Chapter 257

AURORA

The disturbing howl cut through the night, stirring me awake, and a shiver ran down my spine. I sat up when I heard a soft knock at our door, followed by Trajan’s muffled voice.

“Dane, we need to talk. Now.”

Dane stirred beside me, his weight shifting as he sat up.

“What’s going on?” he called softly.

“Something’s wrong around the borders,” Trajan said. “The patrol picked up movement. I thought it best we check it out.”

I felt Dane’s hand brush against mine as he stood. It was a reassuring touch, my voice thick with sleep. “Where are you going?”

He turned toward me, the moonlight outlining his face in sharp lines.

“Trajan heard something unusual. I’ll just go take a look.”

The knot of worry that had settled in my stomach over the past few days tightened. “Be careful,” I whispered.

Dane leaned down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Always. For you.” His voice carried the weight of unspoken promises.

I watched him leave, the door closing softly behind him. Alone, the room felt colder.

By the time Dane got back, it was dawn. A few packs were gathered, warriors stood around the main hall, their eyes moving quickly in the direction of the woods.

Murmurs greeted me as I joined them, thick with unease. Dane’s presence steadied them, but his face showed his doubts.

“Trajan and his patrol found signs of movement near the eastern border,” he began. “Nothing concrete, but enough to raise questions.”

“What sort of signs?” one of the older females asked sharply, her voice tight with concern.

“Tracks that looked fresh but just seemed to disappear into nothing right at the edge of the riverbank,” he explained.

“Most likely just some loose end…" I heard the doubt in his voice, the flick of his eye toward me for confirmation. But before I could say a word, another jumped in.

“This isn’t the first time,” Warrick said, his voice even. “There’ve been whispers of strange movements for weeks. What if it’s not a stray?”

“That’s speculation,” Trajan said, his voice even. “Till we have more evidence, we can’t jump to conclusions.”

Piper crossed her arms, her expression skeptical.

“Speculation or not, it’s pretty suspicious timing. A stray typically doesn’t hang out like that.” The argument continued, the pack voices rose and pitched as they fought over how to make it fit. I hung back in silence, listening to the shifts in tension across the gathering.

Eventually, Dane raised a hand, his authority cutting through the chaos of voices.

“We’ll double the patrols and keep a close watch on the borders. For now, let’s not spread unnecessary panic.”

The pack murmured their agreement, though unease lingered in their eyes.

As they dispersed, I spotted Freya sitting alone on a low stone wall near the meeting hall, staring into the woods. I was about to walk past her when she got up and stood in my path.

“Freya,” I called, as I halted. She sighed, her features unreadable.

“It’s as if a storm is coming,” she whispered.

I furrowed my brow. “You must not think about it too much. Whatever it is will be seen to.”

She turned to me then, her lips curling into a slight smile. “Worried about him?” she said, the sweetness in her voice piercing.

I cocked a brow. “Dane’s always competent. That’s why I trust him.”

Her laugh was light, almost taunting. “Oh, I know. He’s impressive.”

My jaw clenched at the silent challenge she issued with that statement.

“And loyal, very faithful…” I said, so much more pointed.

“Well,” she said, straightening and dusting invisible dust off her clothing, “you’re lucky to have something others want.”

The words clung in the air, their presence marked a soft murmur of insecurity that I kept feeling.

That night, lying beside Dane, my mind was a storm of doubt. Whispers of what Freya had said lingered in my brain and would not be shaken.

He stirred beside me, speaking low and cautiously, “Aurora, something doesn’t just feel right.”

I leaned towards him, my heart racing, and peered into his face in the poor light.

“What do you mean?"

But before he could answer, the faint sound reached us, rustling outside the window that sent a chill racing down my spine.

The words of Dane hung in the air when the light rustling outside the window started growing louder.

I sat up; my pulse raced. “Do you hear that?” I whispered, clenching Dane’s arm.

He nodded, his jaw clenched. “Stay here.”

And before I could argue with him, he was out of bed, the motions fast and silent.

I followed his movement with speed; he crossed towards the knife beside the door.

“Dane!”

“I mean it, Aurora,” he said, firm yet low.

“I just can’t risk you getting hurt in case of something out there.”

I didn’t move, only watched as he disappeared out the door, the cool night air brushing against me.

The rustling grew fainter but hadn’t stopped.

My body tensed; every nerve was on edge as I strained to hear.

Moments ticked by in painful silence before I heard Dane’s voice outside. “Who’s there?”

I inched closer to the window and peered out. Moonlight bathed the yard, shadows jumping among the trees.

My heart stuttered. There, behind a patch of bushy shrubs, was a young wolf.

It regarded me with large, terrified eyes.

“It’s me,” Freya stammered, holding her hands out as if in some need of assistance.

“I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”

Dane lowered his knife a fraction, his face a mask of confusion and annoyance.

“What are you doing out here?”

Freya hesitated, looking towards the woods.

“I thought I saw something near the treeline. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

I pushed open the door, unable to hold my tongue a moment longer.

“Freya, you have no business being out walking around alone in the dark. It’s not safe.”

Her eyes flicked to mine, and for a moment, I thought I saw something unreadable in them.

“I didn’t want to bother anyone,” she said softly. “But I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

Dane sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Next time, tell someone. We can’t afford to take risks right now.”

Freya nodded, chastised. “I’ll go back to my cabin.”

As she turned to leave, I caught her looking back at Dane, her eyes staying on him just a second too long.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably.

When she was gone, I turned to Dane. “You believe her?”

He frowned, keeping his knife. “I don’t know. But I’ll have Trajan check the perimeter again in the morning.”

Later, snuggled under the duvet once more, a weird feeling would not leave me.

Dane’s arm came around me, the heat from his body soothing, but my mind refused to quiet down.

“What if she is hiding something?” I whispered.

Dane’s voice was calm. “If she is, we will find out. Together.”

Supposedly reassuring, his words still did little to remove the lingering presence of Freya’s gaze from my mind.

The next morning, I vowed to pay attention to what was going on that day.

I made my way to the great hall, where wolves were already gathering, their voices filling the air with chatter and laughter.

But I couldn’t help scanning the crowd, looking for Freya.

Piper spotted me and jogged over, infectious energy as always.

“Morning! You look like you didn’t sleep much.”

I forced a smile. “Rough night. Anything new from the patrols?”

She shook her head.

“Not yet, but Warrick’s leading the next group. If there’s something out there, he’ll find it.”

“Good,” I said, my eyes flicking toward the far corner of the hall, where Freya sat alone.

Piper followed my gaze, her brow furrowing. “She’s been off lately, hasn’t she?”

“Maybe,” I replied, my voice cautious.

Piper grinned suddenly, nudging me. “Jealous, are we?”

I shot her a sharp look, but her teasing tone softened.

“Hey, I’m kidding. Sort of. But seriously, if something’s bothering you, you should talk to Dane about it.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

That uneasiness just did not leave me throughout the day.

All day, she kept to herself just like before. Dane, too, didn’t say a word anywhere, just like yesterday.

Later in the evening, under the sun plunged into darkness, I went and joined him outside on the porch, feeling the cool breeze across my skin.

“Do you think we are overestimating all this?” I whispered low.

Dane’s arm came around my shoulders, drawing me closer. “Maybe. But better safe than sorry.” He was warm and reassuring, yet my mind refused to quiet.

Then, just when the first stars were appearing, a howl came again, this time louder. It was too close and raised the hairs along my backbone.

In an instant, Dane was standing, peering into the dark. “Stay here,” he said with speed.

But as the howl disappeared into the night, another sound took its place, a rustling in the trees that was getting louder by the second.

“Dane,” I whispered, my heart racing. “Something’s coming.”