Chapter 10 THE CABIN

I knew I shouldn’t go. That thought nagged at me the whole damn way, from the second I stepped off the porch and crossed the yard, past the empty training grounds and straight into the trees.

It stuck in my head like a bad itch I refused to scratch, whispering over and over that this was a stupid fucking idea. But something was off, and not the kind of off you could just shrug away or pretend wasn’t happening. This felt planned. Deliberate. Like the whole night was waiting for me to walk right into it.

The forest swallowed me up fast, dark branches hanging low overhead and damp earth squishing under my boots. Night creatures that usually made all that background noise went dead quiet as I passed, like even the woods were holding their breath and watching me screw up. Too quiet. Way too quiet. I kept pushing forward anyway, deeper than I’d ever gone by myself, way further than I should have. My wolf didn’t guide me this time. She didn’t nudge or growl or anything.

She just sat there inside me, watching. Waiting. But this other feeling pulled me along, tight and restless in my chest. Not the mate bond...that shit had been broken and cold for days now. This was colder. Sharper. Like a hook yanking me toward the truth I didn’t want but couldn’t stop chasing.

The trees started thinning out after a while, moonlight leaking through in jagged patches, and then I saw it. The cabin. Old and rundown, half-hidden behind some overgrown bushes like it was trying its best not to get found.

My breath caught hard in my throat. I didn’t know how the hell I knew, but I did. This was theirs. Their spot. Their secret little hideaway.

My pulse kicked up as I got closer, each step slower and heavier like my body was screaming at me to turn the fuck around. The air felt thicker here, heavier, and then the smell hit me full force. Him. Lucifer. That familiar earthy scent that used to feel like home.

And right under it, mixed in like it belonged there...her. Serena. Sweet vanilla and something warmer, something that made my stomach twist so violently I almost doubled over right there on the dirt.

I stopped dead at the door, hand hovering over the handle. Don’t. This is where you stop, Lyra. This is where you turn around, walk back, and pretend you never found this place. My fingers closed around the cold metal anyway. I pushed the door open.

It creaked loud as hell, way too loud in the quiet night. I froze, heart hammering, waiting for any sound from inside. Nothing.

I stepped in slow, the smell hitting me even stronger now. Still faint but unmistakable. Recent. Like they’d been here not that long ago, rolling around in their little love nest. My chest tightened up so bad I had to remind myself to breathe. The cabin was small, just one room, nothing fancy.

A beat-up couch against one wall, a rickety table in the middle, and then the bed. I looked at the bed and immediately regretted it. The sheets were all tangled and wrinkled, thrown around like someone had been in a hurry. Heat flooded my face, my chest, my throat, burning hot and angry. I forced my eyes away fast. Focus, dumbass. You didn’t drag your ass out here to feel shit. You came to know.

I moved deeper into the room, slow and careful, scanning every inch like I was hunting for evidence in a crime scene. The table had fresh scratches on the top, deep ones like nails had dragged across it. The floor near the bed was scuffed up bad, marks like something heavy had been shoved around or dragged.

A chill crawled straight up my spine. This wasn’t just some quick hookup spot. Something else had gone down here. Something I didn’t understand yet, and that made it feel even more fucked up.

And then I saw it. A piece of paper, half-hidden under the edge of the table like someone had dropped it and didn’t give a shit. My heart stuttered. I crouched down slow, pulled it free, and flattened it out on my knee.

It wasn’t a full page...just a torn scrap, edges ragged like whoever wrote it ripped it up in a hurry so no one would see the rest. My fingers trembled a little as I read the messy handwriting.

“…after the ceremony it’ll be easier.”

My breath caught hard. The ceremony. The Luna ceremony. My chest squeezed so tight it actually hurt. I read it again, slower this time, like that would make the words less real. After the ceremony.

Easier. Easier for what? There was more below it, faint and scribbled like it was added quick. “…she won’t suspect anything if we keep acting normal.”

She. Me.

A sharp ringing filled my ears. This wasn’t just cheating anymore. This wasn’t simple betrayal. This was planned. Careful. Deliberate. They had a whole fucking timeline.

I folded the paper fast and shoved it deep into my pocket like it might burn a hole through my jeans if I held it any longer. Think. Think. What ceremony? What the hell happens after? Why me? Why make it easier by getting rid of me?

My chest felt way too tight now, like I couldn’t pull in enough air. I needed to get the hell out of there. I turned toward the door fast...and stopped dead. Something shifted in the air. Not a sound exactly, but this feeling.

That same cold pull in my chest snapped tight. My wolf stirred low and uneasy, not warning me exactly but recognizing something. Someone was here.

My pulse slammed against my ribs. Footsteps. Outside. Soft but getting closer. I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. I just stood there in the middle of their secret cabin, phone burning in my pocket and that torn note weighing heavy against my leg, waiting for whoever the hell it was to push that door open.