Chapter 62: Shelter in Rogue Lands Lucas POV

As she sat by the fire, packing what little we had left, Anna stated resolutely, “We can’t stay here any longer.” Her gaze moved to me, looking at my still-healing wound with a mixture of worry and annoyance. “If we’re taken by surprise again, you won’t be able to survive another attack.”

She was not wrong. As I fought to sit up from the cabin’s corner, every muscle in my body cried out in protest. My ribs were soaking through the makeshift bandage, but for the time being, the discomfort was manageable. I looked into her eyes and held them there for a second longer than I should have. I said, “I’ll be fine,” but it didn’t feel real. “However, you’re correct. We must relocate.”

Her tone stayed strong, but her expression softened significantly. “So don’t waste any more time. I won’t carry you if you pass out en route.”

Despite everything, a ghost of a smirk pulled at my lips. “I’ll do my best to stay up.”

She simply returned her attention to the pack she was putting together without answering. Leaning heavily on the wall for support, I pushed myself to my feet. I felt like I was dragging dead weight with every step, but I was inspired by Anna’s quick movements.

Outside, there was a small touch of rain in the crisp air. The forest towered over us, dark and thick, with only the rustle of leaves to break the silence. We had just been hiking for an hour when I noticed the scent—a unique yet strange mix of wolf and human. I held up a hand to tell Anna to stop.

She muttered, her gaze darting through the shrubbery, “What is it?”

“There’s someone close,” I whispered. My senses became more sharp, and I gripped the blade at my side more tightly. “Remain behind me.”

She started to argue, but when the figure appeared from the darkness, she shut her mouth again.

In front of us was a wiry, thin woman with short silver hair and sharp green eyes. Although she was in a relaxed position, her movements had a predatory quality. A extremely sharp blade hung at her hip, and her leather armor was mended.

She answered, “You seem… lost,” with a dry sense of humor that didn’t quite cover up the danger beneath it. She looked from one of us to Anna and back again. “Travelers are not treated well by rogue lands.”

I stepped just ahead of Anna and remarked, “We’re just passing through.” My head was spinning from the effort, but I made myself stand. “Any trouble is not what we want.”

The woman crossed her arms and snorted. “Everyone out here is troubled. Particularly those that look as battered as you.” She pointed to my side, where the blood had begun to bleed through the gauze once more. “You won’t last another mile before you bleed out.”

Anna’s tone was sharper than mine when she replied, “Then let us go. Your help is not required.”

The woman had a slight smile on her lips as her eyes shifted to Anna. “Aggressive. However, you would already be dead if I wanted you to be.” She uncrossed her arms and pointed farther into the trees. “I have a place close by. If you’re smart enough to accept the offer, you can spend the night there.”

Anna looked at me and paused. Her suspicion was clear, but so was the fatigue in her posture.

“We have no other option,” I mumbled. “Not if we wish to survive this ordeal.”

Reluctantly, she nodded despite her grimace. “All right. Take the lead.”

Until we were right on top of it, the woman’s hut was nearly invisible due to the bush. Built from rough-hewn logs and surrounded by a crude fence of sharpened spikes, it was modest but robust. The earthy flavor of wood smoke and spices permeated the warm air inside. As she pulled a bundle of materials from a shelf, the woman gestured for us to sit.

She placed the bundle on the table and said, “Name’s Elara. To answer your question, I don’t usually take in strays. You’re in luck since I’m feeling giving.”

“Why even help us?” With a reserved tone, Anna asked.

Elara gave a shrug. “Call it curiosity. You don’t appear to be the normal riffraff that wanders through this place. And him.” She pointed at me. “He has the appearance of someone fleeing from something greater than themselves.”

Despite the pain in my side, I replied, “That’s none of your business.”

Unfazed, Elara remarked, “Maybe not. However, you are now in renegade country. Everything becomes my business as a result.” She gave me a rag that had been soaked in a strong liquid. “Before it worsens, clean that wound. You shouldn’t die on my floor.”

Anna hovered close by, watching me grit my teeth and tend to the wound. There were a lot of unspoken words and lingering mistrust in the thick quiet between us. Elara saw it with her keen eyes.

Her tone was almost playful as she inquired, “You two have history, or are you just bad at working together?”

Anna tensed. “That is not a concern of yours.”

Elara arched an eyelid, but she didn’t say anything more. “Suit yourself. However, you’d better work it out if you plan to stay. Lone wolves are not allowed in rogue territories, much less couples who are untrustworthy of one another.”

Long after she had left us alone, her comments continued to reverberate. I looked at Anna, who had an unclear expression on her face as she stared at the fire.

I finally broke the silence by saying, “I know you don’t trust me. But I’ve done everything I could to protect you.”

She avoided eye contact. “What is protection? From Oliver? From your own pack? Or from oneself?”

I couldn’t blame her, but it hurt to hear the hatred in her words. “Everything,” I said. “Anna, you’re not aware of the stakes involved. If Oliver manages to get hold of you…” The idea was too terrible to finish, so I drifted off.

Her voice was hardly heard above a whisper as she murmured, “Perhaps you ought to have left me behind. Perhaps that would have helped us both.”

I tightened my chest and whispered, “You don’t mean that.”

Her eyes were hard yet shimmering with unshed tears when she finally looked up at me. “Don’t I?”

With her face covered in flickering shadows from the firelight, the tension between us was nearly unbearable. I wanted to say anything to close the growing gap between us, but I was at a loss for words.

Rather, the only sound in the room was the crackling fire as we sat in silence. The night was disturbingly quiet outside, the kind of silence that suggested danger was waiting just around the corner of the woods.