Chapter 10

Isabella Pov

The forest air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, the smell clinging to my clothes as we approached the cabin. Every step was heavy with the weight of what we had just escaped, the remnants of the explosion still vibrating in my bones. We had barely made it through the underbrush without being seen. Now, with the cabin looming ahead like a mirage in the distance, it felt like a strange twist of fate that we had found this place at all.

I glanced over at Enzo. His face was drawn, eyes shadowed, but there was no question in his movements. He was alert, calm-like he was used to being in the midst of danger, like he'd always known how to handle it. But beneath that cool exterior, I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his fingers gripped the gun he had pulled out of his waistband earlier. I didn't need to ask; I could tell he wasn't sure about this cabin, either. But there was nowhere else to go.

"Stay sharp," he muttered, eyes flicking to me as he nudged the door open with a quiet push.

We all froze when the door creaked open, the silence inside hanging like a thick fog. Then, a voice.

"Stop right there."

The woman stood in the center of the room, her stance wide, one hand steady on the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at us. Her eyes were cold, calculating, and her face was framed by a cascade of dark hair, streaked with dirt and sweat. She didn't look like she was here by choice. The roughness of her surroundings matched her-sharp, cautious, wary.

"We're not here to cause trouble," Enzo said, his voice firm. He took a step forward, his hand raised slightly, palms open as if to show peace.

"You're in my cabin now," she said, her voice steady, commanding. "And I don't take kindly to strangers, especially ones who look like they've just crawled out of hell. What do you want?"

Her eyes darted from Enzo to Tony, who was struggling to stand, his hand still clutching his bleeding side, and then to me. I could feel her assessing every inch of us, weighing whether we posed a threat or if we were just desperate enough to fall into her trap.

Enzo didn't hesitate. He stepped forward again, eyes locked onto hers. "We need shelter. My friend here is badly wounded," he said, nodding toward Tony. "We can leave once he's patched up."

The woman hesitated, the rifle tightening in her grip, her eyes narrowing as if searching for a lie in Enzo's face. But there was no time for games. I could see her calculation in the way her lips twitched, the way her shoulders shifted slightly. After a long, painful moment, she lowered the rifle just enough to speak again.

"I don't care what you need," she said. "I'm not running a charity here. But if you're going to bleed all over my floors, you'll have to make it quick."

"Please," I said, stepping forward. "Just just for a few hours. We won't be any trouble."

Her gaze softened for a fraction of a second-just long enough for me to see a flicker of something buried deep inside her. Maybe it was empathy, maybe something else entirely. But it didn't last long.

"Fine," she said, finally lowering the rifle completely, though she didn't put it down. "But you're gone by dawn."

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and stepped inside, Tony leaning heavily against Enzo for support. I didn't miss the way the woman's eyes followed them both, her focus on Enzo sharper than I liked.

The interior of the cabin was sparse-dark, with the heavy scent of wood and dust in the air. A single lamp burned dimly in the corner, casting the room in an eerie, yellow glow.

"We don't have long," Enzo said in a low voice, moving toward the far side of the room. "Tony, sit down."

Tony grunted but managed to lower himself onto a nearby chair, though it was clear from the pale hue of his face and the way he clenched his teeth that his injury was far worse than he was letting on.

I knelt beside him, my fingers fumbling as I pulled off his shirt to get a better look at the wound. Blood soaked through, staining the fabric beneath. The bullet had gone clean through, but it had torn something on the way out. He needed medical help, fast. But with the threat still out there, it was hard to focus on anything else.

Enzo moved to the window, crouching low as he checked the perimeter. Every movement was calculated, methodical. He didn't speak as he surveyed the area, and I could tell he was torn. We were in a fragile, volatile situation. On one hand, we had this woman's temporary refuge, but on the other, we were still in the heart of enemy territory, with nowhere to go.

Then the woman spoke again, her voice colder than before. "You're lucky I'm letting you stay. I could have turned you in to the Morettis."

I froze at her words. "You know about the Morettis?"

Her gaze flicked to me, her expression unreadable. "Of course I do. Everyone knows about the Morettis. They're a blight on this world."

Enzo turned sharply, eyes narrowing. "And you're not with them?"

She raised an eyebrow, and her lips curled into a tight smile. "I'm not with anyone. But I've had my run-ins with them. Let's just say... I know enough to stay far away."

There was something in her voice-a warning, a hidden meaning that made my skin crawl.

Before I could press further, I heard it. The unmistakable sound of a hunting dog's howl, distant but growing closer. My heart skipped a beat.

"They're here," the woman muttered, her voice laced with dread. "You have no time."

Enzo moved toward Tony, crouching beside him again. "We need to move. Now."

But as he reached for Tony's arm to help him up, I couldn't help but feel the gravity of the situation crashing down. This wasn't just about Tony anymore. This was about all of us, fighting for survival.

I stood, my mind racing as the howls grew louder, closer. There was no more time to waste. I wasn't going to let the Morettis catch us-at least not without a fight.

"Get ready," I said, my voice firm as I moved toward the door. "We're not running anymore."