🌙 Episode 23: A Flicker of Normal
Lila's POV
The forest felt less suffocating in daylight, though every crunch of leaves beneath our boots still made me tense. Ethan walked slightly ahead, shoulders squared, scanning the trees with the sharp focus of someone who trusted nothing.
After an hour, he slowed near a clearing. Hidden among the pines was a small, weathered cabin, its roof sagging under moss but still intact.
"Here," he said quietly. "It'll do for now."
Relief washed over me. My body ached, my feet throbbed, and the thought of a roof—even a broken one—felt like a gift.
Inside, the cabin smelled of wood and damp earth, but it was dry and surprisingly clean. A stone fireplace sat against one wall, and a pile of old blankets rested in a corner.
"Not exactly luxury," Ethan said, glancing at me with a faint smirk, "but it's safe."
I smiled despite myself. "I've stayed in worse places. College dorms, for example."
He chuckled, a low, warm sound that sent an unexpected thrill through me. "Somehow, I don't doubt that."
For the first time in days, I let myself laugh softly. It felt strange—like my body had forgotten how.
While Ethan checked the perimeter, I dusted off the blankets and found some wood for the fireplace. When he returned, he knelt to start the fire, his movements precise, practiced.
Soon, the cabin filled with the soft crackle of flames and a gentle heat that seeped into my chilled bones.
I sat near the fire, hugging a blanket around myself. Ethan settled across from me, watching the flames dance.
For a while, silence stretched between us—not heavy, but almost… peaceful.
Finally, I broke it. "So… do you ever do normal things?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Normal?"
"Yeah," I said, smiling faintly. "Like… movies, pizza, sleeping in on Sundays?"
The corner of his mouth curved. "I've eaten pizza. Once. Didn't see the appeal."
I gasped dramatically. "Blasphemy."
That earned me a chuckle. "You'd rather live in a world of cheese and grease than know the taste of real freedom?"
"I'd rather live in a world where I don't get chased through the woods by creatures with claws," I shot back.
His laughter faded, but the warmth in his eyes didn't. "Fair enough."
For a moment, we simply looked at each other, the firelight painting his features in shades of gold and shadow. My chest tightened.
"Tell me something real," I whispered. "About you."
His expression shifted, thoughtful. Then he said softly, "I used to run at night just for the feel of the earth under my paws. No fights, no pack politics, no danger. Just freedom. I haven't done that in a long time."
I swallowed hard, imagining him—wild, untamed, at peace under the moon. "It sounds beautiful."
His gaze lingered on me. "It was."
The air between us grew heavier, thick with unspoken things. My heart pounded as I fought the urge to reach across the space and take his hand.
Ethan's POV
She had no idea what she was doing to me.
The way she sat by the fire, wrapped in that blanket, her eyes reflecting the flames—it made me want things I had no right to want.
A life that wasn't running. A life where laughter came easier than blood.
A life with her.
But that life didn't exist for me. Not anymore.
Still, when she leaned forward slightly, her gaze steady on mine, I couldn't stop myself. I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She stilled, breath catching. Her lips parted, and for one dangerous moment, I thought I might close the distance.
Instead, I let my hand fall away.
"You should rest," I said, voice low. "We may need to move again tomorrow."
Her disappointment flickered, though she tried to hide it. "And you?"
"I'll keep watch."
"Of course you will," she murmured, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "Stubborn wolf."
I allowed myself a faint grin. "And you're not stubborn?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Takes one to know one."
We held each other's gaze, and I felt something shift—subtle but undeniable.
Lila's POV
Later, as I lay under the blanket, the fire casting soft shadows on the walls, I tried to sleep. But my mind kept drifting back to the way he'd touched my hair, gentle in a way I hadn't expected from someone so strong, so dangerous.
I turned on my side, watching him as he sat near the door, alert, his profile etched by firelight.
He hadn't looked away once since we came in. He was a fortress—mine, whether he admitted it or not.
And for the first time, the fear that had clung to me since this began loosened its hold.
Because with Ethan here, I almost believed I was safe.
Almost.
---
✨ End of Episode 23