Chapter 15: The Trail
248 Words
Lena crouched, staring at the little shoe.
It was half-buried in the dirt, like someone had dropped it mid-run.
Or mid-struggle.
Her stomach twisted.
Cade was already moving, following something only he could see. His posture was tense, shoulders tight, every step too quiet.
“Footprints,” he murmured.
Lena frowned, squinting at the ground. She saw them now—small impressions in the dirt, leading deeper into the trees.
The boy had been running.
But from what?
Lena swallowed hard. “And?”
Cade didn’t answer right away. He took another step, jaw tightening.
Then he pointed.
Another set of prints. Bigger.
And wrong.
The shape wasn’t human. It was too wide, the toes clawed deep into the soil.
Lena’s mouth went dry. “That’s not—”
“No,” Cade said, voice low. “It’s not.”
A cold breeze rustled through the trees. The forest was too quiet, like it was holding its breath.
Lena touched the knife at her belt, gripping the handle. “Tell me that’s yours.”
Cade’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s not mine.”
She exhaled shakily. “So… what is it?”
Cade crouched, brushing his fingers over the tracks.
When he looked up, his eyes weren’t golden anymore.
They were darker. Wilder.
Something between a man and a beast.
“It’s hunting,” he murmured. “And it’s not alone.”
A snap echoed through the woods.
Lena’s breath hitched.
They weren’t alone either.
- Writer
