Shadows in the Blood
The forest trailed behind them in silence, but Selene couldn’t shake the feeling that unseen eyes still watched from the shadows.
Marcus walked ahead, his steps slower than usual as he pressed a hand to the claw marks on his side. Aiden remained a few paces in front, his broad shoulders tense as he led them back toward the village.
She followed closely, glancing back at the path they’d left behind. The rogue’s blood still stained the dagger at her hip, and the weight of it felt heavier now than it had moments ago.
She hadn’t meant to step into the fight.
But if she hadn’t, Marcus might not be walking beside her now.
The thought tightened around her chest like a vice.
“You’re bleeding,” Aiden’s voice broke through her thoughts, low and clipped.
Selene blinked, startled, and glanced down at her arm. A thin, jagged line of red traced down her skin where the rogue’s claws had grazed her during the fight.
She hadn’t even noticed.
“It’s nothing,” she said quickly, wiping at the wound with the edge of her cloak.
Aiden stopped abruptly, turning to face her. His icy blue eyes narrowed as he took her arm in his hand, inspecting the wound with a scowl.
“Nothing?” His gaze flicked up to meet hers. “That’s not nothing.”
She bit the inside of her cheek. The cut stung beneath his touch, but she refused to flinch.
“I’ve had worse during training,” she replied.
His grip tightened for a brief moment before he let her go. “Be more careful.”
His tone carried no softness, only irritation.
Marcus chuckled from a few steps away. “She handled herself well enough, Aiden. Don’t you think?”
Aiden shot him a glare. “She shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
“And yet, here we are.” Marcus arched a brow, his usual smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You can’t protect her from everything.”
Aiden didn’t answer.
Selene’s gaze lingered on him, searching for any flicker of acknowledgment, but there was none. He turned and continued walking without another word.
She swallowed the knot of frustration rising in her throat.
“You know he’s never going to say it out loud,” Marcus said quietly, falling into step beside her. “But you did good tonight.”
She glanced sideways at him. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better.”
Marcus laughed softly. “I’m not. But if you hadn’t been there…” He let the words trail off, but the meaning behind them hung heavily in the air.
Selene’s fingers brushed against the hilt of her dagger. “I just did what anyone would have.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
She looked at him, but Marcus’s gaze was fixed on the path ahead, the faintest trace of seriousness darkening his usually light-hearted expression.
“Most people would’ve frozen,” he continued. “Or run the other way.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the faint glow of the village lights appeared through the trees.
“Come on,” Marcus said with a grin. “Let’s get you cleaned up before Lilith sees you covered in blood. She’ll never let you live it down.”
Selene managed a small smile, but her thoughts remained elsewhere.
---
The packhouse was unusually quiet by the time they returned. Most of the pack had already retreated to their homes, leaving only a handful of warriors lingering in the courtyard.
Aiden disappeared without a word, slipping inside the main hall.
She watched him go, her heart sinking slightly at the realization that he wouldn’t acknowledge her involvement.
Why does it even matter? she thought bitterly, shaking her head.
She didn’t fight for his approval.
But deep down, part of her still craved it.
“You should get some rest,” Marcus said, breaking the silence. “We’ll deal with whatever comes tomorrow.”
She nodded, but rest felt impossible.
As Marcus made his way toward the barracks, Selene lingered near the packhouse steps, staring up at the night sky.
The moon hung low, casting its silver light across the village. But no matter how bright it shone, She couldn’t shake the feeling that the shadows lurking beyond the borders were growing darker.
---
Sleep came fitfully that night.
Selene tossed and turned, images of glowing amber eyes and blood-soaked claws flashing behind her closed eyelids.
When she finally drifted into a restless slumber, the dreams followed.
She was standing in the heart of the forest, but everything was wrong. The trees loomed taller than usual, their branches twisted unnaturally against the pale sky.
Fog curled around her ankles as she stepped forward, the sound of her heartbeat echoing loudly in her ears.
A low growl rumbled from somewhere beyond the mist.
She turned sharply, but she couldn’t see the source.
“Who’s there?” she called, her voice barely more than a whisper.
The growling grew louder, reverberating through the trees.
And then, from the shadows, a figure emerged.
At first, she thought it was Aiden—tall, broad-shouldered, and draped in darkness. But as he stepped closer, she realized the eyes staring back at her weren’t blue.
They were gold.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The rogue from earlier.
But this time, he wasn’t in wolf form. He stood before her as a man, his skin pale and streaked with scars, his hair as black as the night itself.
He smiled—a slow, dangerous thing that sent ice down her spine.
“I know you,” he said softly, tilting his head as if studying her.
Selene took a step back.
“You don’t belong here,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
The rogue’s eyes narrowed, amusement flickering across his face.
“Neither do you.”
Before she could move, he lunged.
She jolted awake with a gasp, her chest heaving as sweat clung to her skin.
The room was dark, save for the faint glow of the moonlight spilling through the window.
Selene pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart.
It was just a dream, she told herself.
But no matter how many times she repeated the words, the rogue’s voice still echoed in her mind.
“I know you.”
Selene was filled with fear and had a bad feeling. Who was that rogue? And what would her fate have to do with that rogue?