Chapter 7: The Vision in Flames
1164 Words
The moment I realized the golden eyes in my vision belonged to Darius, fear wrapped around my chest like iron chains.
I pulled away from him immediately.
The courtyard watched in complete silence.
Darius let me step back without resistance, but his expression had changed. The teasing amusement from earlier was gone now.
He looked concerned.
Kael noticed it instantly.
His jaw tightened as he moved toward me again. “What did you see?”
I struggled to steady my breathing.
Flames.
Blood.
Screams.
And Darius is standing in the middle of it all.
“I…” My voice faltered. “I saw a fire.”
Lucas frowned. “Another vision?”
I nodded slowly.
The pain in my mark still pulsed beneath my skin.
Darius studied me carefully. “What else?”
The way he asked made my stomach twist.
Like he already knew the answer.
I swallowed hard. “You were there.”
Silence crashed over the courtyard.
Several wolves immediately stiffened.
Kael’s silver eyes darkened dangerously as they snapped toward Darius.
“You said you came here to help.”
Darius sighed softly. “I did.”
“That vision says otherwise.”
“It says nothing unless she explains the full context.”
I looked between them uneasily.
The tension building between the two Alphas felt sharp enough to cut through the air itself.
Selene suddenly spoke from behind the guards.
“She’s proving my point.” Her voice trembled, but triumph flickered beneath it. “These visions are dangerous.”
Darius didn’t even look at her.
“You talk too much for someone hiding secrets.”
Selene flinched visibly.
Kael caught it this time.
I saw the suspicion deepen in his expression.
Good.
Finally.
The older healer cleared his throat nervously. “Alpha… perhaps we should move this discussion indoors.”
“No,” Darius said immediately.
Everyone looked at him.
His golden eyes scanned the dark forest surrounding the pack grounds.
“We’re already being watched.”
Cold fear slid down my spine.
Kael stepped forward sharply. “Explain.”
Darius crouched briefly near the edge of the courtyard and touched the muddy ground. When he lifted his fingers again, his expression darkened.
“Three outsiders crossed your borders less than ten minutes ago.”
The guards instantly became alert.
Lucas growled softly. “Rogues?”
“No.” Darius stood slowly. “Too disciplined.”
Kael’s voice turned cold. “Hunters?”
Darius looked directly at me.
“Probably.”
A ripple of fear spread through the courtyard.
Hunters.
Not rogue wolves.
Not enemies from rival packs.
Real hunters.
The kind from the old stories.
The kind who wiped out entire bloodlines.
My bloodline.
Suddenly, everything felt too real.
The mark.
The visions.
The carved crescent.
Someone wasn’t just framing me anymore.
Someone was hunting me.
Kael immediately turned toward his warriors. “Seal the borders. Nobody enters or leaves the territory without my order.”
The guards rushed off instantly.
Selene looked pale now. “Hunters can’t possibly know already.”
Darius gave her a long look. “You’d be surprised how quickly fear travels.”
My wolf paced restlessly inside me.
Danger.
Close.
Very close.
Kael looked back at me again. “You’re staying inside the Alpha house tonight.”
“I can protect myself.”
“You nearly collapsed from another vision.”
“I’m still standing.”
“And stubborn,” Darius muttered.
I shot him a glare.
To my annoyance, he looked amused again.
Kael noticed the exchange immediately.
His expression darkened further.
“You’re not leaving my territory with her.”
Darius folded his arms lazily. “I don’t remember asking permission.”
The temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop instantly.
Alpha pressure rolled heavily off Kael now.
Powerful.
Commanding.
But Darius barely reacted.
If anything, he looked bored.
Lucas stepped between them quickly. “This isn’t helping.”
No one disagreed.
Kael exhaled sharply before turning toward me again.
“Aria, listen carefully. Until we understand what’s happening, you need protection.”
Protection.
The word felt bitter now.
Where was that protection earlier when everyone accused me?
Darius must have sensed my thoughts because he spoke quietly.
“She doesn’t trust you anymore.”
The brutal honesty of it stunned everyone.
Including me.
Kael’s expression hardened immediately. “Stay out of this.”
“You made it my business the second you rejected a Lunar Guardian publicly.”
The courtyard fell silent again.
Rejected a Lunar Guardian.
Hearing the words together felt strange.
Like two completely different versions of me colliding.
Kael’s eyes flashed with irritation. “She was my mate before any of this happened.”
Was.
The word stabbed deeper than expected.
Darius noticed my reaction instantly.
Interesting.
That single look irritated Kael even more.
Before another argument could start, a howl suddenly echoed through the forest.
Sharp.
Urgent.
Every warrior stiffened.
Lucas looked toward the gates immediately. “Border Patrol.”
A second howl followed.
Then chaos erupted beyond the walls.
“Attackers!”
The shout echoed through the night.
Everything happened at once.
The warriors rushed toward the gates.
The alarm bells began ringing violently across the pack grounds.
Fear spread through the gathered wolves like wildfire.
Kael instantly shifted into Alpha mode. “Defensive positions!”
The guards obeyed immediately.
Another scream echoed from beyond the walls.
Closer this time.
Darius cursed under his breath softly. “Faster than I expected.”
My pulse pounded hard.
This was happening because of me.
The realization hit like ice water.
Hunters came here for me.
Kael grabbed my wrist suddenly. “Inside. Now.”
I yanked free immediately. “No.”
“Aria”
“I’m not hiding while people get hurt because of me.”
His silver eyes flashed dangerously. “This isn’t a debate.”
Before I could argue again, an explosion shattered through the eastern gates.
Wood splintered violently.
Wolves screamed.
Smoke filled the air.
And through the chaos, figures dressed in black stepped into the courtyard.
Hunters.
Their silver weapons gleamed beneath the stormy sky.
One of them removed his hood slowly.
An older man with cruel gray eyes scanned the courtyard calmly before stopping on me.
And smiling.
“There she is.”
Fear clenched my chest instantly.
The hunter stepped forward casually despite the warriors surrounding him.
“The last Crescent bloodline.”
Kael moved protectively in front of me immediately.
“You entered my territory uninvited.”
The hunter barely looked at him.
“We’re not here for Moonstone Pack.”
His gaze remained locked on me.
“We’re here for the girl.”
Darius stepped beside Kael now, golden eyes cold.
“You picked the wrong night.”
The hunter’s smile widened slightly.
“No,” he said softly. “This is exactly the right night.”
Then his gaze dropped to the mark on my neck.
And satisfaction filled his face.
“The mark is complete.”
- Writer
