The Alpha's Forbidden Luna

The Hunters

Damon stood at the edge of the forest.

Four wolves had answered the howl.

He could feel them.

They were close.

Too close.

"How many?" he asked.

Cassian pushed himself upright.

"At least four."

Damon's eyes narrowed.

"Pack?"

Cassian shook his head.

"No."

Aria looked between them.

"What does that mean?"

"It means they aren't from any pack we recognize."

A branch snapped somewhere in the darkness.

Damon immediately stepped in front of Aria.

"Everyone inside."

The warriors raised their weapons.

Aria's heart hammered.

Something moved between the trees.

Then another.

Then another.

Four shadows appeared.

They didn't attack.

They simply stood there.

Watching.

One of them stepped forward.

A tall woman with silver hair.

Her eyes were fixed on Aria.

"Finally."

Aria swallowed.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled.

"The question isn't who we are."

She pointed at Aria.

"It's what you are."

Damon stepped forward.

"You have five seconds to leave my territory."

The woman laughed softly.

"You still think this is your territory?"

Damon's eyes flashed.

"Four."

The woman looked at the other hunters.

"Three."

"Two."

Before Damon could finish, the hunters moved.

The courtyard exploded into chaos.

Warriors rushed forward.

The first attacker collided with Damon.

The force sent both of them several feet backward.

Cassian grabbed Aria.

"Inside. Now."

They ran.

An attacker followed.

Cassian slammed the door behind them.

"Lock it."

Aria pushed the bolt into place.

Something hit the other side.

Once.

Twice.

The entire door shook.

"They're coming through," Aria whispered.

Cassian looked around.

"There has to be another exit."

Aria remembered something.

"The old passage."

"What?"

"My mother used to disappear for hours when I was little. She always came back through the cellar."

Cassian followed her.

They rushed downstairs.

The cellar was dark and filled with old boxes.

Aria searched desperately.

"Where is it?"

"Aria!"

A crash sounded upstairs.

The door had broken.

"They're inside."

Aria pushed several boxes aside.

Her fingers found a small metal latch.

She pulled it.

A section of the wall opened.

A narrow passage appeared.

Cassian stared.

"Your mother knew about this?"

"I think so."

They entered.

Cassian closed the passage behind them.

They moved through the darkness.

Aria could hear footsteps above them.

Then silence.

Too much silence.

Cassian stopped.

"What?"

He raised a finger.

"Listen."

Aria listened.

Nothing.

Then she heard breathing.

Someone was already inside the passage.

A figure stepped from the darkness.

Aria screamed.

Cassian pushed her behind him.

The figure raised both hands.

"Wait."

It was the stranger from the forest.

Aria stared at him.

"You."

Cassian immediately raised his weapon.

"You've got some nerve."

The stranger didn't move.

"I didn't come to hurt her."

"Then why are you here?"

"To warn her."

Cassian scoffed.

"About what?"

The stranger looked at Aria.

"About Damon."

Aria frowned.

"What about him?"

The stranger's expression became serious.

"He isn't the one you should fear."

Aria looked at Cassian.

"Then who?"

The stranger took a breath.

"The people closest to him."

A loud crash echoed through the passage.

The hunters had found the entrance.

The stranger stepped backward.

"You have to leave."

Cassian tightened his grip.

"You're coming with us."

"I can't."

"Why?"

The stranger looked at Aria.

"Because they know who I am."

Another crash.

The passage shook.

The stranger turned toward a second tunnel.

"That way leads outside the eastern boundary."

Aria hesitated.

"Who are you?"

He looked back.

"My name is Elias."

"How do you know me?"

Elias stared at her mark.

"Because I knew your mother."

Aria's breath caught.

"Did you know Lyra?"

He didn't answer.

"Elias!"

The hunters were getting closer.

He finally said,

"Yes."

Then he disappeared into the darkness.

Cassian grabbed Aria's hand.

"Move."

They ran.

---

They emerged near the eastern boundary.

Damon was waiting.

The moment he saw Aria, he rushed toward her.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

His eyes searched her face.

Then his gaze shifted to Cassian.

"What happened?"

Cassian shook his head.

"We have a bigger problem."

Damon looked toward the forest.

"Where are the hunters?"

"Retreating."

"Why?"

Cassian hesitated.

"Someone helped us escape."

Damon's expression changed.

"Who?"

"Elias."

Damon went completely still.

Aria noticed.

"You know him."

Damon's voice was barely audible.

"Yes."

"Who is he?"

Damon looked toward the dark forest.

"Elias was my father's Beta."

Aria stared at him.

Cassian's expression hardened.

"That's impossible."

"He disappeared twenty-two years ago."

Aria felt a chill.

Twenty-two years.

Again.

Everything led back to that night.

Damon looked at Aria.

"Elias was there when Silvermoon fell."

Aria's voice shook.

"Then he knows what happened to my father."

Damon nodded.

"And he may know what happened to your sister."

Aria looked toward the forest.

For the first time, the mystery felt close enough to touch.

But Damon suddenly grabbed her wrist.

His eyes widened.

The mark was glowing again.

"What?"

Aria looked down.

The three stars were shining brightly.

Then a fourth star appeared.

Damon's face went pale.

Cassian whispered,

"That wasn't there before."

Aria stared at the new symbol.

A voice echoed inside her mind.

One has awakened.

Then another voice answered.

The other is coming.

Aria looked toward the forest.

Somewhere beyond the trees, someone was watching.

And this time...

It wasn't a stranger.

It was someone she had known her entire life.