The hunt begins
1608 Words
The scent of rain clung to the night air, mingling with the sharp tang of pine and damp earth. Selene moved swiftly through the dimly lit village streets, her hood pulled low, her steps quiet. The past five years had taught her how to live unnoticed, how to bury the part of herself that once burned too bright.
She had perfected the art of vanishing.
But tonight, fate had other plans.
A scream shattered the quiet.
Selene halted. Down a narrow alley, a small girl cowered against a wooden cart, wide-eyed as two rogue wolves closed in on her.
Selene exhaled sharply. Walk away. Don’t get involved.
She turned—then cursed under her breath. She could already feel it, that deep-seated instinct, the part of her that refused to abandon someone in need.
Before she could second-guess herself, Selene moved.
The first rogue barely had time to react before she slammed him into the stone wall, the impact shaking the alley. The second lunged, but she pivoted, driving her foot into his ribs with enough force to send him sprawling.
Too fast. Too strong.
She had slipped.
The little girl gasped. “You’re—”
Selene didn’t let her finish. “Go. Now.”
The girl hesitated for only a second before darting away. Selene turned to leave, but the wind shifted—and the scent that hit her made her blood run cold.
A presence loomed at the alley’s entrance.
Him.
Her heart stuttered in her chest as she lifted her gaze, locking onto Alpha Kieran Stormrider.
He stood beneath the flickering lamplight, his golden eyes burning with raw intensity. Five years had changed nothing about him—he was still a force of nature, all sharp angles and barely restrained power. His dark hair was damp from the misty air, his hands clenched as though he were stopping himself from moving toward her.
Selene’s breath caught. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have found her.
“You ran from me,” Kieran said, his voice low, dangerous. “You thought you could hide.”
Every nerve in Selene’s body screamed at her to flee, but she couldn’t move. Not under that gaze, not when the bond she had buried flared to life—faint, but present.
Kieran took a step forward, his jaw tightening. “Say something, Selene.”
She swallowed, forcing herself to speak past the knot in her throat. “Let me go.”
His eyes darkened. “Never.”
Selene didn’t wait for more. She spun on her heel and ran.
She heard his snarl, felt the air shift as he lunged after her, but she was already moving, already throwing herself into the maze of streets she had memorized over the years. Her heart pounded as she dodged through narrow alleys, leaping over crates and slipping between buildings.
But Kieran was fast.
She heard his footsteps closing in, the raw power of his presence pressing against her senses.
Selene’s lungs burned as she reached the edge of the village. Beyond it, the thick forest stretched out like a promise of freedom.
She pushed forward.
Almost there—
Then, just as she reached the tree line, an unseen force slammed into her from behind. The world tilted, and before she could react, she was pinned to the damp earth, Kieran’s body caging hers beneath him.
His breath was harsh against her ear, his grip on her wrists unyielding.
“You’re not running from me again,” he growled.
Selene thrashed, but he held her easily, his strength overwhelming hers. Five years, and he was still stronger. Still faster.
Desperation clawed at her throat. She had to get away. If he took her back, she would never be free again.
She went still.
Kieran’s grip tightened, as if expecting another trick. “Done fighting already?” His voice was rough, edged with something unreadable.
Selene’s pulse pounded. She could feel the heat of him, the sheer dominance in the way he held her, but she forced herself to breathe, to think.
Then she did the one thing he didn’t expect.
She relaxed.
And when his hold loosened, she struck.
With a burst of strength, she twisted beneath him, using his moment of surprise to drive her knee up—hard. Kieran flinched, just enough for her to slip free.
She didn’t waste a second.
Selene ran.
She burst through the door of the small cottage she had called home for the past few years, slamming it shut behind her. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she locked the door—not that it would stop him if he found her again.
She staggered toward the table, bracing her hands against the wood as she tried to steady herself. He had found her.
Kieran was in this village. He knew she was alive.
She had barely escaped.
Selene closed her eyes, exhaling shakily. This was her fault. She had let her guard down. If she had ignored the child, if she had stayed hidden—no, she couldn’t think like that. But she had to be smarter.
She needed to disappear. For good this time.
Her fingers tightened on the edge of the table. There was one last thing she could do, one final step to sever the bond completely.
But it was dangerous.
And it would mean losing her wolf forever.
Selene lifted her gaze to the bookshelf, her stomach twisting. The old texts. The ones that spoke of rituals, of ancient magic meant to suppress the mate bond entirely. She had never dared to try it before.
But now?
Now, she had no choice.
She turned toward the bookshelf, reaching for the leather-bound tome hidden behind the others.
The moment her fingers brushed the cover, a deep growl echoed from behind her.
Selene’s blood turned to ice.
Slowly, she turned.
Kieran stood in the doorway.
His golden eyes locked onto hers, dark and unreadable. The door was still latched—he had broken in.
His chest rose and fell with deep, controlled breaths, but there was a dangerous glint in his gaze, something raw and unrelenting.
Selene’s fingers curled around the book’s spine.
Kieran’s lips parted, his voice rough.
“You thought you could run from me?”
Her heart pounded.
Selene’s pulse thundered as she stared at Kieran standing in the doorway of her cottage. His golden eyes burned with restrained fury, his presence filling the small space like a storm ready to break. He had tracked her—again. She had barely escaped him once tonight. Could she do it again?
She forced her breathing to slow, her mind to sharpen. Think. Act. Move.
“Put the book down, Selene,” Kieran said, his voice deceptively calm, though his muscles were coiled tight, ready to strike.
Her grip on the old tome remained firm. She had no idea if the rituals inside could actually sever the mate bond, but if there was even a chance…
Kieran took a slow step forward.
She acted.
With one swift motion, she grabbed the oil lamp from the table and hurled it to the ground.
Flames erupted between them, licking up the dry wood of the floorboards. Kieran cursed, his instincts kicking in as he stepped back. The fire was small, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
Selene didn’t hesitate. She spun on her heel and launched herself out the back window.
The glass shattered as she hit the damp grass outside, rolling with the impact before springing to her feet. She barely had time to register the sting of cuts on her arms before she was running.
Behind her, she heard Kieran’s furious roar.
She didn’t stop.
She sprinted into the forest, pushing her aching muscles to the limit. Faster. She had to be faster.
She felt Kieran’s presence like a shadow on her heels, his aura crackling through the air. He was chasing her—of course he was—but the fire had slowed him down. It gave her the sliver of a chance she needed.
And she took it.
Selene veered off the main path, diving into the thick underbrush. She had memorized this forest, had spent years mapping every hidden route, every concealed passage. She twisted and turned, knowing that if she just kept moving, kept ahead—
The bond flared.
For a second, she felt him—his frustration, his determination.
But then she reached the river.
Without breaking stride, she leaped.
The icy water swallowed her whole.
The current yanked at her, dragging her downstream. She surrendered to it, letting it pull her away, washing her scent clean. She forced herself to stay under as long as she could before breaking the surface for a breath—just in time to hear Kieran’s snarl from the riverbank.
But he wouldn’t find her. Not this time.
Because she was already gone.
Days Later …
Selene pressed her back against the wooden wall of the small cottage, exhaling slowly.
It had been three days since she escaped Kieran. Three days of hiding, of staying out of sight.
She had sought refuge at the one place she knew he wouldn’t look—the remote cabin of Ronan, an old friend and a rogue wolf who owed her a favor. He was the only one she trusted, the only one who wouldn’t ask questions about why she was running.
And for now, she was safe.
But she knew Kieran.
He wouldn’t stop.
And that terrified her more than anything.
She turned from the window, wrapping her arms around herself. She couldn’t keep running forever. She must do something.
- Writer
