Chapter 20: The Edge Of The Wolf
688 Words
The forest seemed endless, but every shadow carried firelight now, every gust of wind the echo of pursuit. Aria’s lungs burned, her legs trembling as she struggled to match Kael’s relentless pace. His grip on her hand was iron, too tight, as though letting go might mean losing her forever.
Her mind spun. She had seen him fight before, but not like this. The way he had torn through the hunters, the savage violence in his eyes—it wasn’t just Kael. It was something older, darker, and it terrified her almost as much as it comforted her.
Who are you really?
A branch snapped somewhere behind them. Kael froze, his head whipping around, nostrils flaring. Aria felt the tension ripple through him, his muscles vibrating under his torn shirt. For a heartbeat he wasn’t a man at all—he was the wolf, straining against invisible chains.
“They’re too close,” he muttered, his voice thick, low. His eyes glowed gold, catching stray torchlight.
Aria swallowed hard. “Then let’s keep moving—”
“No.” His hand tightened painfully on hers. “If I run now, I’ll lose them. If I lose them, they’ll find you again. They won’t stop until you’re dead.”
The words sank into her chest like ice. She wanted to argue, to tell him they just had to hide, but the blood on his claws still glistened in her memory. He knew better than she did how relentless the hunters could be.
“Kael…” she said softly, trying to reach the man beneath the beast. “Don’t do this. You’re hurt—”
His body trembled violently, shoulders rising and falling with ragged breaths. “I can’t hold it back much longer.”
The admission chilled her more than the night air.
His jaw locked, teeth bared. He leaned close, his face inches from hers, breath hot and uneven. “If I lose myself, Aria… you run. Do you understand? You don’t look back.”
Her heart cracked. “Don’t say that.”
Another horn blared, closer now. The hunters were spreading wide, pushing them into a corner of the forest. Kael’s head snapped toward the sound, a growl tearing from his throat, low and primal. His eyes blazed—no longer a flicker, but full golden fire.
Aria pressed her palm against his chest, feeling the wild thunder of his heartbeat. “Stay with me. Please. Don’t give them what they want.”
For a moment, something in him softened. His breath hitched, his grip on her slackened. But then a torchlight broke through the trees, a hunter stepping into view, crossbow raised.
The sound of the twang ripped the night apart.
Kael moved faster than thought, shoving Aria behind him as the bolt grazed his arm. The growl that followed was nothing human.
He launched forward, a blur of fury, and the hunter barely had time to scream before Kael’s claws tore the weapon aside. Another figure crashed into the clearing, then another—three against one.
Aria stumbled back, horror and awe warring in her chest. Kael fought like a storm unleashed, every strike precise, brutal. But with each blow, she saw the line between man and wolf dissolve a little more. His eyes burned, his teeth glistened, and his snarl rattled her bones.
She wanted to scream for him to stop. But if he stopped, they would die.
She clenched her fists, helpless, the sting of tears in her eyes. Please… don’t lose yourself. Not now. Not to them.
The last hunter fell, bloodied and groaning, but Kael didn’t stop. He loomed over him, claws raised, ready to end it.
“Kael!” Aria’s voice cracked the air, sharper than she knew it could.
He froze. For one breathless moment, the forest held still.
Then he turned toward her, chest heaving, eyes still burning gold—but softer now, the man bleeding back through the wolf. His claws lowered slowly, trembling, until they were just hands again.
Aria’s knees buckled with relief.
Behind them, the horn sounded again. Louder. Closer.
The hunters weren’t done.
- Writer
