8

She tilted her head, studying me like I was some puzzle she was trying to piece together. “Oh? Then who are you? A runaway?” Her voice wasn’t mocking, but it carried a challenge, like she was testing me.

“None of your business,” I shot back, turning my back to her, ready to walk away and leave this whole mess behind.

“You’re in my territory,” she called after me, her voice steady and sure. “This is my land.”

I froze, then spun around to face her. “Your lands?” I said, my tone dripping with skepticism. “This isn’t pack territory.”

“It’s my pack territory,” she cut me off, her eyes never wavering. There was no hint of doubt in her, no hesitation. I stared at her, searching for a lie, but she didn’t flinch under my gaze.

“Right,” I muttered, looking away, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. “I’ll leave. I swear I’ll never come back. I didn’t even know this place was claimed.”

“Who are you?” she asked again, her voice quieter now, almost curious.

“Nobody,” I said, turning away again. “I’m no one.”

“You’re like me,” she said, and her words stopped me cold. I glanced back, frowning.

“Like you?” I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “You’ve got land, a pack, and you look like you know exactly what you’re doing out here. I’m the complete opposite.” I bit my lip, the weight of everything—my rejection, my aimless running—pressing down on me.

She started walking toward me, slow and deliberate. I tensed, squaring my shoulders, ready for an attack. But she stopped just a few inches away, her eyes searching mine like she was seeing something I couldn’t. “I’m Silvia,” she said, her voice calm but carrying a strength that made me pause.

I looked her up and down, unsure what to make of her. I’d expected her to snap at me, to treat me like everyone else had my whole life—like I was nothing. But she didn’t. “Thanks, Silvia,” I said, my voice flat. “I’ll take my leave now.” I turned to go, my heart heavy but determined to keep moving.

“What’s your name?” she asked, sighing like she was already tired of my stubbornness.

“Ashley,” I said over my shoulder, not stopping.

“Well, Ashley,” she called, her voice carrying a warning, “you’re walking straight toward Silver Fang pack if you keep going that way. And trust me, they don’t take kindly to lone wolves. Especially ones like you, with all that fire in your eyes but no idea how to use it.”

I stopped again, her words sinking in. I turned to face her, my chest tight. “What do you mean, like me?”

She stepped closer, her gaze intense, like she was looking right through me. “Join my pack,” she said, her voice steady but warm. “We’re made up of people like you—people who’ve been cast out, who’ve got that spark but haven’t learned how to let it burn. Let’s figure it out together, Ashley. Let’s turn that fire in you into something real.”

She was close now, so close our foreheads nearly touched. Her eyes held something I couldn’t name—anger, maybe, or determination, or both. I wanted to ask her why she’d left her old pack, what had made her this way, so fierce and sure. But my throat felt tight, my lips trembling with a mix of anger and something else—hope, maybe? I didn’t say anything. I just nodded, the motion small but heavy.

Silvia held out her hand, but I hesitated. Then, instead of taking it, she stepped forward and pulled me into a warm embrace. I froze for a moment, caught off guard, before my arms wrapped around her in return. The tears came then, spilling freely down my face as I leaned into the chest of this stranger who seemed to see me in a way no one else ever had.

“Hey,” she said softly, pulling back after a moment, her hands resting on my shoulders. “You’re not alone anymore, okay? You don’t have to keep running.”

I wiped my eyes, trying to pull myself together. “Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t even know me.”

She smiled, just a small curve of her lips. “Because I’ve been where you are, Ashley. Lost, angry, thinking the world’s got no place for you. But it does. And I’m gonna help you find it.”

I swallowed hard, nodding again. “Okay,” I said, my voice shaky but stronger than before. “What now?”

“Now,” she said, turning and gesturing for me to follow, “you come with me. Let’s get you settled.”

We walked in silence, my mind racing with questions I didn’t know how to ask. I kept glancing around, taking in the path we were on, the way the trees seemed to close in around us. Silvia moved with purpose, her steps sure, like she’d walked this route a thousand times. After a while, we reached a clearing, and tucked away behind a wall of thick trees was a cave house, its entrance partially hidden by vines and branches.

Two women stood at the entrance, bows drawn and ready, their eyes locked on us. I tensed, but Silvia raised a hand and called out, “It’s me. Stand down.”

The women lowered their weapons immediately, bowing their heads to Silvia. Their gazes shifted to me, sizing me up with curiosity and maybe a hint of suspicion. I stood straighter, meeting their eyes for a moment before looking away, suddenly aware of how out of place I must look—dirty, tired, and carrying nothing but the clothes on my back.

“Who’s she?” one of the women asked, her voice low but not hostile.

Silvia glanced at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “This is Ashley,” she said. “She’s with us now.”

The women exchanged a look but didn’t say anything else. I felt their eyes on me, like they were trying to figure out who I was and what I was doing here. I didn’t know the answer to that myself, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe I didn’t have to have all the answers just yet.

Silvia gestured toward the cave house. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get you inside.”

I followed her, my heart pounding with a mix of nerves and something I hadn’t felt in a long time—hope. The women with the bows stepped aside, still watching me, their expressions unreadable.