Chapter 4 A Place Among Wolves

Camilla's Point of View

As I stared out my window at the glowing yellow eyes, I stopped moving. My hand was still on the knife. The wolf let out a low growl, and the moonlight made its teeth shine. A shadow of a person held a bow behind it, and the arrow on the bow pointed straight at me. It felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I dove just in time for the arrow to hit the glass and break it. The feathers were shaking as they hit the wall behind me.

I fell to the ground and crawled under the bed. Glass broke outside, and the wolf's growl got stronger. As the heavy boots got closer, I held my breath and gripped the knife tight. The lock worked even though the door shook. After that, there was silence. There was no growl or step. It is just the wind whistling through the broken window.

I waited with my ears hurting. Nothing. As I stood up, my hands were shaking as I crawled out. With its tip buried deep in the ground, the arrow stuck out of the wall. I pulled it free, running my fingers along the sharp point. I was not just Mira, someone knew. Someone told me to leave.

I put the table against the broken window and put the arrow under the bed. A wolf could not get through it, but it made me feel safer. The knife was in my lap as I sat on the bed, my eyes on the door. There was no way to sleep. Not after that.

It was grey and cold in the morning. I picked up the glass and put the pieces in my bag. I could not tell anyone what went on. Not yet. I had to figure out why and who was after me. While hiding the knife in my sleeve and pulling my cloak tight around me, I crept out of the room.

The village began to wake up. There was smoke coming from the chimneys, and people were carrying bread and firewood in baskets. My stomach was turning as I walked to the packhouse. Since yesterday, I was not sure I could face Lucien, who was going to be there. His sad eyes and the way he talked about the woman he lost-me-hurt my heart in ways I did not want.

The air inside the packhouse smelt like honey and warm oats. At the long tables, people ate breakfast. Elin waved at me from a bench while she ate something. Hi Mira! She tapped the spot next to her and said, "Sit here!"

I smiled and slid in next to her. I grabbed a bowl and said, "Morning." I looked all over quickly for Lucien. He was talking to Marta, the woman with grey hair, at the head table. He looked like he had not slept because his face was tight. Marta gave me a sharp look, and I looked down at the porridge I did not want to eat.

"Are you okay?" Elin asked with her head tilted back. "You look scared."

I forced a smile and said, "I am fine." "Just tired."

Even though she said yes, her big brown eyes did not believe me. She showed off her stuffed wolf. "Hi, this is Shadow." He keeps bad dreams away. Do you want to hold him?"

I grabbed the toy with a tight throat. I rubbed its soft fur and said, "Thanks." Like Elin had taken it with her everywhere, it smelt like lavender and dirt. I hurt in the chest because she was so kind. It made me think of the child I never got to have.

There was a lot of talking going on around Lucien when he stood up. He put his hands in his pockets and said, "Listen up." "We need to get to work." We need more firewood because winter is coming. "Hi Mira, you are new here, but you can help if you want to."

Everyone looked at me. My heart was racing as I nodded. I said, "I will help," and my voice was calmer than I felt. When I worked, I could keep an eye on the pack and figure out who might have sent that wolf and arrow last night.

A group of us with axes and ropes set off for the forest. Lucien led the way, and his boots crunched on the icy ground. As I stayed near the back, I watched every one. The tall guard, Torren, walked up and put his spear over his shoulder. Just a quick look at me, and his face was blank. I could not help but wonder if he was the shadow from last night.

It was foggy in the forest, and the trees were tall and dark. We stopped in a clearing with a lot of downed trees. He put us into groups and told me to work with Finn, a young man, and Lila, an older woman. Finn was not very big and had messy red hair. Lila had a nice smile and strong hands that made her swing her axe like it was not even there.

The sound of axes cuts reverberating as we cut wood. I kept my swings steady to hide how strong I was. Anything that brought me back made me stronger than I looked or should have been. I could not tell anyone, though. Not yet.

Finn talked about his dog and the fish he caught last week while we worked. Lila laughed and told him to pay attention. I kept quiet and watched and listened. Every sound of the trees rustling scared me, but no wolves showed up.

Lucien came over and looked at our pile of wood. He looked at me for a while and said, "Good work." I told Mira, "You are strong."

I shook my head and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I kept my voice light and said, "I have cut wood before." He kept looking at me as if he were trying to figure out who I was. I stepped back and swung my axe harder, hoping he would go away.

He wasn't. He got an axe and joined us. His swings were strong and smooth. I felt my heart jump every time his axe hit the ground. I thought of him this way: strong and sure, the Alpha I loved. Now, though, his face looked different. It was tired like he was fighting a battle inside.

He did not look at me and said, "You do not talk much."

I replied, "Do not have much to say," and cut another log. Being so close to him made my hands shake, not from the work. I hated how much I wanted to ask him about his pain and why he came to my grave.

He nodded and put down his axe. "All right. I am here if you need to talk, though. He said it in a soft voice, like he meant it. I wanted to believe him, but the flames in my mind were too bright.

We worked until the sun went up, and the stack of wood got taller. Even though my arms hurt, I kept going because I needed to keep busy. Finn and Lila stopped for a while and shared water while sitting on a log. I stood there and looked at the trees. I had the feeling that someone was looking at me again.

Lucien saw it. He asked as he wiped his hands on his trousers, "Are you okay?"

I lied and looked off into the forest as I said, "Yeah." "I believed I heard something."

That is where he frowned and looked at me. He picked up his axe and walked towards the trees, telling them to "stay here." My heart beat fast. I thought about following him to make sure he was not in any danger, but I stayed where I was and kept my hand on my hidden knife.

After a minute, he came back and shook his head. He said, "Nothing," but his eyes were wide like he did not believe it. "Let us go back."

We took the wood to the village. I had a lot of logs in my arms. Elin jumped up and helped me stack them by the packhouse. She smiled and said, "You are strong!" "Like a wolf!"

I laughed, but it was not real. I messed up her hair and said, "Maybe." While I stood there and watched the village get ready for the night, she ran off to chase a friend. It was colder outside now, and there was more fog.

As we ate dinner together again, Elin's talk filled the room. Lucien talked to Marta and Torren at the head table. I tried to read their faces as I watched them. I kept seeing Marta's eyes on me, and I started to think that maybe she was the one who sent the wolf. As in Torren. Or someone else.

When I got back to my room after dinner, the broken window was now blocking it with a board. The arrow was still under the bed, and its sharp tip was shining. As my mind raced, I hid it in my bag. Asking questions could get me in trouble, but I needed to know the answers.

The knife was under my pillow, and I looked at the door as I lay down. It was quiet in the packhouse, but I could not calm down. I jumped at every sound. When I closed my eyes to sleep, I heard a soft thud outside. I opened my eyes. Through a crack in the boarded-up window, I crept up on it.

As it stood in the fog, a tall, cloaked figure held something small and shiny. The moment they lifted it, my heart stopped. I saw that it was my necklace, the one Lucien gave me years ago and has a small wolf charm on it. They put it on the ground, then disappeared into the fog, leaving it to shine in the mud.