The following day, the sky over Silverpine was curiously and strangely gray.
Not foreboding, just weighed down, as if the clouds themselves were waiting.
Ember and Cade stood with Mia at the northern ridge. Together they looked over the valley which flowed straight into the unclaimed lands. Somewhere out there was the lair belonging to the Ferrowind hybrids.
Cade said quietly, "We don't need another enemy."
Mia shot back and countered, "We don't need to be ignorant either." Pausing, she added thoughtfully, "We have to figure out what they want. Why now? Why here?"
"Silverpine?" Ember asked, curious. Are they after Silverpine?
No, they are after "Me." Mia was quiet, but her answer was sure.
The group agreed in silence. Others didn't argue, kept silent.
After battling Viktor, Mia had become a symbol. A symbol of change, of challenge. With the Ferrowind seeking to shake the foundation of pack law, Mia was the first crack in the wall.
The tension settled when Lucas arrived. Even beneath the surface, his presence was calming.
"Last night, the scouts had them tracked," he stated. "There is a den, set deep within the cliffline, accompanied by the Ashgrove. It's shielded. They have been monitoring us longer than anticipated."
"Then we need to stop being monitored," Mia stated. "We head out to them."
Cade lifted a brow. "You chose to step into a hybrid's den?"
"Not step, but rather to negotiate," Mia proclaimed.
"Well, what if they don't have the desire to talk?" Ember questioned her as she fixated her gaze on her.
"Then we will remind them Silverpine doesn't bend to threats," Mia answered.
Dusk broke as they left.
_______________________________________________________________
Mia, Lucas, and Cade, along with a selected party of five, which consisted of an omega who went by the name Renna. She was loyal and swift and was determined to tag along.
As they advanced towards Ashgrove, the forest became denser. Birds silenced. Trees began to move closer.
It felt like everything.... was wrong.
Not blood and decay.
It felt unnatural. Blended.
Like a half-shifting form whose presence didn't truly fit into the world.
"My skin is crawling and that's not a good sign," Renna urged in a low tone.
"Not a bad thing," Mia replied, "your instincts appear to be functioning."
They found the den just after nightfall.
A jagged crack concealed beneath moss and roots, retreating into shadow. Legging the descent, with a blade strapped on her back, Mia took the lead. All of her senses were on alert.
Not a sound echoed throughout the tunnels.
The tunnels were silent.
Until they weren't.
A voice rang through the stone, calm and soothing.
"Silverpine sends a queen."
Mia froze in place *hearing the silhouette* of his voice.
A man stepped from the shadows. Tall, elegant yet not quite wolf, his form had both features. He was glass sharp, aka smooth in aura. Mystifying pale violet shimmered as his eyes shimmered in the dark.
"I'm no queen," Mia interjected.
"Not yet," he replied to his statement.
Lucas gravitated closer to Mia's contact.
Lucas moved closer to her side.
"You're Ferrowind," she claimed.
"I am," the man said. "I'm Coren. I lead those who remember what the packs want to forget."
"And what is that?"
"That power," Coren stated before silencing.
Few words penetrated the surrounding silence. Cade's growl resonated low whilst the others remained frozen like stone.
Mia stated calmly. "Why did you visit us now, after decades of hiding?"
"I'm here because you changed something. Broken rules. And every time rules break, something old arises, something bad happens"
"Old forces stir," he completed her statement as he drew closer, ever so relaxing.
"Silverpine is not the place you reside. I enjoy you coming here, but you belong where serenity ends."
Mia felt her spine stream stiffness. "What's there?"
"A new world. One not ruled by blood, but by strength. You can be part of it. Or fall with the rest."
Lucas stepped between them.
Lucas separated their contact.
"She's already chosen," he spoke, in a cut tone.
Coren glanced from one to the other—scanning. Assessing—measuring. Calculating.
"And do not concern yourself; I will be back," he stated. "And I will not come with words."
Then—he was gone, lost to the darkness as soundlessly as mist.
________________________________________________________________
As they exited the den, no one spoke.
The air outside felt too light, too clean.
But the tension still clung to Mia's skin.
"We've seen the future," she said.
"And?" Cade queried.
"Now for the choice, do we fight for the one who deserves us? Only time will tell," she replied, while fixing her gaze on Lucas.
She met Lucas's gaze, her voice steady.
"Now we decide if we're ready to fight for the one we believe in."