🌙 Episode 25: Shadows on the Horizon
Lila's POV
The cabin smelled of smoke and blood. I sat by the dying fire, staring at the broken doorway where splinters of wood still clung to the hinges. The night before played on repeat in my head—claws, snarls, glowing eyes, and Ethan moving like something more than human.
Sleep had been impossible. I kept waiting for another attack, for another pair of glowing eyes to appear in the darkness.
Ethan hadn't closed his eyes once. He'd paced the small cabin until dawn, his expression hard, jaw tight.
Now, as sunlight spilled weakly through the trees, he finally turned to me.
"We can't stay," he said.
I swallowed. "I figured."
He grabbed a half-burned stick from the fireplace, using it to sketch a rough path into the dirt floor. "There's a safe route through the northern ridge. If we move fast, we can reach it by nightfall."
"Safe?" I repeated, doubt creeping in.
His gaze flicked to mine. "Safer than here."
I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, heart heavy. "And then what?"
His silence told me more than words.
"Ethan," I pressed softly, "you can't keep me in the dark forever. I saw what happened last night. I know you're not…" My throat tightened. "Not like other men."
For the first time, he didn't deny it.
Instead, he crouched beside me, his eyes burning gold even in daylight. "There are things you don't understand. Things I've spent my life trying to shield people like you from. But the rogues—they won't stop now. They've scented you."
"Why me?" I whispered.
His jaw flexed. "Because you're with me."
The weight of his words sank in. Whatever he was, whatever world he belonged to, I was part of it now. And there was no undoing that.
"Then you'd better keep me close," I said, surprising even myself.
A flicker of something crossed his face—pride, fear, maybe both. He nodded once. "Pack your things. We leave in ten minutes."
Ethan's POV
She was braver than I'd given her credit for. Too brave.
The moment she chose to stay by my side instead of running, I knew there would be no turning back. And the rogues knew it too.
They wouldn't stop. Not now.
The northern ridge was dangerous, but it was the only path that didn't lead straight into enemy territory. I'd hoped to keep her far from the politics of my world, but fate had other plans.
As she moved around the cabin, gathering what little we had, I caught her stealing glances at me. Not with fear, not anymore—but with a kind of searching curiosity that cut deeper than claws ever could.
She wanted the truth.
But the truth was a weapon. One I wasn't sure she could carry yet.
Lila's POV
The forest seemed different in daylight—less sinister, though the shadows still lingered. We walked quickly, Ethan leading with sure steps. He scanned the trees constantly, as if expecting danger at every turn.
After an hour of silence, I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Those things last night," I began softly. "They weren't… human, were they?"
He didn't slow. "No."
"Then what were they?"
His jaw tightened. "Rogues. Wolves without a pack. They live on bloodlust and chaos."
Wolves. The word sent a chill through me. "And you're…?"
His eyes flicked to me, golden even in the morning sun. "Different."
"That's not an answer," I shot back.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You want answers, Lila, but answers come with consequences."
"Maybe I'm ready for them."
He stopped then, turning to face me fully. His expression was fierce, almost desperate. "You think you are, but you don't know what this means. My world is dangerous. Once you step into it, there's no stepping back."
I met his gaze steadily, though my stomach knotted. "Then maybe I don't want to step back."
For a moment, we just stood there, the forest pressing in around us. His breath hitched like he wanted to say more—but then his head snapped to the side, eyes narrowing.
"What is it?" I whispered.
He lifted a hand, motioning for silence. Then I heard it too—a faint rustling, distant but steady. Not like an animal. More deliberate.
"We're being followed," he murmured.
My blood ran cold. "Rogues again?"
"Not rogues." His tone darkened. "Something worse."
Before I could ask, he grabbed my hand. "Run."
We took off through the trees, branches whipping past, roots snagging at my boots. My lungs burned, but Ethan never slowed, pulling me along with inhuman speed.
Behind us, I caught the faint echo of voices. Low, guttural. Too controlled to be the mindless rogues we'd fought.
I stumbled, breath ragged. "Who—who are they?"
His grip tightened. "Hunters."
The word sent a shiver through me. Whoever they were, I knew one thing: they weren't here to help.
And from the grim set of Ethan's jaw, I realized the worst part.
They weren't after me.
They were after him.
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✨ End of Episode 25