Solum

Chapter VII

The next week was uneventful, much to Aria's dismay. She wasn't sure what pack life would bring but thought there had to be more to it than what she'd experienced.

As she lounged around in the bedroom of her new cabin, she began to wonder maybe it was her apprehension towards the pack that brought on her outlook. The only slightest bit of interaction she'd done with the pack was when it was time to eat. During meal times the whole pack would gather in a huge wood style cabin that Aria came to know as the canteen.

Three times a day a loud bell would sound throughout the compound, signaling to everyone that it was time to eat. But even then, Aria much preferred to keep to herself. Each time, she had decided to ignore the multiple conversations going on around her, which only left room in her mind for her own worry some thoughts of both Caleb and Reagan.

Her room was quiet, much like the cell she'd been used to; but out there, only chatter filled the air. It was also big and warm, something she wasn't fond of. The room was bare and made of wood in its entirety. From the wall panels to the floors and dressers, a rustic red cedar adorned it.

Only her bed had managed to escape the invasion of wooden furniture. It was a small mattress tucked away into an iron frame and covered with quilted fabrics.

A little window, hidden away by thin curtains was her only connection to the outside world. From sun up to sun down, she watched the daily outings of the pack members. One elderly man at the marketplace near her cabin never failed to scream at passersby, urging them to visit his stand.

Aria would laugh each time he'd hold up a product he'd crafted, and talk animatedly towards a customer who would send an apologetic smile and hurry on their way. 

One girl in particular, intrigued her. A small, mischievous thing she was. Evening brought with it a brisk wind in the air, as well as, a thief in the night. In this instance, said thief was the young girl who'd managed to fool every merchant in the land. Armed only with her toothy grin, rosy cheeks and doe-like blue eyes.

After she'd successfully entranced her victim, one hand was used as a distraction, while the other -well, let's just say, she'd leave with her pockets full and an added skip in her step. Today it seemed, they had finally caught on.

Aria watched as the girl made her second theft attempt for that day. The fruit stand across had already been struck by the juvenile crook and so, she set her sights on the elderly man from before.

"Excuse me, mister," she spoke. Every word dripped with faux innocence. With a bat of her eyes, she turned on the charm, "I think you dropped this." She handed him a necklace from his stand that she, herself, had in fact dropped. A smile later and her hand was already reaching for a handful of jewelry displayed on the stand. 

Giving him little time to react, the little girl took off. A cheeky smile graced her face as her little feet ran as fast as she could. She carefully weaved through the crowd, having managed to escape the elderly man that was now chasing her.

Aria chuckled, what a cunning little thing she was. The way the girl eluded capture reminded her of Gage and that sly hare. Him with all his big talk and arrogant attitude could barely keep up with an animal as small as that. Speaking of Gage, Aria  hadn't seen much of him the past few days or even bothered to learn of his whereabouts. Either way, she knew she was better off. His attitude was much too draining to deal with and she had much more important things to worry about. 

Her days were spent mapping, planning out a way to break into the same place she had just broken out of. Reagan was her main concern but she wondered what had become of Caleb. Was he alive? Had his pack found out about his part in the escape? The haunting thoughts caused a knot to form in her stomach and she tried her best to keep them out. 

Even with all her planning, the best plan she could come up with was charging into the place and somehow breaking Reagan out of his cell, all while managing to elude capture from mystical beings with heightened abilities. If she could even call that a plan, more like wishful thinking on her part. 

Aria balled her fists in anger and screamed into the pillow she'd previously been resting her head upon. The guard, Kieran, had been stationed right outside her cabin. General Andros' doing of course. The man was as cautious as ever and had ordered round the clock surveillance of both her and Gage, much to Celene's disapproval. So Aria made sure to keep any sounds that would warrant any further encounters from the intimidating general to a minimum.

She closed her eyes, allowing her anger to dissipate. Instead a tranquil calm appeased her as memories of Reagan flooded into her mind. Her moment of peace barely lasted a minute as the dinner bell rung out and her stomach grumbled in accordance. She had gotten used to eating three times a day instead of the twice a day meals she was accustomed to. Now as if almost on cue her stomach would growl each time the bell rung out. 

So Aria rummaged through the small dresser in her cabin, pulling out a plain white shirt and some jeans. Just one of the few clothing Celene had provided upon arrival. Quickly changing into them, she opened the door to the small cabin.

Kieran stood on the porch waiting for her as he always did. His red hair sat tousled upon his head, a style which he always kept. A nervous smile swept across his face as he looked up at Aria then down at his feet. Aria gave a small smile hoping to ease any anxiety he felt.

It always amazed Aria how Kieran's outside appearance didn't quite seem to match his inward personality. With his broad shoulders and muscular appearance, Kieran could scare off any opponent with so much as a glance. His face was always rigid, green eyes held a stone cold look, much like Gage's. Freckles lightly dusted his nose, bringing a sort of softness to his hard features and shone light on his youth. 

"Hey," Aria greeted. Kieran looked up, giving a small smile that matched her own.

"Ready to go?" He shuffled, tossing his hands into his pockets and making his way down the cabin steps. Aria simply nodded and followed in suit. She enjoyed their little walks down to the canteen. She would try her best to make conversation, even though Kieran gave little to no responses. Aria knew better than to be offended by it. She had learned that his distant behavior was purely due to his shy demeanor and not by any discontent he had for her. He was simply a man of little words. Though she didn't mind, his mere company had been enough for her.

From what she'd gathered through their small talks, pack six was quite small compared to most. There were only about two hundred or so members, unlike the five hundred that Raegan had told her about each pack. According to Kieran, they had come under attack in the past, which accounted for their dwindling numbers. As a result, general Andros wasn't too keen on visitors. Even Kieran himself was surprised that the two had been allowed sanctuary. Her cabin had previously belonged to a small family which Aria deduced had been killed in the attack. She partly felt guilty that someone else's misfortune had been the reason she now had a place to call home.

The two stopped once they reached the familiar doors of the canteen. "Ladies first," Kieran grinned, showing off his manners as he held the door open. Quietly thanking him, Aria ushered into the bustling cafeteria and was instantly met with conversations from all sides. Inside the cabin held seven long wooden tables, each one able to hold atleast fifty people. Pack members  of all ages sat talking and laughing amongst themselves as they filled their bellies with food. A large intricate design that was the vaulted ceilings, made the room seem even bigger than it was.The aroma of food appealed to their taste buds and gave the building a homey feel. They took their place among the line of people patiently waiting for their turn to be served. 

Aria looked at the food in front of her. She took a bite and then another, relishing at the burst of flavor that exploded in her mouth. A part of her felt guilty as she thought of the subpar food that Reagan was probably eating at the moment. Her stomach turned and she pushed the tray of food away. Her appetite had diminished along with any ounce of joy she had.

"Don't like the food?" Kieran asked. He'd been sneaking glances at her from across the table which didn't go unnoticed by Aria. He was concerned, although his face didn't show it.

"No, its not that...I guess I'm just not as hungry as I thought I was," Aria waved it off. She didn't want to bother him with her own troubles. 

"Do you know where Celene is?" Aria questioned. The last time she'd seen the kind matriarch was a couple of days ago in the canteen. She'd gone to her when she was alone with the hopes that she could help her save Reagan. Before she could even get a word out, the general was at her side. His looming presence had been enough to make her reconsider. So she had muttered a quick "never mind" to Celene before scurrying off. 

Now Aria was determined to speak to her again. Atleast this time she would make sure that the general wasn't anywhere around when she did. 

Kieran looked around. "She's around here somewhere," he shrugged. Aria glanced around the room in search of the general. If she at least found him then Celene would undoubtedly be somewhere close by.  Who she found wasn't exactly who she'd been expecting.

To her right and two tables in front of her sat Gage. As per usual, he had a fixated scowl on his face and had been watching her closely. Aria folded her arms and glared at him, which in turn made him smirk. This only enraged her even further. She gripped the edge of the table in an attempt to keep herself from doing anything rash. She hated him! She hated the air of smugness he carried himself in and detested the fact that he had made it out and not Reagan.

By now her knuckles had turned white from her tight grip. Even just the sight of him was enough to send her blood boiling. Noticing his effect on her, Gage's smirk deepened and he sent a wink her way. He enjoyed rousing her up, her reactions only fueled him even more. 

Aria had enough, she shot up from her seat having half a mind to punch the egotistical bastard square in his face. Instead she stormed out of the building, leaving a confused Kieran in her wake.

Kieran looked down at the seat that Aria had just occupied.  The section of the table where Aria was had been scorched black, pieces of its wood were slowly chipping off. To say he was bewildered would be an understatement. Aria's sudden exit hadn't been enough to stir everyone else in the room from their conversations, except for the people sitting at their table. They too looked down at Aria's seat in confusion  

Kieran stood from his seat, deciding to go after her. The least he could do was make sure she was alright. Besides, the general would have his head for letting her out of his sight. So he apologized to the pack members at the table for Aria's sudden outburst and followed after her. 

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So sorry I haven't update this book in so long. I just wasn't feeling  confident in this book and myself as a writer. But I've decided to come back and give writing another go and actually finish this book. I've had to come up with new ideas for the book as I completely forgot the direction I wanted it to go in when I first started writing it. I'll try and upload on a schedule if I can as always leave a like and comment what you think about the characters and the plot so far!