Hunter Draven's presence loomed over me like a shadow I couldn't escape. I kept my eyes on the ground as we walked, my feet almost dragging as I followed him through the dark, twisting halls of his pack's territory. His silence was suffocating, but there was something more unsettling about it—something in the way his eyes flickered over me every now and then, like he could see right through my skin.
We eventually stepped outside, and the cool night air hit my face, making me shiver. The forest stretched out before us, dark and endless. The full moon hung high above, casting a silver light across the clearing that felt both calming and ominous. Hunter moved ahead, not waiting for me to keep up, and I stumbled a few steps before I caught myself.
"Stay close," he muttered, though I wasn't sure if the warning was for me or for whatever was lurking out there.
I didn't ask where we were going or why we were out here. In truth, I wasn't sure I even wanted to know. This wasn't my world anymore. I wasn't part of a pack. I wasn't even sure if I could trust Hunter.
His voice broke through the silence, low and dangerous. "You should've died in the woods."
I froze. The words weren't a question, just a statement of fact, as if he believed it was only by some miracle that I had made it this far.
I swallowed hard, my hands curling into fists at my sides. I had thought about that too. About how, if I'd just let myself fall, just let the cold take me, things might have been easier. But I wasn't ready to die—not yet, not when there was still so much I didn't understand.
"But I didn't," I said, keeping my voice steady. "And I'm not going anywhere. You don't get to decide my fate."
Hunter stopped walking, his back to me now. For a long moment, I wasn't sure if he was going to turn around or if he would leave me standing there in the middle of nowhere. But when he spoke again, his voice was even, controlled.
"I can't decide my fate. I just follow the rules," he said. "And right now, the rule is you stay alive. For now."
I didn't know what that meant, but I nodded. What else could I do? I didn't trust him, but what choice did I have?
We continued walking, the tension between us thickening with every step. The sounds of the night filled the air—the rustling of leaves, the distant howls of other wolves—but it was all background noise. At that moment, everything felt centered around one question: why was I here?
Hunter stopped suddenly and turned to face me. His eyes locked onto mine, and there was something in his gaze that made my pulse quicken. It wasn't just anger. It wasn't even disdain. It was something darker, something I couldn't quite place.
"There's more to you than you realize," he said, his voice just above a whisper, as if the words were too dangerous to say out loud.
I stared at him, not sure how to respond. More? How could there possibly be more? I had already been branded a murderer by my own pack. I had already lost everything. What else was there?
He continued, his eyes narrowing slightly. "A prophecy. It speaks of someone... like you."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. A prophecy?
"I don't understand," I said, my throat tight. "What prophecy?"
Hunter didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned his head slightly, staring into the dark trees that surrounded us. The wind picked up, sending a chill through the air. The moonlight made his features seem sharper, more predatory.
"The old ones speak of a bloodline," he said quietly. "A bloodline that goes back to the very beginning of our kind. The prophecy says that one of that bloodline will either unite the packs or destroy them."
I froze. My heart beat faster, a mix of confusion and fear tightening my chest.
"Wait," I said, my voice a little louder than I intended. "You think I'm... I'm part of this bloodline?"
Hunter turned to face me fully now, his eyes intense. I could see the seriousness in his expression, the weight of the words he was saying.
"I'm not sure," he said slowly. "But I think you might be."
I felt my legs go weak under me. The ground seemed to tilt, and I stumbled back, my head spinning. A bloodline? A prophecy? I wasn't part of anything. I had been cast out by my own pack, accused of a crime I didn't commit. What kind of bloodline could I possibly have that would matter to anyone?
Hunter's gaze softened just a fraction, though the tension in the air didn't lift. "You're different, Raven. There's power in you. Something ancient."
I didn't know what to say. Part of me wanted to laugh, to tell him he was wrong. But the other part—the part that had always felt like I didn't belong—couldn't deny the weight of his words.
"I don't want any part of this prophecy," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just want to survive. I just want to be left alone."
Hunter's lips tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might say something more, but instead, he just nodded, as if he understood something I didn't.
"You'll have no choice in the matter," he said, his voice low and firm. "The prophecy is already in motion. And whether you like it or not, you're a part of it."
Before I could respond, a new sound reached my ears—a rustle from the trees. My instincts kicked in, and I tensed, my body ready for whatever was coming. Hunter's posture shifted, his hand instinctively moving to the side, where I knew a weapon was hidden.
Out of the shadows emerged two figures—Kieran and Elara.
I hadn't expected them, and for a moment, I thought I might be seeing things. But there they were, standing in the moonlight, their faces serious, their bodies rigid with tension.
Kieran's gaze found mine immediately. The sharpness in his eyes, the anger that had been there when he left me, was still there. But there was something else too—a flicker of something softer, something I couldn't place. Elara stood next to him, her eyes narrowing as she studied me with an intensity that made me feel exposed.
"What is she doing here, Hunter?" Kieran's voice was cold, his words heavy with suspicion.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Hunter beat me to it.
"She's staying," he said simply. "For now."
Kieran didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but he didn't argue. Instead, his eyes lingered on me, and I could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical touch.
"I don't trust her," Elara said, her voice clipped, though there was something almost regretful in her tone. "She's dangerous."
Dangerous. The word hung in the air between us, and I felt a rush of heat flood my face. What had they heard about me? What did they think I was?
"I'm not dangerous," I said quickly, though my voice trembled. "I'm just trying to survive."
Hunter's gaze flicked between us, and I could feel the tension rise, thick and heavy.
"Enough," Hunter said sharply. "There's no time for this."
He turned to Kieran and Elara. "We have bigger problems."
Kieran and Elara exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with something I couldn't read. But I could tell that whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"There's a rogue faction," Hunter continued, his voice hardening. "And they're not just after Raven. They're after all of us."
The words hit me harder than I expected. A rogue faction? What did they want with me? Why was I suddenly at the center of something so dangerous?
Kieran's gaze flicked to me again, a hint of something I couldn't name flickering in his eyes. "We'll deal with them. But first, we have to figure out what Raven is really a part of."
I wanted to argue, to fight back, but I knew the truth—I didn't know what I was a part of. I didn't know anything anymore.
All I knew was that nothing was going to be the same from this moment on. The prophecy, the rogue faction, and my past—they were all tangled together now. And whether I liked it or not, I was caught in the middle.