Moonbound: The Rogue's Second Chance-Chapter 103 - ONE HUNDRED AND THREE - DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE LONG HAIR?

Chapter 103: Chapter ONE HUNDRED AND THREE - DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE LONG HAIR?

Darius hesitated and then he placed his hand on the small of her back and pressed his nose in the crook of her neck.She smelled like herbs and the faint trace of lavender soap. He pulled her closer, ignoring the steel belt pressing awkwardly into his side.

Serena pulled back slightly, her fingers finding the offending clasp. With a soft clink, she unclasped the belt and let it fall to the floor beside them. A few stray braids had fallen into her face during the hug, and she tucked them back behind her ear. She exhaled slowly and relaxed into a kneeling position.

"Would you run away if you could?" Serena asked.

Darius pulled one of his knees up and rested an elbow on it, his head falling into his palm.

"Maybe," he said with a laugh, his chest felt lighter than it did in the last few hours. "I have not thought about it. Run away and do what? Become a rogue?"

Serena shrugged and glanced at the window, she barely survived as a rogue herself. She tried to imagine if she had run away from her pack at an early age, what would have become of her. Her father hardly spoke about his life before Silverstone.

But she knew from the way his face fell and the grim expression on his face that it was hard for him. Serena shuddered at the recollection of the reason why he left Crimsonclaw.

"No... that would be terrible actually," Serena said.

The only sound in the room was the sound of Darius cracking his knuckles. He swallowed hard and then let his head press against the stone wall.

"About Charlotte..." Serena began, her tone careful.

Darius paused mid-motion, his thumb frozen just before the next joint could pop. He glanced at her, brows faintly raised. So that was the name Marcella had chosen. This plan that Silas had hatched was lost on him but that man had one of the greatest minds to lead Ironshade.

"Yes?"

"You said you knew her," Serena continued.

"I do. It would be more appropriate to say that I knew her. It has been years since I’ve seen her," Darius explained.

Serena nodded in understanding. "How long ago?"

Darius stroked his chin while he racked through his head for exactly how long it had been since he had seen that curly-haired woman.

"I’m not sure... but I had hair this long," he said, motioning to his shoulder with a faint smirk.

Serena blinked, surprised. Her brows rose. "You had long hair?"

"Childish things, I grew out of it. Did you always have long hair?" Darius asked.

Serena looked down at her shoulder and then she held a braid in her hand. There was no time where she had gone through a drastic measure concerning her hair. Serena had always kept her hair long like her mother and only trimmed it when it got a bit difficult to manage.

In Silverstone, they had learnt a lot of ways to tie their hair so it could fit comfortably underneath the scarves they would tie.

"Always. Sometimes I wished I had brown hair. My hair used to make me stick out as a child," Serena said, almost to herself, fingers idly twisting the end of her braid.

"I can imagine, it would have been such a hassle for your parents to hide you when you were out and about," Darius said with a laugh.

"It was... but they never complained about it," Serena said softly, her gaze dropping to her lap.

"They must have loved you dearly," Darius replied, scratching the back of his neck. He gave a short snort, looking away toward the window as if embarrassed by the sentiment.

"They did, in their own way. And I’m sure yours did as well."

Serena’s mind drifted to the storybook that Darius’ mother had written for him, she had figured that his father drew the stories for him as well. Soon Serena sat properly on the floor, next to Darius and let her shoulder touch his. The night breeze that came in from the window felt cool on her cheek.

"You did not say much about Charlotte? Well, that is not her name anyway, Silas said that would be what she would be called from now on."

Serena decided not to press Darius about the strange woman’s real name. It would be safer for everyone involved, still she wondered how such a plan could be pulled off.

"I am not so sure this would be a good plan. What would the wolves in this pack say when they see one of their own acting as my peer?"

Serena had many misgivings, would Charlotte be able to pull off the accent? It was such a distinct one from the East. The Eastern wolves were sharp and precise, every syllable pronounced with clipped finesse. It was so different from the West, where voices stretched with that lazy drawl.

Serena had ended up having an unusual accent due to the fact that she had Eastern and Western upbringing. It was only when she was conscious of herself could she bounce between the two depending on the situation. Whenever she was with Darius she was her most natural self. Other interactions forced her to speak like her father did.

Serena scratched her head, there were so many things that could go wrong but the thing that gnawed at her was the fact that she was someone from Ironshade.

"Nobody knows who she is," Darius said finally.

Serena lifted herself off the wall and stared at Darius, and raised a brow like she had not heard what he just said. Ironshade was massive, yes, but there was someone bound to know her- distant family, guardians, a nosey person.

"But you know her," Serena said.

"That I do," Darius admitted, rubbing his thumb against the seam of his trousers. "But her situation is... peculiar."

He was not sure if it was right to fill Serena in on someone else’s personal situation but she needed not to be in the dark of things. It was Ironshade’s main strategy for dealing with the people- one that Iris and Silas had proposed and they had followed.

Only important things were officially announced to the people while everything else was left to speculation. Eventually that speculation would die out and everyone would go on about their business.

"How so?" Serena asked.

"You were asleep when we left the borders so I doubt you would remember but there are very few people who live close to the borders and even closer to our hunting grounds."

Serena pushed back a braid and listened attentively to Darius’ words. Every pack had hunting grounds planned into their territory, it was always larger than the area dedicated for living. They hunted seasonally in the marked area by the council.

No one lived next to hunting grounds so the animals would live normally, so it was strange to hear that someone lived close to that area.

"So Charlotte came from there?"

Darius nodded. "She did, but she was alone. Silas took her in but no one alive except for myself, Silas, Nana, and Livia knows of her existence. At some point she lived with us in this castle."

"Wow, did the general pull her out?"

Darius looked up at the ceiling briefly, the timeline was wrapped in his head. "I met her shortly before my mother fell sick. She rarely spoke so I was not sure what was of her or her parents. She lived with Livia and me and then went to be with the general. A few odd visits here and there and that was the last of it."

"I see," Serena remarked.

Her fears about Charlotte being sniffed out and being caught would not be an issue but she wondered if they would be able to work together smoothly.

"I know it is a lot to take in now-" Darius started.

Serena cut him off with a yawn, letting her head fall gently onto his shoulder. "On the contrary, thank you for letting me know. Things’ll be less difficult now." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Darius stilled, surprised by the sudden weight against him, before a faint smile curled at the edge of his mouth.

"About your speech," he said after a moment. "It was done well."

Serena remained silent for a few seconds and then she spoke. "Thank you and if I have to ever give a speech, we will both write it."

Darius breathed out then he laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yes, I mean it."

Darius hummed in acknowledgment and looked ahead of him. "It is strange you know how to give such good speeches. Do they have gatherings out there like that in the wild?"

Serena’s shoulders stiffened ever so slightly before she forced them to relax. She hadn’t experienced anything formal in Lupine Hollow. Maybe there were small packs, maybe there had been something. But speeches? She doubted it.

"Yes," she said, voice light but noncommittal. "Sometimes."

Darius said nothing more and nodded his head. The pair stayed like that until Serena drifted off to sleep. Darius moved her to his lap and played with her hair. He wondered if she had told him the truth or a lie.