The morning mist clung to the trees like breath on glass, softening every branch, every footstep, every breath.
Mira walked at the center of the group, still holding a basket—though it was empty now.
Lucien strode beside her with measured steps, ever calm and alert, while Cassian trailed a few paces behind, keeping a casual but watchful eye on the strangers Mira had served breakfast to just an hour ago.
The forest path wound gently downhill beneath their boots, the wet grass glistening beneath shafts of golden sunlight.
The Silver Fang trio—Grey, Leila, and Rook—walked in hushed conversation.
Not bound. Not guarded. But not entirely relaxed, either.
“Are we really considering taking his offer?” Leila whispered, just loud enough for the others to hear.
Rook scratched the back of his head. “I mean… from working for a Count to working for a Prince? Sounds like an upgrade to me.”
Leila shot him a look. “That’s not what I meant. If we say yes, we’re burning the bridge to Elmhurst. That’s going to wreck our reputation.”
Grey gave them a glance but said nothing—though hesitation flickered in his eyes.
“Yeah, can’t argue with that,” Rook muttered. “Maybe we should change our name if we take the offer. Something like White Fang? Or Snow Fang?”
“You can’t be serious,” Leila grumbled.
“No,” Grey said quietly. “We’re not changing our name. Even if we carry a bad reputation on our back.”
They walked a few steps more in silence.
Rook glanced toward Mira. “For someone that powerful, she doesn’t really act like it, does she?”
“She doesn’t act like someone who gives a damn about fame or glory either,” Grey added.
Leila fell quiet.
Then: “I still want Kael’s word on this.”
“We’ll get it,” Grey said. “But I think… I’ve already made up my mind.”
“You always do,” Leila replied, not unkindly.
Then—a sharp crack echoed from ahead.
Cassian’s hand drifted toward his blade.
Lucien paused mid-step.
Mira slowed… then smiled.
Because she saw him first.
Kael.
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He emerged around the bend, boots damp with dew, his dark coat swept by the breeze.
His sharp eyes scanned the group with quick precision, locking on Mira… then Grey… then Lucien.
His expression shifted—from guarded tension, to relief, to immediate worry.
“Can someone give me an update?” he said, mostly to his team—though his gaze never quite left Mira.
Grey gave a short nod. “You missed breakfast.”
“Did I?” Kael glanced among them, then flicked a look toward Lucien. “What happened?”
Lucien answered dryly, “That depends. Are you still working for Elmhurst?”
Kael arched a brow. “Someone start talking.”
Leila stepped forward, arms crossed. “We were compromised. She found us. Tied us up.”
“She could’ve killed us,” Rook added. “But she didn’t.”
Grey nodded. “The prince made us an offer. One we’re seriously considering.”
Kael’s gaze moved from one to the next. “And?”
Grey met his eyes steadily. “I’ve had a bad feeling about Elmhurst for a while now. I don’t want him getting his hands on her—or this town.”
“She’s incredibly powerful,” Leila said quietly. “If we tell Elmhurst the truth, he will come for her.”
“Yeah,” Rook said. “You should’ve seen how she played with vines. We were down in minutes.”
Kael said nothing, but his jaw clenched.
“We’ll follow your lead,” Grey said. “But if you ask me, walking away is smarter than gambling our lives for a man like Elmhurst.”
Kael’s eyes flicked again to Mira, who stood calmly, waiting. Silent.
Then back to his team. “What did she do, after catching you?”
“Fed us breakfast,” Rook said. “And it was good.”
Leila rolled her eyes. “She didn’t torture us or anything. Just… wanted to talk.”
Kael exhaled slowly through his nose. “And the prince?”
“He says we’re free to go,” Grey replied. “Or to join him.”
“Join him?” Kael’s tone sharpened. “So now we work for a prince?”
Lucien overheard and gave him a mild shrug. “Only if you choose to. Like I told them—I don’t make offers twice.”
Kael held his gaze for a long moment.
Then turned back to his team. “I wasn’t there last night. So I trust your judgment. If you say we walk, we walk.”
“You mean that?” Leila asked.
“I do,” Kael said with a nod.
Rook turned to Lucien. “Your Highness, I think you’ve just gained a new crew.”
Lucien smiled faintly. “Welcome aboard. You won’t regret it.”
Cassian stepped forward, his expression calm but firm. “For what it’s worth... Crimson Crow is already on our trail. So if you’re staying, you’d better stay sharp.”
Rook blinked. “Crimson Crow? Who the hell are they?”
Cassian met his eyes evenly. “Assassins.”
He blinked again. “W—what? Assassins?”
“And very good ones,” Cassian said, his voice turning grave. “Mira-san defeated six of them yesterday. But they'll keep coming back until the job is finished. That’s their motto.”
Rook looked from him to Lucien, then back again, suddenly very aware of the weight of the moment. “Uh… Your Highness? About that new crew offer—can we, uh, put a pin in that for a sec?”
Lucien raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”
“Ahem,” Kael interjected, clearing his throat.
“I actually heard that name in town,” he said slowly. “A couple of drunk fishermen were whispering about how Mira-san turned some guys into ice cubes. I thought they were just a local street gang.”
“Street gang?” Cassian gave a dry, humorless smile. “That’s putting it mildly.”
His tone was calm, but his eyes sharpened. “Crimson Crow is an ancient guild made up of top-tier assassins. No one knows where their base is—no records, no trace.”
He stepped forward, his voice low and steady. "But if you see one of them, it only means one thing—someone paid a lot of money to see you dead.”
Grey’s jaw tightened. He shifted slightly where he stood, arms folded, brows drawn close together.
He didn’t speak, but his eyes flicked quickly toward Mira, then Lucien, then back to Cassian.
Kael frowned. “And they’re after you?”
“No,” Lucien replied. “They’re after me. Cassian was just caught in the middle.”
“And they almost had me,” Cassian added. “If Mira-san hadn’t stepped in, I’d be buried right now.”
Rook gave a slow whistle. “Okay... remind me not to piss her off in the future.”
Leila crossed her arms. “But if Crimson Crow's involved… that means someone with serious reach and coin is backing them.”
“Exactly,” Lucien said. “I need a crew to get me to the capital. Discreetly. Loyal. Capable. That’s why I made the offer to you.”
Grey finally spoke, his voice quieter than usual but clear. “We’ve seen a lot of shady business. But this Crimson Crow... is really something else."
His tone wasn’t afraid—but it was measured. The kind of voice you used when you realized you were suddenly deeper than you'd planned.
Kael looked between them, mind clearly racing behind a calm expression. “Do we know who hired them?”
Lucien’s expression darkened. “Not yet. But I have several suspects in mind. Either way, I don’t expect this to end quietly.”
Kael exhaled through his nose. “So if we’re taking this job, we’re not just switching allegiances. We’re stepping into a war.”
“Yes,” Lucien confirmed. “But you'll be rewarded—handsomely."
Grey’s fingers flexed once at his side. “We’ve been in worse spots,” he said, more to himself than anyone. “But not many.”
Rook nudged him lightly with an elbow. “You’re always the last one to say yes, and the first one to act like you’re in charge.”
Grey shrugged, but didn’t argue. “Just want all the pieces on the board before I move.”
Kael nodded once, firm and final. “Then we stay. But if Crimson Crow is involved, I want to know everything.”
“You’ll get it,” Lucien said.
Mira, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, finally looked up at Kael.
Her expression was mild, but her eyes were knowing. “I guess you can be reasonable after all.”
Kael met her gaze, serious but without hostility. “I told you from the beginning—I didn’t want trouble.”
Mira let out a soft, amused snort. “You still found it.”
Grey looked between the two of them, then up at the sky through the forest canopy.
The wind stirred the branches gently, but the air felt heavier now. More dangerous.
“Guess we’re not freelancers anymore,” he muttered.
“No,” Kael agreed. “Now we’re playing for real stakes.”
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