Chapter 3 : The Hunt Begins
773 Words
Her awakening sends shockwaves across all realms.
Enemy packs seek to kill her before she claims her power.
Rogue wolves want to use her blood to gain dominance.
Ancient guardians awaken to test her worth.
The white wolf from her dreams reveals himself as the last protector of her bloodline, sworn to guard her until she accepts her destiny.
Torn between the mortal world she loves and the wolf world that claims her, Aeloria struggles with who she truly is.
**Chapter Three: When the Night Chose Her**
The first scream came at dusk.
Aeloria was halfway down the narrow street when it tore through the air—sharp, panicked, human. Her heart lurched as chaos rippled through Everwyn. Doors slammed. Windows shuttered. Fear spread faster than fire.
“They’re here,” the dark-haired man said beside her, his voice tight.
“What are they?” she demanded, breath shaking.
“Hounds,” he replied. “Sent to test you.”
A shadow leapt across the rooftops.
Aeloria stumbled back as glowing eyes snapped open in the darkness—twisted shapes that moved wrong, bones bending unnaturally. Not wolves. Not men.
Monsters.
Her fear ignited something deep inside her. Heat surged through her veins, golden and furious. The streetlights flickered, glass shattering as a low growl tore from her chest—not human at all.
The man turned sharply. His eyes burned silver.
“You feel it now,” he murmured. “Don’t you?”
“I feel like I’m breaking,” she whispered.
“Good,” he said softly. “So did I.”
A beast lunged.
He moved instantly, shoving her behind him. Bone cracked as his body shifted, spine arching, shadows ripping away flesh. Where the man stood, a massive black wolf rose—scarred, powerful, terrifying.
Aeloria screamed.
The hound collided with him in a snarl of teeth and blood. The sound was horrific—wet, brutal. She pressed her hands to her ears, heart hammering, tears streaking down her face.
This was because of her.
The black wolf tore the creature apart, its howl echoing through the town like a death knell. More shapes fled into the shadows.
Silence followed—thick and heavy.
The wolf turned to her.
Silver eyes met green.
Recognition slammed into her chest like a blow.
He shifted back, blood streaking his skin, breathing hard. He was too close—heat radiating from him, scent overwhelming. Smoke. Iron. Pine.
“You shouldn’t have seen that,” he said quietly.
“I shouldn’t exist,” she snapped, tears spilling over. “Everything is falling apart.”
His jaw tightened. “Because you were hidden. Not because you are weak.”
She shook her head. “People are getting hurt.”
He reached for her—and stopped inches away, as if afraid to touch her. “If I leave you, they’ll kill you.”
“And if you stay?”
His voice dropped. “Then I may lose myself.”
Her breath hitched.
The moon rose.
Aeloria cried out as pain ripped through her again—stronger this time. She collapsed, gasping, golden light seeping from beneath her skin. The earth beneath her cracked.
The man knelt, gripping her shoulders. “Look at me,” he commanded. “Stay with me.”
His touch burned—but it grounded her. Her sob broke free, raw and broken.
“I don’t want this,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said hoarsely. “But the moon doesn’t ask.”
For a heartbeat, everything else faded.
His thumb brushed her cheek, wiping away tears. The touch was intimate—dangerously so. His breathing stuttered, eyes darkening as something ancient stirred between them.
“Your blood calls to mine,” he confessed. “It shouldn’t. But it does.”
Her pulse raced. “Who are you?”
He leaned close, forehead resting against hers. “Kael,” he said. “Once an Alpha. Now a hunted thing.”
Their breaths mingled.
The moment shattered as a roar split the sky.
Kael cursed, pulling back. “We don’t have time.”
He lifted her effortlessly into his arms. The closeness sent a jolt through her body—comfort and terror tangled together.
“Trust me,” he said as he ran toward the forest. “Just this once.”
Aeloria clutched his shirt, tears soaking into his skin. “If this is destiny,” she whispered, “it’s cruel.”
Kael’s voice was rough. “The cruelest.”
Behind them, Everwyn burned.
Ahead, the forest opened—alive, watching, waiting.
And somewhere in the darkness, the Moon smiled.
- Writer
