Cobalt Goldlight's Arc

Chapter 11 of 12

Cobalt reached the arch and stopped. The hunters had followed the ridge path away from the cabin, but he'd seen their faces now — recognized them. The taller one with the scar across his jaw, the shorter one with the crooked nose. He'd seen them both three weeks ago through smoke and firelight, standing outside the warehouse watching it burn. He shifted and ran toward the manor, following the scent trail that led to Arrow and Mirabelle's territory. The building stood dark against the tree line, windows glowing with lamplight. Cobalt didn't slow until he reached the stone wall beside the entrance, where a cherry blossom tree shed pale petals across the snow. He shifted back to human form and grabbed the edge of the wall to steady himself. His breath came hard. The hunters were here — not tracking random wolves, but hunting the people who'd escaped the fire they'd set. They'd come to finish what they started. Cobalt pushed through the manor doors and found Arrow in the main hall, Mirabelle standing beside him reviewing patrol routes. "The hunters," Cobalt said. "The ones who burned the warehouse. They're here. Eastern ridge, moving south." Arrow's expression hardened. Mirabelle set down the map she'd been holding. "How many?" she asked. "Two," Cobalt said. "But they're the ones who did it. I saw them outside the warehouse. One of them was wearing a tan jacket — it's charred now, burned at the edges. Same jacket." Arrow moved toward the door, already calling orders to the pack members in the next room. Mirabelle followed, her hand on the garnet amulet at her throat. Cobalt stayed at the threshold and watched them go. The hunters wouldn't disappear now — Arrow and Mirabelle would make sure of that. He'd brought the warning in time. But standing there, watching others move to protect the people he'd sheltered, Cobalt understood something he hadn't before. He wasn't leading his pack anymore. He was part of something larger now, whether he wanted to be or not. The door he'd held open had let him through too.