Chapter 31
1013 Words
The dining hall buzzed with energy.
Louder than before.
Fuller.
Alive in a way that felt almost electric.
Mia sat across from Lilly, picking at her food while her eyes drifted—not aimlessly, but deliberately—scanning the room.
New faces everywhere.
New scents.
New dynamics forming in real time.
“Oh, this is so good,” Lilly murmured, leaning forward slightly as she surveyed the room like she was studying something important. “Look at them.”
Mia followed her gaze.
Groups had already started to form—clusters of girls whispering, laughing, glancing not-so-subtly across the room. Packs of young men stood near the far tables, posturing just enough to be noticed without making it obvious.
Or at least—
Trying not to make it obvious.
“See that group?” Lilly said, nodding toward a trio of girls near the back. “Southern pack. You can tell by the way they dress—very ‘we run things but pretend we don’t.’”
Mia hummed softly.
“And over there—” Lilly continued, already moving on, “—those are new. Definitely new. They haven’t figured out the room yet.”
Mia’s attention shifted again.
Jake.
He stood with a group near the wall, shoulders relaxed—but not quite.
Not like before.
He laughed at something someone said.
But it didn’t reach his eyes.
And he didn’t look at her.
Not once.
Mia’s fingers tightened slightly around her fork.
“…And don’t even get me started on the flirting,” Lilly added, lowering her voice just enough to feel like gossip.
Mia blinked, pulling herself back.
“What?”
Lilly gestured subtly across the room.
Mia followed—
And saw them.
A group of girls had gathered near the center, their attention very clearly focused on one table.
Victor.
And his brothers.
“Of course,” Lilly muttered. “New, mysterious, powerful—basically a magnet for bad decisions.”
Mia didn’t respond.
Her gaze had already locked.
Victor stood near the edge of the table, speaking briefly with one of his brothers—Adam, she thought—his posture relaxed, expression unreadable.
Then—
A girl stepped forward.
Confident.
Deliberate.
Vanessa.
Mia didn’t know her last name—but she didn’t need to.
Southern pack.
Lilly had been right.
Vanessa reached out, her hand sliding lightly up Victor’s arm, leaning in just enough to close the distance between them.
Mia went still.
“She’s bold,” Lilly whispered.
Vanessa smiled, saying something Mia couldn’t hear.
Victor looked down at her.
A slow smirk tugged at his lips.
Then he leaned in.
Close enough that only she could hear him.
Mia’s chest tightened.
Victor’s voice dropped—too low for anyone else to catch.
But his expression—
Didn’t change.
“I'm not interested.”
Vanessa blinked.
Just slightly.
Then let out a soft, nervous laugh, stepping back as if nothing had happened.
“Wow,” Lilly muttered. “Rejected with style.”
Vanessa turned quickly, smoothing it over, and made her way toward Adam instead.
Who welcomed her attention immediately.
“See?” Lilly continued, shaking her head. “Brazen. Absolutely shameless.”
Mia didn’t answer.
Because something inside her—
Shifted.
Low.
Deep.
A sound—not quite audible, but felt.
A growl.
It settled in her chest like something instinctual.
Something territorial.
Her grip tightened.
Her breath slowed.
Her gaze—
Didn’t leave Victor.
“Mia.”
A hand touched her arm.
She flinched.
Hard.
The growl vanished instantly.
Mia blinked rapidly, pulling herself back as Lilly stared at her.
“…Okay,” Lilly said slowly. “That was new.”
Mia exhaled, forcing her shoulders to relax. “Sorry.”
“No,” Lilly said, narrowing her eyes slightly. “You don’t get to ‘sorry’ that. What was that?”
“I don’t know,” Mia said quickly.
Which was becoming a problem.
Because it was always the same answer.
And it was never enough.
Lilly studied her for another second—
Then leaned back slightly.
“…You’re getting weird,” she muttered.
Mia huffed softly. “I’ve always been weird.”
“Not like this.”
Before Mia could respond—
A voice cut through the room.
Strong.
Commanding.
“Everyone.”
The room stilled almost instantly.
Mia turned.
Her father stood at the front of the hall, his presence filling the space without effort. Conversations quieted, attention shifting toward him as he stepped forward.
Beside him, leaders from other packs and clans stood in quiet support—including Victor’s father.
“This evening,” Kane began, his voice steady and clear, “we begin the first of four nights of celebration leading to the Alpha Ball.”
A murmur of excitement rippled through the room.
“The hunt,” he continued, “will begin at sundown.”
Lilly practically vibrated beside Mia.
“A rare stag has been released into the forest.”
More murmurs.
More energy.
“The rules are simple,” Kane said. “The first pack or clan to track, capture, and prepare the stag—wins.”
A pause.
Then—
“This year’s prize…”
Even Kane’s tone shifted slightly.
“…is something that has never been offered before.”
The room went completely silent.
Waiting.
Anticipating.
Lilly grabbed Mia’s arm again, whispering, “I need to know what that is.”
Mia barely heard her.
Because something in her chest—
Reacted.
Not excitement.
Not curiosity.
Something deeper.
The same pull.
The same awareness.
The forest.
The hunt.
Something out there—
Was waiting.
Kane’s gaze swept across the room.
And for just a second—
It landed on Mia.
His expression didn’t change.
But something passed between them.
Unspoken.
Knowing.
“The hunt begins at sundown,” he finished.
“And may the strongest among you… prove it.”
The room erupted.
Voices.
Excitement.
Movement.
But Mia stayed still.
Because deep down—
She knew.
This wasn’t just a hunt.
And whatever was waiting in that forest—
Wasn’t just for the others.
- Writer
