Chapter 13 - Fire in the Dark
1356 Words
Three wild wolves sat around a small fire deep within the forest.
The flames burned low but steady, crackling softly as dry branches turned slowly to glowing embers. The smell of smoke drifted through the clearing, mixing with the scent of pine and damp earth.
Night had settled heavily over the forest.
The moon hid behind thick clouds, leaving only faint silver light filtering through the trees.
This place lay far from any official pack territory.
Neutral land.
A forgotten stretch of forest that belonged to no one.
Pack wolves avoided it.
Patrols rarely came this deep.
And when they did, they came armed and cautious.
For wild wolves, however, it was one of the few places where they could gather without immediately risking a fight with organized packs.
The largest of the three wolves sat closest to the fire.
He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared into the flames.
The firelight flickered across his sharp features.
His name was Finn.
And patience was not something he possessed in abundance.
Yet tonight he had remained silent for a long time.
Lost in thought.
Most of those thoughts revolved around one person.
Florence.
Even the memory of her name stirred several emotions inside him at once.
Annoyance.
Disgust.
And something darker.
Hatred.
Finn clenched his jaw slightly as memories surfaced.
He remembered Florence when she had still been a child.
Small.
Fragile.
Timid.
There had been a training exercise once. A simple one for wolf cubs.
A fire had been lit in the center of the clearing.
Each young wolf had to leap over the flames.
It was meant to teach courage.
Confidence.
Strength.
Every cub had jumped.
Every single one.
Except her.
Florence had stood there frozen.
Her eyes wide.
Her hands trembling.
Too frightened to even attempt the jump.
The other cubs had laughed.
Finn remembered the sound clearly.
Weakness disgusted him.
It always had.
Among wild wolves, weakness meant death.
There were no elders protecting you.
No hierarchy guaranteeing food.
No laws to shield the fragile.
If you could not fight, you starved.
If you could not defend yourself, you died.
That was the truth of the wild.
And yet somehow—
Florence was still alive.
Finn's eyes narrowed as he stared into the fire.
If she had been born among wild wolves instead of a comfortable pack…
She would not have survived her first winter.
Weak wolves never did.
Footsteps approached through the trees.
Finn lifted his head slightly.
Another wolf stepped into the clearing.
Behind him walked a third figure.
Younger.
Stronger.
And unfamiliar.
Finn studied the newcomer carefully.
The young wolf wore the clothing of a university student.
Dark jacket.
Plain shirt.
Boots slightly worn from walking long distances.
The clothes had clearly been stolen.
Wild wolves often raided the edges of pack territories for supplies.
Food.
Clothing.
Occasionally tools.
Anything useful.
But the clothes were not what caught Finn's attention.
It was the young wolf himself.
Tall.
Lean.
Powerful.
There was something about him that immediately drew the eye.
Wild wolves often had that effect.
Without the safety of pack life, they developed differently.
More dangerous.
More intense.
More alive.
And this one…
This one looked exceptional.
The wolf who had brought him stepped aside.
“Found him near the river,” he said.
Finn stood slowly.
The young wolf did not step back.
Good.
Finn extended his hand.
“Finn.”
The young wolf took it firmly.
“Matthew.”
Their grips tightened slightly.
Each measuring the other.
Testing.
Finn felt the tension in Matthew's arm.
Strong.
Very strong.
And more importantly—
confident.
Finn released his hand and gestured toward a tree stump beside the fire.
“Sit.”
Matthew sat.
But his eyes continued scanning the clearing.
Watching everything.
Every movement.
Every shadow.
Finn liked that.
“How long have you been a wild wolf?” Finn asked.
Matthew shrugged slightly.
“Since birth.”
Finn nodded.
That explained the instincts.
Pack wolves moved differently.
Wild wolves grew up learning to read danger in every rustling branch.
“Have you ever been inside the university campus?” Finn asked.
Matthew shook his head.
“No.”
Finn leaned back slightly.
“That will change.”
Matthew's eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean?”
Finn gestured toward the forest beyond the clearing.
“The campus is full of pack wolves.”
“Students.”
“They live comfortably.”
Matthew remained silent.
Finn continued.
“If you want to walk among them, you must look like them.”
“Speak like them.”
“Think like them.”
Matthew tilted his head slightly.
“And why would I want that?”
Finn smiled slowly.
Because now they had reached the real conversation.
“Because I need someone inside.”
Matthew crossed his arms.
“What for?”
Finn stared at the fire again before answering.
“There is a student there.”
Matthew smirked slightly.
“A girl?”
Finn chuckled.
“Yes.”
Matthew leaned forward.
“You want me to seduce her?”
Finn laughed louder this time.
“Not quite.”
Matthew waited.
Finn spoke slowly.
“She is quiet.”
“Innocent.”
“And very easy to manipulate.”
Matthew studied him carefully.
“And what do I get?”
Finn expected the question.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small leather pouch.
Matthew's eyes immediately locked onto it.
Finn tossed the pouch into his hands.
Matthew opened it slowly.
Inside were several large rubies.
Deep red.
Each one glowing like a drop of frozen fire in the light of the flames.
Matthew inhaled sharply.
Rubies like these could change a wild wolf's life.
Food.
Weapons.
Bribes.
Safe passage through certain territories.
Freedom.
Matthew turned one of the stones between his fingers.
The firelight danced inside it.
His pulse quickened.
Six of these…
Six.
He looked up slowly.
“How many?”
Finn smiled.
“Six.”
Matthew stared again at the pouch.
His mind raced.
Six rubies could buy years of survival.
Years.
He imagined trading them.
Selling them.
Hiding them.
Living without hunger for the first time since childhood.
Greed burned in his chest.
Finn watched him carefully.
He had seen that look before.
The look of a wolf who had already accepted the deal.
Even if he had not yet spoken the words.
Finn reached forward and removed one ruby from the pouch.
He held it up between two fingers.
“This one,” he said calmly, “is yours now.”
He tossed it toward Matthew.
Matthew caught it instantly.
The weight of the stone in his palm felt almost unreal.
His heart beat faster.
“One ruby,” Finn continued.
“After training, you receive the second.”
Matthew closed his fist around the stone.
“And the rest?”
Finn leaned forward slightly.
“When the job is finished.”
Matthew stared at the fire.
Six rubies.
The thought repeated in his mind.
Six.
He had killed wolves for less.
He had stolen for less.
And this task?
It sounded almost easy.
Just influence a girl.
Plant an idea.
He could do that.
Matthew nodded slowly.
“When do we start?”
Finn placed another branch onto the fire.
The flames rose slightly higher.
“Tomorrow.”
Matthew slipped the ruby carefully into his pocket.
He could feel its weight against his leg.
It made him feel powerful.
Dangerous.
Alive.
Finn watched him quietly.
Wild wolves respected only one thing.
Strength.
Not titles.
Not bloodlines.
Not laws.
Strength.
But over the years Finn had learned something else.
Sometimes strength alone was not enough to destroy a pack.
Sometimes—
weakness worked better.
Finn stared into the flames as the realization settled fully in his mind.
Florence.
Weak.
Fragile.
Innocent.
The perfect tool.
Because in the end, he finally understood something very simple.
Strong wolves could defend a pack from outside enemies.
But weak wolves—
weak wolves were the easiest path to destroying a pack from within.
And that realization made Finn smile slowly in the darkness.
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