Chapter 6- Dawn's Lie

By the time dawn broke, the forest had changed.

The mist that had once clung to the trees was gone, and the air carried the damp scent of dew and earth. Birds began to stir in the branches above, their soft calls slicing through the heavy quiet that had blanketed the cave all night.

Samantha rubbed her eyes and stretched the stiffness from her limbs. Cade was already awake, or maybe he’d never slept. He sat near the entrance, one knee drawn up, his face turned toward the faint glow of sunrise creeping through the trees.

“Morning,” she said softly.

He only nodded. His shirt was half-buttoned, his hair a mess of gold and shadow, and there was something about him that looked raw, stripped of the easy confidence he wore around others.

“We should go,” he said finally, his voice low. “The longer we’re gone, the harder it’ll be to explain.”

Samantha hesitated. “And if someone saw us leaving the borders?”

“I’ll handle it.”

Her brow furrowed. “Cade.”

He turned to her then, and whatever argument she’d been about to make died on her tongue. “You can’t get caught up in this,” he said firmly. “If they ask, you were gathering herbs near the river and lost your way. You didn’t see anything.”

She drew back surprised, “That’s your plan? Lie to your father?”

“To protect you? Yes.”

The blunt honesty in his voice made her chest tighten.

He stood, brushing the dirt from his trousers, then offered her his hand. “Come on.”

The gesture was simple, but yet familar when she took it, the warmth of his palm soothing her nerves.

They left the cave together and began the journey back to Blackfang. The morning light spilled between the trees, soft and golden, painting everything in false peace. Whereas Samantha couldn’t shake the memory of the creature’s eyes, that unnatural green burning in the dark. It didn’t feel like something that would simply disappear.

By the time they reached the patrol lines, the forest was alive with sound again, distant chatter, footsteps, the low rumble of wolves on the move. Cade slowed, his posture shifting from wary to composed. The heir of the Alpha again.

Two scouts appeared before them, their expressions tense. “Sire!” one called, relief and confusion in his tone. “We’ve been searching since last night! The Alpha’s furious,he thought...” The scout’s gaze flicked to Samantha, and his words faltered.

“She’s with me,” Cade said sharply. “We took a different route along the river. Didn’t realize the alarm had gone up.”

The scout hesitated, clearly unsure if he believed that, but nodded anyway. “Alpha Rowan’s waiting.”

Cade gave a curt nod and motioned for Samantha to follow.

As they neared the compound, the familiar scent of the pack settled around them, pine, smoke, iron. Warriors moved between the huts, some nodding to Cade, others staring openly at Samantha. She kept her head low, her palms damp.

Alpha Rowan stood near the central clearing, speaking to one of the elders. His frame was broad, commanding, his dark hair streaked faintly with gray. When his gaze lifted and found them, the conversation died instantly.

“Cade,” Rowan said, his tone deceptively calm. “Where have you been?”

“Near the east ridge,” Cade replied, his voice steady. “We caught a scent we thought might lead somewhere, but it vanished.”

Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “And you took the healer with you?”

Samantha opened her mouth, but Cade spoke first. “She found me there. I told her to stay put while I searched.”

Rowan’s gaze slid to her, sharp and unreadable. “Is that true, Samantha?”

The weight of it pressed down on her. Cade’s warning echoed in her mind: You didn’t see anything.

She swallowed hard. “Yes, Alpha. I must have wandered too far while gathering herbs.”

Rowan studied her for a long, unbearable moment before finally nodding. “You’re lucky the night didn’t take you.” His attention shifted back to Cade. “Next time, I expect a report before you vanish into the woods.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rowan turned away, dismissing them, but his expression carried suspicion, faint but unmistakable and that made Samantha’s stomach twist into knots.

When they were out of earshot, she let out a shaky breath. “He doesn’t believe us.”

Cade’s jaw flexed. “He doesn’t need to. He just needs to let it go.”

“That’s not how your father works.”

“No,” he said quietly. “It isn’t.”

They walked in silence until they reached the healer’s hut. The air smelled faintly of mint and sage, comforting and familiar. Cade stopped at the door. “You should stay inside for a while. Rest. If anyone asks, you were tending to herbs by the river.”

Samantha nodded, her heart still racing. “And you?”

“I’ll speak to my father again.”

“Cade—” She hesitated, lowering her voice. “If that thing’s still out there—”

“I’ll deal with it.”

He turned to leave, but she reached out, catching his wrist. For a moment, he stilled, the warmth of his skin seeping through her fingertips. He looked back at her, and for the briefest heartbeat, neither spoke.

“Be careful,” she said.

A flicker of a smile as well as fear crossed his face. “I know.”

Then he was gone, his figure vanishing down the narrow path between the huts.

Samantha lingered in the doorway, staring after him until the morning light swallowed the shadows. The lie sat heavy in her chest, but deeper still she was worried about something else she couldn’t name.

Because when Cade had left to face the Alpha, he hadn’t looked afraid for himself, he’d looked afraid for her.

And that, somehow, was worse.