Moon Prophecy

Chapter 4- The Hunt.

The forest swallowed Mia as she ran. Branches tore at her arms and face while loose stones slid beneath her boots. The cold night air burned her lungs, each breath sharper than the last. But she didn’t stop.

Behind her, wolves howled. Nick and the warriors had shifted. There paws thundered across the forest floor as they chased her through the darkness.

Mia stumbled over a fallen branch and nearly fell. She caught herself against a tree, her chest heaving violently.

Run.

Her body screamed for rest, but fear forced her forward. She pushed deeper into the forest, weaving between thick trunks and thorn bushes. The moonlight barely reached the ground here, leaving only shadows and faint silver patches guiding her path.

A low growl echoed somewhere behind her. Too close. Mia’s heart lurched. She pushed herself harder. Her foot slipped on wet leaves and she crashed into the dirt again. Pain shot through her knee.

“Please…” she gasped to no one.

Tears blurred her vision, she forced herself up. Her body was failing, she knew it, but stopping meant death. A loud crack of branches sounded behind her. Nick burst from the trees in wolf form, massive and dark, his golden eyes glowing in the moonlight.

Mia froze.

For a moment the forest fell silent. Nick stalked toward her slowly, his powerful body moving with terrifying grace. More wolves emerged behind him. The warriors caught up. Mia backed away slowly.

“I can’t…” she whispered.

Nick shifted back into his human form, towering over her.

“You’re done running, omega,” he said coldly.

Her legs trembled.

“I…I tried,” she said softly.

Nick laughed. “You tried.”

The warriors began to circle her.

“This isn’t a game,” Nick continued. “You embarrassed the pack tonight.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix weakness.”

Nick grabbed her by the arm and spun her around violently.

“You don’t belong here.”

The words hit harder than any strike, for a moment Mia felt something inside her break. She had always known she was unwanted. But hearing it spoken so clearly… It hollowed her chest. Nick pushed her again.

“Run.”

She stared at him. “What.”

“Run again.”

One of the warriors laughed.

“She won’t make it another mile.”

Nick smirked.

“Exactly.”

Mia realized then what they were doing. They weren’t just punishing her. They were playing with her. Like wolves playing with wounded prey before the kill. Nick leaned close.

“If you reach the edge of the territory,” he whispered, “I’ll let you live.”

Mia knew he was lying, but hope flickered anyway. She turned and ran.

High above the forest, Cassian still watched. The young prince had followed the chase quietly through the trees, moving from branch to branch as he tried to keep up. He had never seen anything like this before. The warriors were hunting one of their own. His small hands shook as he clung to the tree.

“Stop…” he whispered to himself.

But no one heard him. Below, Mia burst through the trees again, the forest suddenly opened. Moonlight flooded the ground and she stopped. The cliff. Again. She hadn’t realized she had run in a circle. Behind her, the wolves emerged from the trees. Nick shifted back into human form slowly, smiling.

“You really are hopeless,” he said.

The wind roared up from the gorge behind her. Cold. Endless. Terrifying. Nick approached slowly.

“No more running.”