Chapter 48 Chapter 48
“Are you ready for this?” Reynard asked.
Suki shook her head, blinking herself out of her endless spiral of overthinking. “Huh, what?”
Scanning her surroundings, she realised the car had stopped dead in the middle of the forest – all that surrounded them were an abundance of trees.
Reynard squeezed her hand and smiled faintly. “We need to get out of the car here,” he said before exiting the vehicle. He sped around to the other side to open her door, taking her hand to guide her out.
“Thank you,” she smiled at him, but it faded as she looked around once more, confused. “This doesn’t look like the picture from my research, there are no shadowy walls or anything! Where are we?”
“A few miles away from the borders of Nighttide,” an unknown voice called out behind them.
Startled, Suki turned to the voice to see various guards approaching them. Their fighting leathers appeared different to the ones she was used to seeing; they were more compact and sturdy; there was also a lack of definition through colours – strictly black attire and smoky grey shades here and there. The only pop of colour would come from the silver buckles connecting their attire.
It was the perfect attire for them to camouflage within the shadows.
“A few… miles?” Suki repeated, bemused.
As the guards moved forward towards the pair, Suki inched closer to Reynard slowly, feeling uneasy.
‘It’s alright,’ his gentle voice echoed soothingly in her head, ’I won’t let anyone come near you if that’s what you want.’
Suki exhaled. ‘Just… stay close.’
‘Always.’
All the guards stopped, apart from the one who first spoke up. He continued up towards Suki until he towered over her like an oak tree. He stared her down.
She swallowed thickly.
‘Hold your ground.’
‘I’m trying.’ Her eyes flickered between his black eyes. ‘They’re kind of scary.’
“Suki Twyla, of the Moonstone pack, daughter of the Beta?” the guard questioned.
Her breathing stuttered, “Yes, sir.”
“My name is Talon, leader of the warriors of the Nighttide pack. I’m here to escort you the rest of the way.”
Furrowing her brows, she looked at Rey and back to Talon, puzzled. “We can’t take the car?”
The corner of Talon’s lip twitched into a subtle smirk. “Please, don’t be offended, daughter of the Beta.” He stepped back and gestured towards the forest behind him. “This is how we bring every outsider into our pack; it’s an essential security measure we have in place.”
Suki stepped forward and walked beside him. Reynard followed right beside her and was on high alert. She hummed, “Wouldn’t outsiders just try to memorise the walk?”
Talon gave a half-suppressed laugh, “They could try,” he snapped his fingers and the shadows from below them swirled up into a physical cloudly barrier around them, shielding their sight from being able to see anything further than a few metres.
Grabbing Reynard’s wrist, Suki gasped at the rapid speed of the shadows. It was impressive. Yet it only made her imagine what Brendan’s power would be like if he were able to get the full training he deserved. His power is so great that even he is unaware of his potential.
“How are we meant to see where we are going now?” Reynard asked.
“You don’t,” Talon’s eyes flickered with a hue of his magic, “the shadows will guide me, and I will guide you. My Alpha gave Moonstone’s Beta his word that the best guard would protect both of you – that’s me.”
Suki shivered and rubbed her arms as they blindly walked through the forest, only seeing the nature that was around them if it entered within their shadowed walls. Suddenly, the beautiful summer day was wasted as they hid from the warmth of the sun. The shadows lingered so close that, despite her werewolf powers, it felt as if the smoky walls were stripping the warmth from her.
Talon reached into a bag he had brought along with him and pulled out a folded cloak, matching the colours of the Moonstone pack – deep blues, with twirls of light blue, purple and silver embroidery.
“You have my word that I will ensure no harm comes to you whilst you’re within our borders. I will keep you safe, so long as neither of you poses a threat to the people of my pack,” he spoke clearly and sternly as he handed Suki the cloak.
“Thank you.” She took the cloak and draped it over herself. “I can assure you that Reynard and I are here for information, and then we’ll be on our way.”
Stopping in his place, the smoky walls stopped instantly with Talon, almost hitting Suki and Reynard. “You’ve been invited to the most exclusive pack in the country, and you just want to dip in and out? Don’t you want to see what else we have to offer?”
Suki and Reynard exchanged a look.
Rey cleared his throat and spoke effortlessly, “We assumed the open welcome had a time limit.”
“Oh, it does, but we haven’t hosted anyone in a long time. The Alpha wants to ensure you have a good impression.” They continued walking, blindly guided by the warrior. “I am curious, what are your assumptions about our pack?” His brows rose at Suki.
She blushed. “Um, well, there wasn’t much information to go off on when I did my research.”
“Humour me, Beta-daughter.”
She swallowed a lump forming in her throat. “Well…” her voice trailed off as she tried to find the words to explain how her overthinking mind played scenario after scenario of possibilities.
After all, it wasn’t like Brendan had given her any ideas of what his former home was like. All she knew was the pain he experienced through his banishment.
“To be totally honest,” she exhaled, “I’ve imagined many things. I know Nighttide is meant to be impeccable at their warrior training, that you take protection very seriously, so one image I’ve had in my head is that the pack almost entirely looks like a training ground, where you’re all constantly ready for battle.”
Talon crossed his arms and hummed a half-amused sound.
“I’ve also imagined the worst-case scenario, in which the pack looks more dystopian and wrecked from your unheeding behaviour, to be the perfect warriors. In this scenario, you’re all battle-hungry fighters looking for a war that doesn’t exist.”
Raising a brow, Talon looked at Suki, bewildered.
Reynard looked at her wide-eyed. ‘Babe, we’re trying to get them to welcome us, not hate us for being prejudiced.’
“I-I mean, I obviously don’t really think you all are savages or anything,” she forced a giggle as she stammered over her words. When neither Talon nor Rey looked amused, her face relaxed, and she bowed her head. “My apologies, I’m an overthinker, and I talk a lot of nonsense when I’m nervous.”
“No apologies necessary, I asked you to humour me after all. Needless to say, I have been humoured, and you’re in for a pleasant surprise.” Talon snapped his fingers, and the shaddowed shield surrounding them dissipated away.
Suki gasped in awe as she admired the uniqueness and boldness of the buildings surrounding them. The Nighttide pack wasn’t dirty, or dystopian, or scary like she thought it might have been. It was beautiful, modern and thriving better than most other packs she had been to.
“These must be our guests,” a man’s voice approached them, his tone sounding almost familiar.
As she met his gaze, his black hair, slicked back, and matching black eyes were almost enough to piece it together, but it wasn’t until he smiled faintly from the corner of his mouth and tilted his head slightly that she knew exactly who he looked like – his brother.
He held out his hand. “My name is Hadeon. Welcome to Nighttide.”