🌙 Episode 15: Whispers in the Dark
The air in the abandoned mill was thick with the stench of rust, oil, and damp stone. Shadows stretched long across the cracked concrete floor, where a circle of men lounged, their eyes glinting unnaturally in the half-light.
They weren't just men. They were rogues—wolves without a pack, predators without rules.
At the center sat their leader. Darius leaned back in a broken armchair like it was a throne, the firelight painting the scars across his face in jagged lines. His amber eyes burned with the kind of hunger that had nothing to do with food.
One of the rogues, lean and wiry, shifted uneasily. "The scouts say Ethan brought her into the pack lands. He's hiding her."
A smirk curved Darius's lips. "Good. Makes her easier to find."
"She's just a human," another spat, contempt dripping from his voice. "Why waste time? Let's tear her apart and be done with it."
Darius's gaze snapped to him, sharp enough to cut. "She's not just a human. She's his mate. And that, my friend, makes her leverage."
The room fell quiet. Every wolf there knew the power of a mate bond.
"If we kill her, he'll go feral," Darius continued, voice low, dangerous. "But if we take her…" His smile widened. "We break him from the inside. And when Ethan falls, his pack crumbles with him."
The wiry rogue grinned, showing sharp teeth. "So we bleed him slow."
Darius leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Exactly."
From the shadows near the far wall, a figure stepped forward—a young woman, her hair tied back, her eyes sharp and calculating. Unlike the others, she wasn't grinning.
"They'll protect her," she said. "Marcus won't let her out of his sight, and Ethan—" She hesitated, her gaze flicking to Darius. "Ethan would kill anyone who tried to touch her."
Darius regarded her carefully. "You sound like you know them well, Kiera."
Her jaw tightened. "I used to."
A murmur ran through the rogues. Some looked surprised, others intrigued.
Darius chuckled softly. "Ah. A wolf with a grudge. Tell me, little traitor—why betray your pack?"
Kiera's eyes burned. "Because Ethan chose her over his own. Over me."
A ripple of understanding passed through the room.
Darius leaned back again, satisfied. "Then perhaps you'll be the one to bring her to us."
Kiera's lips curled into a thin smile. "Gladly."
---
Far across the forest, Lila tossed in her sleep inside Ethan's cabin, unaware of the shadow being cast over her life. The night pressed heavy against the windows, carrying the distant howl of wolves.
She woke with a start, heart pounding, a sense of being watched crawling over her skin. But when she glanced toward the door, it was locked tight, the fire still glowing softly in the hearth.
"Just nerves," she whispered to herself, trying to slow her breathing.
But in the darkness beyond the trees, golden eyes gleamed.
---
Back in the mill, Darius stood before a map spread across a rusted table. A crude drawing of the pack territory had been scratched into the paper, with stones marking patrol routes.
He tapped one with a scarred finger. "Here. Tomorrow night. She'll be restless, curious. Humans always are."
Kiera nodded, her expression unreadable. "Leave it to me. I'll make sure she's there."
The wiry rogue laughed. "What if she doesn't take the bait?"
Darius's eyes flashed. "She will. Curiosity will be her downfall. And Ethan…" He bared his teeth in a wolfish grin. "Ethan will walk right into our jaws to get her back."
The fire crackled, throwing twisted shadows against the walls as the rogues laughed low and dark.
For them, this wasn't just a hunt.
It was a game.
And Lila was the prize.
---
Later that night, as the rogues dispersed into the darkness, Kiera lingered. She stared at the map, her fingers tracing the spot Darius had chosen.
Her chest tightened with something she didn't want to name.
He should have been mine.
Clenching her fists, she forced the thought away. Tomorrow, Ethan would suffer. And maybe then, the gnawing ache in her chest would finally quiet.
Outside, the moon climbed higher, its silver light spilling over the forest.
Unseen, unheard, the rogues moved through the shadows, preparing their trap.
And Lila's fate edged closer to a deadly collision.
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✨ End of Episode 15