The hunter and the hunted
1163 Words
Selene pulled her hood lower, shielding her face from the morning sun as she weaved through the bustling village market. The scent of fresh bread, roasted meats, and ripened fruit filled the air, mingling with the chatter of merchants and buyers haggling over their wares. She had been safe here. Hidden. Forgotten.
Her grip tightened around the basket in her hands. She had only come for a few supplies—bread, cheese, and perhaps a cut of meat—just enough for her and Ronan to last a few more days.
She couldn’t afford to linger.
She had barely escaped Kieran last night. If it hadn’t been for Ronan, she would have been caught, dragged back into the life she had fought so hard to leave behind.
Even now, her pulse quickened at the memory of his voice.
“You ran from me.”
“Come home.”
No.
Selene shoved the thoughts aside, forcing herself to focus. She needed to be careful. Kieran was relentless. If he had found her once, he could do it again.
And yet, despite the warnings screaming in her mind, she dared to believe she was safe.
A mistake.
Because the moment she turned the corner, she felt him.
The deep, commanding call that had haunted her dreams for five years—she knew.
Kieran was here.
And he wouldn’t leave without her.
Kieran Stormrider
Alpha of the Stormrider Pack. Ruthless. Dominant. Unyielding.
Kieran had been born to rule, raised with the expectation that his word was law. He carried his title with an iron grip, a leader whose mere presence commanded obedience. Tall, broad-shouldered, and impossibly strong, he was the kind of man who could strike fear into even the bravest wolves. His dark hair framed a chiseled face, sharp angles softened only by the molten gold of his eyes—eyes that burned with a fire few could withstand.
But beneath the power, the control, and the merciless reputation, there had once been a man who loved her.
A man Selene had once loved in return.
She shook the thought away. That man had died the night she ran.
And now, only the Alpha remained.
Selene quickened her pace, her hands trembling beneath her cloak. The village had been her sanctuary, but now it felt like a cage closing in around her.
She knew Kieran was close.
She could feel it—the heavy weight of his presence pressing against her senses, the telltale prickle of the mate bond she had once tried so desperately to destroy.
“Selene.”
The voice was soft, but it cut through her like a blade.
She stopped breathing.
Slowly, too slowly, she turned.
And there he was.
Kieran.
Standing at the edge of the alley, bathed in the flickering glow of the lantern light. His golden eyes locked onto her like a predator sighting its prey.
And in that moment, she knew she was running out of time.
Selene Ravenwood
Once a daughter of the Crescent Moon Pack. Once a warrior. Once his.
Selene had never been the kind of woman who waited to be saved. She had fought her own battles, carried her own scars. Once, she had stood beside Kieran, not as a weak Luna to be protected, but as his equal.
Or so she had thought.
But loving an Alpha meant losing herself. It meant being owned, being claimed.
And Selene had been willing to give Kieran everything—her loyalty, her heart, her soul—until she realized the truth.
With Kieran, there was no escape.
She had belonged to him. And in his world, belonging meant being trapped.
That was why she had left. That was why she had spent five years hiding, suppressing her wolf, cutting away the pieces of herself that still whispered his name.
And now, he had found her again.
There had been a time when Kieran had looked at her with something other than possession.
There had been laughter. Late nights spent tangled in silk sheets, whispering secrets against each other’s skin. Moments stolen beneath the moonlight, where he wasn’t the Alpha, and she wasn’t just another obligation.
There had been love.
But love had never been enough.
Kieran had tried to keep her, tried to mold her into the Luna he needed—obedient, unshakable, his.
And Selene had fought him every step of the way.
She hadn’t wanted to be worshiped. She had wanted to be free.
And Kieran had never known how to let go.
Now, standing before him again, Selene saw none of the tenderness that had once existed between them.
There was only the hunter and the hunted.
“You ran from me.” Kieran’s voice was low, dangerous.
Selene’s nails bit into her palms. “And you hunted me.”
His jaw tightened. “You are my mate, Selene. You knew I would never stop looking.”
Her heart clenched. She had known.
Kieran took a step closer. She resisted the urge to retreat.
“You don’t have to run anymore,” he murmured, his voice softer now, coaxing. “Come home.”
Home.
Once, that word had meant his arms. Once, it had been the sound of his laughter, the warmth of his embrace, the promise of a future they had built together.
Now, it was a cage she had barely escaped.
She would not go back.
Selene took a slow breath. She had to be careful. Kieran wasn’t just stronger. He was smarter. If she made one wrong move, he would have her collared and back in his territory before dawn.
“I can’t,” she whispered, lowering her gaze, forcing vulnerability into her voice. “I can’t go back, Kieran.”
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.
Hesitation.
Regret.
Selene didn’t wait to see if it would last.
She moved.
In a blur, she spun, darting down the alley. She heard him snarl, heard the scrape of boots against stone as he lunged after her—
But then—
A shadow stepped between them.
Ronan.
Selene barely had time to register the relief before her friend struck.
The rogue wolf wasn’t as strong as Kieran, but he was fast, unpredictable. He slammed into the Alpha with enough force to knock him off balance, buying Selene the precious seconds she needed.
“Run!” Ronan barked.
Selene didn’t hesitate.
She ran.
She didn’t stop running until she was back in the safety of Ronan’s shelter—a small cabin hidden deep in the forest outside the village.
Her chest heaved, her legs trembling beneath her.
Kieran had found her.
And he wouldn’t stop.
She turned to Ronan, who was leaning against the doorframe, rubbing his bruised shoulder. His dark hair was mussed, his sharp blue eyes filled with exhaustion.
“You need to leave,” he said simply.
Selene’s stomach twisted.
She had nowhere else to go.
But staying here? That was suicide.
Because Kieran was relentless.
- Writer
