The fire had burned low by the time I woke.
For a moment I didn't remember where I was.
The stone beneath my back felt unfamiliar. The air smelled of smoke, damp moss, and cold forest wind drifting through the narrow opening of the cave. It took a few seconds for the memories of the night before to return.
My eyes opened slowly.
The first thing I noticed was the quiet.
The forest outside the cave was still dark, but the sky had begun to pale slightly beyond the trees. Dawn wasn't far away yet, but the night was losing its hold on the world.
Then I noticed something else.
Rowan was gone.
I sat up immediately.
The cave looked exactly as it had the night before. The small fire had collapsed into glowing embers, casting faint red light across the stone walls. The entrance remained partially covered by vines, the forest beyond barely visible through the gaps.
But Rowan was not inside.
My wolf stirred instantly.
I stood carefully, stretching my stiff muscles as I moved toward the cave entrance. The air outside was cold and sharp against my skin. I stepped just beyond the vines, scanning the surrounding forest.
Nothing.
Only trees, shadows, and the quiet breath of morning wind.
Then a voice came from somewhere to my left.
"You should be more careful when you wake up."
I turned sharply.
Rowan leaned casually against a nearby oak tree, half-hidden in the shadows. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest, and his posture looked as relaxed as it had the night before.
But his eyes had already been watching me.
"How long have you been standing there?" I asked.
"Long enough."
"That's not reassuring."
Rowan pushed himself away from the tree and walked toward the cave.
"I didn't want to wake you."
"You could have."
"You needed sleep."
He stepped inside the cave, crouching briefly near the fire pit and adding a few dry branches to the embers. Within moments, small flames flickered back to life.
"You left," I said.
"I didn't go far."
"That's not the same thing."
Rowan glanced up at me.
"You were safe."
"How do you know?"
"I made sure."
Something about the way he said it made me pause.
"You were watching the whole time?"
"Mostly."
That explained why he had appeared so quickly the night before when the rogues attacked.
He hadn't been surprised. He had been prepared.
I folded my arms.
"You don't sleep much, do you?"
"Not when I'm traveling."
"That sounds exhausting."
Rowan shrugged slightly.
"You get used to it."
The fire crackled softly between us as the flames grew stronger. For a few minutes we remained quiet again. Then Rowan spoke.
"They passed through again."
My attention snapped back to him.
"The rogues?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"About an hour ago."
My stomach tightened.
"Did they see you?"
"No."
His answer came easily.
"But they were searching."
The words sent a faint chill down my spine.
"Searching for us?"
"Probably."
I exhaled slowly.
"That's reassuring."
"They didn't come close enough to find this place."
"That's good."
"Yes."
But the way he said it made it sound temporary.
Like the forest had only bought us a little time.
I leaned against the stone wall of the cave entrance, watching the trees beyond.
"Do rogues usually track people this far?"
"They track weakness," Rowan said.
His gaze settled briefly on my arm where the bandage wrapped around the wound.
"And last night you smelled like a wounded wolf."
I frowned.
"I thought the herbs helped."
"They did. But I did not mean to your arm. I mean your inner wolf rejection."
Silence returned again.
The sky outside continued to brighten slowly, turning the forest from black to dark grey.
Dawn was coming.
I studied Rowan carefully.
"You knew they might follow us."
"Yes."
"And you still stayed."
"Yes."
"Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, Rowan reached into the same pouch he had used the night before and pulled out a small cloth bundle. Inside were several pieces of dried meat. He tossed one to me. I caught it automatically.
"You should eat."
"That's still not an answer."
Rowan bit into one of the strips calmly.
"Neither was your question."
I sighed.
"You're frustrating."
"I've heard that before."
"From everyone?"
"Most people."
I stared at him for a moment.
"You really enjoy avoiding direct explanations."
"I enjoy staying alive."
That answer caught my attention.
"What does that mean?"
Rowan leaned back slightly against the cave wall.
"It means talking too much about yourself in the wrong places can cause problems."
"Problems with how, who?"
His gaze shifted briefly toward the forest again.
"With wolves who like power."
That wasn't a very comforting statement.
"Are you in trouble with someone?" I asked.
"Not currently."
"That's not very reassuring either."
Rowan gave a faint half-smile.
"I'm not worried."
"Maybe you should be."
"Maybe."
I studied him for another moment. There were still too many things about Rowan that didn't make sense. He moved like a warrior. He fought like someone who had faced far worse enemies than four rogues. And yet he acted like a man who preferred staying unnoticed.
Those things didn't usually belong together.
My wolf shifted uneasily again.
Eventually Rowan stood.
"We should leave before the forest wakes up."
"The forest wakes up?"
"Yes."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You make it sound like the trees are going to start talking."
"Not the trees."
He glanced toward the eastern sky.
"The wolves."
I followed his gaze.
"Other packs?"
"Yes."
The realization hit me suddenly. We were no longer near Blackthorn territory. Which meant we were now closer to somewhere else.
"Whose land are we on?" I asked.
Rowan hesitated for the first time since I had met him.
That alone made me suspicious.
"Borderlands," he said finally.
"That's not what I asked."
"It's the safest answer."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You're definitely hiding something."
"Probably."
"And you're completely comfortable admitting that."
Rowan shrugged.
"I never said I was trustworthy."
That made me laugh quietly.
"Well, that's honest."
"I try to be."
He kicked dirt over the remaining fire until the flames died completely.
The cave grew dim again as the smoke faded.
Then Rowan turned toward the forest.
"We should move."
I followed him out of the cave. Morning light had begun to spread across the trees now, turning the sky pale blue beyond the forest canopy. The cold air carried the scent of damp leaves and distant water. The world felt calmer.
But something in Rowan's posture had changed again.
More alert. More focused.
"What is it?" I asked.
He stopped walking. For a moment he simply listened. Then he said quietly,
"Do you hear that?"
I held my breath. At first there was nothing. Then— Hoofbeats. Distant. But unmistakable.
My wolf stiffened immediately.
"That's not rogues," I said.
"No."
"Pack patrol?"
"Possibly."
I frowned.
"That's not good for me."
"No."
He turned slightly toward me.
"If they find you alone out here, they'll want answers."
"I don't have any."
"That won't stop them from asking."
The hoofbeats grew louder.
Closer.
Whoever they were, they were moving quickly.
Rowan's eyes moved across the trees, calculating.
Then he made a decision.
"This way."
He turned off the path suddenly, disappearing between two thick lines of trees.
I followed him without hesitation. Behind us, the hoofbeats continued to grow louder.
And somewhere deep inside my chest, my wolf stirred with a strange, uneasy feeling.
Because whoever those riders were…
Something told me they weren't just passing through for patrol.