We moved through the tunnel, my thoughts racing faster than my feet. The cool earth beneath me seemed to ground my restlessness, but the knowledge of what was coming hung like a storm in the air. We couldn’t hide forever. Whatever this war was, it wouldn’t wait.
Mal’s gaze was sharp, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead, already thinking several steps ahead of me. We didn’t speak, knowing that the silence between us was more than just avoidance-it was preparation. Every step took us closer to whatever awaited on the other side of this dark underground refuge.
“Are you sure about this?” I whispered, not entirely sure if the words were for her or just to convince myself. “Using my power? What if I lose control again?”
Mal’s voice was steady. “It’s not about control. It’s about trusting yourself. Every part of you knows what to do already. You just need to listen.”
I nodded, but the tightness in my chest didn’t lessen. I felt like a stranger to my own body sometimes-my own powers eluded me, never quite acting the way I expected. But with Mal’s words, something inside me clicked into place. She’d seen something I hadn’t-perhaps I could be that weapon after all.
As we emerged from the narrow tunnel and into the dense forest once again, the air felt colder, sharper. The night was thick with tension, and the usual sounds of nature were muted under the silence that hung around us. We were out in the open, vulnerable. But this wasn’t the time to hesitate.
Mal motioned for me to stay close as she guided us around the trees, leading us along a path she seemed to know well. “They’ll be close, but they won’t know we’re already ahead of them. We’re not the only ones they’re after tonight.”
I glanced at her, curiosity bubbling inside me. “Who else?”
Mal’s gaze flickered to the tree line ahead, and for a moment, I thought I saw a brief hint of something-something darker in her expression. “More like us. Others who’ve had a taste of what the rogues want-and they’ve got someone watching, listening. The humans aren’t the only problem. There are whispers of someone else… a player much larger than the rogues. Someone who controls everything from the shadows.”
“Like a kingpin?” I asked, my mind spinning with new possibilities.
“Exactly. And if we don’t find them first, we might be too late to stop it.”
The urgency in her voice drove the point home, making me feel the growing weight of responsibility on my shoulders. We were past the point of simply surviving; we were fighting to make sure that the balance stayed in our favor.
“We’re going to make sure the rogues don’t have a chance to rally, right?” I asked, wanting the reassurance that came with a solid plan.
Mal gave me a sharp look. “You’ll sense it when the time comes. We don’t strike blindly. We follow their trail-and when we do, we make them pay for every step they take toward our people.”
The truth of her words hit me hard. There would be no running. No hesitation. No easy escape. Only confrontation, and I had to be ready.
Suddenly, the air shifted. I felt the change before I heard it. It was subtle at first-a presence creeping into the atmosphere, like a prickling sensation against my skin. I inhaled, the world around me becoming more defined as my senses sharpened. It wasn’t just the air or the earth. It was the very essence of the forest itself, telling me everything I needed to know. Every shadow, every ripple in the air was a clue. A faint scent filled my nose-a mixture of earth and blood, lingering and fading fast, but just enough to follow.
I turned to Mal, her eyes gleaming in the dim light. “I can feel them.”
She nodded, a faint hint of pride in her gaze. “It’s you, Audrey. Trust it.”
The power in my blood surged again, wild and untamed, like something was awakening inside me. The presence of the rogues-their desperation, their hunger-it was palpable. I was going to be their tracker, the one to lead us straight into their grasp, but I wasn’t going to let them control the situation. Not anymore.
“Let’s go,” I said, my voice gaining strength.
Mal didn’t speak, but there was something in her gaze that told me she felt the same. We pushed forward through the trees, the cold forest brushing past us like it was alive. The stillness that had dominated the night was now alive with purpose as we stalked through the shadows, closing the distance to our enemies.
And then, a sharp growl pierced the night, snapping through the quiet with vicious intent. My senses flared to life, tracking it like a beacon, the rogue’s position clear in my mind. There were three of them, their stench and presence distinct-eager, hunting.
“We’ve got a group,” I whispered, already moving faster, the power in me giving my steps more precision. My instincts were starting to dominate everything else. My body moved effortlessly, faster and smoother, as if I could almost read the path before it appeared.
Mal pulled ahead, but she glanced over her shoulder. “Stay close, and don’t lose focus. This is just a warm-up.”
I didn’t need more encouragement. We reached the edge of the clearing, where the rogues were pacing in a circle. Their scents tangled with the sharp tang of sweat and blood in the night air. I could see them now-massive, hulking figures with glowing eyes, their low growls cutting through the air. But they were only part of the problem. The bigger target-the one behind it all-was still out there, somewhere.
I slowed down, positioning myself on the edge of their circle. I could feel their attention, sharp and eager, but not yet aware of our presence. This was my chance.
I lifted my hand, outstretched, fingertips lightly brushing the air. The world grew sharper, more precise with every passing second. My skin hummed, charged with something ancient-an untapped power that throbbed in time with my heartbeat. The ability was there. I could feel it. I could reach them before they even realized we were here.
“We wait,” Mal whispered next to me, a calm contrast to the simmering tension in my chest.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as I focused, honing in on the nearest rogue. Time slowed around me. I could hear their breath-faint, jagged-but there was something else… Something deeper. Someone was coming. We weren’t alone.
Mal sensed it too, her posture shifting ever so slightly. My power buzzed at the edges of my senses.
The real danger was closing in.
We didn’t know it yet, but the most dangerous game had just begun.
The rogue growled again, its deep rumbling sound vibrating through the air like a warning. I focused on the noise, tracking it through the tense silence. My senses were alive, every small movement amplified. My heart raced, not from fear but from the raw energy coursing through my veins. The rogues were close-so close, I could almost taste their aggression.
But it wasn’t just them that I could feel. Something else, something darker, was drawing nearer, lurking in the shadows like a predator that knew the rules of the game better than any of us.
I felt Mal’s presence beside me, quiet and steady. She didn’t need to tell me anything; I could feel her readiness, her caution, like an invisible force around us.
A rustle in the trees to our left snapped my attention toward it. Something-someone-was moving swiftly, too quietly for us to have heard their footsteps at first. The figure was fast, moving against the wind, using the landscape to cover their approach.
I couldn’t pinpoint their exact location, but my instincts screamed at me that it was bad news.
“They’re not alone,” I murmured, my voice barely a breath.
Mal’s eyes narrowed, and she made a subtle motion, directing me to stay low. Her hand brushed against mine in an unspoken gesture of solidarity, but there was a tension in the air that neither of us could ignore. The same sinister presence was closing in-closer now, surrounding us, choking out every breath of air that wasn’t thick with anticipation.
“I feel them,” I said, my voice rising despite myself. I could barely focus on the rogues anymore. They were only the distraction. The true threat was whoever-or whatever-was moving so carefully between the trees, using the darkness as their ally.
“Focus, Audrey,” Mal whispered sharply, her voice more urgent now. “Don’t lose control. You’ve got this.”
Her words settled over me like a cold reminder. I had to act carefully, wisely. Too much energy, too quickly, would send everything into chaos.
I turned my focus inward, allowing the calm of the forest to center me again. My power rippled under my skin, simmering with restless potential. My senses stretched beyond my immediate surroundings, seeking for the pulse of the threat. The air thickened with the smell of blood, sweat, and something else-a fragrance I couldn’t quite place, but it stirred an unease within me.
A figure stepped into the clearing. Not a rogue, not a wolf. This was human. Tall, lean, their face shadowed by a dark hood, making it impossible to get a good look. My breath caught as I watched them approach, the soft thud of their boots drowned out by the underbrush crunching beneath them.
They didn’t notice us yet, not unless they were deliberately ignoring our presence-playing a dangerous game. I wasn’t sure whether this person was one of the rogue’s military allies, or someone far more dangerous. But their movements were precise. Skilled. More calculated than anyone I had faced so far.
Mal stiffened beside me. “Stay sharp. We’ve been made,” she muttered under her breath, her hand instinctively sliding to the weapon hidden at her waist.
“He’s a diversion,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. I could feel it now, the strange aura surrounding this person. They weren’t here for the rogues-not in the way we expected. Something else was going on.
“You’re right,” Mal agreed quietly. “And I don’t think it’s good for us.”
The man-because I was certain it was a man now-paused in the clearing, his head tilting upward. He was waiting for something, or perhaps someone. And that someone, or something, wasn’t too far behind.
Something changed in the atmosphere, like the wind itself shifted with a renewed, dangerous intensity. A voice broke the stillness-low, echoing, almost impossibly quiet, but enough for us to hear:
“Move.”
And just like that, we were no longer just stalking the rogues. This was their command, or someone else’s, and they were onto us.
Mal’s sharp intake of breath told me that she knew we were up against something bigger than any group of rogues or human soldiers.
“You need to leave, now,” the man said again, his voice harsh as though it had been too long since it had been used.
“What?” I couldn’t believe my own disbelief.
“We’ll be overrun if you stay. You’re in way too deep.”
Mal’s hand was on my arm, pulling me back, but her eyes never left the man. He wasn’t even looking at us anymore. Instead, his head snapped to something off to our right.
“We were supposed to warn you,” Mal hissed, “Not help you run.”
“But we can’t win this fight without some help,” I said before I could stop myself.
Mal’s expression hardened, but she didn’t argue. She could see the urgency too. Something about this wasn’t right-it was bigger than us. Maybe even bigger than the pack. Her eyes flickered toward the tunnel, the same cold resolve that had carried her earlier coming to the surface again.
“I know how to escape,” she said.
“No, we need to stay and fight,” I said, my words firm with growing conviction. “We’ve come too far. They want us for something, and that means we fight for control, not give it up.”
The air grew even thicker, pressing in from all sides. It felt suffocating, like the walls were closing in around us.
And then, as though scripted by fate, they appeared. Shadows emerged from the treeline, figures in camouflage blending into the night with deadly precision. A heavy metallic scent hit me-stale sweat and blood mixed with the smell of something darker, an eerie chemical tang that clung to the edges of my nostrils.
These weren’t just mercenaries. These were professionals. The same ones who had been pulling strings behind the scenes all along.
Mal reached for her weapon and pulled me back, trying to reposition us. “There’s no time for second thoughts, Audrey. Let them think we’re part of the fight they wanted.”
I closed my eyes, feeling the thrum of energy ripple through my veins, intensifying with every breath.
It was clear now.
We weren’t just part of the game. We were the piece they hadn’t planned for. And I wasn’t going to let them take control. Not without a fight.
I released a breath, readying myself. Time to make them remember we were here.