THE RUNAWAY LUNA RIDER

Chapter4

THE HUNT

Rhea's POV

The wolfsbane candles flicker as I move through the small apartment, checking windows for the third time tonight. Rowan's asleep in his room, but I can't settle. My skin itches. My wolf paces like a caged animal, restless and alert.

Something's wrong.

I felt it yesterday when those Gold blood riders left. I feel it now, stronger, like static electricity building before a storm. Pack energy. Faint but unmistakable. It crawls across my skin, raising goosebumps despite the warm night air.

They're close.

I pull out the duffel bag from under my bed and check its contents again. Cash, fake IDs, clothes for me and Rowan, and a burner phone. Everything we'd need to disappear in under an hour. The bag's been packed for five years, just in case. I never thought I'd actually need it.

"You're being paranoid again."

I jump, spinning around to find Cassie leaning against the doorframes. She's got a beer in one hand and an amused smirk on her face.

"How'd you get in here?"

"Door was unlocked. Which proves my point about the paranoia." She takes a sip of her beer. "What's with all the candles? Trying to set a mood for yourself?"

Wolfsbane. They're wolfsbane. But I can't tell her that.

"Just like the smell," I lie.

Cassie walks over and sniffs one. "Smells like burnt herbs and sadness. You sure you're okay? You've been jumpy since those guys came by yesterday."

"I'm fine."

"Right. And I'm the Queen of England." She sits on the edge of my bed, uninvited. "Look, whatever you're running from…"

"I'm not running from anything."

"Sure you're not. That's why you've got a go-bag under your bed, and you check the locks seventeen times before going to sleep." She's not accusatory.

I sank down onto the chair by the window, suddenly exhausted. "It's complicated."

"Bad ex?"

Close enough. "Something like that."

"Is Rowan's dad looking for you?"

My jaw tightens. "He doesn't know Rowan exists."

That part's true at least. Darius has no idea his son is alive, that his heir is being raised in a human biker town, learning to fix engines instead of how to lead a pack.

Cassie finishes her beer and stands. "Well, if anyone comes looking for trouble, you let me know. The Vipers take care of their own." She squeezes my shoulder on her way out. "Get some sleep, Rhea. You look like death."

The door clicks shut behind her. I lock it immediately, then check it twice more.

***

Morning comes too fast. I barely slept, and when I did, my dreams were full of golden eyes and the smell of blood on asphalt. Rowan bounces into the kitchen at seven, already dressed and ready to go to the garage.

"Can I help with the red bike today?"

"Maybe. Eat your cereal first."

He climbs onto the chair, his legs swinging as he pours way too much sugar into his bowl. I watch him, this small perfect thing I created, and my chest aches with the weight of secrets I'm keeping from him.

"Mama?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Why don't I have a daddy?"

The spoon I'm holding clatters into the sink. I turn slowly, trying to keep my face neutral. "What brought that on?"

He shrugs, stirring his cereal without looking at me. "Tyler at the garage was talking about his dad. And I just... wondered."

I crouch down next to his chair so we're eye level. "You do have a father, Rowan. Everyone does."

"Where is he?"

Far away. In a world you'll never know. Leading a pack that would tear you apart to get to me.

"He's... not in our lives anymore. It's just you and me."

"Did he leave because of me?"

"No." The word comes out sharp, fierce. "No, baby. Never because of you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

He seemed satisfied with that answer. Goes back to eating his cereal like he didn't just stab me in the heart with a simple question. But I see it in his eyes, the questions aren't over. He's getting older, smarter. Soon my vague answers won't be enough.

And what happens when his wolf starts to emerge? When does he shift for the first time and I have to explain why he's not human? Why have we been hiding?

The guilt sits heavy in my stomach.

***

The Vipers' clubhouse is packed. Friday night's party started early because Bear decided we all needed to blow off steam. Music blasts from the speakers. People drink and laugh and tell stories that get wilder with each retelling. It's loud and chaotic and exactly what I need to quiet the constant buzz of anxiety in my head.

Rowan's with Cassie's kids in the back room, probably destroying something. I nurse a beer at the bar, half-listening to Mack tell some story about a bar fight in Nevada.

Then Tommy, one of the prospects, bursts through the door looking spooked.

"Bear! We got a problem."

The room doesn't go quiet… the Vipers aren't that dramatic… but enough people notice that Bear waves him over.

"What kind of problem?"

"Riders. About a mile out on Route 9. They're just... sitting there. Watching."

"How many?"

"I don't know. Hard to tell in the dark."

"What club?"

Tommy swallows hard. "Black and gold insignia. Wolf's head."

My beer bottle slips from my hand. It doesn't break, just rolls across the floor, but the sound might as well be a gunshot for how loud it feels in my ears.

Bear's eyes find mine across the room. He knows… not everything, but enough.

"Everyone stay inside," he orders. "Lock it down. No one goes out alone."

People start moving, securing doors and windows like this is a drill they've practiced. The Vipers have enemies. Rival clubs, dealers who got screwed on deals. But this is different.

This is for me.

I push through the crowd, ignoring people calling my name, and head outside through the back exit. The cool night air hits my face, sharp and clarifying. My wolf surges forward, wanting out, wanting to run and fight.

The parking lot is full of bikes lined up in neat rows. Steel Vipers bikes. My home. My family. And there, on the seat of my bike… the one I stole from Darius five years ago… something glints in the moonlight.

I walk over slowly, each step feeling like I'm walking toward my own execution. When I'm close enough, I see it clearly.

A wolf-head emblem. Scratched deep into the leather seat. Fresh. The edges are still rough, done recently. Maybe while we were all inside, or while I was sitting at the bar pretending everything was fine.

They know I'm here.

They've been watching.

My hands shake as I touch the scratched leather. This bike has carried me through five years of freedom. Five years of building a life away from packs and politics and alphas who think they own you. And now they've marked it, like they're claiming me.

"Rhea."

I spin around. Bear's standing in the doorway, his face hard.

"We need to talk."

"I know."

"Those riders…"

"Are looking for me." No point in lying now. "They're from my old life. The one I ran from."

"And they found you."

"Yeah." My voice cracks on the word. "They found me."

Bear's quiet for a long moment, his eyes scanning the darkness beyond the compound fence. Then he looks back at me. "You gonna run again?"

Five years ago, I would've said yes without hesitation. Grabbed Rowan and the go-bag and disappeared into the night. But standing here, looking at this place I've built, these people who've become family…

"No." The word surprises me as much as it surprises Bear. "No, I'm not running."

"You sure? Because whoever's out there, they don't seem like the type to give up easy."

"They're not." I think of Darius, his power, ruthlessness, and absolute certainty that everything he wants should belong to him. "But I'm not the same person I was when I left. I'm not scared anymore."

That's a lie. I'm terrified. But I'm also angry. Angry that they think they can just show up and take what's mine. I've spent five years looking over my shoulder, waiting for this moment.

Well, it's here now.

In the distance, I hear them. The rumble of engines. Four, or five, just like Tommy said. They're circling.

My wolf bares her teeth inside my chest.

I walk back inside, past Bear, and the curious stares of the Vipers, who know something's happening but don't know what. I go straight to the back room where Rowan's playing with the other kids. He looks up when I enter, his golden eyes bright and happy.

"Mama! Look what we built!"

A tower of blocks, precarious and perfect.

I kneel down and pull him into a hug, breathing in the scent of his shampoo and the faint, wild smell underneath that marks him as mine. As wolf.

"I love you," I whispered into his hair. "No matter what happens, remember that."

"I love you too." He squirmed.

s away, already back to playing.

I stand and walk to the window. Outside, in the distance, I can see headlights. They're getting closer.

If the Alpha wants a hunt, he'll get one.