Aurora

Sleep never came easily when my mind was this restless. Even after ensuring Roa'nen was stable, my thoughts kept circling back to the scent I had picked up at my house. Someone had been there, and they had been watching me. The question was—who?

I sat outside the cabin, listening to the quiet symphony of the forest, my senses on high alert. Ryan had gone back to town, promising to keep an ear out for any human chatter about the crash. The last thing we needed was for the wrong people to start asking questions.

A rustling sound caught my attention. My muscles tensed as I turned, my eyes flashing silver in the darkness. A shadow moved between the trees, too large to be a small animal, too careful to be human. A familiar scent hit me—wolf.

I rose to my feet, keeping my movements slow and measured. "I know you're there."

A moment of silence, then a figure stepped forward. Dark fur melted away to reveal a man with piercing amber eyes.

"Talon?" My stomach clenched. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Talon, my brother's closest friend, regarded me with an expression that was half amusement, half warning. "I could ask you the same thing. Word is, you picked up something... interesting."

My heart pounded. "You mean the crash?"

His gaze flickered toward the cabin. "You really have no idea what you've stumbled into, do you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Enlighten me."

Talon sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Your new friend? He's not just some lost alien. There are people looking for him, Aurora—dangerous people. If you're smart, you'll walk away now before you get dragged into something you can't handle."

I folded my arms. "That's not happening."

His jaw clenched. "Then at least be careful. You don't know who else is watching."

With that, he shifted and disappeared into the trees. My pulse thrummed in my ears. Talon's sudden appearance confirmed what I already suspected—this was far from over.

The forest felt different now, the weight of his warning pressing down on me. I turned back to the cabin, my thoughts racing. If Talon had found me, others would, too. I needed answers, and fast.

I slipped back inside, locking the door behind me. Roa'nen stirred, his glowing violet eyes meeting mine. He was awake. His gaze was questioning, but I realized he wouldn't have understood anything Talon had said.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Talon. Friend? Enemy?" I pointed to the door where Talon had disappeared.

Roa'nen watched me carefully, his brows furrowing. He said something in his own language, the sounds deep and rhythmic, but they meant nothing to me.

I exhaled in frustration. Communication was going to be a problem.

Roa'nen

Pain greeted me the moment I stirred, but it was no longer the mind-numbing agony from earlier. Aurora had done a decent job patching me up, though the wound still ached.

I sat up slowly, my surroundings coming into focus. The small cabin was crude but functional, the air thick with the scent of wood and damp earth. My team sat nearby, their eyes sharp despite their exhaustion.

Korath was the first to speak in our native tongue. "We need a plan. We can't stay here long."

Valkir nodded. "If they tracked us this far, they'll be coming soon."

I exhaled, already knowing the truth in their words. "We need to find out how much the humans know. And we need to secure transport off this planet."

Kaelen frowned. "And what about the woman?"

Aurora.

I thought of her fierce silver eyes, the way she had stepped up without hesitation, unafraid. She was a warrior in her own right. And she had made a choice to help us.

"She stays," I said firmly. "She may be our only ally here."

Korath looked unconvinced, but he said nothing. The others exchanged glances, then nodded. We had little choice.

Aurora entered, her movements purposeful. She pointed at me and my men, then mimicked running. "Move. Hide. Now."

I hesitated. Leaving meant abandoning any possible way to repair our ship. But staying... staying meant capture.

She exhaled sharply, then grabbed my wrist and tugged. "Go. Danger." She pointed at the sky, then held up two fingers, making a circular motion. "Vre'kan."

Valkir inhaled sharply, understanding dawning in his eyes. "She knows."

I turned to Aurora, seeing the determination in her eyes. "Vre'kan. Enemy?" I asked, testing my limited grasp of her language.

Her jaw tightened, but she nodded. "Yes."

There was no more time to argue.

Aurora

Ryan burst through the door, breathless. "They're coming. A group of them. At least three cars heading this way. We need to go now."

Roa'nen's men stood immediately, instincts kicking in. Even though they didn't understand Ryan's words, they knew what an urgent tone meant.

"Follow," I commanded, motioning for them to move.

Roa'nen caught my hand as we passed. "You... help. Why?"

I paused just long enough to meet his gaze. "Because you're not the enemy."

Something flickered in his expression, but there was no time to dwell on it. We ran into the woods, the distant hum of approaching engines sending adrenaline racing through my veins.

The hunt had begun.