Chapter 5: The Hunter and the Hunted
1130 Words
By morning, the academy had changed.
Aria felt it in the way the other trainees looked at her—quick glances over shoulders, too-long stares in the dining hall, silence that thickened the air like fog. No one had said a word. But they didn’t need to.
Rumors moved faster than wolves.
Someone knew.
She sat across from Kade at the far corner of the mess hall, her tray untouched. He ate like nothing had changed, but she could feel the tension in his shoulders, the careful way he scanned the room without looking like he was scanning it.
“What did you hear?” she whispered.
“Whispers. That one of the trainees isn’t who they say they are.”
She clenched her fork. “Do they know it’s me?”
“Not yet. But it’s only a matter of time.”
Aria pushed her food away. “Maybe I should leave.”
Kade’s eyes snapped up. “You’re not leaving.”
“This place was never meant for me.”
“I don’t give a damn. You fought for your spot. You earned it.”
She dropped her voice lower. “If they find out I’m a girl—”
“They won’t.”
“You saw me.”
Kade leaned in. “Yeah. And I protected you.”
She stared at him.
He didn’t blink.
“I meant what I said,” he added. “You belong here. And I’m not letting you run just because the cowards are getting nervous.”
Emotion swelled in her chest. Her throat ached with it.
Kade reached for her hand under the table, fingers brushing hers. Warm. Solid. Real.
“You’re not alone anymore, Aria.”
***
That night, it happened.
The scent hit her like a blow to the chest—salt, sweat, and him.
Alpha Ryker.
The man she was promised to.
She caught it while crossing the northern edge of the training grounds. The smell rode the wind like poison, sharper than smoke, and instantly familiar. Her wolf howled in warning, instincts flaring.
She stumbled to a stop, heart pounding.
No.
No, he couldn’t be here.
This place was supposed to be safe.
She turned sharply—and ran.
Straight to Kade.
***
He was in the weapons barn, sharpening his blade, when she burst in, breathless.
He rose instantly, knife forgotten on the table. “What happened?”
“He’s here,” she said. “Ryker. I smelled him.”
All the color drained from Kade’s face. “You’re sure?”
“I’d never forget that scent.”
He grabbed his jacket, already moving. “Come on. We need to tell someone.”
“Who?” she snapped. “Who can we trust?”
Kade stopped mid-step. The question landed like a blow.
“They don’t even know who I really am. If I come forward now—if I tell them who Ryker is to me—they’ll drag me out of here in chains and hand me over like a favor to his father.”
Kade looked at her like he wanted to argue. But he didn’t. He knew she was right.
“Then we protect you ourselves,” he said.
“How?”
He looked at her, expression carved from stone.
“By doing what Alphas do. We fight.”
***
They doubled her masking herbs. Kade kept close, rarely straying more than a few paces from her. At night, he posted himself by the door, blade across his lap, body still but alert.
Two days passed.
Then three.
Nothing.
But the scent never faded.
Ryker was waiting.
Hunting.
And it was only a matter of time before he struck.
***
On the fourth night, it happened.
Aria awoke to silence.
Kade was gone.
The dorm was dark, the moon hanging low beyond the window.
She sat up slowly, senses sharp. Something felt wrong.
The air was too still.
The shadows, too heavy.
She crept toward the door and opened it quietly.
The hallway outside was empty—but a smear of blood marked the floor.
Cold dread seized her.
She followed the trail, barefoot, heart pounding.
It led her outside. Into the woods. Past the edge of the training perimeter.
Then she heard it.
A low growl.
Then a voice, thick and venomous.
“Still hiding behind wolves that don’t know what you are?”
She stepped into the clearing—and there he was.
Ryker.
Taller than she remembered. His hair was darker now, eyes gleaming like wet obsidian. He smiled when he saw her.
“Knew you’d come running if I dragged your little guard dog off.”
Kade knelt on the ground nearby, bruised and bloodied, bound in silver-threaded rope. His lip was split. He looked up and growled, “Don’t.”
“Let him go,” Aria said.
Ryker tilted his head. “Or what? You’ll fight me? You’ll bare your claws, little Alpha girl?”
“I’m not your girl.”
“Wrong again.” His voice dropped, cruel and quiet. “You’re mine. You were promised. Your father signed the agreement in blood. And no amount of dirt or sweat or boy’s clothes can change what’s owed to me.”
Aria stepped forward.
Ryker blinked. “Brave. But stupid.”
She reached for the knife at her belt—but Ryker was faster.
He lunged.
And her wolf snapped.
Heat exploded beneath her skin as her shift surged forth, limbs warping, eyes glowing. Bones broke and realigned. Her growl tore through the trees like thunder.
Ryker skidded back in shock. “You can’t shift—!”
Aria didn’t wait for him to finish.
She slammed into him with full force, knocking him off his feet. They rolled, teeth flashing, claws tearing at flesh and cloth. His scent was fire and rot, sour with rage.
But hers?
Hers was fury made flesh.
When they finally separated, panting, bloodied, Ryker staggered to his feet and spat, “This isn’t over.”
“No,” Aria said. “It’s just beginning.”
Ryker turned and vanished into the trees, tail tucked, pride shattered.
Aria rushed to Kade’s side, slicing the rope with her claws.
He slumped into her arms, breathing hard.
“You shifted,” he rasped.
She nodded. “Didn’t know I could. Guess my wolf needed a real reason.”
He smiled faintly. “You’re full of surprises.”
She brushed hair from his face, trembling.
“You okay?”
He nodded weakly. “You came for me.”
“Of course I did.”
He reached up, cupped her cheek.
“I told you,” he said. “You’re not alone.”
And for the first time since she’d fled her home, Aria believed it.
- Writer
