Chapter 279
Chapter 279
28 Finn
Quietly, he moves toward the narrow opening and slips inside. I catch the faint murmur of voices but resist the urge to eavesdrop. If this girl is younger than Gabriel, she must be just a child, and I have no clue what’s going on in her mind. Throughout our journey, aside from my friends, we rarely encountered pups. I always assumed that situations like Sammy’s and mine were anomalies. But now, seeing these kids, I can’t help but wonder if the reason we didn’t meet more was that many didn’t survive long enough to receive help.
A soft squeak behind me draws my attention. Gabriel settles beside me, and when I glance his way, he just shrugs. That must mean it’s my turn. I cautiously glance toward the opening, and my breath catches in my throat. There, curled up in a tight ball near the entrance, is a tiny figure staring directly back at me. Her posture screams fear, but her eyes tell a different tale—those piercing green eyes are sharp, fierce, almost challenging me to come closer and see what she might do.
I stay grounded and lift my hand in a gentle wave. “Hi,” I say softly. “I’m Finn. My friends Seth and Samuel went off to help Landon and Peyton gather firewood and food. I’m just hanging out with Gabriel. Would you like to join us p>
She tilts her head, scrutinizing me. “Are you a good guy or a bad guy? Because we had to hide from some bad guys.” Her voice is so sure, so confident for someone so small. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ
“Well, we’re here to help you. That makes us good guys, doesn’t it p>
“Yeah, but the bad guys said they’d help too.” She pulls her knees tighter against her chest.
“They did!” Gabriel pipes up. I shoot him a look without turning away from Trinity. “They said they knew people who wanted kids, and since we were hungry and lost, Landon said we could go with them p>
“But then I overheard them talking about selling us. They didn’t really want to help, so we ran away in the middle of the night. Trin’s scared they’ll come after us.” Landon emerges from the woods, carrying a bundle of branches.
“That explains why she’s so nervous around us,” Seth says, following Landon to the fire pit.
“Well, we’re not here to sell you. That’s for sure. Alpha Ryker and Luna Kennedy asked us to check on you and see if you need a place to stay for a while.” I meet the gaze of all three kids.
“Yeah, but the last guys said they wanted to help too. How do we know we can trust you p>
“You don’t know. But you can trust your instincts.” I fix my attention on Landon, the leader of this small pack-they’ll follow his lead. “I lost my pack when I was six, and I had to learn to listen to that little voice inside my head.” I tap my temple. “Some people are good, some are bad, but it’s not always easy to tell by how they look or what they say, right?” Landon nods slowly. “I learned that if someone gives me a bad feeling, I should just walk away. That’s how I found Alpha Ryker and Luna Kennedy’s pack. I helped Luna out, and they told me I could stay if I wanted to p>
“Just like that? And you trust them?” Landon straightens up, standing tall. This is the moment he challenges me.
“Our story is longer than that, but we’re learning to trust each other. They’re good leaders and take care of their pack members. They even look after non-pack members like me. I have a home, food, and a job working with their warriors now p>
“Will you take us to them? To your Alpha and Luna p>
“Of course. But first, we need to eat—I’m starving. I think Peyton and Samuel are coming back p>
Seth and Landon start a fire while I show Gabriel how to pick the best sticks for roasting meat. We settle into easy, quiet conversation, and Trinity watches us, studying the scene carefully.
“Landon! Look at this deer! It was so cool!” Peyton bursts into our clearing, excitement bright in her voice. “Samuel showed me how to track one, and when we caught up, he shifted quickly and caught it in like two seconds p>
I glance at Samuel, who wears a proud, almost fatherly smile. “It wasn’t two
seconds, but she did a great job helping me track it. You’re a natural, Peyton. Does anyone have a knife?” They all shake their heads ‘no.’ “Seth, can you help me out then p>
“What are you going to do?” Gabriel asks, looking nervous.
“Well, we can’t cook it whole. We have to break it into smaller pieces, or we won’t be able to eat for days.” Samuel makes a face, and Gabriel giggles. “We can shift, and our wolves’ claws can do the job, but it gets really messy. So I need Seth and his wolf to help. Can you guys get some water ready? We’ll have to clean the meat too p>
“Yeah! Let’s go, Landon!” Gabriel shouts eagerly.
“We only have a couple of bottles for water,” Landon says doubtfully.
“That’s okay. We’ll use what we have. We didn’t bring supplies to camp because we weren’t sure what you’d need or if you’d even let us help when we arrived. We’ll make do.” Samuel’s calm confidence seems to win Landon over. We haven’t tried to separate them or force anything—they’re comfortable here, and we’re showing them how to survive, whether they come with us or not.
A featherlight touch on my hand startles me, and I almost jump. Looking down, I see Trinity’s tiny fingers wrapped around mine. She looks up, her emerald eyes shining brightly. “I want to help,” she whispers.
Thank you so much for reading. All constructive comments and gems are appreciated. I can’t interact here, but if you’d like to join the conversation, you can find me on socials: Miss. L. Writes.