Into the Wolf’s Den
1010 Words
The forest swallowed sound.
Even Talia’s footsteps were muted beneath the pressure of the cold night air, as if the trees were holding their breath. Only the distant rush of the river broke the silence—a low, steady pulse threading through the darkness.
Lucian’s warriors moved around them like living shadows. Silent. Precise. Controlled.
Not an escort.
A formation.
Talia positioned herself between Alina and the unfamiliar wolves, posture loose but
ready. One hand rested lightly on the hilt of her dagger. The weight of the blade against her palm was grounding. Comforting. If this turned ugly—and her instincts whispered it might—she wouldn’t hesitate.
Alina drifted closer until their arms were brushed. “Do you think we can trust them?” she murmured.
Talia didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze scraped over the tree line, mapping shadow from threat, listening to shifts in wind and branches. Finally, she exhaled, “Trust? No. But we can walk beside them. For now. That’s not the same thing.”
Kaela stirred inside her mind.
Silent—but coiled tight like a spring.
Then the path changed beneath their feet—soft earth giving way to rock and branched
roots. The incline rose, and the air cooled further, carrying the metallic bite of mountain water. The river’s roar grew louder, pushing through the stillness.
Talia counted heartbeats.
Measured silence.
Listening for what didn’t belong.
This was the kind of forest where predators moved just out of sight.
Then—A scent hit her.
Wrong, but familiar.
Like a bad memory soaked in blood.
She froze mid-step.
Alina felt it too and mirrored her without a word.
The surrounding wolves didn’t stop, but their ears flicked. Their bodies angled subtly toward the sisters—protective, bracing.
The path narrowed between two jagged walls of stone, slick with moss and shadow.
And then they stepped out.
Thomas.
And just behind him—his Beta, Leon.
“Creep,” Kaela growled.
Talia didn’t gasp. Didn’t speak. Didn’t move.
She shifted one step to block Alina, letting the burn of rage slide through her veins like wildfire.
“Well,” Thomas drawled, slow and poisonous. “I expected a chase. But here you are—walking with an escort.” His smirk cut toward Lucian. “Interesting company you’re keeping these days.”
Leon’s gaze locked onto Alina instantly, hungry and possessive. “Your little wanderlust is over, sweetheart,” he said lightly. “Time to come home.” He opened his arms in a welcoming embrace.
Alina’s chin lifted. “Over my dead body.”
Lucian didn’t shift stance, but the air thickened around him—charged, vibrating with
power. “Is there a reason you’re blocking my path, Calder?” he asked, voice low and calm.
Thomas’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You have something of mine.”
His gaze flicked to Talia—slow, deliberate—before sliding to Alina, the shift unmistakably meant to wound.
Talia stepped forward, dagger flashing with captured moonlight. “We’re not yours.”
Leon ignored her completely, as if she hadn't spoken. “Alina is promised to me—”
"You should stop talking now." Lucian’s voice slid like velvet over steel.
Casius shifted his weight, a subtle predator’s adjustment, attention locked completely on Leon. His wolf pushed hard against his skin.
Talia’s pulse sharpened. The scent in the air changed—sweat, blood, more prominent now.
The air had become charged. Her own wolf pressed forward, wanting to attack just for the sake of it.
Thomas’s jaw flexed. “Step aside, Lucian.”
He didn’t acknowledge him with King or Alpha. The disrespect was intentional—sharp as a slap.
Thomas’s jaw flexed. “This is Black River Pack business.”
His glare cut to the sisters. “They’re rogues.” His tone promised retribution for daring to leave.
Lucian’s reply was soft, dangerous. “They are under my protection, and this is Obsidian.
Ridge, in case you forgot where you are. That means they are no longer yours to command.”
Silence dropped like a blade. "Huh!"
Weren't expecting that, were you d-ckhead?" Kaela smirked.
Thomas’s warriors began to fan behind him, slow as a creeping tide. Lucian’s wolves mirrored the movement perfectly, silent, unified, lethal—a standoff wrapped in false diplomacy.
Alina’s fingers slipped into Talia’s.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then, a crack. A branch snapped sharply to the left. Too heavy for a fox. But deliberate.
All heads turned.
Another step.
Closer this time.
Multiple bodies move through the underbrush in a synchronized rhythm.
Talia angled her body fully in front of Alina, dagger steady, wolf bristling.
Casius shifted a fraction closer to Alina, a move so subtle most would miss it. But Talia noticed.
She noticed everything.
He wasn’t guarding Lucian.
He was guarding her sister.
Later, if they made it out of this pit of wetland, she would unravel it for closer
inspection.
Leon inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. “We’re not alone.”
Thomas flicked a look toward the trees—then back to Lucian, suspicion warring with
arrogance.
“Are they yours?” he asked coldly.
Lucian didn’t blink. “If they were, you’d already be dead.”
Another crack. Louder.
Talia’s grip tightened. Alina’s breath hitched beside her. Kaela prowled under her skin, ready to launch.
The shadows shifted—
—and something moved inside them.
A shape. Then two. Then more. Fast. Silent. Unmistakably wolf, but wrong.
Lucian’s wolves angled toward the movement, muscles rippling. Thomas’s warriors braced, forming a defensive crescent.
The forest held its breath.
Predators appeared, shadows slowly taking form.
The clearing vibrated like a drum.
Thomas’s smile vanished entirely. “Whoever that is—they aren’t mine.”
Lucian’s expression chilled. “Then you should start praying.”
Alina reached for Talia again, gripping tightly enough to hurt. “Talia—”
“I know,” Talia whispered. “Stay behind me.”
The shadows broke—
And the entire forest seemed to lunge forward.
- Writer
