The Faltered Bond | Book #1 [Werewolf]

Chapter 14 | Makeshift camp

The journey back stretches on, feeling endless and torturous. My mind is a blur, an overwhelming chaos of thoughts I can't untangle—questions on repeat that I can't seem to voice. Who attacked us? Why? Where did they come from? What did they want?

Why did they kill her?

 Fear, anger, dread, grief—all churn together in a violent storm inside me. I let out a shaky sigh, desperately clinging to a sliver of hope. It's gonna be okay... right?

I lift my eyes upward, a silent plea etched into every line of my face, as if the heavens themselves might offer solace. I beg the cosmos, trusting that somewhere, somehow, the luminous glow of the stars—and Selene's gentle guidance—might heed my call. Yet the celestial bodies remain impassive, their unwavering gleam a silent testament to an indifferent night.

A sigh escapes my throat and my hand clutches my necklace. 

The sky parts, flooding with golden rays as we breach the forest's edge. Before us, the trees stand as eerie, silent sentinels—ancient giants whose watchful presence lends both comfort and mystery to our passage. 

We break into a clearing, and Cade slows, shifting into a steady trot. Not long after, the distant echoes of a heated argument between two males reach my ears, slicing through the silence. A sliver of gratitude flickers in my chest. They waited... The voices sharpen as we draw closer, and the tension in the air shifts when Cade finally emerges from the brush.

The pack had converged by the yawning entrance of the bunker, their eyes fixed on the shouting figures of Ryder and Jace at the heart of the gathering. 

As we made our approach, several pairs of eyes shifted toward us, their glances shimmering with a delicate blend of surprise and relief, quietly acknowledging our arrival.

"Cade!" The raven haired girl from before steps forward, cutting through the crowd. A trail of ice forms in her wake as she approaches, the coolness of her presence undeniable. As she makes her approach, I notice the dark circles under her eyes, the exhaustion etched into her features, but her posture remains rigid, sharp. "Are you two alright?"

Her words blur into the background as my gaze instinctively drifts to Jace. His forest-green eyes are locked onto me, hawk-like and unwavering. Our gazes meet for a heartbeat, and once again, that invisible string—the same strange, ethereal pull—tugs at me. It's as if something powerful yet gentle is reaching out, trying to connect with me, to bridge the gap between us.

But before I can make sense of it, a hand lands gently on my leg, grounding me. The connection snaps, and I feel myself fall back into my own body, the weight of the moment settling over me like a shroud.

My breath catches in my throat.

"...Ava?"

I blink, finally realizing that Kyra has been standing beside me, her hand gently squeezing my leg. A few silent seconds stretch into what feels like an eternity as I try to gather my scattered thoughts.

"S-sorry!" The words tumble out of me in a rush as I finally recognize that she had been speaking to me. "I... I zoned out."

Kyra falls quiet, her lips pinched in deep thought. After a moment, she speaks again, her voice steady and unyielding as she turns to the pack. "We will camp by the river tonight."

"What!?" Jace's outraged voice cuts through the air, sharp and immediate. He pivots toward Kyra, his eyes widening into a seething glare that speaks volumes of his mounting fury. "I said we would leave by first light—"

My heart skips a nervous beat, a strange, foreign emotion stirring in my chest. I clutch my ribcage, as if trying to hold onto something that doesn't belong to me. But before I can make sense of it, Kyra's voice pulls me back to the present, interrupting my spiraling thoughts.