The forest was alive with whispers. The wind howled through the ancient trees, carrying secrets only the night could understand. Beneath the eerie glow of the full moon, Selene Blackwood ran.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heartbeat a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She clutched her side, blood seeping between her fingers from a deep gash. The hunters had found her. Again.
"Damn it," she hissed, forcing herself forward despite the searing pain. Her magic pulsed wildly beneath her skin, begging to be unleashed, but she knew better. If she used her power now, the trail would lead straight back to her coven. She wouldn't risk them.
Branches clawed at her arms, her bare feet barely touching the earth as she sprinted through the underbrush. Then she heard it.
A growl. Low. Deep. Dangerous.
Selene skidded to a stop. A shadow moved between the trees, too large to be human, too silent to be one of the hunters. A Wolf. No. A werewolf.
Her pulse pounded as she turned slowly, locking eyes with the creature lurking in the darkness. It stepped forward, the moonlight illuminating its massive, midnight-black form. Claws dug into the earth, muscles tensed, ready to pounce. But it was the eyes that sent ice through her veins, piercing, silver-blue, filled with something far more dangerous than rage.
Recognition.
A shiver ran down her spine. This wasn't just any werewolf. This was Damien Vale Alpha of the Nightshade pack and one of the most feared creatures in the realm.
Selene took a step back. "I don't want trouble."
Damien shifted, his body cracking and reshaping in a way that should have been painful but looked effortless. In mere seconds, he was no longer the beast before her but a man, a tall, devastatingly handsome man, bare-chested, his dark hair tousled by the wind. Scars marked his skin, battle-worn and lethal.
His gaze never wavered. "Then you shouldn't have come here, little witch."
Selene's hands curled into fists. "I didn't exactly have a choice."
Damien's eyes flicked to the blood staining her dress, and something unreadable passed over his face. "You're hurt."
"I'll live." She lifted her chin, ignoring the pain. "Let me go, Alpha."
A slow smirk tugged at his lips, but his voice was pure steel. "Not a chance."
The air between them crackled, charged with something neither of them understood. Selene knew she should run, should fight, should do anything but stand there, drawn to the predator before her.
But as the wicked moonlight bathed them both in its eerie glow, one truth became clear.
She wasn't just running from death.
She was running toward destiny.
Selene's heart pounded as she forced her feet to move. She turned sharply and bolted into the thick of the forest, her blood leaving a trail she didn't have time to erase. Damien Vale was dangerous, but the hunters were relentless. She wouldn't be caught, not tonight.
The rustling behind her told her he was following. Fast. Silent.
"Damn you, wolf," she muttered under her breath, pushing forward.
Pain flared through her side, but she bit back a cry. She had escaped worse. She had survived worse. The trees blurred as she weaved between them, her breath ragged. The hunters were still out there, searching, closing in.
Then an arrow whizzed past her ear.
Selene gasped, twisting to dodge another that embedded itself into a nearby tree. Their aim was getting better. A shadow moved in her periphery, too fast to be human.
Not Damien. One of the hunters.
Cursing, she lifted her hand, magic surging to her fingertips despite her exhaustion. A flicker of violet light sparked in the air before she clenched her fist, snuffing it out. No. She couldn't risk exposing herself, not yet.
Another shadow shifted. She twisted, expecting another attack.
Instead, she collided with a hard, unyielding chest.
Large hands clamped around her arms, steadying her before she could stumble. The scent of pine and something darkly intoxicating filled her lungs. She knew who it was before she even looked up.
Damien.
His silver-blue eyes burned into hers, his grip firm but not cruel. "You're bleeding out," he said, his voice gruff. "Keep running and you won't make it far."
Selene glared, jerking out of his grasp. "Better than staying here."
A howl echoed in the distance. Not from Damien. From the hunters' wolves. They were gaining ground.
Damien sighed, raking a hand through his dark hair. "Witches are stubborn."
Selene took a step back, preparing to run again, but Damien caught her wrist. His touch was like fire against her skin. "You won't make it alone," he said, voice low. "Come with me."
She hesitated. Every instinct screamed at her not to trust him. But the hunters were closing in, and she was out of options.
Swallowing hard, she met his gaze. "Fine. But if you try anything, I'll turn your insides to ash."
A smirk curved his lips. "I'd expect nothing less."
Then, without another word, Damien pulled her into the shadows and the hunt began anew.