Chapter 3

The walk was silent and awkward.

The Frostbites surrounded me as if I were a prisoner, which I feared I really was. Gregor could sniff me out if I was in danger, but as much as I wanted to deceive myself and tell myself it wasn't true, I knew deep down that he wouldn't come after me. Maybe he'd be relieved that I'd gone off on my own, maybe it'd be the highlight of his day. I don't know.

In any case, they didn't seem aggressive.

Viktor's companions whispered among themselves. They watched me, attentive to any movement on my part, as if I were planning to plunge a knife into their alpha's neck at any moment. I understood the caution. I would also be wary if I met a Frostbite in my condition; I would think it was a trap, a set-up.

One of them was in her wolf form. It looked like a female. She walked beside Viktor, and I wondered if she could be his mate from the way they communicated non-verbally, and how his fingers brushed against her hair at times.

She and he were the only ones who didn't seem so suspicious of me, although Viktor occasionally looked over his shoulder and let his eyes search for me. He seemed to be checking if I was alive or something.

I retreated inside Viktor's jacket and followed them, doing my best to keep a safe distance from the escort they had assembled around me.

The Frostbite territory wasn't much different from mine. Perhaps a little colder, the plant life scarcer and the snow thicker. At least the weather was improving.

We went deeper into the territories until we reached the Frostbite settlement. It looked more like a suburb full of houses, some with several floors, made of cold gray brick and with a lot of rustic wood, which gave it an air of luxury. Compared to ours, it was very pleasant.

I didn't even look around much when a large mansion appeared, dominating the place - the residence of the Frostbite alpha. It was very different from the rustic style of the other houses. It looked austere. A fortress. The bricks had been shaped to give the place a solid, stoic look, while the corners had some stone walls, also cold.

All the Frostbites stared at me. I was being led around in silence and felt like a piece of meat, being the center of all those stares. No one said anything else to me, they just seemed to judge in silence.

Viktor walked straight past the mansion and directed me instead to a comfortable, slightly secluded facility, with the leaves of the surrounding trees creating a frame on the roof. The whole clan was dead silent, like a ghost village. Although everything seemed welcoming, the lack of sound disturbed me.

He opened the door. The other werewolves followed.

A woman behind a counter smiled brightly when she saw Viktor. She was pretty, with hair almost the same shade as mine - a dull blonde, bordering on white. But, unlike me, she had short hair and kept it tied up.

"Hi, Viktor," she said excitedly, her voice slowly dying away as she turned her eyes to me.

I'm not sure why, but the look on her face embarrassed me. I turned my face away, idiotically, fiddling with my own fingers. "Uh..." Her eyes went to the other men following us. They all had a reaction similar to mine, clearing their throats and looking away, as if to rid themselves of a possible explanation.

Viktor, however, continued to stare steadily at her. He approached the counter.

"Find her a warm, comfortable room. She's a guest today."

The woman squeezed her eyes, analyzing me. She said softly, "She smells like Ashenfur, Vik."

"I think she is," he replied, finally looking away. "She was lost. Hurt, and cold. Left for dead."

"I wasn't left for dead," I interrupted him. The men escorting us immediately took a combative stance, but I ignored them.

Viktor no longer seemed to consider me a threat, judging by the way he looked at me; a look I didn't want directed at me. PIty.

"So where are they?" he said harshly.

"I ran away," I said.

His eyes went down to my arms again. I hid them in my jacket, ashamed of those marks, and he turned back to the counter, "A room. Now."

The woman didn't question. She stooped to the bottom drawers and pulled out a key with a beautiful, wood-encrusted key ring. She slipped it into Viktor's hands, told him the room number, and he simply walked over. Now the receptionist was silent too.

I followed him, somewhat begrudgingly. I didn't know what else to do in my condition.

We went up a few steps and he unlocked room 202. When he opened it, it was really... good. The only good I've had in a long time. A soft gray carpet floor and warm wooden walls. A cozy little fireplace in the far corner, and a messy double bed with fluffy comforter covers.

I hesitantly walked in.

"This..." I said, "am I supposed to stay here?"

"Where else would you stay?" he said.

I turned to look at him, standing in the doorway. One of his arms was raised, leaning against the wooden frame, supporting himself, and I met his gaze. Unreadable.

Viktor put his free hand in his pants pocket. "Are you hungry?"

"No..."

"Do you need any help?" He gestured in the direction of my wounds.

The embarrassment grew. Instinctively, I covered my torso and turned the other way, as if looking at me was the height of intimacy.

"I can take care of this myself," I said, but my own voice betrayed me. I was tired, very, very tired.

Viktor narrowed his eyes at me.

"Good."

Then, with me inside, he closed the door.

"H-Hey..."

The click of the lock.

"Hey!"

I slammed my hand against the door. A prisoner. It was silly to expect anything good from a Frostbite.

"We don't trust Ashenfurs," he said from the other side, muffled. "That's not negotiable. You'll explain yourself later. For now, you can enjoy your little room in peace."

"But I don't want that!"

"Get used to it."

He walked away.

Fuck.