Chapter 2 The hunt

Beth didn't move from the window for a long moment, staring into the night as the howls echoed over the trees. A primal shiver crawled up her spine.

Something was wrong.

Something big.

The air was too still, the forest too quiet beneath the rising wind. Even the patrolling wolves below seemed tense, their ears pricked, their movements sharp and erratic.

Beth forced herself away from the glass.

She couldn't just stand here and wait.

Her instincts screamed to follow Austin, to fight whatever threat was coming, but reason held her back. She was no longer the naive girl who thought she could save everyone. She knew better now.

Still...

The silence outside was deafening.

She slipped out of the oversized shirt and into the spare clothes Austin had left: soft black leggings, a fitted gray sweater, and sturdy boots. Functional. Perfect for running. Or fighting.

Beth strapped a small dagger to her thigh-one of the old habits she hadn't broken even after years in hiding. Then she eased the door open and stepped into the hall.

The house was eerily empty.

The warmth from the fire downstairs barely reached up here, leaving the upper floors in shadow.

Beth moved silently, her body remembering old rhythms, old dangers. Her wolf prowled beneath her skin, restless and ready.

The staircase creaked under her weight as she descended.

Voices floated from the great hall: low, urgent, angry. Beth paused at the edge of the hallway, straining to hear.

"...sighted on the eastern ridge," a man was saying. "Five, maybe six rogues. No insignias. No pack ties."

Another voice-Austin's-answered, hard and clipped. "And you let them get that close?"

"They're fast. Organized. Smelled like blood and death." A pause. "Leader's different, though. Smells... wrong."

Beth leaned closer, her heart thudding painfully.

Rogues.

She hadn't heard that term whispered with this kind of fear in years.

A third voice, rough and bitter, spoke up. "You bring the Chadwick girl back, and suddenly we've got a rogue problem again. Coincidence?"

Beth flinched.

"You shut your mouth, Carter," Austin snarled. "Beth has nothing to do with this."

"Doesn't she?" Carter spat. "She's a magnet for disaster. She should've stayed dead with the rest of her cursed bloodline."

The world tilted.

Beth barely registered moving, but suddenly she was striding into the hall, the assembled wolves turning toward her with shock and varying shades of hostility.

"I'm right here," she said coolly, meeting Carter's glare head-on. "If you have something to say about me, say it to my face."

The room froze.

Austin's face tightened with fury, but he didn't interrupt.

This was Beth's fight now.

Carter-a tall, broad-shouldered enforcer with a long scar down his cheek-smirked coldly. "Fine. You're trouble. Always have been. Your family brought ruin to Silverpine, and now you're back to finish the job."

Beth stepped closer, her wolf rising inside her, brushing against her skin like a living flame. "I had nothing to do with the war. I was a child."

"Children grow up," Carter said, voice oily with hate. "And so do grudges."

Beth opened her mouth, fury rising, but Austin cut across the tension.

"Enough," he barked, his Alpha command lacing the word with raw power. Carter flinched, looking away.

Austin turned to Beth, his eyes softening slightly. "We don't have time for old wounds. Not tonight."

Beth nodded stiffly.

He turned to the gathered wolves. "Double the patrols. No one goes out alone. And if you see anything-anything-you alert Marla or me. Understood?"

A chorus of nods and murmured affirmations.

The wolves began to scatter, some casting Beth wary glances as they went.

Only Austin, Marla, and Carter lingered.

Beth crossed her arms, feeling the old walls she'd built around herself harden. "You think the rogues are here for me."

Austin didn't deny it. "It's possible."

"Why? After all these years, why now?"

Marla spoke up, her tone grudging. "Because rumors travel. Some say the last Chadwick carries a bloodline power that's been lost for generations."

Beth blinked. "Power?"

Marla shrugged. "Legends. Myths. Nothing confirmed."

Beth frowned. Her family had been healers, diplomats, leaders. Not warriors. She had never felt anything special about herself-only the crushing weight of expectation.

"What kind of power?" she asked.

Austin hesitated. "Enough to tip the balance between packs."

Beth's stomach twisted.

She hadn't asked for this. Hadn't wanted any of it.

But it didn't matter what she wanted.

The past was hunting her.

And it wouldn't stop until it claimed her.

Later that night, Beth stood on the balcony outside her room, the cold wind cutting through her sweater.

Below, the forest stretched out in an endless sea of shadows, the moonlight painting silver trails through the trees.

Austin leaned against the railing beside her, silent for a long time.

"You should be asleep," he said eventually.

Beth didn't look at him. "Couldn't."

Another long pause.

"You don't have to stay here," he said softly. "If you want to run, I'll help you disappear."

Beth turned to him, surprised by the offer. She saw the truth in his face-the raw, painful willingness to let her go if it meant she would be safe.

But safety was an illusion.

She had spent years running, hiding, surviving.

And still, the past had found her.

"No," she said quietly. "I'm tired of running."

Austin's mouth twitched in something like relief.

Beth met his gaze steadily. "If this bloodline power is real, I need to find out what it is. Before they do."

"And you won't be alone," he said. "Not this time."

Beth didn't know what the future would bring.

Didn't know if she could survive the war that was coming. But she wasn't facing it alone. And that- maybe- was enough. Below, deep in the forest, a shadow moved through the trees. Watching... Waiting. The true hunt had just begun.

Beth tightened her grip on the railing as another gust of wind rushed past, carrying with it the faintest whisper of a scent she didn't recognize-earthy, bitter, and sharp, like ash and blood.

Her wolf stirred immediately, hackles rising. Something- or someone- was out there. Austin caught it too. His body stiffened, and he pushed away from the balcony railing, scanning the tree line with sharp eyes. A low growl rumbled from deep in his chest.

Without a word, he tugged Beth back into the safety of the room, shutting the balcony doors behind them. He flicked the lock instinctively, though Beth knew that if something truly dangerous wanted to come in, a simple lock wouldn't stop it.

"We're being watched," he said grimly.

Beth nodded, heart hammering. "I smelled it too."

Austin grabbed a jacket from the chair and tossed her another. "Stay close to me. No heroics."

Beth zipped up the jacket quickly, frustration bubbling in her chest. She hated feeling like dead weight. But she also understood-Austin wasn't treating her like a child. He was treating her like someone who mattered.

Someone he couldn't afford to lose.

Downstairs, the front door creaked open. Heavy footsteps pounded against the hardwood, and Marla appeared, flanked by two enforcers-one of them Carter, who shot Beth a look of thinly veiled disdain.

"We caught one," Marla said, a savage gleam in her eye. "Near the eastern perimeter."

Beth's blood went cold. "One what?"

"A rogue." Marla smiled without humor. "And he's asking for you."

Beth swallowed hard. "For me?"

Austin's face darkened. "Take us to him."

The group moved quickly through the halls, the enforcers flanking Beth like a shield. She didn't protest. Not when the air itself felt charged with danger, every step making her wolf twitch restlessly beneath her skin.

They reached a small stone building on the far side of the compound-a holding cell built for emergencies. Beth had never been inside before. She didn't even know it existed.

Inside, the rogue sat chained to a metal chair bolted to the floor. His clothes were torn, caked in mud and blood, and his wrists were raw from struggling against the silver cuffs. His dark hair hung in greasy strands over his forehead, but when he lifted his head to look at them, Beth staggered back a step.

His eyes were wrong.

Not just feral-empty.

Like there was no soul left behind them.

"Beth Chadwick," he rasped, his voice ruined and wet.

Austin stepped protectively in front of her. "Who sent you?"

The rogue smiled, a sickening twist of cracked lips. "He's coming for her. The blood will run. The wolf and the flame."

Beth's breath caught.

Austin growled low, his body vibrating with restrained violence. "Who's coming?"

The rogue only laughed-a hollow, broken sound-and slammed his head against the chair's metal frame with enough force to make Beth flinch. Blood splattered across the floor.

Marla moved forward, but it was already too late.

The rogue's body convulsed once. Twice. Then he stilled.

Dead.

Beth stood frozen, the rogue's words ringing in her ears.

The wolf and the flame.

"What the hell does that mean?" Carter muttered, glancing at Austin.

Austin didn't answer right away. His jaw was tight, his fists clenched at his sides.

Beth forced herself to speak, even though her voice trembled. "The flame... it's part of the Chadwick crest. It symbolizes rebirth through fire."

Austin finally looked at her, his eyes grim. "And the wolf?"

Beth hesitated. "I-I don't know."

But a sinking feeling told her she was lying. That some part of her did know. She just hadn't remembered it yet.

"We need to find out," Marla said. "Fast."

Austin nodded. "Carter, double the perimeter guard. No one enters or leaves without my word. Marla, start digging into anything about the Chadwick bloodline-legends, histories, anything we missed the first time."

"And me?" Beth asked, lifting her chin.

Austin stepped closer, his voice low and firm. "You're going to train. Every day. Every hour if we have to."

Beth opened her mouth to argue, but the intensity in his gaze pinned her in place.

"You're not going to be helpless, Beth. Not again," he said, softer this time.

Her heart twisted.

Not again.

Something old and wounded inside her stirred at those words. She thought of the night her family had been slaughtered. The night she'd been too young, too scared, too weak to save anyone.

Maybe Austin was right.

Maybe she couldn't outrun the past.

But she could damn well make sure she was ready for the future.

Beth squared her shoulders. "Then let's start now."

A flicker of pride crossed Austin's face before he nodded.

Outside, the wind howled against the stone walls of the compound, carrying the promise of storms yet to come.

But inside, for the first time in years, Beth felt a spark ignite inside her chest-a fierce, stubborn fire that refused to die.

She didn't know what was coming.

Didn't know who "he" was, or why he wanted her blood.

But she knew one thing for certain: She would not be an easy prey. Not this time. Not ever again.