CHAPTER 3
THE EARLY MORNING LIGHT seeped into the small waiting room of a knight’s outpost by the town’s entrance.
Lenore sat alone in the corner. A traveler’s pack sat in her lap, with her cuffed hands resting on top.
Next to her chair was a small black suitcase.
A few knights passed by her, while another remained at a desk diagonally across from her, writing away reports without so much of a glance in Lenore’s direction.
Last night was a whirlwind of activities that kept her awake until now, the last being waivers she had reluctantly inked with her signature.
From the moment she was to be released from their care, it was no longer their responsibility what would happen to her next.
Stern reminders were given afterwards, that her being a werewolf would require proper travel permits to be allowed re-entry back into Arkhaven.
The knights stressed that day visits were the only option. And a knight was to be an escort at all times if a visit occurred.
Lenore didn’t need to be told the implications of what would happen if she came with no warning.
She looked down at the bag in her arms. By the time they made it to her humble abode, it was a rush to stuff whatever was deemed necessary into the travel bags she had. There was no doubt in Lenore’s mind that she most likely had forgotten a few things.
Not that it matters anyway. Everything I left behind is most likely being disposed of now. Lenore slumped over her bag. She couldn’t even muster up any sadness at this point. Her exhaustion overrode it all. If it could even be called a feeling, it was a depressingly numb one.
True to Meredith’s words, Lenore was allowed a change of clothes.
She was now adorned in a pale lavender dress with a matching capelet, a comfortable set of clothing that was a beloved staple to her.
The long sleeves helped to hide the bandaged wound, giving her temporary relief from seeing her physical predicament.
Barnabas was outside, awaiting to transfer her to her next escort. All that Lenore knew was that the escort was a member of the Lunavie pack, which very well meant that they were a werewolf.
Like me. Lenore gripped tightly at her pack’s strap. Her tongue felt the sharp points of her fangs, a permanent change to her body.
Up until the point of her change, Lenore had never seen a werewolf before. Everything she knew of them had come from documented stories, all pointing to their vicious lineage. They were dangerous monsters that terrorized the wilderness, among other creatures. Any guise of humanity was a lie.
“Ms. Yunae.” Barnabas stepped into the waiting room. “Your escorts have arrived.” He walked in closer, picking up her suitcase as he did. “I’ll take your other bag as well.”
Lenore’s heart sped up. Dread suffocated every action she took next. Her hands grew clammy as she offered him the pack in her hands.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You're welcome. Let’s be off then.” Giving her a brief nod, Barnabas turned and strode off. Lenore followed behind wordlessly, almost automatically so. She stared at the swaying black cape that adorned the knight’s shoulders, using it as a point of focus to keep herself moving forward.
The doors swung open. Her hands tightened into fists.
Like a sudden downpour, the bright morning light immediately enveloped both her and Barnabas as they took the first steps out onto the stone pavement.
Her eyes instinctively screwed shut for a moment, unused to the natural sunlight because of her hospital stay.
“Is that her?” a curious feminine voice asked.
“Obviously it is,” a cold, low voice answered.
Lenore’s eyes shot open, followed by a few rapid blinks. As her vision adjusted, she saw a taller, fair-skinned woman standing before her—about five foot ten, with long dark-green locks of hair that were braided into a half up-do.
One of the woman’s boots scraped back beside the other as she straightened, her muscles taut with guarded caution. Lenore nearly took a step back, feeling all too exposed beneath the woman’s scrutiny. The flicker of apprehension that crossed the woman’s gaze didn’t go unnoticed.
Lenore swallowed hard. Was she really accepted into this pack?
Something in the woman’s assessment seemed to change her mind. Shoulders relaxing slightly, she smiled warmly toward Lenore.
A much taller man stood next to her, easily six foot five. At barely five foot four, Lenore only reached his shoulders, making her all the more aware of the strength in his broad frame—hidden beneath the dark layers he wore, yet evident in the way he stood.
Unlike the woman’s bright expression, his brows were furrowed, and he carried a stern frown.
His short, slightly unkempt navy hair and bronzed complexion contrasted with the vivid blue of one of his eyes.
His other eye, Lenore noted, was a misty gray, with jagged scars trailing from his brow to his cheek.
A large kirin was behind them, its long scaly neck bent down to graze at stray patches of grass.
Though they appeared human, Lenore's instincts said otherwise.
An imposing dominance crackled from their auras, beastly in essence.
The man's presence was far more intense, subduing the liveliness of nature all around them.
She could barely breathe under the pressure—the fear stirring her fight-or-flight response. Barnabas shifted uncomfortably.
But when Lenore’s eyes met with the man, something else sparked within her. Both their eyes widened.
He unsettled her, in a way she couldn’t understand.
She chalked it up to the way that his mismatched eyes stared right into her, how it would clearly unnerve anybody.
Yet for some baffling reason, instead of feeling discomfort, she felt drawn in, almost like the hypnotic pull of a flame to a moth.
It settled deep into her soul, aching softly in her chest. Lenore’s eyes fell to the ground, lingering just a moment before she risked another glance at him.
His focus was elsewhere already, his gaze sweeping the area with effortless awareness.
Her heart continued to tingle strangely, pulling her into deeper confusion.
She forced herself to jerk her head away and to stare at the mossy overgrowth on the gray stones below.
I must've lost my mind on top of everything else, Lenore thought.
“This is Lenore Yunae, the one you’ve accepted into your pack.” Barnabas said, breaking the brief silence. “Ms. Lenore Yunae, I believe this is Mr. Edmund Elluvel, and Ms. Brynn Forstnier.”
Lenore stayed where she was, hesitant to approach the two strangers about to take her away, especially with one that caused her to feel so strange. But as Brynn continued to smile kindly, a bit of wary tension eased off Lenore’s shoulders. She kept her eyes away from Edmund.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Lenore murmured.
“The pleasure is all ours,” Brynn replied. The inner corner of her eyebrows pulled up as she frowned. “I’m sorry you have to be in those awful chains. Sadly, we can’t take them off of you until we’re all a certain distance away.”
Brynn glanced around. Other knights stood on guard from a distance, watching every movement with vigilance.
“From the way they’re all watching, you’d think they’re unleashing a rabid beast.” Edmund spoke up, dry sarcasm melding into the deep timbre that thrummed through Lenore’s chest. “I can’t believe how far from the truth that is.”
Lenore’s eyes flitted onto him. His attention was on the knights, and she turned her head away before he could notice.
“You must be exhausted. Do you need anything before we go?” Brynn’s genuine concern surprised Lenore, and she stumbled in her words as she answered hastily.
“Oh—um, I’ll be fine. Thank you for asking, Ms. Forstnier.”
Brynn laughed, exposing her sharp fangs as she did. “You don’t have to be too formal with us! None of that Ms or Mr nonsense either. Werewolves don’t do that. You can just call me by my name!”
Lenore nodded. “And, um, what about you?” she asked Edmund.
“The formalities aren’t necessary,” Edmund said coldly. “But keep in mind to be on your best behavior. You’re still as much of a stranger to us as we are to you, even if we accepted you in. Not to mention a clear liability once we enter the wilderness.”
Lenore’s brows furrowed as she winced at his sharp words. Whatever strange tug she had toward him had since dissipated, and hurt replaced it. Her chains jostled as she pulled her hands closer to herself. The skin beneath Edmund’s eyes tightened for a fraction, disappearing as soon as it came.
Brynn shot him a disapproving look but said nothing about his words. “Anyway,” she said, “I’m not sure how much the knights debriefed you on, so I’m more than happy to answer or help you with anything on our way back to Lunavie.”
“Thank you, Brynn.” No other words came to Lenore’s mind for any further talk. Her eyes fell to the ground, more than happy to let the silence trickle in than scrape at her inner thoughts for something meager of a topic.
After a brief pause, Brynn spoke again, keeping her tone light and cheery. “Well, we should get going then. As much as I love enjoying the nice stretch after sitting so long, we won’t be back at Lunavie until after midnight if we leave now.”
Lenore looked up at her in surprise. “You both must’ve been travelling non-stop then.”
“Yes, as soon as we agreed to take you in, we set off.”
“But... have you eaten? Or taken an actual break for yourselves?” Lenore inquired with a frown. “It wouldn’t sit well with me if you two are going back and forth just because of my... predicament.”
“Running for hours is the best kind of break!” Brynn replied. She smiled warmly at her. “You don’t have to mind us though. Our duties are more important. The sooner we’re off, I’m sure the knights here will feel better.”
“We got jerky for the road anyway,” Edmund said.
The words fell from his lips without a single ounce of warmth.
“If you’re hungry, just chew on that.” He turned his attention to Barnabas, took the bags the knight held, and headed straight toward the kirin.
The kirin sported a scaly back interlaced with an equally dark coat of hair.
Its head was almost draconic in shape, yet deer-like as well, making the chimera beast a strange mix of intimidating and graceful.
A single ivory horn stood proudly in the middle between its ears.
Brynn sighed and looked at Lenore apologetically. “Don’t mind him, please. He’s like that all the time.”
Barnabas cleared his throat, reminding them he was still there. “We’ll be passing Ms. Yunae over to you both then.”
Brynn’s warmth dissipated against the knight, who had an obvious distaste in his eyes. “Yes, she’s in our care now. We’ll be off,” she said curtly. At that, Barnabas nodded at Lenore.
“Blessings be upon you, Ms. Yunae. May the One Above grant you peace.” Barnabas took a step back. “Live well.”
The words rang hollow. She was still being sent off with strangers, to a place meant to contain her. To them and all of Arkhaven, she was a blight to be removed.
And she still knew she was going to miss it all terribly.
A bitter smile showed itself on her face at the invisible border drawn between Barnabas and them.
“Blessings,” she murmured back. Her body moved before her mind caught up—following behind Brynn with steady strides.
Everything before her turned blurry, and she hastily blinked, desperate to rid the dewy tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
The dampness that stained her skin slipped unseen behind silver strands of hair as her head lowered.