Escaping The Hunt

The forest is deathly silent.

A heartbeat passes. Then another. I hadn't even had the time to gather momentum.

Before The dark-furred wolf with amber eyes meets my gaze. Its body is tense, ears flicked forward, muscles coiled like a bowstring. The others shift behind it, waiting for a signal.

Waiting to strike.

Wolf snarls at my side, his fur bristling. My horse shifts nervously beneath me, sensing the danger.

I don't wait again.

I dig my heels into my horse's sides, urging her forward. She bolts, hooves pounding against the damp earth. Branches whip past me, the wind tearing at my cloak.

And then, the howls erupt behind me.

They're chasing.

I risk a glance over my shoulder. Shadows blur through the trees—fast, too fast. The wolves are closing in, their glowing eyes slicing through the mist like lanterns in the dark.

Damn it.

I lean lower, urging my horse faster. Wolf keeps pace beside me, his breath coming in sharp pants.

The trees blur as I weave through them, but the wolves are relentless. They move as one, cutting through the forest with terrifying precision.

Then—

A snarl to my right.

One of them leaps.

I yank the reins, twisting at the last second. The wolf's massive body crashes into the ground where I had been a second ago.

Too close.

I grit my teeth. I can't outrun them forever. I need to lose them.

Up ahead, the trees thin, opening into a rocky incline. My best chance is to reach higher ground—make it harder for them to surround me.

I steer my horse toward the slope, but the moment we break from the trees, another wolf lunges.

This one is white-furred, with piercing blue eyes.

It goes straight for my horse's legs.

"NO!"

I yank hard on the reins, but it's too late.

The wolf's teeth sink in. My horse screams, rearing back. I lose my grip—

And I fall.

The world spins.

Pain explodes through my shoulder as I hit the ground, the breath knocked from my lungs. My vision blurs.

The moment I try to move, a heavy weight slams into me.

I gasp.

Teeth snap inches from my face. Hot breath fans over my skin.

The white-furred wolf has me pinned.

I struggle, shoving at its chest, but it's like trying to move stone. My dagger—where is my dagger?

Wolf lunges, slamming into the beast, knocking it off me.

I scramble to my feet, my head spinning. My dagger—there! A few feet away, half-buried in the dirt.

I dive for it.

But before my fingers can close around the hilt, a heavy paw slams onto my wrist.

I freeze.

The dark-furred wolf—the leader—looms over me. Its amber eyes gleam with something almost… human.

It doesn't bite.

It doesn't kill me.

Instead, it studies me.

A moment of breathless silence stretches between us.

Then, to my horror—

It shifts.

The fur recedes. Limbs lengthen. Bones snap and reshape.

And in the wolf's place, standing tall and deadly, is a man.

Naked, of course. Because the gods clearly hate me.

He has sharp, angular features, his dark hair tousled from the shift. His skin is sun-kissed, his muscles honed from a life of war and hunting. A long scar slashes across his collarbone.

But it's his eyes that hold me captive.

Amber. Intense.

And filled with amusement.

His grip tightens just enough to remind me who holds the upper hand. The weight of his strength presses against my wrist, pinning me to the ground.

Wolf snarls beside me, hackles raised, but the man—because that's what he is now, a man—doesn't even glance at him. His full attention is on me.

"Well, well," he drawls, his voice deep and smooth, edged with amusement. "Didn't expect to find a little hunter wandering so far from home."

His pack shifts around us, still in their wolf forms, their glowing eyes locked on me. They don't attack, but they don't back down either. They are waiting for him—whoever he is—to decide my fate.

My breath is ragged as I glare up at him. My free hand twitches toward my thigh, where a smaller dagger is strapped beneath my cloak.

He notices.

His grip on my wrist tightens, pinning it above my head. "Ah, ah, none of that," he murmurs, smirking.

Cocky bastard.

"Let go," I snap, my voice hoarse.

His smirk widens. "Now, why would I do that? You and I both know you'll try to stab me the second I do."

He's not wrong.

Still, I bare my teeth at him. "And what? You're going to kill me instead?"

His expression flickers—something unreadable passing through his gaze. "No," he says, almost thoughtfully. "Not yet."

Not *yet*?

I scowl, struggling against his grip, but his strength is impossible to fight. My pulse thrums wildly in my throat. He's not killing me, not immediately, but that doesn't mean I'm safe.

Who is he?

A deep chuckle rumbles from him as if he can hear my thoughts.

"You're lucky, hunter," he says, releasing my wrist abruptly. He steps back, towering over me as I push myself upright. "Had it been anyone else, you'd be dead."

I rise to my feet slowly, keeping my stance firm despite the lingering ache from my fall. Wolf moves protectively to my side, his teeth bared.

I keep my dagger at my hip, fingers brushing the hilt. "Who the hell are you?" I demand.

His smirk remains, but there's something sharper in his gaze now, something calculating.

"You don't know?" He tilts his head, almost amused. "And here I thought all hunters did their research."

I clench my jaw. *He's testing me.*

But I refuse to play into his arrogance.

"I know you're not Zain," I say instead. "So that means you're his second."

His amusement fades slightly. "Zain?" He raised his eyebrow in question. "You dare speak his name! You are a brave and Clever girl. But also stupid"

Beta.

Zain's Beta.

Shit. I might as well be struck dead by Selene.

This close to their territory, I shouldn't be surprised. Of course, the Demon Alpha wouldn't send his entire pack to hunt a single trespasser. He'd send his second-in-command to deal with nuisances like me.

The realization does nothing to ease the weight pressing against my ribs.

I'm in danger.

Real, undeniable danger.

Because if this is his Beta, then I am already far too close to enemy territory.

"I'll ask again," I say, voice steady. "Are you going to kill me?"

He watches me for a long moment, something unreadable in his amber eyes. Then—

"No."

A single word.

Sharp. Decisive.

I exhale, but the relief is brief.

Because his next words send a chill racing down my spine.

"But I am taking you with me."

I stiffen. "Like hell you are."

His smirk returns, dangerous this time. "Oh, little hunter." He steps closer, voice dropping into something almost mocking. "You don't really have a choice."

I don't wait.

I strike.

My dagger flashes in the moonlight as I lunge, aiming for his side.

He moves fast—too fast.

One second, I'm attacking. The next, he has my wrist in an iron grip, twisting my arm behind my back. I hiss in pain, my dagger slipping from my grasp.

He leans in, his breath warm against my ear. "Nice try."

I snarl, twisting, kicking, fighting—

But it's useless.

His pack surrounds us, the wolves watching with keen, intelligent eyes. They don't intervene. They don't need to. Their Beta has already won.

I hate it.

I hate him.

"You're coming with me, hunter," he murmurs, his tone almost amused. "And trust me—you're going to want to behave."

His grip tightens for a fraction of a second before he releases me.

Before I can react, strong hands shove me forward.

And then—

Everything fades into darkness.