FREYA'S POV
The moon hung high in the night sky as I abandoned the pursuit, the dense woods reluctantly releasing me from their grasp. About 45 minutes had slipped away since I emerged from the wilderness, leaving the hunt behind. Yet, there I stood, leaning against our truck by the roadside, waiting for Aiko's return.
She remained entrenched in the pursuit, refusing to yield in her quest for the elusive vampire. The engine's steady hum underscored the stillness of the night, punctuating my solitude as I grappled with the echoes of my recent falter. The scene replayed in my mind like a haunting refrain, the phantom image of the vampire morphing into the visage of Marshall.
I questioned the origin of my lapse, the unexpected intrusion of emotions long suppressed. The woods whispered sec
