New Skin

My hands were still trembling when I stood in the middle of the Croft hut, shards of broken clay scattered beneath my feet. The silence in the room felt heavier than anything I had ever known.

Edgar studied me for a long moment before he finally spoke.

“You said a wolf killed the Blackwood Alpha and his family,” he said carefully. “One wolf.”

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Yes.”

Liam exhaled sharply from the doorway. “That doesn’t sound possible.”

My pulse jumped at his words, and I lowered my gaze quickly.

“It happened fast,” I said. “I didn’t see clearly.”

That part was true enough to pass.

Edgar’s eyes lingered on my bloodstained hands before he spoke again.

“Whether you are telling the full truth or not, wolves came searching for you yesterday.” His voice hardened slightly. “That makes you dangerous to keep around.”

I felt my throat tighten. “Then I will leave.”

“You can barely stand,” Lily said immediately, her tone sharper than I expected.

The room went quiet after that, tension stretching between all of us.

Edgar finally sighed and dragged a hand down his beard. “I am not throwing an injured girl into the woods to die,” he said. His eyes flicked toward the window, toward the dark line of trees. “Not with Ashen Ridge patrols moving through these forests.”

Liam crossed his arms. “Helping her could get us killed.”

“And abandoning her could do the same,” Edgar replied without hesitation.

I stayed still, watching them argue over my existence like I was something fragile and dangerous at the same time.

That was when I understood something clearly. They had not taken me in because they trusted me. They had taken me in because they could not bring themselves to let me die.

Edgar turned back to me.

“Listen carefully. From this moment on, you are Kaela Bexley, my niece from Red Hollow.” His voice left no room for argument.

“That story will protect you. But if you bring danger to my family…”

“I understand,” I said quickly, even though my stomach twisted at the lie I was now forced to live inside.

He did not look convinced, but he did not press further.

“For now, you will stay in the attic of the farmhouse,” he added. “We will keep an eye on you.”

Then he left the room.

---

Later that afternoon, Lily took me into town.

I kept my head down as we moved through the crowded market. The noise pressed against my skull from every direction. Merchants shouted over one another. Children ran between stalls. Somewhere nearby, a butcher chopped through bone with a heavy cleaver.

The sound made my stomach twist.

"You look pale," Lily said quietly.

"I'm fine."

The lie came too quickly.

Liam walked beside us carrying an empty basket. I noticed him glancing at me every few minutes, as if he expected me to bolt.

Maybe he should have.

We stopped at a clothing stall near the center of the market.

"New girl?" the shopkeeper asked.

"My husband's niece," Lily replied smoothly. "She's from Red Hollow."

The woman's eyes lingered on me.

"I heard Red Hollow burned."

"It did," Liam answered before Lily could speak. "She lost her family."

The woman immediately looked uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, child."

I nodded without meeting her eyes.

While Lily sorted through dresses, movement at the edge of the market caught my attention.

Three riders had entered town.

The crowd shifted around them uneasily.

Every instinct inside me tightened.

Their cloaks were dark.

Their horses were larger than any I'd seen before.

And the way people stepped aside told me everything I needed to know.

They were wolves.

One of them turned his head.

For a second, I was certain he was looking directly at me.

The smell of blood flooded my senses.

The memories hit so hard that I stumbled backward into a stack of crates.

"Kaela!"

Lily caught my arm before I fell.

The riders stopped. One of them frowned.

I couldn't breathe.

"Keep walking," Liam said suddenly.

His voice was low and sharp.

The rider's gaze remained fixed on me.

Then another merchant stepped between us.

The moment broke, and the riders continued through the market.

Only after they disappeared did I realize my hands were shaking.

"Who were they?" I whispered.

Liam's jaw tightened.

"Ashen Ridge patrol."

My stomach dropped.

And for the first time since waking up in the Croft house, I realized how close danger truly was.

---

By the time we returned, dusk had already started settling over the farmhouse. I noticed wildflowers along the path and found myself wondering what they might smell like if I was not so tense all the time.

Inside, Edgar was already back.

Lily moved toward him immediately. “How was the meeting with the registrar?”

“It went well,” he replied. “He insisted I bring her to his office tomorrow morning.”

Lily nodded and turned to me. “Kaela, could you cut the vegetables for supper?”

I hesitated before taking the knife. My fingers did not feel steady, and the sound of blade against wood seemed too loud in the quiet kitchen. I could feel all their eyes on me.

Liam spoke before I could stop myself from spiraling.

“I bet you were spoiled,” he said flatly. “It is hard to find girls who do not know domestic work anymore.”

“I did not mean to make a mess,” I said quickly, my voice breaking slightly as I set the knife down too hard. “I am sorry.”

Before anyone could respond, I turned and ran out of the house.

“Kaela, wait,” Lily called after me, but I was already halfway across the yard and into the farmhouse.

I collapsed onto the straw bed inside, burying my face in my hands as everything came out at once. The goats outside shifted and bleated at the sudden noise.

I heard the farmhouse door creak open behind me.

For a moment, I ignored it.

Maybe if I stayed quiet, whoever it was would leave.

No such luck.

"You run every time someone says something you don't like?"

Liam's voice came from the doorway.

I wiped my eyes quickly.

"Go away."

He didn't.

The goats shifted restlessly somewhere behind him.

"I wasn't trying to upset you."

I laughed bitterly.

"You did a good job of it anyway."

Silence followed.

Then, to my surprise, he sat down on an overturned bucket several feet away.

Not close.

Just... there.

"I shouldn't have said it," he admitted.

That caught my attention, and I looked up.

He wasn't looking at me. His gaze remained fixed on the floor.

"My mother says I talk before I think."

"Your mother is right."

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

For the first time, I almost smiled too.