An Unexpected Revelation

The room was still, its space supplied with dim light by the fact that there was only one lantern swinging from the wall. At this moment, Jude finished his work, packing up the last of his supplies and moving toward the door, weariness seeping into his bones. He reached for the door handle but immediately stayed his hand, as his mind suddenly locked onto something. He froze, turned around again slowly, and stared from the unconscious woman on the cot to the three brothers, a spark in his eyes revealing understanding.

He took a step forward, shock written across his face. "Wait a minute…who the hell is she?!" he boomed abruptly, wonder lacing his voice. "Why is there an injured stranger in your secret cabin? And…don't tell me you brought her here because she's some secret lover or something?

The brother's eyes widened as each of them sought to mute Jude's voice. Dave gave him a warning look-a silent plea to keep his voice low. Jude caught on, pressing his lips together but clearly struggling to contain his questions.

"Oh, goddess of the moon, how could I have not asked this before?" Jude burbled to himself, really, more than to others. He turned back to the brothers, dropping his voice to a harsh whisper. "Seriously, what's going on here?"

Dean stepped forward, his expression reassuring as he nodded at Jude. "Let me explain," he said softly, beckoning Jude closer. He told them in a flash all that had happened in the woods: how they had heard the moaning, pained, and found the injured woman lying on the ground; how they had thought at first it was a trap, then understood she was really injured. There hadn't been time to think; they'd just acted, bringing her back here to save her.

As Dean finished, Jude shook his head in incredulity at the sheer incomprehensibility of it all. "You found her in the woods, and the first thing that came into your mind was to bring her here?" he huffed, his voice full of barely contained anger. "Did any of you even stop to consider this might be some kind of trap? What if she's running from something dangerous? What if she's being chased by… I don't know, rogues or worse?"

The brothers looked at each other uncomfortably, realizing that Jude had a point. They had acted without considering what might happen because of it. The thought that maybe some psycho could be on her tail had crossed their minds rarely before, and now they felt a little irresponsible.

He crossed his arms, and his gaze sifted from brother to brother. "You do remember you have an entire pack to consider, right? It's not about the three of you playing heroes.

Dave took a deep breath and met Jude's challenging stare. "We knew it was a risk. And, yeah, maybe we didn't think it all the way through, but we couldn't just leave her there. If she's in some kind of trouble, she needs our help."

Jude let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "Alright. Just.promise me you'll be careful, okay? I know you three mean well, but there's consequences for every decision that you make.

Dave nodded, his voice sure. "I promise, Jude. If there's one ounce of risk to the pack, we'll handle it. We'd never put them in danger.

Jude stared at them for one long moment, then finally let his guard down, his features softening. "Alright, but listen-make sure she's hydrated. If she doesn't wake up by tomorrow morning, then we'll know something's wrong. I'll check on her again if I need to, but for now, just… try to be careful.".

With that, he dragged himself out, turning on his heel finally towards the door, mumbling something about his beauty sleep. The brothers watched him go-toyed with patience-then waited until the sound of his footsteps had faded into silence. The room was dead still, the weight of Jude's words hanging in the air.

They turned to the woman lying on the cot, her face pale and still. Dan let out a small sigh and reached for a cup of water. He dipped a cloth in the water, wrung it out, and brought it over to gently dab her lips, trying to keep her hydrated.

As he worked, Dean reached for a fresh towel, wet it, and passed it to Dan. "Might as well clean her face too," he muttered, his voice softer now.

Dan nodded, placing the wet towel against her forehead, being gentle as he wiped away the dirt and grime that had accrued on her face. He went at it tenderly, cleaning the mud and dust from her cheeks, stroke after slow stroke. Each stroke disclosed something new: soft features hidden under the dirt, a delicate face masked by her injuries.

He stroked the final bit, and then there was only complete, dead silence as three brothers stared, and could not look away. Her skin was smooth seeming to glow in the low light, her cheekbones high and well-defined, her lips full and slightly parted as she breathed softly.

Dan stepped backward, unable to help the amazement from leaking into his voice. "I knew she was beautiful, but…" His voice trailed off; he couldn't quite find the words.

Dean nodded, fixed on her, a hint of wonder in his eyes. "She's.she's something else."

Even Dave, the most composed among the three at times, seemed for a moment to be caught off guard. "She's not just any ordinary girl," he said with barely a whisper, it seemed more to himself than anyone else.

It was as if the silence of the moment hung in the air, heavy with what was at stake, as they stood there. This mysterious woman, here in their cabin, had already stirred within them something strange: an awe, curiosity, and even protectiveness that they could not understand.

Dan finally cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Alright, we need to keep our heads here. We don't know anything about her yet."

Dean nodded, wrenching his gaze off of her. "You're right. Let's just make sure she's comfortable and let her rest. We'll figure out everything else in the morning.

They took turns settling her and, in turn, snuck in one last glance her way before stepping back. They weren't sure why, but there was a feeling about her presence that seemed so different, almost as if they were meant to find her.

The quiet understanding now washed over them as they stood together: something huge was coming.