Shadows in the woods

I didn’t see Luke today. His absence gnawed at me all morning, like a thorn pressing deeper into my chest. Could it be that he went to the tunnel? The thought wouldn’t leave me alone, and though fear tugged at my stomach, I couldn’t sit idle.

I slipped the small knife from under my pillow and clutched it tightly in my hand. My heart hammered as I made my way out. This time, I had to return to the stream. I had to see the tunnel with my own eyes.

This place is forbidden.

The soldier’s voice echoed in my mind, cold and warning. But I pressed on, even as the words tried to anchor my feet to the stone floors of the corridor.

By the time I reached the stream, dusk had already begun to spill its gray veil over the world. The air was heavy, the silence sharp. But just as I prepared to step forward, I froze.

Someone was patrolling.

My breath caught. Luke had told me this area was never guarded. Why now? My pulse raced. If they saw me, I’d be dragged to the king’s dungeons—or worse. I retreated a step, then another. But fate had other plans.

A branch cracked under my foot as I stumbled into a small tree. The snap of wood tore through the quiet like thunder.

“Who’s there?” A soldier’s voice rang out.

Panic clawed through me. I ducked, forcing myself down into the tall grass, but it was useless. Their boots crunched closer and closer. I could feel the earth tremble under their steps.

Run, Selene! I screamed in my mind.

I ran.

“There!” one of them shouted.

I didn’t dare look back. My lungs burned, the trees blurring past me as I dashed into the shadows of the woods. I could hear their pursuit, the heavy clatter of armor and the rasp of their breathing.

Then, suddenly, a hand seized my arm and yanked me hard.

I crashed into a broad chest, solid and warm, a hand wrapping tight around my bare arm. My breath caught in terror.

I lifted my gaze slowly—and my heart stilled.

“You?” I whispered.

The soldier’s dark eyes met mine. His finger pressed against his lips. “Sssh.”

His grip was steady, commanding silence.

“Where are you?” one of the soldiers called from nearby.

“Suddenly she disappeared.”

My rescuer pulled me with him, deeper into the shadows, and we ran until the voices faded into nothing. Only when the night swallowed their footsteps did he finally release me.

“What were you doing here again?” His voice was sharp, though not unkind.

I froze, words tangling on my tongue. I couldn’t tell him about the tunnel. I couldn’t risk him reporting me.

“Ah… I was just looking for my friend. And here I am…” I trailed off, fumbling.

He studied me, suspicion flickering in his eyes. “Your feet brought you? Seems like trouble follows you, no matter where you go.”

I swallowed, heat prickling the back of my neck. “So… are you going to catch me now?”

“Why would I?” His lips curved into the faintest smirk. “If I wanted you caught, I wouldn’t have hidden you from those patrols.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re probably waiting for the right moment. You want to be the one to deliver my head to the king, don’t you? Earn your gold?”

He chuckled, low and easy. “I don’t need your head.”

The way he said it—it wasn’t mockery. It was truth.

“Really, huh?” My voice wavered. “Then… who are you, really? Why did you help me? Why don’t you hate me like the rest?”

His gaze didn’t flinch. He stepped closer, shadows framing his face, and extended his hand. “I’m Aeron.” His voice was calm, steady. “And tell me—why would I hate you?”

I blinked at his hand, then at his face. No hesitation. No disgust. “Because… everyone avoids me. Because I carry the red curse.” The words fell bitterly from my lips.

“I know,” he said quietly. “But I’m not afraid of your curse.”

My breath hitched. His sincerity carved through me like sunlight breaking through a storm. Only Luke had ever looked past the mark. Yet here was a soldier—a stranger—standing before me with the same certainty.

“I… I didn’t expect that,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to.” His eyes softened, though there was still a guarded weight in them.

A strange warmth bloomed in my chest, unsettling but impossible to ignore.

“By the way…” I dared to ask, searching for distraction. “What happened that night? The rustling in the grass, when you were escorting me back? What was it?”

His face hardened. “Why do you ask?”

“Nothing—I just thought maybe you were hurt.”

His brow arched. “So you were worried about me, then?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “H-huh? No, I just—”

He chuckled, the sound soft but teasing. “They were wolves,” he said suddenly, voice flat and serious.

My eyes widened. “W-wolves? How—”

“Yes,” he interrupted. “It’s true. This place isn’t as empty as it looks. Wolves roam here. You shouldn’t wander near the stream again, especially not at night. They might not spare you.”

The air seemed to grow colder at his words. Wolves. Could it be connected to the whispers I’d heard, to the curse I carried? My thoughts spun, but I forced myself to nod.

“And you?” I asked quietly.

“I’ll keep patrolling,” he replied, his tone final.

I studied him for a heartbeat longer, caught between fear and something else—something I didn’t want to name.

“Okay,” I murmured. “Thank you… Aeron.”

He inclined his head. “That’s nothing.”

But as I turned to leave, the faint glow of my curse flickered beneath my skin, the mark on my shoulder burning faintly in his presence.