🌙 Episode 26: Ambush in the Pines
Lila's POV
The forest whipped past in a blur as Ethan pulled me through the undergrowth, his grip iron-tight. My lungs burned, but fear drove my legs faster than they should have moved. Behind us, the sound of pursuit grew louder—boots thudding, branches snapping, voices cutting through the trees.
"They're gaining!" I gasped.
Ethan's golden eyes flashed back at me. "Keep moving!"
We burst into a clearing, sunlight spilling over mossy rocks. For a moment, silence fell—then a sharp whistle split the air.
Figures stepped from the trees, surrounding us in a half-circle. Men in dark, fitted gear, their weapons glinting. Silver.
My chest tightened. "Oh my God…"
Hunters.
The one in front, tall with scarred features, smiled coldly. "We've been looking for you, Ethan." His gaze flicked to me, sharp and assessing. "And you brought a human. Bold."
Ethan shifted slightly, placing himself between me and them. His voice was calm, but I heard the growl beneath it. "Let her go. She's not part of this."
The scarred man chuckled. "Not part of this? She's standing in the middle of it. You know the rules—any human who learns what you are doesn't live to tell it."
Ice flooded my veins. I whispered, "Ethan…"
His hand tightened around mine. "They won't touch you."
The scarred man tilted his head. "Then surrender quietly. Make it easy for both of you."
Ethan's shoulders tensed. I could feel the battle raging in him—the instinct to fight against the need to protect me.
Then he muttered, almost too low for me to hear, "Close your eyes, Lila."
Before I could ask why, he moved.
Ethan's POV
The ambush was perfect. Too perfect. They'd planned this.
I didn't have time to think about how many were watching from the shadows. I only knew one thing: she couldn't fall into their hands.
My body shifted before the nearest hunter could react. Not fully—never fully, not in front of her—but enough. Claws extended, vision sharpened, strength flooding my veins like fire.
I struck first, disarming the man to my left with a twist that snapped his wrist. He screamed, dropping the silver blade, but I was already moving.
"Stay down!" I shouted to Lila, but I knew she wouldn't listen. She never did.
Three more lunged at me. I fought fast, brutal, but the silver burned when it touched my skin, every strike sending fire through my nerves. Still, I pushed harder. For her.
A blade cut across my side—I snarled, slamming the hunter back against a tree. Blood soaked my shirt, but I didn't falter.
Behind me, I heard Lila gasp. Too close. Too exposed.
"Ethan!" she cried.
I turned in time to see one of them break from the line, rushing her with a silver-tipped spear.
A roar tore from my chest, primal and furious. I moved faster than thought, slamming into him before the spear could reach her. The impact cracked ribs, sent the hunter sprawling.
But in that moment, I knew.
They weren't here just to kill me.
They wanted her too.
Lila's POV
The world was chaos—shouts, snarls, the clash of metal and flesh. Ethan was everywhere at once, moving with terrifying, inhuman strength. But blood stained his side, his breaths ragged.
He was outnumbered.
Panic surged as another hunter closed in, raising a silver chain. I grabbed a fallen branch, swinging with all my strength. The crack echoed as it struck his shoulder, enough to throw him off balance.
Ethan finished him in a blur, eyes flashing with wild pride and fear.
"You shouldn't have—" he started, but another voice cut him off.
"Enough!"
The scarred leader stepped forward, calm amid the chaos. He raised his hand, and the other hunters froze.
"Impressive, Ethan. But you can't protect her forever." His gaze slid to me. "We'll take her sooner or later. Humans don't survive long in your world."
Rage burned through me, cutting through my fear. "I'm not yours to take!"
The man's smile was chilling. "Brave. You'll need that."
Before Ethan could move, the leader whistled sharply. Instantly, the hunters melted back into the trees, vanishing as quickly as they'd come.
The clearing fell silent, broken only by Ethan's ragged breathing.
I rushed to him, panic tightening my chest. "You're bleeding!"
He caught my hands, stopping me from touching the wound. His eyes, still glowing faintly, locked on mine. "It doesn't matter. We need to move. Now."
"But they're gone—"
"They'll be back." His tone left no room for argument.
I swallowed hard, staring at the blood on his shirt, the feral edge still in his gaze. The truth pressed heavy between us, undeniable now.
"Ethan," I whispered, trembling, "what are you?"
For a long moment, he didn't answer.
Then, with the weight of the forest closing in and danger pressing from every shadow, he finally said the words I'd been waiting for.
"I'm a werewolf, Lila. And now you're part of my world—whether I want you to be or not."
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✨ End of Episode 26