Chapter 32
551 Words
“WE HAVE TO GO. NOW.”
Mia barely had time to blink before Lilly was on her feet, grabbing her wrist and yanking her up from the table.
“Lilly—”
“No,” Lilly cut her off, already dragging her toward the exit. “We are not showing up to a multi-pack hunt looking like we just rolled out of bed.”
“I did just roll out of bed,” Mia said, stumbling slightly to keep up.
“Exactly my point.”
The hallway was chaos.
People moving in every direction, voices overlapping, energy spiking higher with every passing second as the reality of the hunt settled in.
“This is insane,” Mia muttered.
“This is perfect,” Lilly corrected, weaving through the crowd like she’d been training for this moment her entire life.
They burst into Mia’s room seconds later.
Lilly didn’t stop moving.
Closet—open.
Drawers—pulled.
Clothes—flying.
“Okay,” Lilly said, tossing a black top over her shoulder. “You need something you can move in. Fast. Flexible. Also—hot, obviously.”
Mia raised a brow. “I’m not trying to impress anyone.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lilly said, pointing at her. “You’re always trying to impress someone. You just don’t realize it.”
Mia opened her mouth—
Then stopped.
Because… maybe that wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Here,” Lilly said, shoving a fitted long-sleeve top into her hands. “This. And those black leggings—yes, the ones that make your life look unfair.”
“My life?”
“You heard me.”
Mia shook her head but changed quickly, the familiar motion grounding her as Lilly continued her whirlwind of preparation.
Hair—pulled into a loose braid.
Boots—laced tight.
Jacket—light, fitted, ready.
Meanwhile, Lilly had already changed twice.
“Too much?” she asked, spinning in a dark green set that clung just enough to be noticeable.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Mia huffed a laugh despite herself.
Minutes later, they stood side by side in front of the mirror.
Lilly grinned.
Mia just stared.
“You look like you’re about to hunt something,” Lilly said approvingly.
“I am about to hunt something.”
“Details.”
They stepped back into the hallway—
And the energy hit again.
Stronger now.
Charged.
Anticipation rolling through the pack like a living thing.
“You feel that?” Lilly asked, bouncing slightly on her toes.
Mia nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
But where Lilly felt excitement—
Mia felt something else.
The pull.
Stronger than before.
The forest.
Calling.
They moved toward the main entrance with the others, the crowd gathering, forming loose groups—packs within packs, alliances already shifting and settling.
And then—
Mia felt it.
Before she saw him.
That thread.
That awareness.
She turned.
Victor stood across the room.
Already prepared.
Dressed in dark, fitted clothing that moved easily with him, every line of his posture controlled, deliberate.
Ready.
His brothers stood nearby, speaking quietly—but Victor wasn’t listening.
His gaze was on her.
Had been.
For a while.
Mia stilled.
The world narrowed again.
Not fully.
Not like before.
But enough.
That pull—
Tightened.
- Writer
