A Wolf’s Den

Darkness took Roe, but before he fully passed out, he heard a voice. Low. Calm.“Don’t die on me now.”Roe squinted through the haze. Captain Femi stood over him somewhere far away, flames flickering faintly along the length of his whip. Roe tried to speak.“Man, you really are short.”The darkness swallowed him completely.**Two days later.**Roe woke to the smell of antiseptic and cedar. His ribs screamed the moment he tried to breathe too deeply.“Ah.”The ceiling above him was unfamiliar for a moment. Then the room came back to him: HearthGate infirmary.Rachel sat beside the bed. Her head snapped up the second he groaned, her eyes red as tears welled instantly.Roe chuckled weakly. “Wow. Roles have reversed, huh?”Rachel didn’t answer. She burst into tears and grabbed him in a tight hug. “YOU IDIOT! YOU ALMOST DIED!”Roe winced. “Careful, careful, my ribs.”She pulled back just enough to smack his shoulder. “I thought you were dead!”“Valid concern,” Roe admitted.She wiped her face angrily. “I hate you.”“You’d miss me.”Rachel sniffed. “Yeah.”Roe rubbed the back of his neck. “I should have stayed unconscious.”The infirmary door creaked open. Kavi leaned against the frame, arms crossed. “Well, look at that. The mutt survived.”Roe tilted his head. “You know, you’re really committed to that insult.”Kavi shrugged. “Consistency is important.”Aisling stepped in behind him. “You were unconscious for most of the afternoon.”Roe blinked. “Most?”Rachel nodded. “You passed out right after the captain brought you back.”Roe frowned. “Wait.” His eyes moved between them. “Where is the scary short man?”As if summoned by the insult, the door opened again. Captain Femi stepped inside, and the room immediately went quiet. Femi looked at Roe for a moment, then folded his arms.“You fought a Hollowhart and its Rot pack alone.”Roe shrugged slightly. “Not my best decision.”“No,” Femi said. “It was not.”Silence lingered. Then Femi shook his head. “And yet, you stood up.”Rachel blinked. Kavi raised an eyebrow.Femi looked at Roe again. “I heard the speech.”Roe groaned. “Please tell me I didn’t actually say that out loud.”“You did,” Rachel said, slowly turning toward him. “You gave a whole speech.”Kavi grinned. “Very dramatic.”Femi stared at Roe for another long moment. Then, he burst out laughing. Not a polite laugh, but a real one—loud and unrestrained.Rachel groaned. “I knew it!”Kavi shook his head. “Incredible.”Aisling sighed with relief.Femi wiped his eyes. “Oh spirits, I cannot keep that act going anymore.” He pointed at Roe. “You should have seen your face in my office.”Rachel threw her hands up. “YOU MADE US SIT THROUGH THAT!”Femi shrugged. “I had to know.”“Know what?” Roe muttered.“If you would stand.” Femi’s grin faded into something calmer. “And you did. My crew is full of nothing but misfits and I’m the father of them all.”They all yelled at once. “HEY!”Roe stared at him. “You’re still a jerk.”Femi nodded. “That is also correct.” He glanced at Roe again. “You think I said those things because I hate you?” Femi shook his head. “No. I said them because somewhere deep inside, you already believed them.”The room went quiet.“I needed to know what you would do when someone finally said it out loud,” Femi continued, folding his arms. “And you stood back up anyway. That matters. But you held your own.” He nodded once. “I’m proud of you.”**Later that evening.**Ember’s Light was louder than usual. Roe stood behind the counter cooking while the rest of Division Six occupied half the café.Rachel sat beside Sofia. “So your dad fought a forest monster.”Roe’s head snapped up from the kitchen. His eyes widened, and he began waving both hands wildly. “No, no, no, no!”Rachel blinked. “What?”Roe mouthed silently, *DON’T.*She froze, looked at him, and then at Sofia. “…again.”Roe slowly lowered his head against the counter. “I hate all of you.”Sofia’s eyes widened. “Again?”Roe groaned from the kitchen. “I can hear you.”Kavi sat nearby, sipping tea. “I am still evaluating whether this establishment meets acceptable standards.”Roe slid a plate across the counter. “Eat your food.”Aisling tasted hers and nodded approvingly. “This is excellent.”Femi leaned back in his chair, quietly watching the room. For once, nobody was fighting monsters. Nobody was arguing about politics. They were just eating. Laughing. Breathing. Together.Across the city, far from Ember’s Light, a woman sat alone in a quiet room. A folder rested on the table before her. She flipped through several photographs until one slid free: Kavi.Her fingers rested lightly on the image. “So…” Her voice was calm. “My son may finally be of some use to me.”She closed the folder slowly.Back at Ember’s Light, the night slowly wound down. Plates stacked. Chairs pushed in. Rachel and Sofia laughed near the counter. Kavi and Aisling debated quietly about the migration patterns of monsters.Femi stood near the door. He glanced back once to see Roe wiping down the counter, still standing. Femi nodded once to himself.Later that night, after everyone had gone home, the café was quiet. Roe wiped down the last table when small footsteps padded across the floor. Sofia appeared beside him.“You fought another monster today.”Roe froze. “Who told you?”She crossed her arms. “I hear things.”Roe sighed. “Yeah.”She climbed onto one of the stools. “Did you win?”Roe thought about the alley. The Hollowhart. The pack. The moment he thought he was going to die. Then he thought about the infirmary, the team, and Femi laughing.He smiled softly. “Yeah. I think I did.”Sofia nodded. “I already know you’re not like the rest of us. But you’re still my daddy.” She hugged him. “Goodnight.”“Goodnight, kiddo.”She disappeared into the back room. Roe stood there quietly for a moment, then reached up and turned off the lantern above the counter.Outside, the wooden sign swayed softly in the night breeze: **EMBER’S LIGHT**.And somewhere in the quiet distance, a new storm was beginning to gather.