The air was cool as they walked deeper into the forest, the fading light casting long shadows across the ground. Aurora's mind was a storm of thoughts, but one feeling kept rising above the rest—fear. She had never felt this unsure of herself, of the choices she was making. The wolves were already divided, and her presence seemed to make things worse. She didn't know if there was a way out of this mess.
She looked at Kael, who walked beside her, his face hard and unreadable. He had said they needed to keep moving, but she could tell there was more to it. Something was bothering him, something he wasn't saying.
"What's wrong?" Aurora asked, her voice quiet.
Kael didn't answer right away. He kept walking, his eyes focused ahead. But after a few moments, he sighed, as though the weight of the world had finally caught up with him. He stopped and turned to face her.
"I didn't want you to see that," Kael said, his voice low and rough. "The pack doesn't trust you. Not yet, anyway. It's… hard to explain."
Aurora stared at him, her heart heavy. She knew he was trying to protect her, but it was becoming clearer that she was in over her head. She had thought that if she showed the wolves she was on their side, they might accept her. But now she realized that it was never going to be that simple.
"I understand," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "But I don't know what to do, Kael. I'm trying to help. I don't want to be the enemy."
He looked at her for a long moment, then turned away. "It's not you, Aurora. It's everything you represent. You're a princess. You come from the very world we're fighting against."
Aurora swallowed hard, feeling the sting of his words. She didn't want to be the symbol of everything the wolves hated, but she knew it was true. She was the daughter of the king who had waged war on their kind for years. She couldn't change that, no matter how much she wanted to.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" she asked, her voice breaking. "How do I prove I'm not just a pawn in this war?"
Kael's eyes softened for a moment, but the hardness returned quickly. "You can't prove anything to them yet. They've been hurt too much. Every wolf has scars—buried deep inside them. And the pack… well, they've all lost something."
Aurora frowned, confusion flickering in her eyes. "What do you mean?"
Kael's jaw tightened. He didn't speak for a moment, and when he did, his voice was rough, as if he hadn't spoken of this in a long time. "My pack… we've lost everything. Family, friends, our homes. The war took it all from us. But the worst part? We don't even know who started it. The humans, the wolves—no one really knows anymore. It's been going on for so long."
Aurora's chest tightened as she listened to him. She had known that the wolves had suffered, but hearing it from Kael, hearing the pain in his voice, made it feel so much realer.
"You think the humans started the war?" she asked softly.
"I don't know," Kael admitted. "Maybe. But what I do know is that the pain, the hatred—it runs deep. Every wolf here carries scars from the past. Some of them won't ever heal."
Aurora felt a lump form in her throat. She had wanted to help, but she wasn't sure if she could. How could she heal wounds that ran so deep? How could she change something so ingrained in both the humans and the wolves?
Suddenly, a low growl broke through the air. Aurora turned quickly, her heart racing. Kael was already on alert, his eyes scanning the trees around them.
Another growl, this one louder, closer. And then the sound of footsteps—heavy and fast—crunching the forest floor.
"Get down," Kael whispered, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind a large tree. His voice was urgent, but there was no time to question him. Aurora crouched down, holding her breath.
The growl came again, followed by the sound of snapping twigs. There was no mistaking it now. It wasn't a wolf from Kael's pack. It was something else.
Aurora's heart raced as she tried to make herself as small as possible. She could hear the creature moving, circling them, but she couldn't see it. The tension in the air was thick—something wasn't right.
And then, from the shadows, a figure emerged.
It was a wolf. But not like the others. Its fur was dark, almost black, and its eyes gleamed with a dangerous red glow. Its body was larger, more menacing than any wolf Aurora had seen before.
"Kael…" Aurora whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kael didn't move. He was completely still, his eyes locked on the creature.
"This is no ordinary wolf," he muttered, his voice tight. "It's a rogue. A hunter."
Rogues were wolves who had been cast out of their packs. They were dangerous, unpredictable, and often ruthless. The rogue wolf moved closer, its red eyes fixed on Aurora and Kael. It growled, its teeth bared in a terrifying snarl.
Kael stood, stepping in front of Aurora protectively. "Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice harsh.
The rogue wolf lunged, fast and furious, aiming straight for Kael. Without hesitation, he shifted, his body transforming into that of a massive wolf in an instant. The rogue wolf wasn't far behind, and in a blur of fur and sharp claws, they collided.
Aurora jumped back, her heart hammering in her chest. She had never seen anything like this before—two wolves, fierce and wild, fighting with everything they had. She could hear the snarls, the snap of jaws, the sound of bodies slamming against trees. The rogue was strong, but Kael was faster, more skilled.
With a final, powerful move, Kael sank his teeth into the rogue's neck, forcing it to the ground. The rogue let out a sharp yelp before going still.
Kael stood over the fallen wolf, his body heaving with effort, his fur stained with blood. He turned to Aurora, his eyes softening as he shifted back into his human form.
"It's over," Kael said quietly, his voice filled with exhaustion. "But it won't be the last time."
Aurora felt a shiver run through her. She had seen Kael fight before, but she had never seen him so… ferocious. The rogue wolf had been dangerous, but Kael had been unstoppable.
She stepped forward slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you… alright?"
Kael looked at her, his face grim. "I'm fine. But we need to move. Rogues are becoming more common, and they won't stop. Not until they get what they want."
Aurora nodded, her mind still racing from the fight. She had seen something in Kael's eyes then—something darker, something buried deep within him. It was the same pain he had spoken about earlier. The scars that never healed.
And now, Aurora understood. The pack wasn't just fighting for survival. They were fighting because the war had broken them. Every wolf had their own scars, their own wounds they carried with them. And now, Aurora was right in the middle of it all.
But the question was—could she truly help heal those scars? Or would she become one of them?
Only time would tell.