###Chapter Six : A Hazard Truth

I winced when Ronan brought a damp cloth to my ribs.

"Hold still," he muttered.

"That's easy for you to say," I grumbled, swallowing back a hiss of agony.

We were back in the cabin. The only background music came from the crackling of the fire casting flickering light over the wooden walls. My shirt was lifted just far enough for Ronan to cleanse the claw marks on my side. His touch was careful; it still stung like hell.

"I'm a lucky guy," he said, paying little attention to me. "If that wolf had gone any deeper, you'd be dead."

"Great pep talk," I muttered.

Ronan smirked. "Just saying."

I let out my breath, ignoring how his fingers grazed my skin. "Why did Kael leave?"

Ronan's jaw tightened. "He's testing you."

I frowned. "Testing me for what?"

His golden eyes turned to mine. "To see what you can do."

A chill ran through me. "But I can't do anything."

Ronan didn't reply right away. He flung the bloodied cloth away and settled back, eyeing me.

"You felt something tonight, didn't you?"

I swallowed hard. My fingers curled in my lap.

The truth was, I had.

The something that was inside me and burning — hot and alive — when I was fighting. It was like this instinct I didn't know.

Ronan's gaze sharpened. "You did feel it."

I shook my head. "It was nothing."

"It wasn't nothing."

I sighed. "Fine. Maybe I felt… something. But that doesn't mean anything."

Ronan leaned forward, speaking in a low voice. "It means everything."

I turned his way, my heart racing. "Then tell me what it means."

He breathed out, dragging a hand across his face. "I don't know."

A frustrated breath escaped from me. "So we're back to guessing."

Ronan's lips twitched. "You get used to it."

I groaned, tilting back in the chair. My body ached, my ribs throbbed, and my head swirled with more unanswered questions than I could count.

Ronan stood up and stretched his arms. "You should sleep."

I scoffed. "Oh yeah, like that's going to happen."

He smirked. "Try anyway."

I rolled my eyes but didn't protest. My body reeked of fatigue, and the coziness of the fire was already starting to butter the weight of my eyelids.

As I adjusted myself to find a comfortable position, I sensed Ronan looking at me.

"What?" I said, struggling to keep my eyes open.

He paused, then added, "You did good tonight."

A faint smile quirked at my lips. "You almost sound impressed."

Ronan laughed and shook his head. "Sleep, Arden."

I sighed, and for the first time in days, I allowed sleep to claim me.

Quick pacing but with a less frantic moment to breathe

More Arden-Ronan chemistry and tension

 Clues at Arden's latent power

The Truth in the Flames

I woke up smelling smoke.

For a moment, I was seized with panic. Fire. The cabin—

Then I discovered it was merely the fireplace.

Ronan sat across from me, his back to the wall, golden eyes gleamimg in the flames. He hadn't slept. Again.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. You realize that sleep exists, right?

Ronan smirked. "Not for me."

I sighed. "Must be nice."

He shrugged. "You get used to it."

I studied him for a moment. The tension in his shoulders, how his jaw was just a bit too clenched. He had something on his mind.

Something bad.

"What is it?" I asked.

Ronan didn't respond immediately. He gazed at the fire, fingers drumming his knee. "Kael's not done."

I swallowed hard. "You're sure?"

His gaze flicked to me. "I know him, Arden. He wouldn't have gotten out unless he had a plan."

A knot twisted in my stomach. "So what do we do?"

Ronan exhaled. "We get ahead of him."

I frowned. "How?"

His jaw tightened. "We learn what he wants from you before he does."

I hesitated. "And if we don't?"

His golden eyes darkened. "Then he takes you."

The words were a shock to my system.

I looked down at my hands. They still hurt from having been trained. My body ached, my ribs were sore, and my mind felt like it was treadmill sprinting in the same spots ever since this nightmare began.

But one thing was clear.

I couldn't keep running.

I straightened, looking into Ronan's eyes. "Then let's find out."

Seeing something flicker in his face — approval, perhaps.

He nodded once. "We leave at dawn."

I exhaled. "Great. Where are we going?"

Ronan smirked. "To find someone that has the answers."

I narrowed my eyes. "That's vague."

"You'll see."

I groaned, collapsing back onto the bed. "I hate surprises."

Ronan chuckled. "You'll survive."

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

Dawn wasn't far away. And something told me that whatever we were about to walk into...

It would change everything.

Good pacing but still take a moment to breathe

Chemistry and tension between Arden and Ronan.

A next goal that makes sense—finding answers

The Road to Answers

We left at dawn.

The forest was quiet, the early morning light hardly breaking through the dense trees. I pulled my jacket tighter, shaking off the cold — and the nerves knotting in my stomach.

Ronan walked in silence, as always, eyes sharp and golden.

I had a million questions, yet I knew he wasn't going to answer me until he was ready." So what I settled for instead was the one thing that I could ask.

"Where exactly are we going?"

Ronan glanced back. "An old friend."

I raised an eyebrow. "A friend? You don't seem to be a friendly type."

His lips twitched. "She's not really my friend. But she knows things."

I frowned. "She?"

"Her name's Amara."

I hopped over a downed branch, doing my best to match his stride. "And you trust her?"

Ronan hesitated. "No."

That made my stomach twist. "So why are we going to her?"

"Because she's the only one who might know what Kael wants with you."

I swallowed hard. "Great. So we're walking straight into a trap?"

Ronan smirked. "Possibly."

I groaned. "You really suck at making things sound less scary."

He laughed but did not deny it.

We trudged for hours, the sun climbing into the sky, heating the air. The further we went down, the quieter the forest got. No birds. No wind. Just silence.

It put me on edge.

I was about to say something when I suddenly stop Ronan.

His head tipped slightly, as if he were listening to something I couldn't hear.

"What is it?" I whispered.

He didn't answer. His golden eyes flicked instead to me. "Stay close."

I swallowed, my hand tightening around the dagger at my waist.

Then, from the darkness, a voice rang out through the trees.

"You're late."

I stiffened.

A silhouette emerged into the light.

She was tall, with dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders like ink. Eyes shining like the silver moon, found me instantly.

Amara.

She smiled, slow and knowing. "Well, here's the girl Kael is hunting."

I was tense. "Nice to meet you too."

Amara tilted her head. "Hmm. You're weaker than I thought you'd be."

I bristled, but before I could snap at her, Ronan stepped in. "She's tougher than she looks."

Amara's lips curled. "We'll see."

She put me on edge for some reason.

She stepped forward, gaze keener, scrutinizing. Then she reached out, all of a sudden —

And grabbed my wrist.

Heat shot through my veins.

I gasped, a flare of something igniting inside me.

Images flashed in my mind — glimmers of light, a full moon, a voice lapping my name.

Then, suddenly, it was over.

Amara released, her face inscrutable.

"Then," she murmured, looking over at Ronan. "You were right. She's very important."

I swallowed, my pulse racing. "What does that mean?"

Amara smiled but it was dangerous.

"It means, little one, that you don't know what you really are."

Rapid pacing and increasing mystery

Introduction of a new, fascinating character

More clues that Arden has hidden power