Chapter 6

The Hunters' Trail

The cottage was eerily quiet when Evelyn woke up, and the air was heavy with the smell of damp wood and decomposing forest. She was exhausted and desperate for answers after the adrenaline from the attack the night before had left her body.

Her wounds, though painful, had stopped bleeding for now. She had managed to clean herself up and bandage the worst of the cuts, but there was no time to rest. The wolves weren't her only problem anymore she could feel it in her bones, the shift in the air. A predatory presence had taken hold of Blackpine.

Evelyn stepped quietly to the window, peering through the cracks between the wooden planks. She had to be careful if the wolves were still out there, waiting for her to make a mistake, so were the humans.

The forest around the cabin was still, but Evelyn could sense something in the air-something faint, something wrong. Her heightened senses pricked at the hairs on the back of her neck. Something was out there, moving slowly and deliberately through the trees. Not the chaotic movement of the rogue wolves, but something methodical. Something...human.

Her grip tightened on the silver dagger at her side as she took a slow step back from the window. She couldn't be sure, but the hair on her arms stood on end. She had learned long ago that instinct was often more reliable than reasoning when you were being hunted.

Evelyn's mind raced back to her mother's journal. The hunters the ones who had killed her family before, who hunted the werewolves for sport and for the artifacts they believed held power. They were here now, moving through the forest, their silent footsteps betraying their lethal intent.

She had to move fast. There was no telling how long she had before they found the cabin, or worse, tracked her down. But before she could gather her things, a low voice reached her ears, muffled but unmistakable...

"...she's close, I can feel it..."

Evelyn froze. As she knelt by the door and listened carefully, her breath seized in her chest. We are aware of her presence. She cannot hide indefinitely. A shiver went through her body. They were discussing her. They were aware of her presence.

The key lies in the item. She must guide us there.

Evelyn's thoughts whirled. They were also after the artifact. They must have been aware of her mother's journal and the hints she had been looking for. However, how? A colder, more menacing voice then interrupted the discussion, saying, "...she's no different from the wolves." She is essentially doomed once the full moon takes control of her. It's better for us to stop it now. We are aware of what she is turning into.

The blood in Evelyn ran cold. They are aware. The hunters were aware that she was no longer human. They intended to murder her before she could locate the artifact before she could break the curse because they had somehow discovered out what the curse had already done to her.

Her mind spun, trying to put the pieces together. They were ruthless, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill her. But how did they know? Her transformation was only just beginning had she been followed all this time? Had they been watching her?

She couldn't wait any longer. Evelyn had to get out of the cabin. She had no choice. She couldn't risk confronting them here she needed to stay hidden, bide her time, and gather more information. Maybe, just maybe, she could use their hunt to her advantage.

Stealing toward the rear of the cabin, Evelyn silently pushed open the crumbling wooden door that opened into the forest's thick underbrush. Her senses were keen to every sound, and she moved quickly. Her heart pounded in her chest as she froze when she heard the tiniest rustle of leaves.

A shadow passed in front of the cabin window.

The hunters were closer than she'd realized.

With one last glance at the abandoned cabin, Evelyn dashed into the woods, keeping low, using the trees as cover. Her heart was a pounding drum in her chest, and she fought to calm her breath, to silence the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. The forest was still alive, its creatures stirring, but none of them seemed to be watching her.

The hunters were closer now. They were hunting her.

She could hear them-soft, careful footfalls moving through the underbrush, too quiet for anyone to notice unless they were listening closely. Evelyn moved as quickly as she dared, her instincts guiding her through the dense foliage. But every time she thought she had lost them, she would hear a snap of a twig or the faintest whisper of a voice, and she knew they were still there, still following her.

"Spread out," one of the hunters ordered. His voice was a harsh whisper. "She can't be far."

Evelyn's stomach twisted in knots. They're getting closer.

She pressed her back to a tree, barely breathing, trying to calm her racing heart. Her fingers curled tightly around the silver dagger. She knew it wouldn't be enough against trained hunters especially not if they had the same weapons they'd used against her family but she couldn't just wait to be found. She had to act.

The jungle appeared to hold its breath for a time. Evelyn waited, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, her body taut. It seemed as though the trees themselves were waiting and watching her, and the air was heavy and dense with danger.

Then, out of the corner of her vision, she noticed movement a figure slowly approaching from a distance of no more than twenty feet.

Clad in a dark, worn coat that melted into the darkness, the hunter was tall. His eyes scanned the surrounding forest with merciless accuracy as he glided in the quiet of a predator. Evelyn's heartbeat accelerated. He was too near. She had no money to make a noise.

She balled her hands, forcing herself to remain motionless and let the moment to pass. She could almost feel the weight of his gaze, inching closer, drawing nearer...

And then, the crack of a twig.

The hunter's head snapped toward the sound, and Evelyn's heart leapt into her throat.

It was too late to hide now.

In one fluid motion, Evelyn pushed herself off the tree and dashed toward the next cluster of trees, her body moving faster than she'd ever thought possible. Behind her, she heard the hunters' startled shouts, followed by the sound of pursuit.

"She's fast!

Evelyn knew she couldn't outrun them forever. They were too close, too skilled. But maybe she could lead them into a trap.

With every ounce of energy left, she sprinted through the dense woods, weaving between trees, jumping over fallen logs. She heard the hunters gaining on her, their heavy boots pounding against the ground. They weren't far now.

Then, she found it.

A deep ravine, steep and narrow, with a series of boulders scattered along its edge. A perfect place to lose them.

She rushed toward the edge, carefully planning her next move. The hunters were closing in, but she was ready.

Evelyn jumped over the gulf at the last second, climbing onto a nearby branch and swinging herself to the other side. Her bones ached from the force of the blow as she fell hard. She had bought herself a little time, but the hunters were just a few moments away.

They were taken by surprise for a time and hesitated as they got closer to the ravine's brink. Evelyn took advantage of the situation to retreat, cautiously sheltering behind a big rock.

Evelyn's thoughts were racing as the hunters went by, still looking for her. There was no more danger she could afford. As she struggled to come up with a fresh strategy, one idea kept coming to her.

The artifact was known to the hunters. They were aware of the curse. How? Had they been hunting werewolves long before she entered the scene, or had they been pursuing her family all along?

The only way out was forward.

was yet to come.

She had to know more. There was no way she could keep running without answers. But as Evelyn pressed on deeper into the woods, she couldn't shake the feeling that the worst