The Mate Who Was Never Born.

Chapter 5- The Hunt Begins

Aria

Long after it had subsided, the howl continued to reverberate through the trees like a promise. It carried something ancient that shouldn't have been in our world as it slithered through the gaps in the chapel walls.

As the cold deepened and the candles' dim light flickered like dying stars, I drew nearer to the Seer. My heart pounded loudly in my ears. The stench of rain, blood, and smoke filled the air.

Now gleaming somewhat in the low light, Kian's eyes were gold. Steady and dominating, his strength pulsed through the room. With a final tone, he declared, "We're leaving."

"However—"

He abruptly interrupted, "No arguments," without turning around. "That thing, whatever it is, is too close."

With a frightened and distant gaze, the Seer's weak palm gripped her chest. Her voice rasped like dried leaves as she said, "The Shadow Bond awakens faster than I thought." "You have to relocate before dusk. You are no longer in charge of the forest, Alpha.

My blood ran cold at what she said. "What does that signify?" The Seer didn't respond when I enquired. She merely gazed off into the horizon, as if someone or something was calling her name from beyond the curtain.

Kian didn't wait to learn. In the midst of my terror, he grabbed my wrist and grounded me with a powerful yet painless grip. He repeated, "We're going," and I didn't protest this time.

The forest outside appeared to be alive. Despite the lack of wind, the trees shook, their branches moaning like lost tongues. Beneath my boots, the ground pulsed slightly, as though the earth itself was alerting us to go back.

The sky had darkened abnormally quickly. The moon was engulfed by clouds that rolled in like smoke, leaving only shards of silver light to show through.

Before the first snarl appeared, we had only taken ten steps. Close, deep, and low.

In a moment, Kian's wolf flared beneath his skin as he turned. Every muscle in his body twisted as his stance changed. "Remain behind me," he ordered.

I did, but then I noticed the eyes.

First, two sets. Next, four. Then more. Flickering like flames caught in the wind, it glowed amber in the dark.

Rogues.

However, no. Not Rogues. Wild and ferocious, rogues were ravenous for blood and mayhem. These wolves moved deliberately—slowly, deliberately, and precisely. They didn't charge or growl. They went about. observing. waiting.

"Kian..." My throat tightened as I whispered.

He remained silent. His breathing was steady, his eyes were locked on the changing shadows, and his focus was razor-sharp.

His voice was calm, low, and terrifyingly certain when he spoke. "You run to the main compound if I tell you to." Don't stop for anything.

"However, what about—"

"Aria." His golden eyes blazed with a promise that fixed me in place as he gazed at me. "You won't pass away today."

Then he moved.

The deep growl that rolled through the earth, the rip of fabric, the crack of bone—the sound was both beautiful and violent. He was human one moment and the monster every nightmare dreaded the next.

Kian's wolf was enormous; its teeth gleamed white in the moonlight, its fur bristled like armour, and it was as black as midnight. The earth shook as waves of power emanated from him.

Even the rogues paused for a heartbeat.

Then they launched an assault.

Kian

With his jaws cracking, the first rogue lunged. Before it could get to her, I intercepted it in midair and clamped my jaws around its throat. Bone crushed under my teeth. Hot, metallic blood sprayed across the snow-covered ground.

Another, quicker and more powerful, came from the side. I turned and sent it falling with my claws ripping across its muzzle.

They were well-organised. Not the mindless creatures we typically encountered. They moved in a military manner. skilled. under control.

They weren't your typical rogues.

Driven by something else, they were hunting with accuracy.

"Go!" Through the pack link, I barked.

Aria paused. Through our connection, I could sense her fear—it was electric, piercing, confused, and loaded with guilt.

"I can't abandon you—"

"Now!" I gave a shout.

Her heartbeat faded into the distance as she turned and ran. I was reminded of why I couldn't fall here by the sound, which anchored me.

Despite my instincts telling me to pursue her and protect her with my body, I was unable to do so. Not quite yet.

It was over if they apprehended her before she crossed the border.

With blood-slick claws, I tore through two more. One appeared for every one that fell.

I couldn't stop thinking about the pack link.

Marcus!

The response was weak and broken by static, "We're on our way, Alpha." However, something is preventing us from accessing the west side.

The harsh, ruthless words of the Seer reverberated in my mind. You are no longer in charge of the forest.

I called for order, but the ground beneath me pulsed again, barely alive. Whatever power was at work here was no longer constrained by the natural order.

At the periphery of my vision, I noticed movement. This time it's not a rogue. A human figure. Shadow-covered, observing from the edge of the trees.

The smell reached me through the mist of blood and rage.

Lilies after the rain.

Stephanie.

But she was gone before I could move.

Aria

The walk to the compound seemed never-ending. My heart pounded so hard it hurt, my legs shouted, and my lungs burned. I felt as though I was living through someone else's nightmare because everything around me had altered, including the colours and noises.

Every stride I took made the air thicker; I could feel something heavy and cold pressing on me, like hands attempting to drag me back. I was up against the forest. I forced my legs to move more quickly as I murmured to myself,

"Come on, come on." I continued despite branches pulling at my jacket and clawing at my skin.

Then I heard footsteps. Light. Thoughtful.

It's too light for Kian. Too little to be an animal.

"Aria."

I was stopped in my tracks by the voice.

It originated up ahead. Easy. Kind. Well-known.

My stomach fell.

As though she had been waiting all along, she stood in the centre of the walkway. Her smile was the same—gentle at first, but erroneous on the edges.

Stephanie.

"Why are you acting in this way?" With a dry throat, I managed to whisper.

She tilted her head and said, "Because you don't belong here." "You weren't meant to make it through that evening."

Her comments cut right through me. I retreated and shook my head. "You're not her."

"Perhaps not," she remarked as she moved forward slowly. However, she recalls. And soon, he will as well.

Her eyes flashed dark once more, and I briefly caught a glimpse of something flickering behind them. suffering. I apologise. A recollection attempting to emerge.

After that, it vanished.

The softness disappeared as a shadow moved across her face. Her voice broke into two tones, one human and one non-human, as she growled, "Run, little sister." "Let's see if he reaches you before I do."

She then made a lunge.

Kian

Before I heard her scream, I could feel it through the bond.

Sharp. Scared.

My wolf became untamed. Ignoring the turmoil, the pain, and the blood, I tore through the remaining rogues. I went after her scent, which pierced through the forest like a beacon: panic, adrenaline, and something worse. Trees cracked beneath my paws.

My heart stopped when I broke through the tree line.

Breathless and terrified, Aria laid on the ground. Stephanie was half-shifted as she stood over her, her hair blowing in the wind, her claws sparkling, her face contorted with grief and rage.

"Stop!"

I shifted mid-leap and yelled. Stephanie jerked her head in my direction. Her eyes cleared for a split second, turning blue once more, human.

"Kian," she muttered. "Help me."

Something inside of me broke when I heard her voice, the real her.

Then she was completely engulfed by the darkness.

There was nothing but solitude and the lingering lily aroma as she disappeared into the trees.

I landed next to Aria, touching her cheek with quivering hands. "Are you in pain?"

Still shaking, she gave a feeble shake of her head. "She said that I wasn't meant to live."

The truth I had been avoiding settled like ice in my chest as soon as I met her gaze.

It wasn't a haunting.

It was a hunt.

She was the prize, too.