Chapter 4: “Hunted”
1154 Words
The wards around the cabin shimmered.
I saw it that morning. Faint silver lines in the air, like heat, circling the stone walls. I only noticed because the mark on my neck was pulling toward them.
Kael saw me staring.
“They’re active,” he said, sharpening a knife at the table. “They’ll keep most scouts out. But not all of them.”
My stomach dropped. “Blackstone knows where I am?”
“Not yet,” he said. “But they’re looking. A rejected omega with a Luna mark doesn’t just disappear. Darius will tear the forest apart to find you.”
He set the knife down. “How’s your head?”
After last night, my body felt strange. Lighter. Like something inside me was awake and stretching.
“I saw her,” I said. “The white wolf. Again. In my dreams.”
Kael nodded. “Good. She’s getting stronger. But she’s not ready to shift yet.”
“Will it hurt?”
“First shifts always do.” His eyes were honest. “But I’ll be here.”
The way he said it made my chest tight. Not romantic. Safe.
We spent the day training. Not fighting. Control.
“Close your eyes,” Kael instructed. “Feel for the mark. Don’t grab it. Just… notice it.”
I sat on the floor by the fire. The book was open beside me. It said Lunas could sense danger before it came. Could calm other wolves. Could build a mind shield.
I tried. Nothing happened for an hour. Then, right as the sun set…
Cold.
A sudden, sharp cold ran down my spine. My eyes snapped open.
“Kael.”
He was already on his feet, knife in hand. “What?”
“Someone’s here,” I whispered. “Outside the wards.”
Kael moved to the window. He didn’t open it. He just listened.
I heard it too. Faint. Boots on leaves. Three sets. Maybe four.
“Scouts,” Kael said. “Darius’s best.”
My heart was racing. “Can they get in?”
“Not if the wards hold.” But he didn’t look sure. “Stay back. Don’t make a sound.”
We waited. The forest went quiet. Too quiet.
Then a voice. Familiar. Cold.
“Ella!”
Marcus.
I froze. My hands went numb.
“Ella Moore, I know you’re in there,” he called. “The Alpha sent me. Come out, and we won’t hurt you.”
Lie. I knew it was a lie.
Kael’s jaw clenched. “Don’t answer him.”
“I just want to talk,” Marcus continued. His voice was closer now. Right at the edge of the wards. “You’re confused. You were rejected. But the Pack can still protect you. If you come home.”
Home. The place that laughed at me.
The mark on my neck flared. Hot.
“Ella,” Kael said quietly. “Breathe. He can’t feel you through the wards. But if you panic, the mark will light up like a beacon.”
I forced a breath in. Out.
Outside, Marcus went silent. Then: “She’s here. I can smell her fear.”
My blood ran cold.
One of the other scouts spoke. “Alpha’s orders. If she won’t come, we take her by force. Luna Bloodline is too valuable to leave to a rogue.”
Kael’s hand found my wrist. Not tight. Just steady. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“But the wards—”
“They’ll hold for two minutes. That’s all we need.” He was already grabbing a pack. Blanket. Book. A small bag of food.
“Marcus!” another voice shouted. “The wards are thinning on the east side!”
Dread hit me.
Kael pulled me to the back door. “Run with me. Don’t look back.”
We burst out into the trees. Cold air hit my face.
Behind us, a c***k. Like glass breaking.
“The wards are down!”
“Go!” Kael shifted mid-run. Black wolf. Massive. He lowered his head.
I climbed on without thinking. He took off.
Trees blurred past. The wind ripped tears from my eyes. Behind us, I heard howls. Pursuit.
“Faster,” I thought at him.
He did.
We ran for what felt like hours. My arms were burning from holding on. Finally, Kael slowed. We were deep in a ravine now. Rocks on both sides. Water rushing below.
He shifted back. We both dropped to our knees, breathing hard.
“They lost us,” he said. “For now.”
I couldn’t speak. My throat was closed.
Kael looked at me. Really looked. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head.
“Good.” He stood and helped me up. “We can’t go back to the cabin. It’s compromised. We’re going to the Ashford ruins.”
“Ashford?”
“My old Pack lands,” he said. “Abandoned. No one goes there. The wards there are older. Stronger. And…” He paused. “There are answers there. About your bloodline.”
We walked in silence for a while. My legs were shaking.
“Marcus,” I said finally. “He sounded… different.”
Kael didn’t answer right away. “How so?”
“Less cruel. More… urgent.” I hugged myself. “Do you think he regrets it?”
Kael stopped walking. He turned to me.
“Ella, listen to me.” His silver eyes were serious. “Regret doesn’t change what he did. He rejected you in front of everyone. He called you wolfless. He would have let you die if I hadn’t found you.”
I nodded. I knew that.
“But…” I whispered.
“But nothing,” Kael said firmly. “You don’t owe him. You don’t owe Blackstone. You owe yourself.”
His words hit hard.
I looked down at my hands. They were still shaking. But less now.
“Okay,” I said. “Ashford ruins.”
Kael’s expression softened. Just a little. “We’ll make it by dawn. Try to rest while you can.”
We moved again. Slower this time.
As we walked, the mark on my neck cooled. The fear faded. In its place was something new.
Anger.
They hunted me. They broke the wards. They wanted to drag me back in chains.
I was done running scared.
The white wolf inside me felt it too. She rose up, just for a second. And she wasn’t afraid.
She was ready.
We reached the edge of the Ashford territory just as the sky turned gray.
Broken stone walls. Overgrown paths. A Pack house that had been burned years ago.
Kael stopped at the gate. “Welcome home, Ella.”
I stepped over the broken threshold.
And the mark on my neck flared bright silver, lighting up the ruins like daylight.
Somewhere deep in the stone, something answered back.
- Writer
