Riven's POV _Shadow in the Woods
The forest smelled of rain and pine, but beneath it, another scent lingered — soft, warm, unmistakable. The girl. Selene.
I couched low behind a thick trunk, nostrils flaring. She moved near the edge of my territory, unaware, fragile, and utterly tempting. Kael's scent trailed hers too, faint but there, a powerful Alpha weaving through the shadows. He was here. Watching. Waiting.
Nyx — his wolf, I could sense him even from here — prowled beside him, a coiled predator. Kael's presence was enough to make lesser hunters hesitate, but I had no fear. Fear was for the weak. Precision, patience, and timing — that was what mattered.
My hunters flanked me, disciplined shadows in the dimming light. They were ready, waiting for my command. I didn't speak; it wasn't necessary. They could feel my intent, my hunger, the thrill of the hunt.
Selene moved, unaware, brushing against the tall grass at the forest's edge. Her pulse called to me — strong, rhythmic, and faintly… wild. She didn't know it yet, but she was already marked. Kael might sense her, claim her, but I had my own designs. A Luna like her was too powerful, too valuable, to be left to someone else.
I allowed a faint rustle, just enough to make the shadows move, to guide her steps toward the path I wanted. Kael would notice. He always did. His human form was a mask; beneath it, he was a wolf coiled to strike. But even he wasn't infallible. He underestimated me.
Patience. Let him strain to sense my presence. Let him fixate on the girl, let the bond draw him in. And when the moment was right… we would both test each other, and only one would leave the forest unbroken.
I let a low growl rumble from my chest, barely audible to human ears, but my wolves — my hunters — felt it. The dance was beginning. The hunter and the hunted would blur. And when the night ended, the forest would remember the Nightfangs' name.
Evan's POV –Shadows of the Past
I watched Selene from the porch, her small frame moving near the edge of the forest, and my chest tightened. My mind wasn't on her now, though. It was back to that night — the night that had shaped everything.
The Bloodfang Pack had come like a storm. Kael's father, the Alpha back then, had led the assault with ruthless precision. Our parents had fought valiantly, but they were no match. My father fell defending us, my mother… she died carrying Selene, leaving me to fight through the chaos alone.
I had carried my baby sister through the shadows, dodging the claws and teeth of the invaders, my arms burning and legs trembling. When I finally found a moment of safety, I put her in a small bed, her tiny chest rising and falling with fragile breaths. I stared at her, tears blurring the forest shadows around me, and whispered a vow I would carry for the rest of my life: I will protect you, Selene. No matter what. No matter who.
We were the only ones to survive. The rest of our pack — gone. And from that night, my hatred for the Bloodfang Pack burned like fire in my veins. Every decision I made, every secret I kept, revolved around keeping Selene alive, hidden, and safe from the predators who still lurked in the shadows.
Years later, raising her in a small town far from the forest, I taught her awareness and instinct in subtle ways, never revealing the full truth of what she was. She didn't know about the blood in her veins, the wolf stirring inside her, or the dangers circling ever closer. Not yet.
But now… the forest called. Kael. The Bloodfang Alpha. His presence brushed against the edges of my senses like a storm, coiled and precise. And I could sense Riven, lurking in the shadows, waiting to manipulate fate for his own gain.
Selene didn't know what she was walking toward, didn't understand the danger closing in. But I would not let the past repeat itself. I would be her shield. I would protect my sister — my only family — with everything I had, even if it meant facing the very pack that had destroyed ours.
I exhaled slowly, jaw tight, eyes never leaving her. I will not fail you, Selene. Not now. Not ever.