The Huntress and The Dark Halfing

Emilia's POV.

Amidst the echoing chaos of the scintillating city of New Orleans, I ran through the streets, the echo of Diana's men boots thudding behind me.

"Stop running Emilia, just surrender and face your punishment"

I needed darkness to conceal myself but the light in the city was never ending. Before the men got to close I took cover in one of the labyrinthe alleyways and ran into Liam's unfinished skyscraper.

"I didn't think you'd find me so soon Kaden!" I yelled.

He broke off from the remaining men and followed me into the building.

"Oh, but I always find my prey," Kaden said.

Kaden pulled his pistol and shot at me but I deflected it with my sword.

"You know I'm innocent so why are you still doing this!" I asked.

"I don't care about justice Emilia" He chuckled, "I enjoy the thrill from hunting weak little things like yourselves"

"You're insane!" I yelled.

"Insanity? Perhaps. But what fun is life without a little chaos"

He changed his walking speed from a speedy walk to a full on sprint as he charged towards me. I dodged his tackle and scurried up the stairs. Without hesitation he started running after me.

"Emilia, don't run from me!" He taunted, firing off stray bullets into the air.

I fled with every fiber of my being, but my body betrayed me. I stumbled on the stairs, falling flat on my face, with Kaden just a few steps behind me. He reached for my ankle and grabbed it tightly.

"Why are you running darling?" Kaden snapped. I could taste the stench of decay on his breath. With a desperate kick to his face, I broke free, dashing to the rooftop, but he wasn't too far behind.

"Leave me alone!" I yelled at the top of my voice.

"Who's gonna help you Emilia?" Kaden asked, "You're a wanted criminal, even the police would probably shoot you on sight"

Underneath the glow of the moon, I raised my sword and aimed it at Kaden's head.

"Take a step closer and I'll take your head off!" I yelled but all he did was burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Is this funny to you!" I shouted.

"You still don't get it do you?" Kaden said.

He pulled his pistol from the holsters once more. I yothought he wanted to shoot me but instead he threw it off the building.

"Is this some kind of game to you Kaden?" I asked.

"Do you know why I chased you up this building instead of killing you earlier?" Kaden ranted. "It's because Diana wants you alive. She threatened to end me if I dared to take your life," he continued. "But rest assured, I won't take your life, you'll just tragically stumble off this ten-story building and splatter onto the unforgiving sidewalk."

The world around me blurred, it was like I suddenly realised how high up we were.

"Even if you pushed me, shed still know you were responsible."

"Who said anything about pushing?"

The building trembled. I peered over the edge to witness explosions rippling through its foundation. Soon, the structure began to tilt.

"So you'd kill yourself just to kill me?" I marvelled, "You truly are mad!"

"Oh you forget Emilia, you and I are infinitely different!"

Kaden's Bones cracked and his flesh contorted, as his form shifted. His eyes glowed with an eerie light, as his teeth elongated into razor-sharp fangs. Fur erupted from the skin, engulfing him and his monstrous, bloodcurdling howl filled the night air.

"Shit!"

Kaden leapt off the building and latched onto another one nearby, leaving me to plummet to my doom.

"How did it come to this?" I whispered before shutting my eyes.( ....before darkness took me)

Emilia's POV.

TWO Weeks Earlier.

It was the day of the lunar convergence. For the past hundred years, the heirs of the Lunarborn pack and the Hunter clan would meet in Eldoria- the Lycan territory in New York to renew the treaty, aligning our clans as one and putting a stop to the battle between Lycans and hunters. As our ferry glided gracefully toward the island, the clock struck noon. "I've heard tales about this place, but it's even more extravagant than I imagined," remarked Martin, my trusted advisor.

Nodding, I replied, "Don't be fooled, most of the gold you see was looted during the war centuries ago" I said, "it's the gold of the dead"

As we stepped onto dry land, the herald from Eldoria, who had been observing from afar, approached us. "It seems the stories we hear in Eldoria differ greatly from the ones you're familiar with," the herald said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if your stories depict you as heroes," Martin retorted with a wry smile.

"That's precisely the case," the herald responded, the tension rising as both parties remained loyal to their respective clans.

"Enough, both of you!" I intervened, stepping between them. "We're here for peace, not to tear each other apart. Let's proceed with the signing already."

Guided by the herald, we made our way to the grand hall, where the Eldorian council had gathered to witness the signing. "May I present Emilia Montclair, the representative of the Hunter clan," Martin announced proudly.

The herald, in turn, introduced Diana Foster, the future alpha of the Lunarborn pack. Diana and I exchanged bows in front of the imposing Moon symbol at the center of the hall.

"I was expecting your father," Diana whispered to me.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but he passed," I replied.

"That's unfortunate. I had something to give him, but I suppose you'll do," Diana said.

We returned to our seats as the ceremony commenced. The Oldest Council Member addressed the gathering, stating, "Today, we come together to renew the peace between our two clans." The ceremony proceeded for another hour, entangled in unnecessary bureaucracy.

As we reached the midpoint of the ceremony, Diana's herald approached me, conveying a message to meet her outside the grand hall. Curious, I went to join her.

"What's on your mind, Diana?" I inquired, addressing her informally, which drew a gentle reproach from her due to the formal occasion.

Despite her seriousness, we couldn't contain our laughter for long. "The ceremony was getting dreadfully dull, so I thought we could use a break," she explained.

"Alright," I agreed, eager for any diversion from the mundane proceedings.

We ascended to the second floor of the hall, where a knight guarded the stairwell's end. "Ms. Diana, do you need an escort?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine. I have the head of the Hunter clan with me," Diana replied confidently.

Outside, we settled on the terrace, gazing at the view. "Emilia," Diana called out, "do you believe this ceremony truly brings a lasting solution?"

Perplexed, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Our clans convene here every few years to renew this contract, yet enmity persists," she said, voicing her concern. "We smile at each other but conspire behind one another's backs."

"You're right, but we're doing our best," I reasoned. "Even if we manage to stop the main families from fighting, the smaller ones will still pursue their own agendas. It's a constant struggle for power over one another."

Diana nodded, deep in thought. "Exactly, power. Everyone craves it, even though the Lunarborn clearly hold the upper hand."

"I don't believe power-" I began, but she cut me off.

"If only the Lunarborn were in control, instead of having to bow to humans," she mused, her voice tinged with frustration.

"Diana?" I called out, concerned about her sudden intensity, but she continued to speak.

"Even better, if there were no humans at all, we wouldn't have to negotiate or compromise," she added cryptically.

"Diana, what do you mean by-" I started to inquire further, but my words trailed off as I saw Richard, Diana's father and the alpha of the Lunarborn pack, unexpectedly walking onto the terrace.

"What are you girls doing here?" Richard asked, his authoritative voice filled with curiosity.

"Just girl talk, you can join in if you want, father," Diana replied, trying to maintain a composed demeanor.

Richard approached us, and just as he came close, Diana swiftly drew out a silver dagger and ruthlessly slit his throat. The horrifying scene unfolded so fast that I could barely comprehend what had just happened.

"Dia... Diana, what did you do?" I stammered, my entire body trembling with shock and fear.

She turned away from her lifeless father and looked at me with an unsettling smile on her face. "Emilia, we're friends, right?" she asked in a cold, soulless tone.

"Diana, what did you do!" I exclaimed, taking a few hesitant steps back, my mind struggling to process what I had just witnessed.

She turned back to her father's lifeless body and screamed, "Emilia, why did you kill my father?"

"What? You were the one who killed him!" I yelled, utterly perplexed.

"That's not how I remember it, Emilia," she retorted calmly, her tone sending shivers down my spine. "I clearly saw you slit his throat with this knife."

"Are you trying to frame me, Diana?!" I shouted, feeling a mixture of anger and fear rising within me. "No one will believe you! You're the one with blood on your hands."

"You're right, they won't believe me... Unless-" Diana gripped the knife once more and unexpectedly stabbed herself in the stomach.

"Won't they believe me now?" she chuckled, blood spilling from her mouth as she coughed.

"You're sick!" I cried out, my heart pounding with terror as I rushed towards the door, desperate to escape the nightmarish situation.

"Help... Help me!" Diana's voice echoed through the terrace, but I couldn't bear to look back.

As I dashed down the hall, my heart raced with every step, causing me to stumble repeatedly. Startled by my state, the guard stationed at the stairwell called out, "Ms. Emilia, are you alright?"

Gasping for breath, I managed to reply, "The Alpha... he's..." but my words trailed off in my relentless distress. The guard made his way towards the terrace, while I continued my frantic rush to the hall. Pushing open the colossal doors, I collapsed in the center of the room, trembling and struggling to catch my breath.

Concerned, an Elder Council member approached, asking, "What's wrong, Ms. Montclair?"

"Diana killed the Alpha and then stabbed herself?!" I blurted out in disbelief.

The room erupted with shock and confusion. Just then, Diana crawled through the doors, accompanied by the guard from the stairwell. She grunted, attempting to discredit my claims, "Don't listen to her... She's lying. She slit my father's throat and stabbed me with this silver dagger."

"My God," gasped the Elder Council member, "Guards, arrest her!"

Guards from all corners of the hall encircled me. I considered surrendering for a moment, but the realisation that the charges against me would extend to the entire Hunter clan compelled me to take a different path. I had to escape and Clear my name!

With determination, I drew my sword and swung at one of the guards, who parried as I had anticipated. This brief distraction allowed me to slip out of the encirclement they had formed around me. In one swift move, I leaped through the glass windows, making my escape from the hall.

As I fled, Diana's furious voice echoed behind me, "I won't let my father's death be in vain! Call all the guards, hire bounty hunters, I don't care how you do it, just get me Emilia Montclair!"

Emilia POV.

The Eldorian guards' flashlights flickered wildly through the dense forest as I sprinted through.

"I see her!" one of them bellowed, "she's heading for the docks!"

Their heightened sight and unreal sense of smell turned them into relentless predators-making it impossible to hide, I had to keep running. I made it to the docks as planned, but another group of guards cut me off, forcing me into a corner.

"Didn't you hear me, Diana framed me!"

"Innocent people don't run You hunter wench!" one of the guards snapped.

Fear washed over me as I instinctively reached for my sword.

"Move another one of those fingers and I'll shoot them off!" the guard yelled.

I ignored his warning and continued to reach for it, but just as he claimed in his threat, he let off a shot in my direction before I could grab it.

I managed to dodge the bullet, so instead of ripping through me, it struck the lock of a cargo container behind me. With no lock, the doors swung around freely.

"I won't miss again, stand down!" He warned.

I didn't have time for conversation. The boat; my only hope of escaping the island, had already started pulling away. It was now or never.

I quickly concocted a plan in my head, it was flawed and very unlikely to succeed but it was my only idea.

I dropped the daggers I had attached to my belt and knelt as though I intended to surrender. My trembling knees helped to sell the farce even more. As soon as Diana's men let down their guard, I charged towards the open cargo container and leaped in.

The guards unleashed a barrage of shots, most of them either missing their mark or hitting the cargo container's doors I lodged shut with my knife.

The boat was headed back to the mainland. I couldn't quite see where we were but I knew we had arrived when the boat came to a halt. A crane picked the container up off the boat but instead of the gentle landing I expected, the container was dropped, causing me to hit my head against its side.

"Shit!" I blurted out inadvertently.

"Did you hear something?" A voice from outside questioned.

"It seems we have a stowaway," another voice said, this time from a woman, "Check all the crates!"

My anxiety escalated as I heard footsteps and creaking sounds from people searching the containers. I held my breath, trying to stay hidden.

After a few tense minutes, the noises subsided. Thinking they had left, I cautiously moved towards the container doors to make my escape. However, just as I reached for the knife holding the door shut, I heard footsteps on the other side – they had found me.

"Hey Kayla, the lock on this one is broken!" one of the people yelled.

Cornered, I silently drew my sword, preparing for a confrontation. As the doors swung open, I charged to attack.

"Woah, we're not looking for a fight," the man said, attempting to defuse the situation.

Still uncertain of their intentions, I kept my guard up. The woman I had heard earlier approached the container.

"Come out; we're not gonna hurt you," she said reassuringly.

Reluctantly, I sheathed my sword and cautiously approached them. They led me to their boathouse and offered me some food. I stared at it unsure of whether I could trust them or not.

"You aren't hungry?" The woman asked.

"No I am, it's just-" I said, "Who are you?" I asked between bites.

"I think we should be asking you that, sweetie," the woman, Kayla, said with a smirk. "But we'll answer you first. I'm Kayla, and he's Lucas. We're into import and Export"

After a brief hesitation, I shared my name, "I'm Emilia."

Kayla then gestured for Lucas to leave the room, saying, "Leave us girls alone; we have some talking to do. In the meantime, you can go set up the room for our guest."

Kayla and I sat across the table from each other, and she asked, "So, why were you hiding in our cargo?"

While I finished the rest of my food I told her about the events that led me to this point

"Wow, this Diana woman really screwed you over, didn't she?" Kayla remarked.

"Yeah, she-" I paused, realising something alarming, "I never told you her name was Diana."

"Everyone knows the Lunarborn's alpha daughters name is Diana" she replied.

"Yes but the alpha has two daughters. How did you know which one I was talking about?" I inquired.

Our eyes locked for a moment, and then both of us unsheathed our weapons. I swung my sword, cutting the table in half, but Kayla rolled away just in time.

"You work for Diana!" I yelled, feeling betrayed.

"Sweetie, everyone does," she replied with a hint of resignation.

I wanted to attack again, but I couldn't, something was wrong. My sword felt heavier, and so did my body. It was as if an immense weight was crushing me, blurring my vision and impeding my movements.

"What did you do to me!" I shouted.

"Oh, that's probably the sedative in your food," Kayla chuckled. "It really works fast, doesn't it?"

"Argh!" I exclaimed, trying my best to resist the effects.

"Lucas, be quick with the chains!" Kayla commanded.

With each passing moment, it became harder to move, speak and even breathe. Eventually I blacked out. In my hazy state between consciousness and unconsciousness, I overheard snippets of their conversation.

"We could've just used poison instead of sedatives," Kayla said.

"You know Diana wants her alive," Lucas replied.

"Yeah well, poison would've been more fun"