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The wind howls through the trees. It wraps itself around my body and sends another bone-shaking shudder through me. The cold has seeped into the fabric of my clothing and is chilling me to my core. I fold the cloak tighter around myself, my fingers numb inside my woollen gloves.

The snow is deep. It comes up to my knees and almost reaches Jaidan's thighs. Thank Goddess for my knee-high boots. I reach out for the boy and pull him to my body. He huddles against me for warmth.

I should never have let him come out with me.

What am I thinking? I didn't let him. The boy snuck out and followed me up the mountain. By the time I realised that he was tailing me, we had gone too far for me to risk sending him back alone. No, he is far safer by my side than he is making his way down this perilous mountain by himself.

Once again, I silently curse him for being such a good brother.

He shouldn't be here. He should be back at home, in bed, warm and safe. Darren is going to kill me.

'Do you think the yeti knows that we are coming?' Jaidan asks above the whistling of the wind.

I swallow hard and rub my lips together, grateful that I applied lip balm before I left. They would not be enduring this wind half as easily without it.

'The yeti doesn't care whether we are on his mountain, Jai, don't worry. We're going to get your brother and leave, no problem.'

The lie hangs between us both, with neither of us believing it. I don't blame Jaidan for not believing it, I haven't even convinced myself.

We both know that the yeti will be pissed that we are on his land without an offering. The fact that we have come to take an offering makes this ten times worse. He probably knew of our presence the second our boots first crunched the snow when we passed into the upper territory.

There were targets on our backs the moment we left the safety of the pack's territory. We are trespassing and we know it.

I glance over my shoulder at the Sun. Set low in the sky, I'd guess we have about an hour before sundown.

Hastened by a fast-approaching deadline, I push on a little faster than before. The nine year old stumbles through the white powder to keep up with me.

'How long till we reach him, Opal?' His young voice breaks through my fearful thoughts.

'About half an hour, I think. We are going to that ridge, there.'

I point at the precipice jutting out above us, higher up the mountain. That's where the yeti lives.

Eventually, Jaidan and I reach the bottom of the rocky platform. Now, our ascent gets harder. We have to climb rock instead of trudging through snow.

The high altitude makes breathing more difficult, but our supernatural bodies adjust quickly. The only tell of our exertion is our laboured breathing.

Like I predicted, it takes us almost half an hour to reach the top. It is an enormous flat surface that stretches out hundreds of yards.

There is a cabin situated in the mountainside. A chimney billows smoke up into the cold air. The lights inside spread golden shapes across the snow-covered ground.

In front of the cabin are four trees, each with remnants of ropes and chains wrapped around them. Bound to the tree closest to us, is Darren, Jaidan's brother.

'Darren!' Jaidan calls out excitedly.

I grab his arm and pull him back when he tries to run across to his sibling. Darren lifts his weary head and looks up. He looks half-dead already. His eyes widen in shock as he spots the two of us.

'Hush, we don't know if the yeti is about,' I hiss to Jaidan.

Darren looks between us both but remains silent. I gesture around and sign the word for safe. Darren nods his head towards the cabin and then nods again.

'The yeti is in the cabin,' I tell Jaidan. 'Keep quiet, okay?'

He nods and presses his finger to his lips. Together, we creep through the snow to his brother. Darren has numerous coils of rope tied around his chest, holding him to the tree trunk. I slip my backpack from my shoulder and fumble with the zip, trying to open it.

Jaidan takes it from me and opens it with ease. I mouth 'Thank you' to him and retrieve my pocket knife from inside. I kneel down beside Darren and start to cut the ropes.

'What are you doing here?' He whispers weakly. 'And why did you bring Jaidan? Do you not realise how much danger you have put him in?'

'He followed me,' I snap. 'I didn't let him come with me.'

Darren focusses his glare on his brother. 'This is too dangerous, you shouldn't have come.'

'I wasn't going to leave you for the yeti to eat!' Jaidan protests loudly and we both hush him.

There is a nasty gash on Darren's side. The blood has soaked his coat and is making it cling to him. Exhausted from the blood loss, he leans his head back against the tree and closes his eyes.

'Leave me, Opal. I'm not going to make it.'

I ignore his comment. 'You need to get that looked at when we get back,' I tell him firmly. 'It might get infected.'

He grimaces. 'I will if I make it off this mountain alive.'

My knife eventually saws through the rope. The rough ends fall to the ground and Darren pulls his arms free. With the help of Jaidan and I, we get him to his feet. He is pale from blood loss and unsteady on his feet, but he's alive.

The three of us stagger back towards the precipice ledge. Darren is dead weight against my body and I realise he's going to need our support the whole way down the mountain.

A guttural, bone-chilling howl sounds from behind us.

'Yeti,' Jaidan whispers fearfully.

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Long ago, there was a man named Rorke. Born to two alphas, he was set to take over his pack when he came of age. Just before his eighteenth birthday, a war broke out between the pack and the Vagus.

The Vagus slaughtered Rorke's parents and most of his pack. Despite leading the victory, Rorke was greatly injured in the fight. He lost his sight. Blinded and full of despair, his pack no longer deemed him fit to rule.

He was outcast, banished as a bad omen. He went up the mountainside and made his home amongst the snow. For years, everyone thought him dead. Until someone caught a glimpse of the blinded grey wolf between the trees.

The Vagus began leaving sacrifices at Rorke's door in return for protection from his wrath. To keep their home in his forest, they bring anything they can catch as an offering.

The Vagus are wanderers, nomads with no home who wander the trees, scavenging for any food and resources they can find. They are the greatest threat to our pack and the sole reason for not travelling in the woods alone.

Rumoured to be cannibals, they will either use your body for food or sacrifice you to Rorke. That's what happened to Darren, he was taken this morning.

I don't belong to a pack. I live outside a small village and mostly keep to myself. Darren and Jaidan are village boys who often visit my cottage with news from the outside world.

Jaidan came running into my kitchen this afternoon, panting and gasping. He clumsily explained that Darren had been taken by the Vagus and was going to be sacrificed to Rorke. The villagers were too scared to go with me, so I trekked up the mountain alone until Jaidan revealed himself.

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'Don't look at him,' Darren hisses. 'I've heard that one look can turn you to stone.'

I almost scoff at the ridiculous suggestion.

'He's blind, Darren,' I mouth to him. 'Stop talking!'

His hearing must be incredible after years without his sight. The three of us remain still in the snow, desperately trying not to make a sound. I can hear Jaidan's ragged breathing and I know the yeti must be able to hear it, too.

I carefully remove Darren's arm around my shoulders. I make sure Jaidan can support his brother's weight and then slowly turn around.

The rumours of what Rorke the blind wolf looks like do not do him justice.

Most werewolves can only shift on a full moon, alphas are the only ones who can shift whenever they like. Although Rorke was rejected by his pack, by blood he is still an alpha.

His giant form towers above the deep snow. His fur, a mottle of grey and white, is shaggy yet soft-looking. Four pale pink scars are slashed across his face, starting at above his eye and ending far below it.

Despite the story of him being blind, he looks right at me. The horrifying realisation that he is not completely blind dawns on me.

We don't stand a chance.

The wolf watches me, hot breath billowing from its mouth and nostrils. I slowly turn back around, careful not to make any sudden movements.

Darren and Jaidan are watching me with matching terrified expressions.

'Go,' I mouth to them.

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Have a great weekend, angels!

I'll see you on Monday❤️