Chapter 3
1071 Words
Hannah risked a glance over her shoulder, and her stomach dropped.
A massive black wolf was closing in on them, its glowing blue eyes locked onto her with terrifying focus.
**Lucian.**
The Beta of Ravenwood.
His powerful frame moved through the darkness with unsettling ease, his paws barely making a sound against the forest floor. He wasn’t lunging, wasn’t sprinting.
Not yet.
He was toying with her.
Letting her believe she had a chance.
Letting the fear build.
A sick game of predator and prey.
Hannah gritted her teeth, pushing herself forward, but her legs screamed in protest. She could feel it—her body reaching its limit.
Aaron’s small hand gripped hers tightly, but his strength was fading too. His breath came in ragged gasps, his footsteps stumbling.
A growl rumbled behind them, closer this time.
Hannah dared one more look.
Lucian was gaining.
Her stomach twisted, and for the first time, true fear paralyzed her.
Her brain refused to think of a plan.
Her body refused to move.
She was trapped.
A prisoner in her own terror.
Lucian’s lips curled into a wicked snarl as he closed the distance.
**Damn it.**
A cold sweat broke across her skin. If he caught them, there would be no mercy.
Hannah’s grip on Aaron tightened.
She yanked him forward. “This way!”
Aaron stumbled but kept running, cold sweat dripping down his face. He knew he was slowing her down. He hated it. If he were stronger, if he were faster, his sister wouldn’t have to protect him.
**I swear,** Aaron thought, gritting his teeth. **I won’t be weak forever.**
Branches whipped against Hannah’s skin as she forced her way through the underbrush, barely noticing the stinging scratches left in their wake.
Behind them, the forest erupted with the sound of snapping twigs, heavy paws crushing the earth.
Lucian was close.
Too close.
“Faster, Aaron!” she urged.
Her little brother didn’t complain. He just kept running.
**We can’t outrun them.**
The trees began to thin. The ground leveled out.
Then she saw it.
A steep cliff loomed ahead, cutting off their path.
Hannah’s breath hitched.
The land ended abruptly in a jagged drop-off, leading straight into the canyon below.
And at the bottom—
A river.
Its dark waters twisted through the gorge like a serpent, churning violently against sharp rocks.
Their only way out.
But just as deadly as the wolves behind them.
Aaron skidded to a stop beside her, chest heaving. “Hannah—”
Heavy footfalls thundered behind them.
Hannah shoved Aaron behind her as Lucian and the other Ravenwood warriors emerged from the trees.
Lucian shifted back into his human form as he stepped forward. He looked at her like a cat that had finally cornered a mouse.
“End of the line, little wolf.”
Before Hannah could react, something massive slammed into her.
She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs.
“No!” Aaron screamed.
Hannah rolled onto her back just as Lucian towered over her, wiping a smudge of dirt from his cheek. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement.
He lifted a clawed hand—
Pain.
A burning s***h tore through her leg, leaving a deep, hideous wound.
She screamed.
Lucian licked the blood from his claws. “Well,” he mused, tilting his head. “That was fun. But I’m afraid this is where your little escape ends.”
Hannah’s breath came in short gasps.
**No. No, I can’t let it end like this.**
Lucian reached for her.
Before he could grab her, Aaron lunged at him.
“Get away from my sister!”
The boy swung his fists with everything he had.
Lucian barely flinched. With a lazy swipe, he knocked Aaron aside like a fly.
Hannah saw red.
She pushed through the pain, staggering to her feet. “Let my brother go. He’s just a child.”
Lucian let out a low chuckle. “Now, why would we do that?” He gestured lazily at Aaron. “Your brother is Shadow Moon. That makes him just as worthless as you.”
Hannah clenched her fists.
Aaron groaned, his body aching, but he refused to stay down.
He saw Lucian’s mocking smirk.
The way he looked at Hannah like she was nothing.
Aaron’s fingers curled around the nearest weapon he could find—a thick branch.
With every ounce of strength left in his small body, he swung it at Lucian’s head.
It barely made Lucian blink.
The Beta’s amused expression darkened. His sharp claws flexed, glowing faintly in the moonlight.
Aaron’s courage wavered.
Lucian was going to kill him.
A warrior behind Lucian stepped forward, his claws raised, ready to strike.
Hannah’s heartbeat slammed against her ribs.
Something inside her snapped.
For a moment, she felt tired of everything.
But then—
The promise.
**To protect Aaron.**
A blinding heat surged through her veins.
Her long silver hair glowed like the moon.
Her silver eyes darkened, shifting into something ancient, something **feral**.
Something took over.
She moved—
Too fast for Lucian to react.
She lunged at the warrior behind him.
Her fist **shattered his ribcage**, piercing through bone and flesh.
The warrior crumpled.
Hannah blinked at her bloodied hands, her mind catching up to what she had done.
Lucian’s eyes widened.
Then—
He smiled.
“You awakened.” His voice was filled with twisted delight. “Well, well. That makes things more interesting.”
Hannah’s chest heaved, her instincts screaming at her to **run**.
For a split second, their eyes met.
Then, without hesitation, she scooped Aaron into her arms.
And jumped.
Lucian’s laughter rang in her ears as they plummeted.
The world blurred.
The moon above.
The jagged rocks below.
Then—
Impact.
The icy water **swallowed them whole**.
A violent shock punched the air from Hannah’s lungs.
The current grabbed them, yanking them into the depths.
Hannah couldn’t see.
Couldn’t breathe.
Her mind screamed—**Aaron!**
Kicking hard, she fought against the pull.
The river roared around her, dragging her farther downstream.
Her head broke the surface. She gasped—
Before the current pulled her under again.
She fought.
**Where is he?**
Then she saw him—
Aaron, barely above water, struggling, terrified.
Hannah surged forward.
Her fingers brushed his wrist—
And he slipped away.
“No!” she choked, her body screaming as she pushed harder, faster.
- Writer
