety in my stomach settled a touch at the idea that Cage could be with someone who returned his affections and not be wrapped up in my failures if I couldn't save Allie.

"Maybe we will be okay."