Chapter Thirty-Six: What They Leave Behind
704 Words
The first howl tore through the night like a blade.
Asia felt it in her bones before she heard it—an ancient, distorted cry that didn’t belong to any wolf she knew. The house shuddered as the sound rolled across the land, followed by another… then another.
The pack was under attack.
Alpha Kade was already moving.
“That’s the eastern border,” he said sharply. His aura flared, power snapping through the room like lightning. “Mara.”
Luna Mara didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her coat, eyes glowing as she felt the same thing he did—fear rippling through the bond of the pack. Wolves calling for their Alpha. For their Luna.
Asia stood frozen. “What’s happening?”
Jack’s expression darkened. “The hunter isn’t hiding anymore.”
As if summoned by the words, the ground trembled—subtle but unmistakable. Somewhere far away, something massive moved through territory that had never belonged to it.
“It’s splitting us,” Jack added. “Classic tactic.”
Asia’s chest tightened. “Then we stay together.”
“No,” Alpha Kade said immediately.
Asia turned on him. “What?”
Kade crossed the room and gripped her shoulders, eyes fierce, voice low. “The pack needs us. Right now.”
“And I need you,” Asia shot back. “That thing is coming for me.”
Luna Mara stepped closer, placing her hands over Asia’s. Her voice was gentle—but firm. “That’s exactly why we can’t take you.”
Fear spiked hot and sharp. “You’re leaving me?”
Kade’s jaw clenched. “We are trusting you.”
He turned to Jack. “You protect her.”
Jack nodded without hesitation. “With my life.”
Kade’s gaze shifted to Kael—still pale, still injured, but awake now, leaning against the wall with arms crossed.
“And you,” Kade said coldly. “If anything happens to my daughter—”
Kael raised a hand weakly. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Death. Pain. Eternal suffering. Very motivating.”
Asia stared between them. “You’re leaving me with him?”
Kael looked offended. “I just saved your entire family with a warning, by the way.”
Luna Mara cupped Asia’s face, eyes shining. “Listen to me. You stay hidden. You do not chase. You do not fight.”
Asia swallowed hard. “What if it finds me anyway?”
Jack’s voice was steady. “Then it goes through us first.”
The howls grew louder. Closer.
Alpha Kade pulled Asia into a tight embrace—brief, fierce, like he was memorizing her heartbeat. “Be strong,” he said quietly. “Not reckless.”
Then they were gone.
The door slammed behind them, leaving the house unnaturally silent.
Asia stood there, shaking.
For the first time in her life… her parents had chosen the pack over her.
Kael broke the silence. “Well,” he muttered, “this is new.”
Jack turned sharply. “You’re still hurt.”
Kael shrugged. “Healed enough to fight. Barely.”
Asia hugged herself, power flickering beneath her skin. “They think I’m not ready.”
Jack met her eyes. “They’re wrong about one thing.”
“What?”
“You’re not helpless.”
Before she could respond, the pressure hit.
Not from outside—
From within the territory.
Kael’s head snapped up. “Oh. That’s bad.”
“What?” Asia asked.
Kael’s eyes glowed faintly. “It’s testing the perimeter. Feeling for you.”
The lights flickered violently.
Jack stepped in front of Asia instinctively. “Move. Basement. Now.”
Asia didn’t argue.
As they descended the stairs, the house groaned, walls vibrating with a presence that felt vast and patient and cruel. Asia’s breath came fast and shallow.
“This is my fault,” she whispered.
Jack turned to her, eyes burning with resolve. “No. This is what you were born into.”
Above them, something ancient circled.
The hunter had begun its assault.
And Asia—guarded by a wounded vampire and a wolf who had already nearly died for her—was now the most dangerous thing it had ever hunted.
- Writer
