Chapter Six:The Safe House Secret
611 Words
The safe house was an old warehouse on the edge of the city. Broken windows. Rusted metal doors. It looked like it would fall down in a strong wind. But Max pushed the heavy door open like it weighed nothing.
“Home sweet home,” he said with a tired smile.
Inside smelled of dust and old oil. A few battery lanterns gave off a weak yellow light. There were sleeping bags on the floor, a small fridge in the corner, and maps pinned to one wall with red marks all over them.
Zara locked the door behind us. “We’ll be safe until morning. The Order doesn’t know about this place yet.”
I sat down on one of the sleeping bags. My body still shook from the fight. The glowing veins on my arms had faded, but my muscles ached like I had run a marathon. I looked at my hands. The claw marks were still there, red and angry.
Max tossed me a bottle of water. “Drink. You burned a lot of energy tonight.”
I took it with shaky hands. “How long have you two been doing this?”
Zara sat across from me, legs crossed. Her long dark hair was messy from the rain. “Almost two years for me. Max found me after the Order caught me the first time.”
Max leaned against the wall, arms folded. His silver-gray eyes watched me carefully. “I’ve been running for four years. Learned the hard way that being alone gets you killed.”
I swallowed hard. “And me? Why did you both come for me?”
Zara glanced at Max, then back at me. “Your wolf is different, Arian. Most of us have one speed — either we fight it or we let it take over. Yours… it’s learning. It listened to you tonight when you stopped yourself from killing that hunter. That kind of control is rare.”
Max nodded. “Rare enough that the Silver Order will do anything to get you. They want to cut you open and see what makes you special.”
A chill ran down my spine. I thought about the blood I sometimes woke up with. The names I didn’t remember. The guilt that never left.
“I don’t want to hurt people,” I whispered.
Zara moved closer and gently touched my arm. Her fingers were warm. “Then stop fighting it alone. We can help you control it.”
The wolf inside me stirred at her touch. Not with hunger. With calm. Like it trusted her.
Max watched us quietly. There was something in his eyes — protectiveness mixed with something deeper. “We’re stronger together. Three wolves. Three different strengths.”
Silence filled the warehouse. Rain tapped against the metal roof. I looked at both of them — Zara’s golden eyes soft in the lantern light, Max’s strong presence like a shield.
For the first time, I didn’t feel like a monster.
I felt like I belonged somewhere.
But then Zara suddenly tensed. She stood up fast and walked to one of the broken windows.
“What is it?” Max asked, already moving beside her.
“I smell something,” she whispered. “Silver. And blood.”
Max’s eyes flashed. He looked at me. “They found us faster than I thought.”
My heart started pounding again. The wolf inside me woke up fully, ready.
I stood up slowly. “What do we do?”
Zara turned to face us, her expression serious.
“We stop running,” she said. “Tonight, we fight back.”
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To be continued....
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