A few figures moved about sluggishly in the fading light, clearly not engaged in any urgent activity at the moment. I leaned close to Finn and whispered, "We need to find some cover." A shiver ran down his spine, his shoulders and back prickling with goosebumps. He didn''t reply, only gave a silent nod before leading us deeper into the thick forest.


    We began climbing the side of a rocky cliff that rose perhaps fifty feet above us. The faint sound of water trickling nearby grew louder, and I spotted the dried remains of what must have once been a stream. This had been its original course before Finn''s group had dammed it up, diverting the flow elsewhere.


    "If they haven''t taken these spots yet, there are a few caves up here,” Finn said quietly. “They''re shallow, but we can watch most of their movements from inside, and stay upwind so they don''t catch our scent."


    He was right. The first cave we came across was empty-no signs of recent visitors, especially none of the werewolf kind. No scents lingered in the air. We spent another hour scouting the area to be certain, then settled back into that first cave after discovering three more simr openings nearby, all unupied.


    Calling it a "cave" was generous at best. It was more like a shallow hollow behind a crack in the rock-perfect for a quick hideout but barelyrge enough to hold the two of usfortably.


    "I''m counting about fifty of them right now," Finn murmured, peering out from the cave''s mouth. "Though some havee and gone in thest few minutes. Doesn''t look like they''re nning anything immediate."


    "What makes you so sure?" I asked, needing to trust his scouting instincts. Neither of us could fitfortably on the narrow ledge outside the cave, so we were taking turns keeping watch.


    "There aren''t any groups forming. If they''re plotting something, it''s out of our sight. We might be stuck here all night."


    "What are you talking about? We need supplies and food if we''re going to stay hidden this long. We shouldn''t split up unless absolutely necessary."


    "We''re not going anywhere. If you want intel, we have to stay put and observe their patterns now."


    I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. “There are plenty of small animals around. We don''t need anything else."


    I growled softly in frustration. "What''s your problem with regrouping, making a n, and being prepared?"


    “Nothing, princess,” he said with a smirk. “But some of us have lived this life long enough to know that ns don''t always help. Sometimes you just have to rely on your training and get the job done. Anything else is stalling and dragging out the mission. It''s your watch now." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and brushed past me toward the cave''s interior. I barely caught sight of him pulling off his shorts.


    "What the hell are you doing?" I spun around quickly, turning my back to him.


    "You''re awfully twitchy for a warrior who''s probably seen plenty of d*cks," he teased.


    "I''m not twitchy. We just aren''t close enough for this to befortable. And you still haven''t answered me-what are you doing?"


    "Taking a nap. If we''re switching shifts, this could be a long night if nothing happens."


    "And that means you have to be naked?" I risked a nce over my shoulder, curious if he''d shifted so we could talk face to face. Nope.


    "I''m going to shift. It''s easier to sleep in my wolf form. Plus, I''ll be more alert better hearing and smell if somethinges up."


    "Do you spend a lot of time as a wolf?"


    "Nottely, no. But when we''re traveling, yes. It''s warmer and morefortable to sleep that way. Now go keep watch before you miss something."


    Without another word or nce, he shifted. His wolf form twirled in ce before curling up tightly. I sighed, realizing I was on first watch. When he woke up, we were definitely going to have a long conversation about who was really in charge of this mission.