The night was sinking into the rise of morning light when Roger stormed back into the opening, his boots sinking into the damp forest floor. The moonlight had faded behind drifting clouds, and the air hung thick with tension and the coppery scent of blood.
"Any sign of Hunter?" he barked, eyes darting from one exhausted officer to another.
The men exchanged glances, their faces drawn and pale from hours of fruitless searching. One of them shook his head wearily. "No, sir. Nothing yet. The forest's gone dead quiet."
Roger clenched his jaw. "Look, I know you're all tired," he said, his voice low but firm. "But we can't stop now. Officer Cruise is still out there, and until we find him, no one…"
A sudden rustle cut through his words. The bushes quivered violently and every gun in the unit snapped up, beams of flashlights slicing through the darkness.
They all turned in time to see a woman step out of the shadows, barefoot and calm, her long dark hair whipping across her face in the cold wind. In her hand hung the limp body of Hunter Cruise.
Gasps erupted.
"Holy…" one officer muttered before silencing himself.
Hunter's body was bloodied and dangling like a broken doll. The woman's eyes gleamed with something unholy, and for a heartbeat, it felt as though the early morning itself bowed to her presence.
Roger's breath caught. No one dared move. Every instinct screamed that this creature wasn't human.
She stared at them with cold amusement, then, without a word, dropped Hunter's body to the ground. The impact thudded through the earth. Before a single bullet could be fired, she vanished, her laughter echoing faintly as if the forest itself mocked them.
"Hunter!" Roger sprinted forward, kneeling beside his fallen officer. He pressed trembling fingers to Hunter's neck.
A pulse. Weak, but there.
"He's alive!" Roger shouted. "Call the doctor now! And someone get the vehicles ready!"
The officers snapped into motion, adrenaline overriding exhaustion. Two men rushed to clear a path while Roger gathered Hunter in his arms. Blood soaked through the fabric of his uniform, hot and slick against his chest.
"Move!" Roger barked, his voice hoarse. "We've got seconds, not minutes!"
They ran. Branches whipped against their faces, their boots hammering the forest floor as they carried their wounded comrade through the darkness. The bushes closed around them again, as though the forest had swallowed the laughter whole.
But the fear lingered.
And deep down, Roger knew.
Whatever that woman was, this was only the beginning.
***
Justus knelt beside a wrecked pickup truck, its metal frame crumpled like paper. Bullet holes riddled the doors, and the faint stench of gasoline mixed with the iron tang of blood. He crouched lower, tracing two fingers along a streak of dried crimson stain on the ground before bringing them to his nose..
"Fresh," he muttered. "They didn't get far."
Before he could rise, a violent crash split the silence. Something massive hurled through the clearing, sending a body flying across the air like a rag doll. Justus leapt to his feet, fangs bared, ready for combat, but what he saw made him grin instead.
Alpha Travis stood in the middle of the chaos, eyes gleaming with silver fire. The ambushers who had tried to circle his men were now being tossed aside like leaves in a storm. His movements were clean, lethal, and effortless.
Justus couldn't help but laugh. "Well, look who decided to show up."
One attacker lunged from behind Travis, blade raised. Justus moved in a blur, intercepting the blow and driving his attacker into the dirt. When the last of the enemies hit the ground, both men stood side by side, breathing steady, surveying their handiwork.
Justus gave him a playful nudge. "It's good to see you back in action again, old man."
Travis shot him a sideways glance, lips curling into a smirk. "Are you smiling because I just saved your life for the umpteenth time or because you missed me?"
"Both," Justus answered without missing a beat.
"Fair enough," Travis said, brushing dust off his sleeve. "And maybe next time, when you decide to go hunting in the middle of a rogue attack, you might want to bring company."
"We both know I work better alone. Two is a crowd."
Travis arched an eyebrow. "Then I must have done a poor job choosing you as my right-hand man. If I leave you alone too long, you might get yourself killed."
Justus chuckled. "It's a good thing you're back to keep me alive then, Alpha."
Travis bent, examining a blood trail near the fallen truck. His expression hardened. "About three vans with merchants taken." He explained to Justus as they moved from one broken truck to the next, taking in the extent of the damage.
"Did you recover anything?" Travis asked without looking up.
"Unfortunately, everything's gone."
Justus kicked at a spent shell casing. "Whoever hit them was organized. Clean work."
"Very well then." Travis rose to his full height. "We'll have to act fast before word gets out."
"I'll gather everyone in the meeting room." Justus gave him a quick once-over and grinned. "I must say, this little vacation did you some good. You almost look… rested."
Travis turned to him, one brow raised. "You call me your Alpha and dare speak to me so casually? Are you not afraid of losing your head?"
Justus smirked. "And have who else follow your trail like a lost pup? You'd be bored without me, admit it."
Travis gave a mock scoff as he swung himself onto his horse. "Please, don't flatter yourself. I have several others better than you who are too eager to take your place."
"Lies and empty threats," Justus said with a grin as he mounted his own horse.
Travis snapped the reins, eyes narrowing as his mind mapped the terrain. "Quit talking and get the men. Meet me halfway," he ordered. "We don't have the luxury of long deliberations. They'll expect us to strike through the hills; predictable, exposed, and exactly what they'd prepare for."
He paused, his tone dropping into measured precision. "But the mountains… they'll never see that coming. The slope's rough, the air's thinner and they'll assume no pack would risk that route. That's exactly why we will. We'll flank them from the ridge, cut off their escape, and close in before they even scent us."
Justus's grin widened with pride. "Now that's what I'm talking about. See you soon with reinforcements, warlord."
Travis gave a faint smirk, already scanning the horizon as if seeing the battle unfold before it began. "Don't be late, Beta. I'd hate to win all the glory alone."
Their horses tore forward, hooves drumming against the earth as the two men rode into the breaking dawn, Alpha and Beta, brothers of the hunt, their laughter fading into the wind as war awaited ahead.
***
Jessie walked into the classroom expecting him.
Her pulse quickened as her eyes swept across the room; first the door, then the window, then the familiar corner where Professor Harcourt always stood, leaning against the desk with that calm half-smile that steadied her. But today, that corner was empty.
In his place stood Dr. Bruce.
"Good morning, everyone," he said, adjusting his glasses, voice flat and distant. "We're nearing the end of the semester, and though your performance hasn't been particularly impressive so far, I trust we can make the final stretch count.
The words barely reached her. Jessie's throat tightened as reality sank in. He wasn't coming.
Something inside her shifted. A quiet crack, then a tremor.
Banny leaned toward her. "Jess? You good?"
Jessie swallowed hard. "He didn't even…" She stopped, unable to finish. Her fingers curled into fists beneath the desk, nails digging into her palms. The chatter around her grew louder, colors sharper, and sounds became too sharp. The hum of the lights above roared in her ears like thunder.
"Jessie?"
She rose abruptly, chair scraping across the floor. "I just need some air." Her voice broke halfway.
Heads turned as she rushed out, her vision blurring. She barely noticed her shoes slapping against the corridor tiles until she was inside the restroom. The lock clicked, locking her in silence.
Her reflection met her eyes, pale skin, trembling lips, pupils that seemed to dilate and contract with every ragged breath.
"Get it together," she whispered. But her voice sounded like someone else's; lower, vibrating, almost feral.
A sharp pain tore through her chest. She grabbed the sink, knuckles whitening as cold sweat slicked her forehead. Her reflection flickered and her eyes flashed silver for a heartbeat before fading back.
Banny's voice came muffled through the door. "Jessie, please open up. You're scaring me."
Jessie pressed her back against the wall, shaking. "I'm fine," she lied, her voice trembling. "Just… give me a minute."
She looked into the mirror, and for a heartbeat, something smiled back, though she hadn't moved an inch.