The forest held its breath.
Not even the wind dared to stir the branches. Not even the birds sang. Only the distant echo of the horn lingered in the air, its haunting note still vibrating through my bones like a curse.
Liam's fingers tightened around mine as though the sound might steal me from him. His grip was warm, human, achingly alive. Too alive for what was about to descend upon us.
I could still taste his blood on my lips. Sweet. Fierce. Forbidden. It burned in my veins, sharpening every sense, amplifying every whisper of the forest. The hunters were moving already—I could hear them, faintly, the rhythm of their footfalls too precise to belong to mortals. They were circling. Herding.
The Hunt has begun.
"Aria," Liam breathed, his voice raw, "what do we do?"
I swallowed the panic clawing up my throat. "We keep moving. Fast. They'll try to drive us into a trap. We have to stay unpredictable."
He nodded, but the flicker in his eyes betrayed his fear. He wasn't a fool. He knew what we were facing. He just chose me anyway.
I wanted to scream at him for that. I wanted to kiss him for that. Instead, I pulled him into the trees, weaving through roots and branches, my ears tuned to every shift of sound.
The hunters didn't rush. They never did. That was the cruelty of the Hunt—it wasn't meant to be swift. It was theater. A test of endurance, of will, of terror. They wanted us to run, to stumble, to bleed.
To break.
Another horn split the air, closer this time. My skin prickled. They were tightening the circle.
Liam stumbled over a root, catching himself against a tree. He cursed under his breath. I yanked him up, whispering fiercely, "Don't stop. Not for anything."
He nodded again, but his breathing was harsh, too loud. Every heartbeat in his chest thundered in my ears, calling to me, tempting me to steal more of his strength.
No. I wouldn't. I couldn't.
We burst into a clearing bathed in cold morning light. The shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally long, reaching for us like claws. I froze, scanning the edges. Too open. Too exposed.
"Aria—" Liam started, but then he fell silent.
Because he saw it too.
Figures moving between the trees. Silent, deliberate, their eyes faintly glowing in the gloom.
The hunters.
My stomach clenched. They were faster than I expected. Marcus must have unleashed his best.
One of them stepped into the light, a woman draped in black, her smile sharp as her fangs. She tilted her head, studying me like a cat with a cornered mouse.
"Little fledgling," she purred. "Running already? You shame the blood that made you."
I shoved Liam behind me, baring my fangs. "Touch him and I'll rip out your throat."
Her smile widened, but before she could reply, a voice slid through the trees, smooth and cold as silk.
"Such fire, sister. Marcus will be pleased."
My blood turned to ice.
Lucian.
He emerged from the shadows as if the forest itself had birthed him, tall and flawless, his crimson eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. His presence alone made the others still, as though they deferred to his authority.
My brother. My betrayer.
"Lucian," I hissed.
His gaze flicked to Liam, lingering on the faint stain of blood at his throat. Disgust curled his lips. "So it's true. You've sunk your fangs into a mortal. How pitiful."
Liam stiffened behind me, but he didn't speak. His hand tightened on the hilt of his blade, though it looked laughably small against Lucian's power.
"You shouldn't be here," I spat.
Lucian chuckled, a low, mocking sound. "And yet I am. Marcus wanted to see how long you'd last. He granted you a head start, out of… amusement." His smile sharpened. "Consider it a kindness."
Kindness. The word tasted like ash.
"You call this a kindness?" I snarled. "Hunting your own blood? Selling me to him like prey?"
Lucian's expression darkened, though the smile never fully left his face. "You made your choice, Aria. You turned your back on the clan. On me. You think you can rewrite what you are with one fragile human? Fool."
His words cut deep, but I didn't flinch. I couldn't afford to. I stepped closer, baring my fangs. "Better a fool with him than a monster with you."
For the first time, his eyes flickered—not with doubt, but with something colder. Rage.
The hunters stirred restlessly at his back, waiting for his command.
Liam shifted beside me, his voice low. "Aria… we can't take them all."
He was right. Even with his blood burning in me, I couldn't fight an entire pack. Not Lucian. Not Marcus's chosen.
But I couldn't surrender either.
Lucian's smile returned, thin and cruel. "Run, little sister. Run as far as you like. We'll enjoy the chase."
The horn sounded again, deafening now, echoing from every direction. The circle closed.
I grabbed Liam's hand, my chest tight, my hunger roaring, my fear screaming. There was only one truth left.
We had to survive the Hunt.
And I would burn the forest to ashes before I let them take him.
The hunters moved, shadows blurring into motion.
The Hunt had truly begun.