Chapter4:The Hunter’s Obsession
1381 Words
Killian Blackwood stood on the balcony, the cold night air doing nothing to soothe the fire raging in his blood. Every instinct he possessed—every primal fiber of his Alpha wolf—was screaming. Since the moment he touched Elena Moon’s hand at the gala, his wolf had been restless, pacing within his mind like a caged beast.
That scent. It was impossible.
It was sandalwood and silver, a more refined and powerful version of the scent that had belonged to the girl he had cast away six years ago. Selene. The name felt like a jagged blade in his throat. He had told himself she was dead, consumed by the harsh winter or killed by rogues. He had forced himself to believe it so he could live with the guilt of his own cruelty. But now, this woman had appeared, and she felt like a ghost coming back to claim his soul.
"Alpha," a voice interrupted his dark thoughts.
Killian turned to see Marcus, his Head of Security, holding a tablet. Marcus looked troubled, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"What did you find on Elena Moon?" Killian demanded, his voice a low growl.
"That’s just it, Alpha. We found... nothing. Or rather, we found too much of the wrong things," Marcus explained, handing over the tablet. "Moonstone Industries appeared out of nowhere five years ago in the human world. Her records are spotless, almost too perfect. But when we tried to trace her origins before that, our servers hit a firewall. A very sophisticated one."
Killian’s eyes narrowed as he scrolled through the data. "A human company having firewalls that can stop a Blood Moon Alpha-grade server? That’s impossible."
"It’s not just that," Marcus added, lowering his voice. "Someone from within her hotel suite tried to counter-hack us. They didn't just block us; they sent a virus that briefly disabled our surveillance in the Grand Imperial Hall. Whoever did it is a genius. Or not human."
Killian gripped the edge of the marble railing, the stone cracking under his immense strength. He didn't care about technology. He cared about the woman with the silver eyes who had looked at him with such cold, beautiful hatred.
"Find out where she moved," Killian commanded. "She left the hotel thirty minutes ago. She’s hiding something, Marcus. And I intend to find out what it is."
Meanwhile, in a secure villa on the outskirts of the city, my heart was still racing. I watched through the security cameras as my children settled into their new rooms. Lucian was already back at his monitors, his small fingers flying across the keyboard. Xander was practicing his combat stances, his movements fluid and strong. And little Aria was humming a lullaby to her stuffed wolf, her eyes glowing with a faint, healing light.
They were my world. My everything. And Killian Blackwood was getting too close.
"Mommy? Are you okay?" Aria walked up to me, tugging on my silk gown. She looked so much like him—the same curve of the jaw, the same stubborn tilt of the chin. But her eyes were mine.
I knelt down and pulled her into a hug, breathing in her scent of milk and honey. "I’m fine, my little star. Just a bit tired from the party."
"The bad man was there, wasn't he?" Lucian’s voice came from across the room. He didn't look up from his screen, but his tone was icy. "The one from the old stories. The Alpha of Blood Moon."
I stiffened. I had never told them the full truth about their father, only that he was a powerful man who wasn't ready to be a dad. But Lucian was too smart for his own good. He had connected the dots the moment I mentioned the Blood Moon Pack.
"He can't hurt us, Lucian," I said firmly. "I am an Alpha now. I am the Silver Wolf. We are not the weak omegas he once knew."
"If he comes near you, I'll bite him," Xander declared, joining us with a wooden practice sword in hand. His inner wolf was already showing signs of being a dominant Alpha.
I smiled, though my heart was heavy with dread. "Hopefully, it won't come to that."
The next morning, I decided to take a risk. I had to meet with the Northern Council to finalize my business deal. If I hid, it would only make Killian more suspicious. I had to face him as Elena Moon, the powerful CEO, and show him that I wasn't afraid.
I arrived at the Council Chambers at noon. The room was filled with Alphas from various packs, all gathered to discuss the new trade routes. Killian was already there, sitting at the head of the table. His gaze snapped to me the moment I walked in, his eyes burning with an intensity that made my skin itch.
The meeting was a blur of logistics and politics. I spoke with confidence, my voice steady as I negotiated terms that favored my company. I saw the grudging respect in the eyes of the other Alphas. They didn't know I was a "wolfless omega." To them, I was a powerhouse.
As the meeting adjourned, Killian stood up and blocked my path. The other Alphas sensed the tension and quickly cleared the room, leaving us alone in the massive stone chamber.
"Miss Moon," Killian said, his voice echoing against the walls. "I took your advice. I looked into the history of the Blood Moon Pack. You seem very well-informed about our... past mistakes."
"I read a lot, Alpha Blackwood," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. "Knowledge is power, after all."
He stepped closer, invading my personal space. The scent of him was overwhelming—masculine, dangerous, and heartbreakingly familiar. He reached out, his hand hovering near my neck, near the place where the mate mark should have been.
"You have no scent of a pack," he whispered, his eyes searching mine. "And yet, you carry the aura of an Alpha. How is that possible? Unless... you're a Rogue who found a way to steal power."
I laughed, a cold, dry sound. "Steal power? No, Alpha. I earned mine. Something you wouldn't understand, considering everything was handed to you on a silver platter."
His jaw tightened. "Tell me your real name."
"I already did. Elena Moon."
"Liar," he growled, stepping so close our chests were almost touching. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. "I know that voice. I know those eyes. Selene is dead... but you... you are too much like her."
"Selene is indeed dead," I said, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You killed her the night you threw her into the rain. Why do you care now? Do you need a new toy to break?"
Killian flinched, his eyes flashing with a sudden, raw pain. For a second, he looked like a man who was drowning. But then, his phone rang. It was an emergency alert from his border patrol.
He answered it, his gaze never leaving mine. "What is it?"
His expression changed from anger to shock. "What do you mean, three pups were found near the neutral zone? Whose pups?"
My heart stopped. The kids. I had told them to stay in the villa, but Xander always wanted to explore the woods.
"They were spotted by our scouts," the voice on the phone was loud enough for me to hear. "Two boys and a girl. One of them... Alpha, one of them looks exactly like you did when you were a pup."
Killian’s eyes widened as he stared at me. The realization hit him like a physical blow. The silence in the room was deafening.
"Elena..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "What have you done?"
I didn't wait to answer. I turned and ran, my heart screaming. The game was over. The secret was out. The hunter had finally found his prey, and this time, he had seen the prize he never knew he had.
- Writer
