Kieran's sudden shift in demeanor sent a chill down Freya's spine. The easy calm of their conversation evaporated in an instant, replaced by a tension that gripped the air around them. His eyes darted to the trees, scanning the shadows with the intensity of a predator on alert.
"We need to move," Kieran whispered urgently. His hand reached for hers, gripping it tightly as he pulled her closer to him. "Now."
Freya's heart raced, pounding in her chest as adrenaline surged through her veins. She had no idea what they were running from, but she didn't question Kieran's instincts. If he said they needed to move, it meant danger was close, closer than she could comprehend. The forest, which had once seemed peaceful, now felt like a labyrinth of unknown threats.
Without another word, Kieran led Freya through the dense woods, his movements quick and precise. He was a blur of motion, moving with the grace of someone who had lived in these woods for years. Freya struggled to keep up, her feet stumbling over roots and underbrush, but Kieran kept her steady, never letting her fall too far behind.
Behind them, the wind shifted. It carried with it the faint sound of footsteps, quiet, but deliberate. They were being followed.
"Are they... ?" Freya began to ask, her voice barely above a whisper, but Kieran cut her off with a sharp glance over his shoulder.
"They've found us," he said grimly. "Gabriel's forces. We have to get back to the others for safety."
Panic tightened around Freya's chest. The thought of what she had heard about Gabriel's men, ruthless and deadly, tracking them through the woods was enough to make her blood run cold. She had seen what they were capable of, how they fought without mercy. Her mind flashed back to the night at the cabin, where they had barely escaped with their lives. And now, they were here again, closing in on them.
The forest seemed to grow darker as they ran, the tall trees casting long shadows over the path. Freya's legs burned with the effort of keeping pace, but she pushed through the pain, refusing to slow down. She could feel Kieran's urgency, his need to protect her, and she wasn't about to make it harder for him.
After what felt like an eternity of running, they burst through the treeline and into the clearing where the safe house stood. Caleb and Seth were already outside, their eyes wide with alarm as they saw Kieran and Freya approach.
"They are coming," Kieran said breathlessly as they reached the others. "Gabriel's men, they've found us."
Caleb's expression darkened. "I knew this was going to happen. We are not ready to defend this place, we should run."
Seth remained silent, but his sharp gaze scanned the treeline, his body tensed and ready for a fight. He didn't need words to communicate the danger they were in, his stance said it all. They were outnumbered and underprepared.
Freya's heart sank as the gravity of the situation hit her. The safe house, their supposed sanctuary, was about to become a battleground. And for all the training and instincts Kieran and the others had, Freya knew they couldn't take on Gabriel's forces alone. She swallowed hard, the reality of what they were facing crashing down on her.
"We need to hold them off," Kieran said, his voice steady despite the chaos brewing around them. "We'll make our stand here, I will not run like a coward!."
Caleb let out a frustrated breath but nodded, his jaw set. "Fine! We'll do what we have to, but we're going to need all the strength we can get."
Freya's stomach twisted. She knew what Caleb meant, he didn't just need Kieran and Seth's strength; he was expecting her to fight too. The problem was, Freya wasn't sure if she could. Her powers, whatever they were, still felt foreign and unstable. She hadn't fully tapped into them yet, and the last thing she wanted was to make things worse by losing control in the middle of a battle.
But there was no time to dwell on her doubts. The ground beneath them trembled slightly, and Freya's ears picked up the distant sound of footsteps growing louder. Gabriel's men were closing in.
"They're here," Seth said quietly, his voice laced with tension.
Freya felt Kieran shift beside her, his protective stance firm as he moved in front of her. "Stay close," he ordered. "Don't get separated."
Before Freya could respond, the first of Gabriel's men appeared at the edge of the clearing. They emerged from the shadows like specters, their dark clothing blending with the forest behind them. There were at least a dozen of them,.. wolves, all of them, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt.
The air grew thick with the scent of danger as Kieran, Caleb, and Seth stepped forward to meet them. Freya's heart pounded in her chest, the tension between the two sides palpable, like a wire stretched too tight and ready to snap.
A low growl rumbled from Kieran's throat as he shifted, his muscles rippling beneath his skin as he prepared for the fight. Caleb and Seth followed suit, their bodies transforming with fluid grace as they embraced their wolf forms.
Freya stood frozen for a moment, her breath caught in her throat as she watched the wolves circle each other, the first signs of violence bristling in the air. She had never been so close to a full-on battle before, and the raw power radiating from the wolves was terrifying.
Suddenly, without warning, one of Gabriel's men lunged forward, and the clearing exploded into chaos.
Kieran was the first to meet the attack, his massive form colliding with the enemy in a brutal clash of teeth and claws. Caleb and Seth followed, diving into the fray with deadly precision. The sound of snarls and growls filled the air, the violence of the fight sending shockwaves through the clearing.
Freya could only watch in horror as the wolves tore into each other with savage intensity. She knew she should do something... anything but her body refused to move, frozen in place by fear and uncertainty.
The battle raged on, and it quickly became clear that Kieran and his pack were outmatched. Gabriel's men fought with brutal efficiency, their attacks coordinated and relentless. For every enemy they took down, two more seemed to take their place.
Freya's breath came in short gasps as she tried to make sense of the chaos. Kieran was holding his own, but even he was beginning to show signs of fatigue, his movements growing slower with each attack. Caleb and Seth were faring no better, their bodies covered in cuts and bruises as they fought to keep Gabriel's men at bay.
Suddenly, Freya's eyes locked onto one of the Wolves... a massive beast with dark fur and glowing red eyes. He was larger than the others, his presence commanding, and Freya realized with a jolt that he was arming at her.
His gaze zeroed in on Freya, and she felt a cold chill run down her spine. He wasn't interested in Kieran or the others. He was here for her.
Freya's heart pounded in her chest as the beast began to move toward her, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey. Panic seized her as she realized she was defenseless. Kieran was too far away, locked in combat with another wolf, and there was no one else to protect her.
He was almost upon her when Kieran suddenly broke free from his fight, launching himself at Viktor with a ferocious snarl. The two wolves collided with bone-shattering force, their bodies rolling across the ground in a blur of fur and teeth.
"Kieran!" Freya screamed, her voice hoarse with fear.
Kieran was fighting for his life, but Viktor was stronger, more ruthless. With a powerful swipe of his claws, the wolve sent Kieran sprawling to the ground, blood dripping from a deep gash on his side.
Freya's heart lurched as she watched Kieran struggle to get back on his feet. She couldn't just stand by and watch him die. Something inside her snapped, and a surge of energy coursed through her veins. Her body moved on instinct, her mind barely registering what was happening.
Before she knew it, she was standing between Kieran and the beast-like man, her body trembling with a mix of fear and adrenaline. His red eyes gleamed as he snarled, ready to strike.
And then, without warning, Freya felt something stir deep within her, a power, ancient and wild, rising to the surface.
Her vision blurred, her senses sharpening to an almost unbearable degree. She could feel the earth beneath her feet, the energy of the forest pulsing around her, and in that moment, she knew, she was no longer powerless.
With a guttural scream, Freya unleashed the power inside her, sending a shockwave through the clearing that knocked the man off his feet. The force of it reverberated through the trees, shaking the ground beneath them.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, slowly, he rose to his feet, his eyes narrowing in fury as he looked at Freya.
But something had changed. Freya wasn't afraid anymore.
"I'm not running," she said, her voice steady, her eyes locked on The beast. "Not anymore."
The battle was far from over, but Freya had taken the first step toward becoming the person she was meant to be.