Episode 7: Into the Woods
822 Words
Aelin couldn't shake the word she'd heard in the elevator. Luna. It clung to her like dew, sparkling in the corner of her mind no matter how many times she tried to brush it away. Wolves, Alpha, Luna. The pieces were there like a puzzle, but the picture they formed was impossible. And yet the memory of golden eyes glinting in the moonlight was impossible, too.
By midmorning Stonehaven hummed with activity. Ms. Gregory orchestrated staff, Marcus and Damian disappeared into the study with hushed voices and the occasional growl of frustration. Madame Celeste was nowhere to be seen. That suited Aelin fine. She needed space to think. Her feet carried her toward the back doors almost of their own accord.
The garden glittered with dew. Beyond the manicured hedges, a low stone wall marked the boundary where civilization gave way to wilderness. The forest loomed just beyond, dark trunks and dense foliage promising secrets. She hesitated, Damian's warning echoing in her ears. Then she lifted her skirts and swung her legs over the wall.
The air changed the moment she stepped under the canopy. It was cooler, the sunlight filtering through leaves in green-gold ribbons. Moss cushioned her feet, and the scent of earth and pine wrapped around her. Birds sang overhead, and somewhere deeper in the forest something big moved through the underbrush. She walked carefully, pressing her hand against tree trunks to steady herself. She wasn't sure what she expected to find. Footprints? Wolf fur? Maybe just a feeling that could explain the pull she felt toward this place.
After ten minutes the sounds of the estate were gone. It was just her and the forest, and the steady thrumming of her heart. She thought she heard whispers—words carried by the wind that weren't quite her own thoughts. Little wolf. Mate. She spun in a circle. "Who's there?" she called, hating how her voice trembled. There was no answer, but the hair on the back of her neck rose.
A branch snapped to her left. She whirled just in time to see a shape dart between trees. Her breath hitched. "Damian? Marcus?" she tried. The shape emerged from the shadows. It was a wolf, but not the sleek creature from the night before. This one was mottled brown and grey, its fur bristled, eyes yellowed and feral. Its lips peeled back from jagged teeth in a snarl. Another appeared behind it.
Aelin stumbled back, heart hammering. "Nice wolves," she whispered, as if they might understand. They stalked closer, hackles raised. She turned and ran. Roots snagged at her boots, branches clawed at her hair. The wolves crashed through the undergrowth behind her, snarls echoing off the trees. Panic thundered in her veins. She tripped over a fallen log and went sprawling, hands skidding on damp leaves.
The wolves leapt. She threw her arms over her head, a scream ripped from her throat—but the bite never came. A massive shadow slammed into the nearest wolf, sending it flying. A snarling roar shook the air. Aelin peeked through her fingers.
Another wolf stood over her, larger than any of the others. Midnight fur gleamed in the dappled light; muscles bunched under its coat. Its eyes were molten gold. It snapped its jaws at the attackers, sending them yelping back into the trees. The big wolf lowered its head, nose nudging Aelin's shoulder as if checking for injuries. Then she heard it—not with her ears but inside her head.
*Mine.*
The word reverberated through her skull like thunder. Aelin gasped. She stared into those golden eyes and felt something in her chest respond, a thread tautening between them.
"Damian?" she whispered, the impossible question slipping out before she could stop it.
The wolf huffed, almost like a laugh, then grasped the collar of her dress gently in its jaws and hoisted her to her feet. On shaky legs she clung to its fur as it guided her back through the forest, her mind numb. She didn't know how long it took to reach the edge of the garden. One moment she was surrounded by ancient trees; the next she was stumbling back over the stone wall, falling into a pair of human arms.
"What were you thinking?" Marcus's voice snapped above her. He gripped her shoulders, eyes wide with fear and anger. "Damian, she's bleeding."
Aelin blinked. The world swayed. Over Marcus's shoulder she saw the great black wolf melt behind a hedge. When it stepped out the other side, it was no longer a beast but a man—Damian, shirt ripped, hair mussed, eyes glowing faintly. He looked wild and terrifying and beautiful.
"Take her inside," he ordered, voice rougher than usual. "Now."
Blackness crowded the edges of Aelin's vision. As Marcus lifted her, she heard the wolf voice again in her head, softer now, almost a purr. *Mine.*
And then everything went dark.
- Writer
