Luca’s POVUnrest.Yeah, that’s definitely the word for it. It hung in the air like a thick, suffocating blanket, more oppressive than smoke and denser than the heaviest fog you can imagine. The rogues around me were still going about their day-to-day tasks—training hard, patrolling the borders, grabbing a bite to eat, and doing their best to put on a brave face, acting like everything was just peachy. But I could sense it, you know? It was like a low hum vibrating beneath the surface. The way their eyes flickered—there was a nervousness there, and the sharpness in their voices was unmistakable.These outsiders, they weren’t just eerie shadows lurking in the trees anymore. No, they’d seeped into our minds, twisting our thoughts and perceptions until everything felt warped and wrong—something ugly was taking root. It was as if the fear was a parasite, gorging itself on our sanity.If I didn’t manage to grab hold of this situation soon, I had a horrible feeling we’d end up tearing each
Aurora’s POV“You can’t hide forever, little mate. I’ll find you.”I woke up with my heart slamming against my ribs, sweat clinging to my skin, and the faint echo of Kai’s voice still curling through my head like gong.The words lingered and even though my eyes blinked open to the dim light of dawn creeping through the flap of the tent, It took me a solid minute to remember where I was.To remember that there was no cold stone walls or golden-eyed monster hovering over me. It was just the quiet stirrings of the camp outside, the crackle of dying embers of last night's fire, and the heavy blanket Luca had thrown over me before disappearing on another late patrol.But the feeling didn’t fade.Even when I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes and whispered to myself;It was just a dream. Just a dream, it stayed. There's no way he can find you. It isn't real.The sensation that I wasn’t alone, that someone or something was watching against me, and testing the edges of my mind.Bu
Luca’s POVMorning came, but it didn’t bring any sense of peace.The air around the camp was heavier than usual, like everyone had woken up with the same storm cloud over their heads. I didn’t even need to hear the whispers to know that things were getting worse. You could feel it in the way the rogues moved, tense, suspicious, watching each other like someone was about to snap.And Aurora… yeah, she stood out in the middle of all that. She always did. She had this way of carrying herself, quiet but unyielding, and that only made them more restless. The rogues didn’t like what they didn’t understand, and Aurora was a puzzle they didn’t even want to solve. She was just… in the way, to them.I couldn’t pretend not to notice the glares anymore. They followed her everywhere she went.The men were careful not to make it too obvious in front of me, but I wasn’t blind. I saw the way one of the younger rogues muttered something under his breath as she passed. I heard the sharp laugh that
Aurora’s POVI could feel it the second I stepped out of my tent. The stares.I was almost tempted to ask the lot of them if they had nothing better to do than to keep record of my every movement.It wasn’t like the rogues had ever welcomed me with open arms, but now? Now it was just worse. Since Luca doubled patrols and tightened rules, their mood had gone sour, and I had somehow turned into the easiest scapegoat.Whispers followed me everywhere. I kept walking like I hadn’t heard a thing. My chin was held up high and my eyes were straight forward. That was the only way to survive here, pretend their words slid right off me. But they didn’t. They dug deep into my skin, scraping at the part of me that already wondered if maybe they were right.I was an outsider. I didn’t belong here. And the harder I tried to blend in, the clearer it became that I couldn’t.I tried to keep busy. It was the only thing that helped.My usual routine. I carried water when I could, helped with firewood.
Luca’s POVNight fell heavy over the camp, wrapping everything in a cold stillness that carried more threat than peace. The rogues were restless, sharpening blades they didn’t need to, pacing the edge of the firelight, snapping at one another over nothing. Keeping themselves busy in general The air itself seemed to hum with tension, like the forest was holding its breath, waiting.I didn’t like waiting.The moment the last of the day’s patrols came back empty, I called my lieutenants to me. We gathered near the armory tent, where the shadows pooled thick and the firelight painted our faces in flickering gold and black. Their eyes were sharp and wary. They were expecting orders that they needed to follow for the safety of everyone here, but I knew they were also expecting answers.“Were going to need four patrols tonight,” I said, my voice even. “North, east, south, and west. No one should movealone. If you see anything or hear anything, then you signal the others, you don’t chase.
Chapter 38Aurora’s POVThe camp wasn’t the same after the scout’s words were announced.It was like someone had ripped the thin layer of calm off everything, and now the air buzzed with nerves and suspicion. The rogues who had been sharpening blades or laughing around fires just hours ago moved with tighter shoulders, their eyes cutting toward the eastern ridge as if they could see the danger crawling closer through the trees.Spoiler alert; they couldn't.I felt it too—the shift, the unease—but I felt something else pressing on me more heavily. The way their gazes lingered when they thought I wouldn’t notice. Not Only curiosity and resentment. But the fear and distrust too.I tried to ignore it, to busy myself with the small things I could do. Filling water buckets, stacking firewood, mending one of the torn tarps with clumsy stitches that made my fingers ache. The work was simple, grounding even, but it didn’t erase the way people skirted around me like I was a wolf trap set in t