Chapter 2 THE HUNTED

Ava's mind spun.

She wasn't human. She was a werewolf.

The words knotted in her chest, impossible yet undeniable. The raw strength coursing through her veins, the unnatural speed she'd moved with, the way her body reacted without thinking it all made sense.

But she barely had time to process it before

CRASH.

The cabin window exploded.

Ava flinched as shards of glass rained down, the night air filling with snarls and shifting shadows.

Knox's grip on her wrist tightened. "We need to leave. Now."

Before she could move, a massive shape lunged through the shattered window.

Ava's breath hitched.

It wasn't just one.

Three of them.

They weren't fully wolves, but they weren't human either. Tall, twisted figures, eyes glowing gold, their bones shifting unnaturally beneath their skin.

One of them sniffed the air, then locked onto her. A slow, twisted grin spread across his half-shifted face.

"She's waking up," he rasped. "The Alpha will want to see this."

The moment he spoke, they attacked.

Knox moved first.

He spun, driving a knife into the chest of the closest attacker. The creature snarled, staggering back, but it didn't fall.

Ava barely had time to react before another one lunged at her.

Her body moved on instinct.

She ducked low, her heartbeat syncing with something primal. As the creature swiped at her, she twisted, dodging with unnatural speed.

Then without thinking she struck.

Her fist connected with the creature's ribs, sending it flying into the cabin wall.

Too strong. Too fast.

Ava stared at her hands, her pulse hammering.

"What the hell is happening to me?" she whispered.

Knox didn't answer he was too busy fighting.

The last creature rushed him, jaws snapping. Knox dodged, his movements impossibly fast, and slammed his knife into its shoulder. It howled but didn't go down.

And Ava barely had time to react before something heavy tackled her from behind.

She crashed to the floor, pinned beneath one of the creatures. Its breath was hot against her ear.

"The Alpha wants her alive," it snarled.

Ava's vision flickered.

Something inside her twisted and snapped.

A burning heat spread through her chest, an invisible force coiling beneath her skin. Her breathing deepened, and suddenly

The creature's grip slipped.

It hesitated. Something in her eyes changed.

Ava didn't wait. She threw it off her, sending it crashing through the broken window.

Knox grabbed her arm. "Move!"

She didn't need to be told twice.

They ran into the woods.

The trees blurred past, Ava's pulse still hammering. Her whole body felt different like something had been unlocked, a raw, untamed energy thrumming beneath her skin.

They stopped near a ridge, the howls still echoing in the distance.

Ava turned on Knox. "Start talking. Now."

Knox wiped the blood from his cheek, his expression unreadable.

She took a shaky breath. "You said I'm a werewolf."

"You are."

"And those things back there?"

Knox exhaled. "They're part of a rogue pack ones who follow the Alpha."

Ava's throat tightened. "And this Alpha he wants me? Why?"

Knox hesitated. Then he finally said it:

"Because you're not just any werewolf, Ava."

Her stomach twisted. "What does that mean?"

Knox's jaw tightened. "You're the heir to a bloodline that was never supposed to exist."

Before she could process that, a new sound filled the night.

Not a snarl.

Not a growl.

Footsteps.

Ava turned.

Figures stepped out from the trees.

Not monsters. Not rogues.

Wolves.

And they were here for her.

Ava's pulse spiked.

The figures emerging from the trees were wolves but different from the ones that attacked her.

They moved silently, their dark forms blending into the shadows. Their eyes glowed in the moonlight not amber like the rogues, but silver.

Their leader stepped forward. A massive gray wolf, muscles rippling beneath his thick fur.

And then he shifted.

Bones cracked, fur melted away, and within seconds, a man stood in front of her. Tall. Strong. Midnight hair, a sharp jawline, and piercing silver eyes that locked onto hers.

Ava's breath caught. Who the hell ?

Knox tensed beside her, his hand subtly moving toward his knife.

The man's lips curled into a smirk. "Well. We finally found her."

Ava's stomach twisted. "Who are you?"

The man ignored her, his gaze flicking to Knox. "You've been hiding her?"

Knox's muscles coiled. "I've been protecting her."

The man scoffed. "You think you're the only one who wants her alive?" He turned back to Ava. "Come with us. We don't have time to waste."

Ava took a step back. "Like hell I'm going anywhere with you."

The man's smirk didn't falter. "I get it. You don't know who to trust." His expression darkened. "But if you stay out here, the rogues will find you again. And next time, they won't be testing you."

Ava clenched her fists. "And you expect me to trust you instead?"

A pause. Then the man's gaze softened, just slightly.

"You have no idea what you are, do you?"

Ava swallowed. "I know I'm a werewolf."

He chuckled. "You think it's that simple?" His eyes glowed brighter. "You're more than just a wolf, Ava."

Ava's stomach twisted. Not again.

First Knox tells her she's part of a bloodline that wasn't supposed to exist. Now this stranger is saying she's more than a werewolf?

"What the hell does that mean?" she snapped.

The man's expression turned serious. "Come with us, and I'll show you."

Knox shifted beside her. He didn't trust them.

And neither did Ava.

Ava glanced at Knox. "Do you know these people?"

Knox exhaled. "I know of them." His jaw tightened. "They're not with the rogues. But that doesn't mean they're on our side either."

The man sighed. "You can stay here and hope you survive the night, or you can come with us and get some damn answers."

Ava's head spun. She didn't trust them. She barely trusted Knox.

But if she stayed here...

The rogues would come back. And next time, they wouldn't stop at testing her.

She turned to Knox. "If I go, are you coming with me?"

Knox hesitated. Then he gave a sharp nod.

Ava took a breath. She didn't like this. But she had no choice.

She turned back to the man. "Fine. I'll go."

The man smiled. "Smart choice."

Then his gaze flicked behind her, and his expression sharpened.

"Too late," he muttered.

Ava frowned. "What "

Then she heard it.

The sound of snarls growing closer.

Ava's blood ran cold.

The rogues had found them.

Ava barely had time to react.

The rogues were already here.

The underbrush exploded as dark figures lunged from the shadows six of them, their golden eyes gleaming, their half-shifted forms snarling like rabid beasts.

The leader of the silver-eyed wolves the one who wanted Ava to come with them cursed under his breath.

"We don't have time for this," he muttered.

Knox was already moving. "Ava, stay close."

One of the rogues leaped aiming straight for Ava.

Her body moved before she could think. She ducked, twisting out of the way with unnatural speed. The rogue's claws barely missed her, raking through the air where her throat had been.

Another came at her from the side. Ava spun, throwing her elbow into its ribs. The force sent it flying into a tree.

Too strong. Too fast.

She barely had time to process it before a third rogue lunged.

This time, she wasn't fast enough.

It slammed into her, knocking her back onto the ground. A growl rattled in its throat as it pinned her down, fangs flashing.

Ava's heart pounded. MOVE.

The rogue lunged for her throat

SNAP.

It went still.

Ava barely registered what happened before the body was ripped away from her.

The silver-eyed man stood over her, his claws dripping with blood.

His expression was unreadable. "You good?"

Ava blinked, heart still hammering. He just saved her.

She nodded and scrambled to her feet. The fight wasn't over.

The rogues weren't backing down. They wanted her.

But why?

And then, just when she thought it couldn't get worse

A new presence filled the air.

It was heavy. Electric.

Ava's breath caught.

Something was coming.

And whoever it was... they were worse than the rogues.

Knox seemed to sense it too. He grabbed Ava's wrist. "We need to go. Now."

The silver-eyed man nodded sharply. "Agreed."

The rogues as vicious as they had been just seconds ago were suddenly still.

Waiting.

Because they weren't the real threat.

Something bigger was coming.

And Ava knew, deep in her gut.

This was only just the beginning.