PEARL'S POV
Overwhelming warmth swept over me as I slowly came to consciousness. It was so profound that I briefly questioned whether I was truly dead or if the dark river had carried me away to a peaceful place, a world away from the Pandara.
I stayed perfectly still, fearing that any movement would cause this feeling to disappear. The warmth enveloped me, the comforting hush of a fire surrounding me, with the weight of fur draped across my shoulders, like a promise I wasn't quite ready to trust.
It was all blurry when I opened my eyes for the first time, and I could just make out a heavy, dark beam above me, like the spine of some giant beast lying there. Firelight flickered languidly, and shadows danced across it, glimmers of gray and gold. I shut my eyes again, taking in the scents around me: pine pitch, hearth smoke, and damp fur.
Beneath those, there was a sharp, clean smell of iron, unlike the stale hay and sour straw that lingered in the orchard kennels they referred to as my 'cell.' The warmth penetrated deeper, reaching the bruises hidden under the guard's stolen cloak; no, that was gone now. Instead, I felt the soft rub of thick wool against my ribs, almost itchy in its gentleness.
My wrists itched as well, recalling where the shackles had dug into my skin and my hope.
I started to drift, and my mind started to open up against my will in that place; I saw Bisca's smile, white and bright like bone, as she leaned in to braid my hair with orchard blossoms that smelled sweeter than my fear; I remembered Kaela's hands, adorned and delicate, the same hands that had clapped mockingly when they forced my head down in the banquet hall so that everyone could see the stray' in her stable daughter's skin. I felt the cold grip me, heard the horn, and tasted the river's black tongue on my ribs as I crawled. I jolted, a whimper escaping before I could swallow it back.
The warmth nearly escaped me, and then I almost broke free from it. Yet something held me back; not a chain or iron, but something heavier and softer—fur.
I forced my eyes open again, and this time, my vision settled. The roof beam was still there, steady as a heartbeat. Below it, a wide shuttered window was crusted with frost, moonlight filtering through the wooden slats in faint glimmers.
Now, there was a stronger pine scent that blended with something else, something warm and alive.
"Animal."
I turned my head just enough to see a wolf curled up like a shadow at the foot of the bed, its breath puffing tiny clouds into the chill. It was massive and silver-furred, its flank rising and falling slowly like the tide; one ear twitched at my movement, and its eyes cracked open, golden and alert; they were now watching me, making my breath catch in my throat.
This wolf didn't lunge or flash its fangs, unlike the wolves of Pandara, who wore iron collars and only bared their teeth when ordered. If they were allowed to roam freely, it was a sign of a hunt or sport. It just watched me as if waiting for something. I didn't dare move too much. My wrists ached, but I cautiously lifted one hand, palm facing up, fingers trembling.
The wolf's ears flicked once more, but it didn't back away. Instead, it edged closer, its breath warming my open hand.
The warmth from its nose tickled the raw welt left by Kaela's ring when she slapped me in the orchard courtyard. A sound lodged in my throat, not quite a sob, more like a question that lacked words.
The door creaked, and then the sound of boots and leather scuffing against wood broke the stillness, the wolf did not growl but instead lifted its head and stepped aside to allow the man to enter.
The man's shadow loomed in the doorway, tall and broad, bearing winter on his shoulders like an additional cloak; the firelight caught the edge of the fur at his collar and the glint of iron at his hip, a blade, simple yet well-maintained, not for display, but for action.
He carefully shut the door behind him, making sure not to slam it shut against the draft howling through the wall's cracks. Snow caked his boots, thick and crusted white. As he moved closer to the hearth, the wolf leaned against his thigh, a gesture I'd only seen the orchard hounds share with their master.
But this man didn't shove it away or praise it; he rested a gloved hand on the beast's shoulder for a brief moment before moving on as he crossed the room towards me. I froze beneath the cloak, the wolf's breath still ghosting my palm.
Fear seized me as my mouth opened, causing dry, cracked words to bubble to the surface. He stopped at the foot of the bed. Firelight sharpened the contours of his face: a defined jaw and a scar at his temple partially hidden under black hair tied back with a leather cord. His eyes locked with mine, pale, glacial, but not devoid of emotion.
There was something in his eyes that scrutinized, weighed, and judged. For a fleeting moment, I braced myself for a slap or a sneer; perhaps the iron chain to drag me back. Yet, none of that came. Instead, his voice broke through the silence, low, not soft, but not unkind either.
"You're awake."
It wasn't a question but more like a truth he'd waited hours to voice.
I tried to reply, but my throat resisted, feeling scratchy and raw. I coughed, pain flaring through my ribs where Aleric's boot had crushed them against the orchard stones. The wolf moved in closer, feeling warm against my leg once more.
The man, whose name I have not yet learned, knelt in front of me, steady and firm. He didn't flinch at my shaking, nor did he grab me.
He picked up a bowl from beside the hearth, steam curling like thin fingers from the rim.
"Drink."
His command was soft, not a threat, but also not an option. When my hands faltered, he brought the bowl to my lips, rough yet gentle, tilting it slowly. The first sip burned my tongue: herbs, marrow, and salt. I coughed again, broth dripping down my chin.
Before shame could gnaw at me, he caught it with his thumb, wiping it away like he'd tended to pups or half-dead strays that the forest had spat out.
"Slow," he instructed again.
His thumb lingered at my jaw, calloused, scratching at the tender skin beneath my chin.
Not harsh, not soft, but genuine and firm.
I drank more, breathless. Each swallow drew warmth back into my ribs, pushing the orchard's cold a little further away. When I finished the bowl, he set it down by the fire. He didn't speak yet, his gaze tracing my wrists, the new linen bindings, and the purple shadows beneath. He noticed the raw line on my throat, too, where Kaela's ribbon had bitten too deep during a ceremony that had never been completed.
With his hands resting on his thighs, he finally sat back on his heels. The wolf, a second shadow, curled up next to him.
"You crossed the border," he said, a truth laid bare between us.
I couldn't lie about it; the chill of the river still clung to my ribs like frost. I nodded. My voice came out raspy, "Ran." The word felt small against the weight of his gaze. His mouth twitched, not quite a smile, more of something colder.
"Ran," he repeated. "And you made it this far?"
His eyes flicked to the wolf.
"Ghost picked up your trail before the frost wolves could." Ghost. I glanced at the beast resting against my foot, its soft breaths warming my numbed toes. Its eyes fluttered shut, as if my heartbeat was no longer a threat. "You're under Ironhold's roof," Mendel stated. His hand rose, hovering above my wrist without touching. My skin yearned for the warmth but flinched nonetheless. "My house. My land. My watch."
He hesitated, lowering his voice. "You've been asleep for almost three days, Girl. Lucky you didn't slip away for good."
His eyes narrowed slightly, searching mine.
"I'm Mendel of Ironhold, brother to Vartun's Alpha. You crossed into my forest, which makes you my responsibility, at least for now." His head tilted, wolfish.
"So tell me the truth, your real name. Who are you, stray?"
I swallowed hard. My lips said my name, the only one they had left me. "Pearl." It came out softly, delicate as breath. I braced myself for him to laugh, to sneer, but he didn't. He allowed it to settle between us like a solemn promise.
"Pearl."
I felt a deep chord in my ribs when he called my name, as though he were trying it for the first time and determining whether it was worth keeping. A thick silence fell, broken only by the crackling fire.
Mendel moved closer, shadows shifting with him.
"Do you know what they'll do if they cross that river to drag you back?" His voice rumbled low, vibrating in my bones.
"Do you know what Pandara's orchard pays for runaways who survive?"
I gasped when I recalled Kaela's fingers twirling in my hair and pulling my head back to hiss threats in my ear. Bisca's soft mouth promised salvation while sharpening the knife for my ribs. I shook my head.
The truth burned on my tongue: "Better the river than Kaela's rope." Something sharp flashed in Mendel's eyes. A muscle in his jaw twitched, once, twice—before he hid it away.
"Rest," he commanded. "Eat and heal."
His hand hovered over my wrist again, and I flinched, but this time he didn't recoil. His palm landed on mine, warmth sinking into my bones like sunlight through ice.
"When you can stand, you'll tell me everything." My chest tightened. I wanted to laugh, but the sound wouldn't come.
"Everything?"
He didn't realize there was no end to it; the orchard's roots ran too deep. The ghosts chained to my ribs were older than his Ironhold stones, but I nodded anyway, because "what other choice did I have?"
As Mendel stood, the wolf lifted its head, golden eyes catching the firelight like embers. Before stepping back to the door, Mendel glanced over his shoulder. His gaze pinned me where I lay, wrapped in warmth I still didn't fully trust.
"Sleep, Pearl," he said.
The wolf huffed once, a sound almost like a promise.
"You're Ironhold's now, for as long as your truth holds up."
The door creaked shut behind him.
The fire crackled.
The wolf sighed against my ankle.
My eyelids were heavy and fluttered. The orchard howled behind them. Kaela's laughter intertwined with Bisca's braid, grabbing too tightly.
Aleric's arrows hummed through the trees, but underneath it all was warmth.
When I eventually fell asleep, I had dreams about old stones humming beneath my ribs, about frost melting into pine roots, and about a voice whispering, "No more chains."
"Not here."
"Not tonight."