Lucien
"She's the target."
Those three words were all it took to set every primal instinct inside me aflame.
I turned to Kieran, my vision sharpening, the faint buzz of rage simmering beneath my skin.
"Where exactly?" I demanded.
"Two miles southeast. They were trailing her scent—fresh, recent. They knew what they were looking for."
Elara's breath hitched beside me, but she didn't say a word. She didn't need to. I could smell the fear rising in her—sharp and bitter, like struck lightning—and it only made me more furious.
They were hunting her.
She was mine.
"Who?" I snapped.
Kieran ran a hand through his hair. "We don't know yet. Not rogues. Organized, fast, trained. Not just sniffing around—they had a purpose."
My wolf surged to the surface, snarling inside me, demanding blood.
"We're going now," I growled. "Prepare a team. Six. No more."
Kieran nodded once and left, moving with the silent speed of a warrior trained for war.
I turned to Elara.
She stood still, her arms wrapped around her midsection like she was trying to hold herself together. But her chin was lifted, her eyes burning—not with fear, but with something far more dangerous.
Determination.
"You knew they'd come for you," I said, my voice low.
"I told you," she replied, voice strained. "They want what I am. What I can do."
I stepped toward her, gripping her jaw gently but firmly, forcing her to look at me. "Then tell me."
She blinked, her lips parting—but no words came.
"Elara—"
"I don't know everything," she snapped. "I didn't ask for these powers. I didn't even want to know I had them until I nearly killed someone. I can feel things I shouldn't. I hear things—wolves far beyond your borders. Sometimes I see things that haven't happened yet."
Her voice cracked at the last word.
My hands dropped to my sides. Prophetic sight. Long-range senses. Shit. This was more than rare. This was dangerous. Powerful. Forbidden in some circles.
No wonder they were after her.
"You're not safe," I said.
"No one is when they're near me."
"That's not how this works," I growled. "You're my mate. You're mine. And anyone who threatens you—dies."
Her eyes searched mine, desperate. "You can't protect everyone, Lucien."
"But I'll protect you. Even from yourself."
Kieran returned just then, dressed for battle and flanked by four warriors in black—my most trusted elite. Sharp-eyed. Merciless.
"Ready," he said simply.
"Elara's staying here—"
"No." Her voice cut clean and sharp through the air. "I'm going."
I stared at her, stunned.
"You don't know what's out there."
"I know they want me. And if they're hunting me, I'm not hiding like some fragile little girl waiting for the wolves to come knocking." She stepped forward, shoulders squared. "I'm not useless."
"I never said you were," I said, quieter now.
"But you treat me like it," she snapped, then lowered her voice. "You don't trust me. But I feel them, Lucien. Right now. Closing in."
She turned toward the window, her eyes unfocused, distant.
"There are three. Maybe four. They're not human. And they're fast."
I stared at her. No scout had reported that detail yet. She couldn't have known it. Not unless—
"She's not lying," Kieran said, watching her with narrowed eyes. "Her heartbeat shifted just now. That wasn't fear. That was... connection."
My jaw clenched. "Gear her up."
Kieran raised a brow, but didn't argue.
We moved quickly, descending into the war chamber beneath the estate. A narrow armory lined with silver-edged weapons, light armor, and reinforced gear awaited us.
Elara hesitated at the doorway.
"Never held a blade?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Never needed to."
"Then take this." I handed her a slim dagger, black hilted, enchanted. "It responds to energy. Yours especially."
She took it, eyes wide, the metal humming faintly in her palm.
"Ready?" I asked.
She nodded.
We moved like shadows, slipping into the trees, the moon trailing us like a silent sentinel. I kept her at my side, close enough to catch her if anything went wrong. Her scent grounded me, sharpened me. And the longer we ran, the more I felt it—
A wrongness in the woods.
Not just hunters. Something else.
We found the first body near the ridge.
One of our scouts. Neck torn out. Eyes wide open.
Elara let out a soft gasp and turned away.
"Whatever did this," Kieran said darkly, "wasn't just trying to track her. They wanted to send a message."
I knelt beside the body. Clawed marks. Deep. Not wolf. Not human. Something in between.
A twisted hybrid.
Suddenly, Elara stopped in her tracks, eyes wide.
"They're close," she whispered. "So close."
"How close?" I asked.
Then the wind shifted.
A scream ripped through the forest—then silence.
"Go," I growled.
We exploded into motion.
And that's when they emerged from the trees—four of them. Eyes glowing gold, feral teeth bared. Clad in shadow and blood.
Lucien's POV stopped. My wolf took over.
One of them lunged for Elara.
I was faster.
I slammed into the creature midair, throwing it into a tree with enough force to splinter the trunk. It snarled, rolled, and lunged again—only to meet my claws at its throat. I tore through it like paper.
Another came from the left.
Kieran met it head-on.
I turned to find Elara surrounded by two of the beasts—cornered, dagger in hand, eyes wild.
"Elara!" I shouted.
But she didn't run.
She stood tall, lifted the dagger—and screamed.
The sound wasn't human.
It was deep. Echoing. Like it came from the earth itself.
Waves of energy pulsed outward from her body in invisible rings. The air rippled. The ground trembled.
The two creatures staggered back, confused, growling.
Then they howled in agony—ears bleeding—before dropping dead at her feet.
We all stared.
Even Kieran.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered.
Elara turned slowly, her eyes glowing faintly gold. Her voice was hollow, like something ancient had woken inside her.
"They're just the beginning."
I walked to her, heart hammering, rage forgotten.
"You channeled raw power," I said.
"I didn't know I could," she whispered, shaking.
I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight.
"We'll figure this out," I promised, and for once—I wasn't lying.
But deep in the woods, something else was watching us.
And it smiled.