CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

(MELIORA'S POV)


I followed my captors in tense quietness as they guided me into their territory.

We walked for almost an hour beneath the pale glow of the moonlight. The only sounds that were heard were our steps and the occasional cry of an owl.

Just when I began to wonder if they truly planned to present me before their leader as promised, or if they were going to do something else to me, when the trees came to a large clearing.

Thatched huts and bigger timber homes were set up in an orderly semicircle, warm firelight was seen from the windows that cast a welcoming glow over the camp.

Despite my uncertain situation, I couldn't deny the real sense of an established, well-organized pack life coming from the homey village scene before me. These weren't mere rogues squatting in the wilderness, but a legitimate, thriving community.

I was ushered toward one of the more sizable and finer-built houses at the outskirts of the semicircle. Two thick guards guarded the entrance. They straightened attentively as we approached.

"Tell the Alpha we've caught a rogue wolf," one of my captors addressed them gruffly. "What do we do with her?"

One of the guards eyed me carefully before nodding and disappearing inside without a word. Moments later, he reemerged and gestured for us to follow.

"You can go in with her."

I was led into a modest but neatly kept sitting room and made to kneel before an imposing figure seated in an ornately carved chair - clearly the pack's leader if his powerful aura and thick fur of silvered fur were any signs.

His nostrils flared ever so slightly as he scented the air, no doubt catching the musky smell of my own anxious sweat amidst the mingling masculine scents surrounding me.

To my dismay, I felt prickles of moisture beading my palms and forced myself to breathe slowly and evenly to maintain an outward look of composure.

"We found her in the woods, Alpha," one of the warriors grunted, inclining his head respectfully toward his leader. "She said she's harmless."

"But she could be a spy even if she had no weapons on her," another countered, sneering down at me distrustfully.

Though part of me felt like speaking up in defense, I remained silent and waited to be asked.

Antagonizing this pack's ruling authority could only undermine any fragile hopes I retained for leniency or sanctuary here.


"What were her belongings?" the grizzled wolf asked at last, his piercing gaze sweeping over me with frank appraisal.

"Well, some spare clothes, bread, and a compass," one of the warriors recounted, pouring the contents of my bag onto the hardwood floor with a clatter. "A fishing rod too."

The leader's eyebrows twisted slightly at the small pile representing the whole of my worldly possessions. "Give me the compass," he rumbled.

When the battered instrument was handed over, he turned it over in his broad, calloused palm before fixing me once again with that soul-searing stare.

"Why are you traveling north, pup?"

Clearing my throat, I risked lifting my chin to meet his eyes squarely as I spoke. "I am a lone wolf in search of a safe haven, since my pack was attacked and killed.

Amidst my journey, I met a smaller group which stated your own pack lies up north. They claimed you have...a kind leader who might accept me if I promise peaceful intentions."

I paused to draw a steadying breath, watching the flicker of interest cross the wizened leader's face.

"So they gave me a compass, and I traveled here, only waiting until daybreak to properly present myself at your borders," I concluded.

The leader studied me inscrutably for a long moment before responding.

"And where was this pack of yours?" he asked at length.

I swallowed hard against the sudden lump in my throat. "The Moonsplit pack," I replied, permitting just a faint tremor into my voice to add credibility to the lie. "But it was small and recently...wiped out by a far larger, aggressive neighbor pack. I only escaped with my life."

The leader's jaw tensed almost imperceptibly - whether in compassion or disdain, I couldn't begin to decipher. After what felt like an eternity under his weighing scrutiny, he straightened and issued a brusque order to his warriors.

"Keep her in the dungeon overnight. We'll determine what's to be done with her come morning."

My heart stuttered in my chest as two of the guards hauled me upright and began marching me from the room. So much for the much-vaunted "kindness" others had attributed to this pack's ruler. Evidently, I would need to demonstrate my credibility and earn any shelter here.

The dungeon into which I was deposited into, lacked the comforts and refinement of the airy, spacious village dwellings above. It was little more than a cramped stone cell with a mattress on the floor for a bed and a rusting grate set into the thick oak door.

At least my hands were unbounded, I sighed in gratitude as the harsh clang of the lock sliding home locked the door.

"Here, use this for the night," one of the guards grunted, sliding a grimy pillow and a thin, scratchy blanket through the gap beneath the door.

I sat on the mattress already too tired. "Oh, we'll surely get a good rest here," I muttered under my breath to Kaira.

I had begun taking off my boots when a hollow scuffling noise reached my ears. A moment later, a tin plate laden with what appeared to be a meager portion of stew and a heel of stale bread was shoved unceremoniously through the door's opening.

"Your dinner," the guard called, tone surly and disinterested.

I waited until his bootsteps receded into silence before retrieving the dish, appetite momentarily forgotten in the face of this fresh humiliation.

Rationing what little solace I could, I reminded myself that at least it represented an improvement over foraging for my own sustenance in the wilderness.

And truly, despite its plainness, the stew's rich aroma kindled fresh pangs of longing in my belly. I was ravenous and weak from my exhaustive journey - whatever pride remained could wait for another reprieve.

Taking a bite from my bread, I allowed the soothing familiarity of a simple meal to chase away the worry of my thoughts and surroundings, if only for a few contented moments.

When I took the last bite, I felt a wave of bone-deep weariness crest over me. Without a second's hesitation, I stretched out on the lumpy pallet, wincing slightly as the thin blanket failed to soften the rigid planks beneath.

"Sleep," I whispered fervently, as if the very utterance could turn my mind into oblivion. "All I need is sleep right now."

My eyelids felt weighted, the soothing blackness of oblivion already encroaching as I allowed every last mote of tension to melt from my battered frame at last.

Tomorrow would introduce its own trials and tribulations soon enough. But for tonight, I could rest, recover my strength, and merely exist undisturbed in this place of cold, silent isolation.