Echoed Steps - ON HOLD

Chapter Four

“Is that when you made the journey here?” Halle asked softly.

“No,” Deryn replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “No, things were about to get much worse before I came here…”

•º•º•º•

Gwynfor moved quietly through the trees, avoiding as many obstacles that would make sound as he possibly could. He was stealthy, almost silent, and even changed course twice as the wind changed to ensure he stayed downwind of the packhouse.

The forest seemed to swallow them up, Gwynfor’s pure white coat slipped between the dense foliage with ease, but Deryn was keenly aware of how much a white wolf would stand out in the last of the autumn greenery.

They were less than half a mile from the border when snarls and howls were heard from behind, coupled with angry voices calling out for Deryn to come and face justice.

“That was faster than I expected,” Gwynfor huffed.

“Those growls tell me they’re not even questioning what he’s told them,” Deryn replied bitterly. “How could they assume I would do something like that?”

“Well, you were found sat in a room with your dead parents, it’s not a great look,” Gwynfor tentatively joked. When Deryn said nothing, he continued as he dipped between the trees, “I think the bigger question is who would have done it. They were salt of the earth people, who could have hated them enough to do this?”

Gwynfor’s instincts guided him through down what looked like a long-forgotten path. At the bottom lay a stream, which Gwynfor sped up to and made a point to run through in a bid to mask his scent before doubling back towards his original path. It was a trick Deryn’s father had taught Deryn from a young age, a trick to evade trackers and avoid danger.

“Where are we going?” Deryn asked, suddenly aware they were not heading for the northern border as he had assumed.

“The western border,” Gwynfor replied. “They wouldn’t expect it, they’ll be expecting you to head north.”

“Makes sense,” was all Deryn could respond with. The western border was at the edge of a neutral territory, and beyond that lay the territories of other packs. Packs that Gwynfor was sure would offer them sanctuary.

But Deryn hesitated, his mind racing. Running felt wrong, like admitting guilt, like abandoning his parents’ memory to slander and lies. Every instinct in his human heart screamed to go back, to face his accusers, to fight for the truth.

“Maybe we should turn back,” Deryn suggested. “Explain what happened. Some of them would believe me. Cynog has known me since I was a pup. And Aunt Nia, she would never believe I could do this.”

Gwynfor whined, the sound low and worried. “It’s a trap, Deryn. They don’t want explanations.”

“But what if running just makes it worse? What if this is exactly what they want me to do?”

The doubt gnawed at Deryn. Perhaps fleeing had been impulsive, perhaps it was playing right into their hands. What if they weren’t hunting him but were on the trail of the person responsible for his parent’s deaths?

“Fine,” Gwynfor relented at last. “But we do this carefully. We don’t approach the pack house directly. We find someone we trust first, someone who will listen. I don’t want to lose another human…”

•º•º•º•

Deryn sighed, pausing his tale. Halle wiggled her toes to stop herself from berating him for stopping, it was a twitch she had whenever she had something to say but knew she couldn’t. The room was darker now, the storm clouds blocking out the moonlight that had been streaming through the curtains, leaving them with only the fire for a source of light.

Halle sat up and turned to light the bedside lantern in a bid to distract herself. Deryn felt the loss of her body warmth immediately and watched as she slowly and deliberately sparked the match to light the candle in the lantern, drinking in the sight of her soft features as they were illuminated by the flickering flame.

He reminded himself that he was safe here at Rhos Du, safe with his mate who would burn the world to protect him, safe with his friend and employer, Lord Taran, looking out for him. Heaving another great sigh he spoke.

“That had been the plan. A simple, reasonable plan. I wish I had listened to Gwynfor…”

•º•º•º•

Gwynfor turned to head back towards the pack grounds, but the shadows moved first; darker patches against the night that solidified into wolves, seven of them, emerging from the trees around them. The Alpha’s personal guard, led by none other than Beta Gethin’s wolf, Trennan, himself.

“Deryn ap Osian,” Gethin’s voice came through the pack bond, formal and cold. “By order of Alpha Aled, you are to come with us peacefully to answer for your crimes.”

“What crimes?” Deryn snapped, harsher than he meant to, though he already knew the answer.

“The murder of Osian and Cerys Jones,” Gethin replied. “And harbouring a dangerous entity within pack borders.”

Gwynfor sneezed a laugh, but his hackles had risen. “Entity? Is that what they’re calling me now? A few hours ago I was a blessing.”

Trennan growled lowly, “Yes, that’s what you’re considered. You might be ‘blessed’ but you’re dangerous, as proven by the death of the Jones’.”

“Well at least he acknowledges my status I suppose,” Gwynfor joked, but Deryn was not amused.

With a nod from Trennan, the guard wolves closed in, a coordinated unit moving with precision and blocking any opportunity for escape. Seven against one – against one very new, very inexperienced wolf, no matter how powerful Gwynfor might be. Deryn was surprised at the display of control that they felt necessary.

“Surrender now,” Gethin commanded. “The Alpha wishes to give you a fair hearing.”

A fair hearing. Perhaps that was all Deryn needed – a chance to speak the truth, to point out the inconsistencies, to ask why Thomas had been so quick to find him at his parents’ house. Maybe, just maybe, justice was still possible.

“I’ll come,” Deryn said. Gwynfor snarled his disagreement but complied.

The journey back to the pack house was tense, silent. Seven wolves escorting one white wolf through the dark forest, moonlight filtering through the canopy in ghostly patterns. No one spoke through the mind link. No explanations were offered. Only the rhythm of paws on earth, and the weight of accusation hanging in the air.

The pack house came into view just before midnight. It was a sprawling Victorian manor that had served as the heart of their community for generations. Light spilled from every window, which Deryn thought was unusual for this hour. As they got closer and heard the chatter that drifted out from the pack house doors thug, he realised that the entire pack had gathered.

“Shift back,” Gethin ordered when they reached the courtyard.

Deryn did so reluctantly, Gwynfor protesting in his mind even as his body transformed. The pain of shifting was nothing compared to the humiliation of standing naked before the pack’s Beta, like a criminal stripped of his dignity.

“What happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty?’”

“I don’t think justice is on the cards here today,” Gwynfor whispered back.

Gethin tossed him a simple white shirt and trousers – the traditional clothing of the accused. The symbolism wasn’t lost on Deryn. White for purity, for innocence on trial. Or perhaps, more fittingly, the colour of a shroud.

“The Alpha is waiting for you,” Gethin said, not meeting Deryn’s eyes as he shifted back to human form himself and donned his formal attire.

“Formal wear?” Gwynfor scoffed. “He can dress as fancy as he likes, he’s still a prick.”

Deryn didn’t reply, he merely watched as Beta Gethin marched away.

Two guards flanked Deryn as they led him through the entrance and down the main corridor. The usual warm and welcoming atmosphere of the pack house was absent, and in its place was a solemn chill. Pack members who had not been able to get a seat in the room with the alpha lined the hallway, their faces a blur of shock, anger, and morbid curiosity as he passed. Someone spit in his direction, but he didn’t see who, and in all honesty, Deryn did not care to look and have his heart broken further by finding it was someone he cared for.

At the end of the corridor stood the double doors to the great hall, thrown open wide like the jaws of a monstrous beast waiting to devour him.

The great hall was silent except for the crackling of the enormous fireplace. Oak-panelled walls loomed, casting long shadows across the faces of the pack members gathered; many of them were dressed in grey, a symbol of their mourning. Deryn was walked by the guards to the centre of the room where he stood alone, a solitary figure in a silent room, feeling the burn of hundreds of eyes boring into him.

Beta Gethin emerged from the shadows, his voice cut through the silence like a knife.

“Deryn ap Osian,” Gethin began, his tone sharp and precise, “you stand accused of murder, and of compromising pack security.”

Deryn shifted uncomfortably. He was nobody – a low-ranking pack member who had never sought attention. Now, inexplicably, all attention was on him.

“Witnesses will testify,” Gethin continued, “that you have been in communication with rogues from the northern border. More gravely, you harbour a wolf of... unprecedented nature.” He paused, letting the words hang in the air. “A white wolf. A so-called ‘Blessed Wolf’ whose very existence threatens our established order.”

Deryn’s world suddenly went dark. His mouth rippled with the taste of frost...

~~Gwynfor, younger, standing before an elder council, his white fur gleaming with an unnatural light. Whispers of fear. “You don’t belong here,” an elder’s voice hissed. The memory of rejection, of being different, burned like winter’s first bite...~~

Deryn shifted uncomfortably, unaware of what that was shivered as a chill suddenly ran down his spine.

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Deryn caught glimpses of faces – some curious, some suspicious, none of them supportive. The face he did not see however, was that of his Alpha.

•º•º•º•

“What?! Where was Alpha Aled? He was excited for a white wolf in the pack, why would he allow this way of thinking?” Halle reeled off her questions, barely stopping for a breath.

“Shhhh!”

Halle looked up to see Gwynfor’s ice blue eyes and realised he was the one who had quieted her.

“Don’t tell my human to shush Gwynnie!” Elowen growled back.

“Sorry my love, but we are getting to the good part.”

Elowen grumbled her acknowledgment of the apology and receded, too interested by what was coming to make much more of a fuss.

“I don’t know what he means by good part,” Deryn said, “but I know the next part was the start of the worst day of my life…”

•º•º•º•

“More precisely,” Gethin continued, producing a document, its edges crisp and official-looking, “we have evidence that suggests your wolf, Gwynfor, has abilities that extend far beyond natural wolf capabilities. Abilities that could expose our entire pack to dangerous scrutiny–”

“Where is Alpha Aled? You said he was waiting for me,” Deryn interjected.

“That… is none of your concern.”

“He doesn’t sound so sure…” Gwynfor piped up. Deryn saw his chance.

“Well, I believe it is my concern, as it happens. Any trial takes place in his name as the Alpha of the pack. I demand he is brought here immediately.”

“You’re in no position to be demanding a damn thing!” Gethin bit back.

“I’ll not say a word until the Alpha is brought here,” Deryn said flatly. “Or I’ll settle for Luna Nerys.”

“They are… indisposed.”

“Ohhh, he sounds even less sure about that one!”

“Where are they Beta Gethin?”

“Did you, or did you not murder Osian and Cerys Jones?” he asked, ignoring Deryn’s demands.

“Where are the Alpha and Luna, Beta Gethin?” Deryn asked again.

The Beta huffed. “Did you murder your parents, Deryn?”

“Where are Alpha Aled and Luna Nerys, Beta?”

This time Beta Gethin growled, and Deryn took an unconscious step back.

“Answer the question!” he roared.

“Not until you answer mine.”

•º•º•º•

Halle’s eyes widened. “Was that really wise? The man was clearly dangerous.”

“I was eighteen years old and had nothing left to lose. A dangerous combination really; young, dumb and utterly bereft.”

Halle’s expression softened from horrified admonishment to sympathy. “I’m so sorry.”

Deryn gave her a tight-lipped smile and continued…

•º•º•º•

Gethin’s eyes narrowed as he circled Deryn like a predator. “You think you’re clever, boy? Demanding to see the Alpha when you know perfectly well that he cannot be here.”

A ripple of confused murmuring passed through the crowd. This was news to them as well and several of them looked around the other attendees.

“Why can’t he be here?” Deryn pressed, feeling the shift in the room. “What’s happened to Alpha Aled?”

Gethin’s jaw tightened. A mistake, he’d revealed too much.

“The Alpha is… attending to urgent pack business,” he recovered smoothly. “Which is why, as Beta, I am conducting these proceedings with full authority.”

“He’s lying,” Gwynfor growled. “Something’s happened to the Alpha. This whole thing stinks of a power grab.”

Deryn hurriedly scanned the crowd again, this time looking more carefully at each face present. Not only were the Alpha and Luna missing, but several of their most loyal supporters as well. Cynog, who had served as the Alpha’s advisor for decades. Rhona, the pack’s record keeper and a close friend of Deryn’s mother. And Deryn’s own uncle, Idris, who had been the Alpha’s childhood friend.

Too many absences of important people to be coincidence.

“I demand to know what’s happened to our Alpha,” Deryn said, his voice stronger now. “And I refuse to answer any charges until that information is provided.”

Gethin’s face darkened with rage, but he quickly brought it under control and decided to use Deryn’s insolence to his advantage. “You’re in no position to make demands!” He turned to the crowd. “See how he deflects? How he tries to distract from his own crimes?”

“You know the answer to that question, Beta Gethin,” Deryn said, his tone dismissive despite the fear churning in his gut. “I did not murder my parents.”

Gethin’s eyes narrowed, a predatory gleam catching the firelight. “And yet you were found at the scene, covered in their blood, mere hours after receiving your wolf.”

“I found them that way,” Deryn insisted. “Someone killed them and left them there.”

“Convenient,” Gethin replied, circling Deryn like a shark scenting blood. “Tell me, how did your parents react when you told them about your wolf? About Gwynfor?”

The question hit Deryn like a physical blow. The trap was springing shut around him, and he could feel it.

“I didn’t–” Deryn began, then caught himself.

“You didn’t what?” Gethin pressed, stepping closer. “Didn’t tell them? Or didn’t want to tell them?”

Deryn’s tongue would not move, glued to the roof of his mouth in sheer panic.

“Refusing to answer? Very well.” Gethin gestured to Thomas, who stepped forward from the corner of the room. His face was a mask of sorrow, but Deryn could see the calculation behind his eyes.

His stomach lurched as he felt the flash of another betrayal...

~~Generations past. A pack turning against one of their own. The smell of smoke. The sound of howls. Gwynfor – or was it an ancestor? – watching as everything he knew crumbled around him. The bitter taste of survival...~~

“Gwynfor, what was that?”

“A memory, but how…?”

Deryn suddenly understood: this was more than just his moment. This was a recurring story.

Pulling his attention back to the room, Deryn was beginning to see what this sham trial was – a carefully constructed trap. Every word was designed to paint him as a threat, to isolate him, to force him into a position where flight would seem like his only option.

And the most terrifying part? In this room, in this moment, Deryn was completely alone.