Chapter 2
982 Words
The cold night air bit at Hannah’s skin as she raced through the dimly lit corridors of the servant quarters. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the Awakening Ceremony still echoing in the distance.
She had no time to waste.
The moment Alpha Magnus had spoken those fatal words, she knew what would happen next. The Ravenwood Pack would not let them go. They had been waiting for years, hoping a Shadow Moon descendant would be blessed. Now that she had failed, they had no reason to let any of them live.
She stumbled as she rounded the corner, her bare feet slipping on the cold stone floor. Her hands shot out, catching herself against the wooden walls before she could fall. The pain in her palms barely registered—adrenaline was the only thing keeping her going.
**Aaron.**
She had to get to him before they did.
Hannah burst into the tiny servant quarters she shared with her little brother, gasping for breath. The room was dark, illuminated only by the sliver of moonlight slipping through the cracks in the wooden shutters.
Aaron sat up from the pile of old blankets they used as a bed, his wide blue eyes filled with confusion.
“Sis?” he whispered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Hannah rushed to him, grabbing his shoulders. “We have to go. Now.”
Aaron frowned. “Go where?”
“There’s no time to explain,” she hissed, glancing at the door. “They’re coming.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
She could hear them now—footsteps in the distance, voices raised in command.
Hannah cursed under her breath and yanked Aaron to his feet. He was small for his age—only ten—but he was smart. He didn’t argue as she grabbed a tattered cloak and draped it over his thin frame, pulling the hood over his unruly silver hair.
“Stay close to me,” she whispered. “No matter what happens, you don’t stop running, okay?”
Aaron swallowed hard but nodded.
Hannah grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back entrance of the servant quarters. She had memorized every exit, every possible escape route, in case a night like this ever came.
She pushed open the wooden door as quietly as she could, stepping out into the freezing night. The forest stretched beyond the packhouse, its trees casting long, twisted shadows in the moonlight.
If they could make it past the border, they might have a chance.
But they were running out of time.
A distant howl pierced the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of shifting.
They had been discovered.
“Run!” Hannah gasped, gripping Aaron’s hand tightly.
The two of them bolted into the darkness.
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The frozen grass crunched beneath Hannah’s feet as she ran, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. Aaron struggled to keep up, his shorter legs unable to match her pace, but she couldn’t slow down.
Not when the howls were getting closer.
Not when she could hear the heavy thudding of paws against the earth.
“We need to get to the river,” she panted. “If we cross, they’ll lose our scent.”
Aaron said nothing, but she felt his grip on her hand tighten. He was scared.
So was she.
The Ravenwood wolves were relentless hunters. Once they had a target, they did not stop. They had been trained for war, trained to kill. And Hannah had seen firsthand what happened to those who tried to escape.
She pushed the memories away and focused on running.
The trees became denser as they moved deeper into the forest, their thick trunks casting eerie shadows under the moonlight. Hannah’s legs burned, but she didn’t slow. She knew the land well—knew every hidden trail and shortcut.
If she could just make it a little farther—
The sound of snapping branches and heavy paws pounding against the earth sent terror shooting through Hannah’s veins.
She ran as fast as she could, her bare feet scraping against jagged rocks and twisted roots. Each step sent sharp jolts of pain up her legs, but she didn’t dare slow down. Not when death was at their heels.
Aaron struggled to keep up, his small legs barely carrying him forward. His breaths came in short, panicked gasps, his fingers clenching desperately around hers.
“Hannah—I can’t—” he choked out, stumbling.
She yanked him upright before he could fall. “Yes, you can! Keep running!”
Behind them, the Ravenwood warriors gave chase.
Low growls echoed through the dense forest, a chilling reminder of the inevitable. These wolves were trained hunters, ruthless and relentless. Hannah knew they wouldn’t stop until she and Aaron were either captured or dead.
She had seen what happened to those who failed the Awakening Ceremony.
She refused to let Aaron suffer the same fate.
We have to lose them.
But how?
Wolves were built for the hunt, their powerful legs covering ground effortlessly. In their eyes, she was nothing more than a weak, unshifted human.
But she had one advantage.
She knew these woods better than they did.
“This way!” she whispered, yanking Aaron toward a narrow deer trail barely visible in the darkness.
They plunged into the thick underbrush, branches clawing at their skin like skeletal fingers. The shadows stretched long in the moonlight, twisting and shifting as if the night itself were alive.
A piercing howl rang through the air, making Hannah’s blood run cold.
They were getting closer.
Her chest ached with every ragged breath, the cold air burning her lungs. Sweat mixed with the thin sheen of blood from the scrapes on her arms, but she didn’t stop.
She couldn’t stop.
A sharp bark sounded behind them.
- Writer
