Elena’s POV
The mont we stepped through the cabin door, Damien stord off to the bedroom without so much as a glance at anyone. His shoulders were rigid with frustration, and I could practically feel the disappointnt radiating from him. He expected too much too fast. Briar needed ti to process everything we’d just thrown at her, but patience had never been one of Damien’s strongest qualities.
"Let guess, things didn’t go according to plan," Caleb said, studying my expression.
"She shifted, which was incredible to witness. We managed to talk, but she’s completely overwheld. Damien thought she’d pack up and co ho with us on the spot." I sank into the nearest chair, exhaustion weighing down my limbs. "He was setting himself up for disappointnt."
Caleb shook his head. "I want her back just as badly as he does, but we can’t ignore reality. She’s been raised to see us as the enemy. Years of that kind of conditioning don’t just disappear because we showed up with good intentions."
"Exactly what I’ve been trying to tell myself," I murmured.
Heavy footsteps announced Damien’s return before he appeared in the doorway, phone already in hand.
"Koa just mind-linked . They’re planning another pack attack tonight." His voice was clipped, all business now.
"When do they ever take a break?" The constant threat was wearing on all of us.
"Apparently never." Damien was already dialing. Within minutes, he’d contacted the targeted pack, and they imdiately initiated their evacuation procedures.
"I don’t understand why they keep going after werewolf packs," Caleb said. "Vampires are the real danger here."
"Pack structure makes us easier targets," I explained, feeling the familiar weight of leadership responsibilities. "We’re organized, predictable. We protect territories and stick together. Vampires are mostly solitary creatures, harder to track down and corner."
"I’m heading out to help with the evacuation," Caleb announced, already reaching for his jacket.
After he left, silence settled over the cabin like a heavy blanket. I stared at the wall, my mind racing through everything that had happened today. When Damien finally joined on the couch, his earlier anger had lted into sothing more vulnerable.
"I know I’m being unreasonable," he said, pulling against his side. "I just wanted her to trust us enough to co back, even for a few hours."
"The Hunters keep their people on a tight leash. They would have noticed if she’d disappeared for too long." I let myself relax into his warmth, grateful for this mont of peace.
Sothing in my tone must have given away because he tilted my chin up, studying my face with concern.
"I haven’t asked how you’re handling all this," he said softly.
The question hit deeper than I expected. "It feels exactly like it did sixteen years ago. Right around the ti you threatened to reject so you could move on with your life."
He pressed his lips to the top of my head, and I felt him tense.
"Is that why you’ve been so quiet about everything? You’re afraid I’ll say the sa thing again?"
"I’m afraid I’ll say sothing that starts the sa fights we had back then," I admitted. "My head is full of thoughts that aren’t about you, but they’ll still tear us apart if I voice them."
His arms tightened around , and he forced to et his eyes before kissing with desperate intensity.
"I swear to you, I will never threaten rejection again. I saw what it did to you last ti, how it made you afraid to leave the pack territory. Now I think I’m the one who’s falling apart."
I understood his struggle. He’d seen Briar now, knew she was real and alive, which made her resistance to us that much more frustrating. But none of this was her fault. The Hunters had spent years poisoning her mind against us.
Caleb still hadn’t returned by the ti we went to bed, and sleep proved elusive for both of us. When we finally drifted off, it felt like only minutes had passed before soone started pounding on our door.
I bolted upright and raced to answer it, Damien close behind . Koa and Nico stood on our doorstep, both breathing hard and looking panicked.
"What happened?" I demanded as they pushed past us into the cabin.
"The attack information was fake," Nico said, running a hand through his hair. "It was all a setup to identify their informant."
"They know it was you?" My stomach dropped.
"Yeah, but we managed to lose them in the forest. They didn’t track us here," Koa assured .
"Do they know about Asher and Briar?"
"No, they weren’t around when we got the attack intel. It was just Nico and ."
"This just keeps getting worse," Damien muttered.
"You have no idea. We can’t go back there. They’ve got hunters actively searching for us right now," Nico said.
I grabbed my phone imdiately. "You need to get back to our pack territory. You’ll be protected there."
"Hello?" Caleb’s voice ca through clearly.
"Is that pack fully evacuated?" I asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Because the whole thing was a trap. They identified Koa and Nico as the informants."
"Which ans they’re probably hitting a different target tonight," Caleb said grimly.
"Exactly. We’ll find out about the real attack tomorrow."
Damien was already sending out ergency alerts to every pack in our network, warning them about the Hunters’ tactics. By morning, every pack would be ready for imdiate evacuation if necessary.
"Are you certain Briar is safe?" I asked Koa.
"She should be, but these woods are crawling with search parties now. You need to get out of here too."
I t Damien’s eyes and saw my own determination reflected there. We rushed to the bedroom and started throwing our belongings together, making sure to erase any trace of our presence.
This cabin existed off every official map. The only way anyone could find it was through extensive forest searches or prior knowledge of its location.
Within thirty minutes, we’d packed everything and were running through the dark woods. After covering considerable distance, we reached the dirt road where we’d hidden our vehicle. All four of us piled in, and I took the driver’s seat, sensing Damien’s internal struggle.
Part of him wanted to stay and fight, but we didn’t know the full extent of the Hunters’ resources or how quickly they could mobilize reinforcents. We couldn’t help Briar if we were captured or killed.
Reviews
All reviews (0)