DRAVEN'S POV.
The forest was quiet…too quiet for human movement. The reports said they'd been spotted near the eastern border at dawn, a small group wandering too close to our lands. By the time we arrived, the trail was cold.
"Tracks end here," Zayn muttered, crouching beside a half-submerged footprint in the mud. "Looks like they headed north. Toward the cliffs."
"Then they're gone," I said. "We'll circle back."
He glanced up at me, squinting against the mist. "You don't sound relieved."
"I'm not interested in relief," I replied. "Only in making sure they stay out of our territory."
He studied me, clearly unconvinced, but didn't press. The rest of the patrol fanned out behind us, silent shadows among the trees. The morning fog rolled low, carrying the scent of wet earth and something faintly human. My senses sharpened. I turned toward it before I realized I was moving.
Zayn straightened. "Draven?"
I ignored him, stepping between the trees. The forest opened into a clearing…small, half-flooded, the ground slick with mud. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw no one. Then a figure suddenly stumbled out from behind a broken cart. Small, hooded, soaked through, and very, very familiar.
I stopped. She froze too, like a deer caught between fear and disbelief. Then she pushed the hood back, and I saw her face. Selin!
Her hair was a mess of rain and curls, her eyes wide, not frightened exactly, more…nervous. Or maybe just cold.
"Um," she said finally, her voice tentative but unmistakably alive. "Hi."
Zayn made a low sound behind me that might have been a laugh. "You've got to be kidding me."
I didn't answer. My pulse was a dull, irritated drum in my chest.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice even.
"Well, technically, I wasn't here at first," she said quickly. "I was back at the village, but then the flood kind of got worse, and everyone left, and I thought, you know—" She gestured vaguely toward the mountains. "Maybe the scary castle isn't such a bad place after all."
"The scary castle," I repeated flatly.
She nodded solemnly. "Yeah. You know, yours."
Zayn snorted. I shot him a look that shut him up instantly. Then I turned back to her.
"You were supposed to leave with your people." I said.
"I was going to," she said, crossing her arms. "But they didn't exactly wait around for me to pack my things. And even if they did, where would I go? The water took half the village, and the rest went toward the capital."
"You should have gone with them." I repeated.
"Right," she said dryly. "Because the capital's so welcoming to people who can't pay taxes or even afford shoes." She lifted one muddy foot as evidence. "I thought maybe…you know…"
Her voice trailed off. She gave a small, awkward shrug.
"You thought maybe what?" I asked.
She hesitated, then blurted, "Maybe you could take me in."
Zayn made a choking noise behind me.
I blinked once. "Take you in?"
"Yes," she said quickly, taking a step closer. "Just for a while. I can work! I can clean, wash, cook—well, maybe not cook everything because last time I tried to roast a rabbit I almost set my hair on fire, but I can learn! I'm a fast learner."
"Selin," I said slowly, "you want to live in a fortress full of wolves who could tear you apart before breakfast?" I knew she wouldn't inderstand what I meant.
She nodded earnestly. "Honestly? That still sounds better than freezing to death out here."
Zayn muttered, "She's got a point."
I ignored him again, but it was getting harder to.
"Do you even understand what you're asking?" I said.
"Not really," she admitted. "But that hasn't stopped me before."
For a second, I almost laughed. Almost. The problem was, she wasn't joking. She stood there, trembling slightly from the cold, soaked to the bone, looking at me like I was her last chance. And I hated that look, because it stirred something I didn't want to name.
"You shouldn't have come back," I said quietly.
Her eyes softened. "You said go home."
"Yes."
"But what if I don't have one anymore?" She asked.
That hit harder than it should have.
The forest around us seemed to hold its breath. Even Zayn didn't move.
"I'll stay out of your way," she said quickly, mistaking my silence for refusal. "You won't even know I'm there. I can sleep anywhere, eat whatever scraps you throw, I don't care. Just…don't make me go back."
She looked so small then…defiant and desperate all at once, like a spark refusing to die.
I exhaled slowly. "You think the castle is a safe place for someone like you?"
"I think it's safer than being alone," she said simply.
There was nothing left to say. I turned slightly, glancing toward Zayn. He was watching me with an expression that said 'you already made your decision, you just don't want to admit it.'
I scowled. "We're leaving."
Zayn grinned. "Both of us, or all three?"
"Don't push it."
Selin brightened instantly. "So that's a yes?"
"It's not a yes," I said curtly.
"But it's not a no," she countered.
Zayn laughed outright this time. "She's got you there, Alpha."
"Shut up, Zayn."
"Of course, sire."
I turned away before I could regret every choice leading to this moment. "Let's move. The rain's picking up."
Selin hurried after us, clutching the thin shawl around her shoulders. "Do I get to ride one of the horses?"
"No." I said curtly.
"Why not?"
"Because you'll fall off."
"I won't! I've ridden horses before." She retorted.
I looked over my shoulder. "Mules don't count."
She frowned. "You're very rude for someone I'm technically begging for shelter from."
Zayn wheezed out a laugh. "Goddess help us all."
I said nothing. But as we rode back through the forest, I couldn't stop glancing at her…trudging determinedly beside us, shivering and stubborn, refusing to ask for help even as the wind bit through her thin clothes. I told myself it was pity that made me slow my horse. That it was practicality, not weakness, when I reached down a hand.
"Get on," I said gruffly.
She blinked. "I thought you said—"
"I changed my mind."
She hesitated, then grabbed my arm, and that same impossible spark shot through me. The warmth of her skin, the sound beneath it. The curse didn't stir. What is happening? Why is not course not reacting to her? I was still scared to touch her, but I already had my hand out before I could stop myself.
I helped her up behind me.
"See?" she murmured as she settled in, voice muffled against my back. "Told you I don't fall off."