Selene pulled her worn coat tighter as cold wind whistled through the ancient trees of Ashenwood Forest. Her home wasn't much just a small cottage hidden between three giant oak trees whose twisted branches hid it from anyone flying overhead. Just how she liked it.
"Almost invisible," she whispered to herself, running her fingers through her odd crimson-black hair. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear and checked that her hood was secure before going outside.
The morning air smelled fresh after last night's rain. Selene moved quietly through the forest, her footsteps barely making a sound on the damp leaves. Years of hiding had taught her to move like a ghost.
"Good morning, friends," she called softly to the birds that chirped above her. They were her alarm system if people came near, the birds would go quiet. Selene gathered flowers from her secret garden, humming softly.
Her silver eyes with tiny red flecks scanned the trees, always alert. Twenty-two years of running had taught her never to rest. A weak cry caught her attention. Selene froze, listening carefully. There it was again a small, pained sound coming from behind a fallen log.
"Hello?" she called softly, approaching with caution. Behind the log lay a small fox kit, its leg caught in a cruel metal trap. Blood matted its orange fur, and its eyes were wide with fear.
"Oh no, poor thing," Selene whispered, her heart breaking. "Don't worry, I'll help you." The fox tried to snap at her fingers as she neared, but was too weak to fight. "I know, I know. Everyone's afraid of strangers,"
Selene said, her voice soft. "But I'm not going to hurt you." She knelt beside the hurt animal. With skilled hands, she gently released the trap's spring mechanism. The fox whimpered as the metal jaws opened.
"You're free now," Selene whispered, gently lifting the trembling creature. "Let's fix that leg." Back at her house, Selene cleaned the wound and wrapped the fox's leg in healing herbs and bandages.
"There you go. You'll be running through the forest theagain soon." The fox looked at her with interested eyes, no longer afraid.
"I know what it's like to be hunted," Selene told the fox as she gave it small bits of dried meat. "To have nowhere safe to go."
She glanced at the small mirror on her wall only luxury she gave herself. Her unusual coloring always gave her away: hair like midnight mixed with blood, skin so pale it seemed to catch moonlight even during day, and those strange silver-red eyes. "Ruby Wolf," she whispered to her image, the name of her nearly extinct bloodline.
A name that had gotten her family killed. The fox kit curled up in a basket by the fire as Selene made a simple stew. Suddenly, the cottage fell eerily silent.
The birds outside had stopped singing. Selene's body tensed. Someone was coming. Moving quickly, she quenched the fire, grabbed her small emergency pack, and peeked through a tiny gap in the window shutters. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she spotted themfive men in black clothes moving through the trees, weapons glinting at their sides. They weren't random shooters. Their actions were too coordinated, too purposeful.
"Syndicate," she breathed, her worst fear verified. The fox kit stirred in its basket, sensing her fear. "Shh," Selene whispered, gently rubbing its head. "They're looking for me. They always are." One guy, taller than the others with a jagged scar across his face, held up his hand, signaling the others to stop. He knelt, studying the ground where Selene had walked earlier that morning.
"The target passed through here recently," his deep voice carried to her window. "Spread out. The Ruby Wolf can't be far." Selene's mouth went dry. How had they found her? She'd been so careful, hiding her tracks, avoiding towns, never staying in one place too long.
Yet here they were, barely fifty feet from her door. The fox whimpered softly. Selene scooped the small creature into her arms and slipped to the back of the cottage where a trapdoor was hidden beneath a worn blanket. "We need to hide," she whispered to the fox.
"These guys want to hurt me. They've been hunting me since I was a little girl." She didn't understand why. She had never hurt anyone. All she knew was that when she was seven, guys like these had attacked her family's home. Her parents had hidden her in a secret room, telling her to run and never look back.
That night, they had died, and Selene had been running ever since. The hidden door opened silently to show a small underground space just big enough for one person. Selene had dug it herself when she first found the abandoned house three months ago.
Always have an exit routethat was her first rule. The fox snuggled against her chest as she carefully lowered herself into the hiding spot.
Above, heavy footsteps crunched on the leaves outside her hut. "Check that structure," ordered the scarred man. Selene held her breath as the cottage door crashed open. Boots stomped across the wooden floor above her head. She could see dust falling through the cracks as the guys ransacked her home. "Someone's been here," a voice said.
"The ashes in the fireplace are still warm." "And look at this medicinal flowers, fresh food. Someone's living here." The fox shook against Selene's chest. She touched its fur gently, her own heart racing.
"Sir, there's blood here. And animal hair." "The Ruby Wolf can heal," the boss said. "She might have helped a hurt animal. Tear this place apart." Selene closed her eyes, willing herself to stay calm. The small space suddenly felt even smaller as fear threatened to overwhelm her.
"Why won't they leave me alone?" she thought desperately. Furniture crashed above her. They were destroying everything, looking for any sign to her whereabouts. She clutched the fox tightly, its warm body a small comfort in the darkness. After what felt like hours, the noises stopped. "She's gone," the leader growled.
"But she was here. Post two men to watch the cottage. She might return." "Yes, Commander Vex." Selene's blood turned to ice. Commander Vex was the Syndicate's most vicious hunter. If he was leading the search, they would never stop looking. Footsteps moved away from the cottage, but Selene didn't dare move. Two men remained, and she could hear them placing themselves outside. The fox kit squirmed in her arms, wanting to be free.
"Soon," she promised in a whisper. "We'll leave when it's safe." Night fell, and moonlight seeped through the cracks above. Selene felt a strange tingling feeling spread through her bodyit always happened when the moon rose. Something about her bloodline linking to the moon's power, though she'd never understood how it worked. Her mother had died before teaching her.
In the darkness, Selene's eyes began to glow slightly, casting tiny red reflections on the dirt walls around her. Another dangerous trait of the Ruby Wolves that made hiding so difficult. "I need to leave this place," she whispered to the fox.
"Find somewhere new. Again." As she changed position, her hand brushed against something carved into the dirt wall. Curious, she traced the marks with her fingers. They were words, etched by someone who had hidden here before her: The Alpha seeks the Ruby.
The curse will bind your fates. Selene froze, her heart skipping a beat.
How could someone know about her?
About her bloodline? Outside, one of the guards shouted, "Did you see that? A light from deep!" Heavy footsteps rushed toward the home.
The fox kit whimpered as Selene's glowing eyes widened in fear. They had seen her eyes shining through the cracks.
They knew exactly where she was hiding. And she was stuck.