ROWAN
“Hey.”
“Wakey, wakey.”
“Come on, open your eyes, Ro.”
“Ho away,” I groan as I turn away from the voice.
“I can’t,” Viktor replies. “We have a situation on our hands.”
“You promised to let me sleep.”
“I know. I know,” he whispers as he brings his mouth closer to my ears, making me bat him away in annoyance.
“But there are some people who need shelter from a certain lunatic alpha and are searching for you.”
My eyes snap open before I turn and sit up, to look at him.
“What?”
“Yep. You heard me.”
“What are you talking about? Wolves from the… Obsidian pack?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Turns out, the bad reaction we were expecting from Dominic was him murdering his Luna.”
“Shit,” I gaps in horror. “Clarisse?”
“Yeah, you know her.”
“Yeah,” I say. “She was his lover and one of the people who was with him that night I was beaten up and thrown off the cliff.”
“I see. Karma is a bitch, then.”
“Tell me about it. So, where are the wolves?” I ask.
“They are running scared. They feel like since he could kill his Luna, no one is actually safe from him. Hence their search for the Winter Wolf Coalition,” he explains.
“It is just… past three. In the morning,” she says after a glance at the clock. “When did they start running?”
“From the looks of it, late last night.”
“Wow. That is…sad. But… I only take in rogues. Not runaways. I don’t need the problem that would bring. Especially from Dominic.”
“Hmm, I figured. Which is why I told them that before we help them in any way, they will have to renounce their ties to his pack.”
“Oh, wow. What did they say to that?”
“They are at the clearing. Waiting for further instructions.”
“They agreed?!”
“They agreed.”
“Damn. What sort of an asshole must he have been for them to accept that ultimatum from their pack’s enemy?”
“A really crappy one. But look on the bright side!”
“What bright side?!”
“Once news circulates that wolves from the obsidian pack renounced their ties and are looking for the coalition for sanctuary, the very coalition that he wanted to wage war on… do you have any idea the storm that would bring?”
“Yeah… we can work it say8ng that the reason he wanted the war, in addition to his greed, was because he feared that the people he had been oppressing would find a place of safety with me.”
“Exactly. Like I said, the goddess is really on our side.”
“Did she have to kill Clarisse to do that?”
“Who cares about her? Are you coming or not?”
“I am coming! I am coming! Just let me get dressed,” I mutter as I get out of bed.
Less than fifteen minutes later, I and Viktor are making our way to the clearing, with only the moon as a source of light.
“I will take that way,” he says as he points towards a well trodden path. “You come in through the woods. That way, they won’t see you. And you can reveal yourself once it is over.”
“About that,” I say as I rest a hand on his bicep. “Rather than revealing myself here, I want them to see me when they get to settlement.”
“Huh? Why?”
“We will send them on ahead,” I say. “I will have Alden go first so that he can prepare for their arrival. There is a protocol for new wolves entering the coalition as you well know- and it can be seen as harsh.”
“Okay. You don’t want them thinking it is because of their past treatment of you that is causing that.”
“Exactly. I will arrive…say, after two weeks of them being there. That way they would have had time to acclimate to the settlement and would think twice of wanting to leave just because of me.”
“Fine. That makes sense. Let’s do it your way.”
“Okay, then. See ya,” I say before separating and heading for the woods.
As I stroll through the forest, the darkness surrounds me, and it is only broken by the light of the full moon above that filters through the trees.
The ground is rough beneath my feet, with roots and rocks sticking out, making me cautious while the tall trees loom over me, their branches creaking and swaying in the breeze.
The air is still chilly and damp, after all it’s barely even four and it carries the smell of wet soil and decaying leaves.
Overhead, I hear an owl hooting before it flies away and the rustling of small animals in the bushes as they scurry away from my footsteps. The path twists and turns, leading me deeper into the woods, with moonlight filtering through the leaves above.
As I turn a corner, the trees suddenly open up, revealing the clearing.
The moonlight floods the area, illuminating it like a silver spotlight.
The place is circular, with a few trees scattered around, their branches reaching towards the center.
In the middle of the clearing there is a huge oak tree, its trunk twisted with age, its branches stretching towards the sky. And the moonlight creates deep shadows, making the tree look even more impressive and ancient. The air is still in the clearing, as if the forest itself is holding its breath.
And in front of the tree, gathered together is the crowd that Viktor was talking about, all of them looking towards him and Andre as they stand in front of them.
Careful, so as not to make a sound, I make my way forward, my footsteps barely crunching in the leaves as I do so and hide behind one of the trees for a better view.
I notice Viktor’s head subtly turn towards me, almost like he could see me from my position and he most probably could.
But he doesn’t say anything.
Instead, he looks towards them, his eyes blank and his voice cool.
“Shall we begin.”