The fire crackled in the center of the camp, sending small sparks into the cool night air. Aurora sat near the edge of the circle, her back against a tree, watching the wolves move around her. Some were sharpening weapons, others sitting in quiet conversation, but all of them kept glancing in her direction. She could feel their eyes on her, heavy with curiosity, suspicion, and, perhaps, a bit of respect.
Kael was at her side, his posture tense, though he didn't speak much. He'd barely taken his eyes off Dorian since they'd arrived, still unsure of the wolf's true loyalty. Aurora couldn't blame him. She felt the same way. Dorian had led them here, but could they really trust him? Could they trust anyone in this world of wolves?
"Kael," she whispered, turning her head to him. "Do you think we can trust them?"
Kael's eyes flicked toward the other wolves, and then back to her. "I don't know," he said, his voice low. "But we don't have much choice. Dorian's pack might be our best shot at stopping Ashar."
Aurora nodded, though unease still twisted in her stomach. She had always trusted her instincts, but they were telling her so many different things now. The wolves were dangerous, but they were also survivors. And in this world, survival was all that mattered.
Dorian walked toward the fire, his gaze sweeping over the camp. He stopped when he saw Aurora and Kael, giving them a nod before kneeling down to speak with Tarek. The others seemed to give them space, their eyes flicking to the two of them but not saying anything.
Aurora glanced at the distant tree line. The forest around them was quiet, but the air felt thick with the weight of the unknown. Ashar's forces could be moving closer, and they needed to prepare, but how? How could they fight when they didn't know who to trust?
"I don't like this," Aurora muttered under her breath, barely aware she'd spoken out loud. "This alliance. It feels wrong."
Kael turned to her, his brow furrowed in concern. "It's not about what feels right. It's about doing what's necessary." His tone was firm, but there was an edge of frustration behind his words. He wanted to believe in the plan, but even he was struggling to trust Dorian.
Aurora shifted uneasily. "I know, but…" She paused, her mind racing. "I can't shake the feeling that we're being used. All of us."
Kael's eyes softened, and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "We'll figure this out, Aurora. Together. But we have to keep moving forward. We can't let fear control us."
She nodded, though the worry still clung to her. She had never felt so lost before. Not even in the darkest days of her arranged marriage had she felt so out of control. Now, she was stuck in a world that felt nothing like the one she knew. Wolves, shifting alliances, a war between humans and the supernatural… It was too much, too fast. And it was all happening so quickly that she couldn't even catch her breath.
The silence between them stretched, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Aurora leaned back against the tree, trying to calm the storm inside her. But the tension wouldn't leave. It never did.
Suddenly, Dorian's voice cut through the quiet, deep and gravelly, pulling her from her thoughts.
"Kael," Dorian said, his tone sharp but not unkind. "We need to talk. Alone."
Kael tensed, but after a long moment, he nodded. He stood and walked with Dorian a short distance away, leaving Aurora behind. She watched them both, wondering what they were discussing. Was it about the battle ahead? Or something else entirely?
Aurora didn't like being left out. She felt like an outsider, as if she were a part of a world she didn't belong in. The wolves were strong, their lives built on loyalty and strength. But for all their power, they were also burdened by their pasts, their decisions, their actions.
A soft voice broke through her thoughts.
"You're new here," Tarek said, stepping into her line of sight. His scarred face was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that made her uneasy. "Dorian's not the only one with a past. We all have our own demons."
Aurora met his gaze, and for a moment, she felt a chill run through her. There was something in his words that felt like a warning. "I'm not sure what you mean."
Tarek looked at her, his expression softer than she expected. "I mean… We all have our burdens to carry. Dorian's not the only one who's made mistakes. But we all have to live with the choices we've made."
Aurora swallowed, trying to understand his cryptic words. "What does that have to do with me?"
Tarek paused, his eyes narrowing. "It's about compassion. And what it costs. You think Dorian's the only one who's struggled? You think the wolves around you have been untouched by the same darkness? We all have our reasons for being here. Our reasons for fighting."
Aurora looked down at the ground, her mind racing. "What do you want from me?"
Tarek's eyes softened slightly. "Nothing. I'm just saying… be careful. Compassion is a powerful thing, but it can break you if you're not careful." He turned and started to walk away, his steps slow but steady.
Aurora's heart pounded in her chest. What did he mean by that? Was he warning her about trusting Dorian? Or was he talking about something deeper—something about the wolves themselves?
She glanced over to where Kael and Dorian were speaking. Their words were too far off to make out, but she could tell that Kael wasn't comfortable. He wasn't comfortable with any of this, just like she wasn't.
Dorian had said that trust was built, piece by piece. But could she really trust him? Could she trust any of them?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft rustle behind her. She turned quickly, and to her surprise, it was Dorian, walking back toward her, his face hard once more.
"We're leaving," he said without preamble, his tone colder than it had been earlier. "Ashar's forces are closer than we thought. We need to move, now."
Aurora felt a jolt of panic rise in her chest. "What? Already? But we just got here."
"I know," Dorian replied, his gaze flicking to Kael, who had returned to join them. "But if we stay here any longer, we're all dead."
The urgency in his voice left no room for debate. They had to leave. But even as they packed up and began moving again, the weight of Tarek's words hung in the air.
Compassion was a burden. It could break them if they weren't careful.
Aurora couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. That the choices they made now, the alliances they forged, would either save them or destroy them. She could feel the weight of the coming conflict like a storm on the horizon, and it felt too close for comfort.
She glanced at Kael, who was walking ahead of her, and at Dorian, who kept glancing over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the dark forest. They were moving quickly, urgently. But even with all their power, all their knowledge of the forest, she knew one thing for sure.
No one was safe. Not here. Not with Ashar closing in.
And if they were going to survive, they would have to carry their burdens, all of them, together.