HIDDEN HOWL

Chapter Twenty: The Hunt

TRINITY

My heart is pounding in my chest, each beat sending a tremor through my body. I take a shaky step back, the cold stone beneath my feet adding to the weight of what’s about to happen.

The palace walls loom around me like silent witnesses to the cruel game Nasir has set in motion. I swallow hard, trying to steady myself, but the words that leave my mouth feel foreign, weak.

"Please, Nasir... don’t do this." My voice is a fragile whisper, barely louder than the breeze rustling through the courtyard.

His grin widens, wicked and full of malice, as if he relishes every second of my fear.

"If none of the recruits finds you in the next twenty minutes," he says slowly, letting the words hang in the air like a guillotine, "you’re free. And I’ll make sure they face punishment so excruciating, they’ll never forget it."

My breath catches in my throat. My legs tremble with the sudden weight of his words. I can feel the pressure of all eyes on me, the other recruits waiting for my next move.

"But if they do find you," Nasir continues, voice turning darker, "it won’t be funny for you. At all."

I glance around, searching for help, but the faces of the others are either indifferent or distant. When my gaze falls on Xerxes, I feel a flicker of hope. I open my mouth, ready to plead for him to intervene, but when I look into his eyes, there's nothing there. No pity. No sympathy. Just a cold, unreadable expression. The knot in my stomach tightens.

I turn frantically to Liam, my last hope. "Liam, please, you can’t let him do this. There has to be another way—someone else can do it, right?"

Liam hesitates, glancing at Nasir, then back at me, his brow furrowing.

"Why her?" he asks, his voice almost pleading. "Why not someone else? She’s... not like the rest of us."

Nasir's laugh cuts through the air, cruel and sharp. "Because," he sneers, "Trinity is the weakest person here. It's only fair that she be hunted. Or are you too soft, Liam?"

Liam opens his mouth to protest, but Nasir raises a hand, cutting him off. "Enough. This is my training session, and you will follow my rules." His voice hardens. "She has thirty seconds. Starting now."

My eyes widen in panic as Nasir pulls out a timer, clicking it into place with a sickening finality. Time is already slipping away, seconds passing too quickly, too ominously. I hear the soft beep as the countdown begins.

I don’t even think. I just ran.

I push my legs harder than they’ve ever gone before, my breath coming in sharp gasps as I sprint through the palace grounds. The wind cuts through my hair, but I barely notice. I can feel them all watching me, their eyes on my back. I can't stop. I won’t stop.

The courtyard comes into view, and my legs carry me toward the nearest tree. My hands find the rough bark, and I pull myself up with all the strength I have left. The higher I climb, the safer I feel. Up here, I can breathe. Up here, I might just have a chance.

Minutes pass in a blur, but I don’t move, holding my breath, praying no one will spot me. The adrenaline begins to wear off, and I find myself hoping against hope that I can hide long enough for the timer to run out.

Then, a voice cuts through the silence.

"You’re not exactly good at hiding, are you?"

My blood runs cold, and I freeze, every muscle in my body going rigid. I know that voice. It's Xerxes.

I peek over the edge of the branch, my stomach twisting in embarrassment. There he is, standing below me with his arms crossed, his eyes glowing with an almost mocking amusement.

"You’ll be found within minutes," he adds, the words like a cruel prophecy.

My cheeks flame with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. Of course. Of course, I can’t even manage to hide properly.

"I’ll be fine," I mutter, but my voice lacks any real conviction.

Xerxes’s gaze sharpens, his jaw tightening slightly. "No, you won’t."

And before I can protest, his eyes narrow, and the unspoken command in them is clear.

"Get down," he says, and there's no softness in his tone. No joking.

I hesitate for a moment, heart pounding in my throat, but the way he looks at me, unwavering and intense, makes it impossible to refuse. I climb down slowly, my fingers brushing against the rough bark, my feet finding purchase on the ground.

Xerxes doesn’t speak as I land in front of him, his eyes scanning me, unreadable as ever. Without a word, he turns on his heel and begins walking toward a quieter corner of the courtyard.

I follow him, unsure of what else to do. He leads me to a secluded part of the garden, the shadows of the trees shielding us from view.

"Stay here," Xerxes instructs, his voice unexpectedly gentle. He kneels down, pulling at some bushes and gathering small, dark berries from the bushes growing nearby.

Before I can ask what he's doing, he presses the berries into my hands, motioning for me to rub them along my clothes and skin.

"They’ll cover your scent," he explains, his voice quiet but firm. "It should buy you more time."

I stare at him, still uncertain. "Why are you helping me?" The question slips out before I can stop it. His gaze flickers to mine, and for the briefest moment, I see something almost like... pity? But it’s gone too quickly for me to be sure.

"You’ve been embarrassed enough," he says, his voice flat, almost indifferent. "No need to make it worse."

For the first time since this twisted game began, I feel a small spark of hope.

“Thank you, Xerxes,” I said just as he rose to his feet.

He turns his back on me and leaves me without a response.

He really was a strange one, wasn't he?