"Oho~, forgot about us so soon? I thought I was quite memorable, right?" Seven's playful voice broke the quiet as he turned to Zave, who merely gave him an unimpressed glance.
Lloyd stepped closer to the cave entrance. "It's us," he said, voice calm but carrying weight.
Hearing the voice that had left such a lasting impression on her, Mireille's mind snapped awake. She immediately remembered what she had been forgetting these past few days.
"What are you doing here? And how did you find this place?" she asked, surprise and apprehension threading her words.
"First of all, can we come in?" Lloyd asked, patience thinning.
"Umm… yeah… you can," she replied reluctantly.
The wolves entered the cave, their eyes widening at the sparse, almost barren space.
"Oh my, why is there barely anything in your cave?" Seven exclaimed, unable to help himself. "Is this even a place you can call home?"
Zave's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings. "And it's so well hidden… it took us forever to track you down. Thank goodness Alex followed you back then."
Alex grumbled, voice flat. "Waste of time, if you ask me."
Since entering, Lloyd's attention had been fixed solely on Mireille. His golden eyes observed her intently, and when he spoke, his voice carried a concern even he didn't realize. "Why didn't you come? Do you… prefer being alone?"
"…Well, I've been fine on my own," she said quietly, glancing down. "Surviving like this for as long as I can remember."
Lloyd's expression softened just slightly. "Just because you've done it for so long doesn't mean you have to keep doing it. There's so much danger out there. You're lucky you ran into us. From the looks of it, you're barely surviving." He raised an eyebrow, a faint half-smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah… it can't be easy—living alone out here," Seven added, genuine concern softening his usual playful tone. "You don't have to."
"Maybe she's too scared to take the risk?" Zave speculated.
"Or maybe everything she said before was just a lie," Alex interjected sharply, eyes narrowing.
"Alright, chill, Alex. Don't jump to conclusions—jeez, no wonder you're still single," Seven muttered under his breath.
Alex's eyes glinted dangerously. "I heard that." He opened his mouth to argue further, but Lloyd's low growl cut through the tension. "When are you ever going to quit?"
Seven made a face, visibly amused, while Alex fumed in silence. Choosing to stand guard at the cave entrance, Alex's ears twitched with barely restrained irritation.
"So, where's the token I gave you? That should've reminded you, right?" Lloyd asked, voice steady, his golden gaze fixed on Mireille.
"Well… I might have lost it. Or not. Haha… I don't remember where I placed it," she mumbled, voice trailing.
Lloyd's expression darkened. That token had been carved by his own hand from the hardest part of an Oakle tree, meticulously chosen for its fine grains and shaped into a small, exquisite totem. To say he wasn't pleased would be an understatement. Still, he let it go—for now. Mireille felt the shift in his mood like a chill in the air. Disappointment wrapped in silence. She had felt it before, though it paled compared to the constant brush with death she had grown accustomed to. Still… losing that token gnawed at her like a thread pulled loose in the fabric she'd tried so hard to stitch together.
"So?" Lloyd's voice was calm but expectant. "Are you coming with us or not?"
Mireille opened her mouth, heart hammering. The words hovered—yes? No?—but never escaped.
A sudden blur of motion cut through the moment. Alex lunged at her, claws flashing. Before they could touch her, Lloyd reacted instantly, catching Alex's arm and hurling him aside. Alex landed gracefully, unharmed, fury blazing in his eyes.
"ALEX! What the hell are you doing?!" Lloyd roared, voice echoing through the cave.
"Dammit! I told you she was lying. Go on, take a look," Alex shouted, pointing toward the cave entrance, practically seething.
Mireille's face went pale. She couldn't understand why Alex had attacked her—or why he accused her of betrayal.
Lloyd's golden eyes narrowed, flicking from Alex to the cave entrance… then back to Mireille. "What is wrong?"
"Go see for yourself," Alex growled through gritted teeth.
Zave and Seven's expressions turned grim, almost as if holding something back. Their eyes, dark and feral, shifted toward Mireille with unspoken tension.
Lloyd studied each of their faces, then hers. He strode to the cave entrance, silent and imposing. When he returned, his voice was low, tight with anger. His aura seeped like smoke into the air. "What is the meaning of this?"
"W-what? Why are you all looking at me like that? What's happening—?" Mireille stammered, backing away slightly.
Alex bared his fangs. "Leeches. More than one. You planned this, didn't you? You told them we were coming." He took a step closer, eyes glowing with accusation.
"N-no, that's not—" she protested.
"Alex, calm down. They must have followed our scent here," Seven interjected, voice tense but trying to reason.
"They're here," Lloyd said, gaze locked on her, unreadable yet piercing. Her breath caught in her throat. This wasn't just anger—it was disappointment, assessment, judgment.
"Oh-ho, I smell something foul," a vampire sneered as they neared the cave. "Rotten blood and shame. Must be a half-breed."
"Ugh, that stench. How does she live with herself?" hissed another. "No wonder humans despise her."
"Let's scrub that stain from the clan today," growled a third. "She's been a disgrace long enough."
The wolves exchanged grim looks, eyes shifting to Mireille. Her face went ghostly pale as the weight of the threat sank in.
"What do we do?" Seven asked, voice tight. "Must we fight them head-on?"
"Taking them head-on won't favor us," Zave said grimly, assessing the threat.
"Umm… I-we can leave without them noticing," Mireille offered weakly. "It'll take time before they find the entrance."
"Okay. Tell us," Zave said, expression complicated, remembering how long it had taken them to track her the first time.
Mireille pointed toward a narrow crevice in the cave wall, barely visible unless you knew where to look.
"Are you sure about this?" Zave asked, suspicion clear in his tone.
"Yes, but we have to hurry," she urged. Lloyd didn't hesitate. "Lead the way." He gestured for the others to follow. They filed into the tunnel, Mireille in the lead, Alex bringing up the rear, eyes glinting and tense.
*
The vampires entered the cave, finding it empty. Irritation flared.
"Where did that brat go?!" one hissed.
"Dammit! I can't believe we let them slip away," another growled.
"Yeah! No wonder the half-breed is still alive. Hidden so well," a third spat.
They searched briefly, then paused, fuming.
"She'll come back," one said finally.
"It's certain. She can't live with werewolves—those beasts are a vampire's worst enemy."
"Alright, then… we wait," another concluded, settling in to bide their time.