Chapter 15: The Journey Begins
The sun was barely over the pines when Tyler knocked on her motel door.
Selene opened it wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans, her hair slightly messy, eyes tired but alert. She didn't speak at first. She just stared at him. He looked better. Stronger. Less wrecked than the last time she saw him bleeding out on a cabin floor.
"I'm leaving today," Tyler said quietly. "Didn't want to vanish without saying goodbye."
Selene's mouth pulled into a hard line. "So you were going to walk off to god-knows-where and just hope I'd understand?"
"I didn't think you'd want…"
She grabbed him by the collar and kissed him.
There was no hesitation. Just heat and tangled emotion crashing together like waves on cliffs. His hands gripped her waist, hers threaded into his hair. When they finally pulled back, breathless, she looked him straight in the eyes.
"You don't leave without me," she said, voice like steel. "Not anymore. And anyway. you don't even know where you're going. I've got some maps that will help us."
Tyler blinked. "What about your father"
"Will think I'm following leads. And I am." She slid past him, already throwing on her jacket. "You're not doing this alone."
Before he could answer, she kissed him again at the truck.
Mason, sitting in the passenger seat, groaned through the open window. "Guys. Seriously. I'm already traveling with a werewolf. Please spare me the kissing montage."
Selene smirked. "You better get used to it."
Tyler grinned and popped the tailgate, tossing her gear into the back.
Mason leaned out the window. "Do you really trust her coming with us?"
Tyler glanced at Selene as she climbed in. "I trust her with my life."
Selene looked at them both. "Hope you're ready to have your worldview broken, boys. What I've got might lead us somewhere strange."
They'd been driving for almost a day and a half. Country highways turned into winding backroads, then into near-forgotten gravel lanes cutting through dense forest.
At a pit stop near dusk, Selene pulled out a worn leather map from her brother's old bag. The parchment was hand-inked, annotated with names no modern GPS could recognize.
"'Elderglen,'" she murmured, tracing the line. "And further up… 'Moon Hollow.'"
Mason leaned over her shoulder. "I'm a pre-med student, not an explorer. But those towns… they aren't on any official registry."
"They're inside something called Hollow Heart," Selene said. "My family never mentioned it, but it's circled heavily on this."
Mason frowned. "I don't think it's just a place. These markings look like old borders."
Tyler's hands tightened around the wheel. "borders? You think that's where this is heading?"
Mason nodded. "Yeah. I think we're about to walk into part of an old mage kingdom."
By mid-morning the next day, they rolled into Elderglen—a small, fog-draped town nestled deep in the pines. The buildings were old but lovingly maintained, with hand-carved signs and crooked chimneys puffing thin trails of smoke.
They pulled into a gravel lot beside a diner called The Hollow Hearth.
"Food before weirdness," Mason declared, stretching as he hopped out.
"Agreed," Tyler said, shoulders stiff. "I'll hit the bathroom first."
Selene nodded, scanning the area warily. "Something feels off here. Can't explain it. It's like... the air hums."
Inside, the diner was rustic and warm. Locals filled half the booths. A waitress with silver hair smiled as they walked in.
Tyler ducked into the back hallway.
As he passed the corner, a broad-shouldered man brushed into him hard. The guy was massive and easily taller than Tyler, with pale eyes and a smirk that didn't reach them.
Tyler stopped. "Watch it."
The man sniffed lightly, then smiled slowly and deliberately. "Found one," he muttered, then walked away.
Tyler blinked. Something about him felt wrong like a scent halfway between familiar and threatening.
At a corner booth, the broad man Ralf returned to his wiry companion. The second man had freckled pale skin, messy auburn hair, and eyes that danced with nervous energy.
"He's an Omega," Ralf said, low.
The other man Jacob looked up from his menu.
"Doesn't smell like he's from a pack., No scent markers. He's new."
Jacob's grin showed a flash of canine sharpness. "Another rogue."
Ralf nodded. "Should we approach?"
"Not yet. He's not alone. Let's see where he's going."
Back at the booth, the smell of sizzling bacon and fresh coffee wrapped around them like a blanket.
Selene and Mason were already seated, half-eaten plates of eggs and toast between them, steam curling from their mugs.
Tyler slid in beside Selene, masking his tension with a crooked smile.
"Miss me?" he asked, reaching for a slice of bacon from her plate.
Selene arched an eyebrow. "Touch my food again and I'll stab your other side."
Mason snorted into his coffee. "Some things never change."
Tyler told them about the encounter in the hall way.
Selene narrowed her eyes but didn't press further.
"Alright, travelers," Mason said, brushing toast crumbs from his hoodie. "How far is this Moon Hollow place again?"
Selene unfolded the parchment map. "Maybe another hour. Assuming we don't get lost and end up in Narnia."
"That wouldn't be the weirdest thing that's happened this week," Tyler muttered.
Then a voice. Soft. Smooth. Almost musical.
"Excuse me…"
A young woman stood beside their table. Maybe twenty, maybe timeless, it was hard to tell. Her skin was warm-toned, eyes dark and curious. A long green scarf was wrapped loosely around her shoulders, despite the warm diner air. Her presence felt like the breeze before a thunderstorm.
"You guys aren't from around here, are you?"
Tyler shifted slightly, instincts still prickling from earlier.
Mason smiled politely. "Is it that obvious?"
The woman's smile widened. "Sorry. Didn't mean to spook you. My name's Sonique. I live just outside Elderglen. Don't usually talk to strangers but… something about you three caught my eye."
She looked directly at Tyler when she said it.
"I get a feeling about people sometimes. You folks are walking into something big."
Tyler gave a half-chuckle. "Appreciate the warning. We're just… following a lead."
Sonique nodded. "You're following it in the right direction. Moon Hollow's not marked for a reason."
Her gaze dropped to Selene's map. Her finger tapped a faded glyph near the edge a spiral inside a triangle.
"I'd avoid this ridge. Bad things sleep near the old aquifer ruins."
Selene stared. "How do you know that symbol?"
Sonique's smile faded slightly. "I grew up on stories. My people used symbols like that… before they stopped sharing maps at all."
Tyler met her gaze. "Your people?"
"Let's just say I've got roots deeper than most. If you're heading into Moon Hollow, I'll guide you. It's safer that way."
Mason leaned in. "You live there?"
"Born and raised." She looked at Tyler again. "You've got the look of someone Moon Hollow hasn't seen in a long time."
Selene looked wary. Tyler nodded. "We're looking for someone. Her name's Conny Aldane."
Sonique blinked. "Conny? I've known her for years."
Selene exchanged a surprised glance with Mason.
"Great," Tyler said. "We'll follow your lead."
Outside the window, Ralf was still sitting in the far booth.
Watching.
Waiting.
They left the diner in a quiet hurry, following Sonique's car up the winding gravel roads.
The trees grew denser. The sunlight is thinner pressed against the edges of the world like breath on glass.
Ahead, just off the road, stood a moss-covered house partially hidden by forest. Runes pulsed faintly along its stones. Windchimes made of crystal and bone clinked softly above the porch.
Sonique walked up and knocked twice.
A long pause. Then the door creaked open.
A tall woman stood in the doorway. Her storm-gray eyes carried the weight of centuries. Black and silver hair framed a lined but graceful face.
Tyler stepped forward.
"Good day," he said, swallowing. "Sorry to disturb… we're looking for Conny."
The woman smiled faintly.
"You found her."