noun ~ a communication or statement conveyed from one person or group to another

CHARLIE

With no interaction in the outside world, I wasn't sure what day of the year we were on. It was cold still, and the hours and days blurred into one giant time ball. Dark was day and day was night, and it was just how we moved. We napped when it was convenient and safe to, and ate whenever something decent enough passed us by.

Calida grew less hostile as the moon passed us by, to the point I could even share food with her. I didn't take it for granted; not after knowing how fast she turned the last time. Thankfully, in the days since we left my family home, she didn't start any fights. We seemed to move across no-man's-land; not getting warmer or colder.

There were a few times I had no choice but to take part in because rogues were rogues, and even the odd fang appeared out of nowhere. Those were worse, because those could talk. So far, they were a load of loose fangs with no coven, but they would sneer and jab as they tried to distract us.

They didn't want our blood. They just wanted a fight. I had no doubt they heard about Calida's beast; Gaia said that Phoenix heard about what happened in her old pack. I assumed it wasn't just quiet news now.

People had to know that there was a feral rogue wolf going around pack borders. She's killed so many; it was only a matter of days before the numbers reached triple digits.

I tried to keep track of where we were based on my knowledge of where I grew up. We weren't going in any specific direction anymore, and I wondered what our purpose was becoming. Calida's wolf clearly had a vendetta to begin with; she killed half of her old pack. Her wolf meant business, and now that business was finished with...

Would she come back to me?

I had hope.

It was all I had anymore.

As hunger and tiredness ate at my bones, I found myself growing paranoid. Every crack, every twitch in the trees had me on edge for another fight. I was prepared, as much as I resented having one.

So, when the slightest of ruffles came from behind me as I slept, I was waking up, ready for it. I remained still, glancing at Calida's sleeping form beside me. She was about five feet away, her head rested on her paws as her chest rose and fell with slumber.

My ears angled backward, listening to the sound of the lightest footsteps. There was no scent down-wind, but I picked up the faintest tinge of blood. This person was not human, because there was no heartbeat.

I braced myself, and when they grew close enough that I could get a good look at them, I growled lowly. Their footsteps faltered, and my ears twitched as they smoothed their hands down the side of their clothes.

"Now, now. Is that anyway to treat a passer-by?" The male voice taunted.

I slowly rose to my paws and turned to stare at them. I kept my rear toward Calida, as much as I feared she may bite it herself, and bared my teeth.

This male was interesting. Besides being dressed in a suit jacket and trousers, his shirt was white and unbuttoned. But it was the specks of blood that littered the collar and his jaw that caught my attention. As he regarded me with bright blue eyes, he slicked back his shaggy brown hair behind his ears.

"Do I not deserve a conversation with the man beneath the fur?" He cocked his head, rubbing his hands together.

I growled, shaking my head with a huff. He smirked, shrugging playfully considering a wolf was growling at him.

Odd.

I heard Calida stir, but kept my eyes on the man before me even as she rose to her feet. A warning snarl came from her mouth, but the man intrigued me, so I barked at her to wait.

Surprisingly, she did.

"Interesting." The man mused. "So, you must be who I am looking for."

I cocked my head, regarding him cautiously.

"I come unarmed." He raised his hands. "I wish to speak with you."

I didn't know who he was. Why should I trust him? He had blood on his shirt.

I made a pointed effort to glance at his shirt before meeting his gaze again. He stuttered a laugh, rubbing the fabric between his fingers.

"Ah, yes. Well, this is no-man's-land. What did you expect from me?" He chuckled. "Rogues can be very interesting creatures, and it has taken me an entire day to find you."

Only a day?

That was impressive.

I regarded him once more, noticing his slight quirks, before giving into my inquisition. With a pained inhale of air, I shifted to my human skin. My bones creaked and cracked, my muscles aching as I turned from a wolf to human.

Gods, it's been some time.

I chewed down the bile that wanted to leave my stomach, eager to keep the wolfish meal down from this morning. My muscles burned and my knees threatened to give out, but I pushed through until I was steady and seeing straight.

The man studied me, raising an eyebrow with barely concealed interest. "I see you have accepted my invitation for a conversation."

"Who are you?" I rasped before clearing my throat.

Damn, my human body needs a little TLC.

He smirked. "Jefferson. Daniel, Jefferson."

I ignored his outstretched hand, fully aware of the wolf breathing hot air down my bare ass. I was buck-naked and wasn't exactly a fan of it compared to this fancily dressed man.

"And who is that?" I cocked my head.

He glanced at Calida, who growled at him. I raised my hand her way, hoping I still had all five fingers intact by the end.

"I have been sent to find you."

"You found us pretty quickly." I hummed. "Who sent you?"

"Would you not rather know why I am here?"

"No, I want to know who sent you."

Once I knew who, then I could determine if this man should live or die.

"Odd way around it." He stated.

I took a step forward and he tensed. "Look, you tell me who sent you or I will not listen."

He observed me from the corner of his eye, smirking. "I must say, I am surprised you still have a human form. When I was told you were rogue, I expected more...of that."

Calida growled when he gestured to her.

"Stop avoiding the topic."

"Fine." He sighed. "Fine. Aldren sent me."

I paused, staring at him with narrowed eyes. My mind ran with a million thoughts, wondering what the fuck he was talking about.

"Come again?"

"Aldren?" He cocked his head. "Cyrus?"

"I know who that is." I snapped, taking a step away from him. "How do you know the Cyrus family?"

"They hired me." He mused.

So, he's a hired killer or investigator. Either way, I wasn't sure I should trust him.

"Why did he send you?" I asked.

What could he possibly want with me?

"He wanted me to give you a message." Daniel shrugged. "But also, to report back to him on how you were."

I shook my head, disbelieving it.

Why would Aldren send someone after me? Phoenix, Nova; sure. But Aldren?

I frowned, turning away. "I am well. Goodbye."

Daniel stumbled forward, a sudden desperation for me not to leave.

"Wait, do you not want to hear the message?" He stuttered.

I snarled, my hand shifting to claws, my toes digging into the earth. Daniel's façade finally slipped, and he swallowed audibly as my right arm grew close to grabbing him by the throat.

"Don't push me, warlock."

His jaw flexed; his eyes were wide in surprise. "I apologise."

"Tell me what you need to and then be gone."

"What I am about to show you is word for word. I am not to trail from what I have been told, otherwise I would disrupt the deal." He explained.

"Okay." I nodded.

Warlocks, much like witches, were keen to make deals as long as there was something good in it for them. I still didn't trust that this man hunted me down for Aldren. The Cyrus' barely knew me. I was just the beta.

Daniel cleared his throat, looking down at the ground in deep concentration. He raised a hand, and I tensed, waiting for a sudden movement. Instead of him lashing out, a sudden blurring buzz appeared before me. Within seconds, the blue hue transformed into something more translucent, and before I knew it, I was staring at Aldren's face.

Magic.

I shuddered, staring at the orange-haired man with narrowed eyes.

"Charlie." His figure buzzed. "I have seen something. Something bad."

My frown deepened, and I watched as the blurred image rippled and distorted with every mouth movement.

"There is blood, and war coming." Aldren hurried. "The sun will fall, and the moon cannot handle the darkness."

My heart raced in my chest as Aldren looked around, and I assumed that this pre-recorded message was sent at a risk.

"Hope will fade." He hurried. "Something sinister hangs in the balance of everything. When the snow fades, the grass will struggle to come back."

Hope? Grass? Snow?

"What does he mean?"

"He is just a projection of a message." Daniel stated. "It is not-

"What I mean to say-" Aldren interrupted, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow with amusement.

Oracles.

Weird.

I still remember when Nova magically disappeared. I thought she was gonna drop out of the sky like a video game.

"Is that family is everything, Charlie." Aldren added. "Don't get blindsided. There are bigger threats out there."

Was he implying that Calida was a threat? She wasn't. She was my mate.

"One's that mean more damage, ones with reason." Aldren concluded, and then the image disappeared. "We need hope."

Daniel dropped his hand, letting it hang by his side. "That's it."

My forehead creased with thought as I contemplated what he meant. Aldren, much like Gaia, seemed to be very ominous with their tales. He supported Nova for weeks, trying to get her to hone her oracle skills, so I knew he was talented.

"Does it make sense to you?" Daniel cocked his head.

Still not trusting him, I shrugged, downplaying the number of thoughts running through my mind.

"Is that all you are here for?"

"Yes." He nodded.

Without dwelling on it further, I nodded back and shifted into my wolf. The moment I did, Calida was lunging for the warlock, her teeth bared. His eyes widened before he disappeared with a shimming scatter of dust. I huffed, staring at the place he once stood.

I hate magic.

Shaking my shoulders, I stretched out my sore body and barked at Calida. She was growling, her nose to the ground. At my sound, her ears twitched, and she slowly raised her head to stare at me. Her tail flicked to the side, studying me.

It still surprised me she was so... placid around the warlock. If this was a month ago, she would be on him without a second thought. It gave me hope, because a sense of understanding was something rogues or wild wolves didn't tend to have.

I was optimistically hopeful.

Hopeful.

Hope.

My mind wandered as Calida led me on yet another trail through the woods.

Did he mean actual hope?

No, it was a riddle... a metaphor.

Sun and moon, family, grass, hope...

He meant back home.

Someone was threatening my home, or was trying to. When the snow fades... That was usually near the mid-end of winter. What day even was it?

We needed to go somewhere where I could figure out where we were. I should've probably asked Daniel, but I didn't want to fraternise with something like that. As bad as it sounds, witches ruined everything.

Even Gaia wasn't always a good guy...lady. Good woman?

Ugh.

How else was I supposed to figure this out?

What did Aldren mean?

Who would threaten my pack? Other than the ones that already have. But Phoenix subsidised plans for them and kept them quiet. Surely giving them more aids or appeasing their worries was enough?

I suppose not in a world of wild animals.

I felt no critical judgement. My mind was solid on my current path. Besides, there was plenty of time before the snow fell. Phoenix would surely figure it out, or Nova would.

Then again, she was pregnant, and her visions were scarce when a baby took over her brain.

Would she see any danger?

Wait, better yet, why was Aldren telling me?

I was beta, sure, but Phoenix was stronger than I was. Even Sean and Leo were. My mind was too distracted. I was too focused on my mate to even think about engaging with an enemy. Calida was in some kind of no-man's-land cleanse.

I was just the beta. I could track scents for miles, work out a computer and make a list of financial records. So why did Aldren come to me? Did he not realise I had no contact with Phoenix in months? That Nova and I haven't spoken since the day I left?

Sure, I saw my pack in my dreams, but that wasn't reality.

This was.

And for now, my focus was on getting my mate back.

Phoenix had this; I was certain of it. Aldren just needed to improve his judgement.

I had hope.

******

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