The Night Hunt
1110 Words
The storm arrived after midnight.
Snow slammed violently against the mountains while freezing wind howled through Shadowfang territory hard enough to rattle the stone walls.
No one slept.
Not really.
The entire pack had felt the tension spreading through the territory since Lyra’s arrival. Wolves patrolled the walls in double shifts while fires burned across the courtyard below.
Something was coming.
Everyone felt it.
Lyra stood near the window inside the room Mira had reluctantly given her, staring out at the storm-covered mountains.
She should have felt exhausted.
Instead, anxiety crawled beneath her skin endlessly.
The bond wouldn’t let her rest.
Every emotion from Kael and Ronan drifted through her in waves strong enough to make her chest ache.
Kael was angry.
No—furious.
Controlled fury simmered constantly beneath his calm exterior like a wolf pacing inside a cage.
Ronan felt different.
Restless.
Sharp.
Like he was waiting for something bad to happen.
And somehow, being connected to both of them made her own emotions impossible to untangle.
A soft knock sounded at her door.
Lyra turned cautiously.
Mira entered carrying a folded blanket and a steaming cup.
“You’re awake.”
Lyra gave a tired laugh. “Apparently that’s impossible now.”
Mira walked further inside slowly, studying her carefully.
The suspicion from earlier remained in her eyes, but something softer existed there now too.
Concern.
“Drink this,” Mira said quietly, handing her the cup. “It’ll help calm the bond temporarily.”
Lyra accepted it carefully. The tea smelled earthy and bitter.
“Thanks.”
Mira leaned against the wall beside the door, arms crossed.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then quietly—
“You’re frightened of them.”
Lyra looked down at the steaming cup in her hands.
“Yes.”
Mira nodded slightly like she understood.
“But not because you think they’ll hurt you.”
The observation startled Lyra.
Because it was true.
No matter how dangerous Kael and Ronan were, deep down she didn’t believe either Alpha would intentionally hurt her.
That should have comforted her.
Instead it terrified her more.
“I don’t understand what’s happening to me,” Lyra admitted softly.
Mira’s expression softened a little.
“No one does.”
Lyra looked up sharply. “Not even you?”
Mira gave a quiet humorless laugh. “Moonborn haven’t existed for centuries. Most wolves thought they were fairy tales meant to scare young Alphas.”
“But now?”
Mira’s eyes settled on the glowing mark beneath Lyra’s collarbone.
“Now you’re standing inside our territory carrying two Alpha bonds.” She shook her head slowly. “Nothing about that should exist.”
Lyra swallowed hard.
The words still hurt every time she heard them.
Should not exist.
Monster.
Problem.
Dangerous.
Mira noticed the shift in her expression immediately.
“You think everyone here fears you.”
Lyra looked away toward the storm outside.
“They should.”
Silence followed.
Then unexpectedly—
“No.”
Lyra blinked and looked back at her.
Mira sighed softly and pushed away from the wall.
“They fear what your existence means.” Her voice lowered carefully. “There’s a difference.”
Lyra frowned slightly.
“What does it mean?”
Mira hesitated.
Like she regretted answering already.
Then finally—
“It means the old laws failed.”
The answer settled heavily between them.
Before Lyra could ask more, a distant howl shattered through the storm outside.
Both women froze instantly.
Another howl answered.
Then another.
Not Shadowfang wolves.
Warning howls.
Mira’s expression darkened immediately. “Stay inside.”
She moved quickly toward the door.
Lyra followed automatically. “What’s happening?”
Mira looked genuinely tense now.
“They found us.”
Cold fear slid down Lyra’s spine.
Outside, chaos exploded across the territory.
Wolves rushed through the snowy courtyard below while alarms echoed from the walls.
Lyra stepped into the hallway just as Kael appeared from the opposite side.
His silver eyes landed on her instantly.
Relief flashed briefly across his face before disappearing behind cold focus again.
“Get back inside.”
Lyra folded her arms immediately. “No.”
Kael looked seconds away from arguing.
Then another howl echoed outside.
Closer this time.
Ronan suddenly appeared beside Kael, snow dusting his dark coat.
“There are rogues at the eastern wall,” he said sharply.
Kael frowned. “Only rogues?”
Ronan’s expression darkened.
“No.”
The single word made tension snap through the hallway instantly.
Kael’s jaw hardened. “Council?”
Ronan nodded once.
Lyra’s stomach dropped.
“They came already?”
Kael looked at her directly. “This is why you stay inside.”
“No.”
Both Alphas looked irritated immediately.
Good.
Lyra was tired of people deciding things for her.
“If they’re here because of me, then I deserve to know what’s happening.”
Kael stepped closer. “You deserve to survive.”
The intensity in his voice caught her off guard for half a second.
Then footsteps thundered through the hallway.
A wounded wolf stumbled around the corner shifting painfully into human form as blood covered his side.
“Alpha—”
Kael caught him before he collapsed.
“They broke through the north barrier,” the wolf gasped weakly. “There’s too many—”
A violent explosion shook the territory.
The entire hall trembled.
Lyra grabbed the wall to steady herself.
Outside, screams erupted across the courtyard.
Kael’s expression turned murderous instantly.
Ronan swore under his breath.
Then suddenly—
The bond slammed violently through Lyra’s chest.
Pain exploded beneath her collarbone hard enough to make her gasp.
But this time it wasn’t only emotion she felt.
It was danger.
Directly connected to Kael.
Fear hit her before she even understood why.
“Kael—”
The Alpha froze instantly and looked at her sharply.
“What?”
Lyra’s breathing became uneven.
Images flashed briefly across her mind.
Blood.
Silver chains.
A blade cutting through darkness.
Then—
A sniper hidden above the eastern wall.
Waiting.
Her eyes widened in horror.
“MOVE!”
Kael reacted instantly.
The second he stepped sideways—
A silver arrow blasted through the hallway where his heart had been moments earlier.
The wall behind him exploded from the impact.
Everyone froze.
The wolf beside Kael stared in shock.
Ronan’s golden eyes snapped toward Lyra immediately.
Kael looked at the shattered wall slowly.
Then at her.
“You saw that.”
It wasn’t a question.
Lyra’s heart hammered violently inside her chest.
“I—”
Another explosion rocked the territory before she could answer. And somewhere outside in the storm…
A wolf screamed.
- Writer
