~Ella Windsor POV~
The van rattled as it sped through the rain-slick streets, every bump jarring my aching body. My wrists burned where cold silver cuffs bound me, chains digging into my skin with a bite that made my wolf whimper. The hunters weren't just after wolves...they knew how to hurt us.
I tried to steady my breathing, and my sword was gone, left on the street, and all I had now was my anger.
Across from me sat the driver who had grabbed me, his dark visor reflected my pale, frightened face. The humming device that had released the mist rested beside him, its blue glow faint but unsettling.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice low but steady, and he didn't answer.
The other hunter, a woman with short-cropped hair and a scar across her cheek, glanced at me. "You should've stayed hidden, blood girl," she said, her voice cold. "You've just made this easy for us."
"Easy for who?" I snapped.
The woman smirked. "For the ones who'll pay to see every wolf line broken! And you're a special one, the last daughter of the Accord families."
Her words hit me like ice water. "What do you know about my family? About my mother?"
She tilted her head, studying me like I was just another creature in a cage. "Your mother was a fool who trusted the wrong people. Paid with her blood, and you will, too."
My wolf growled inside me, clawing to get out, but every time I tried to draw on her strength, the silver cuffs burned hotter, like they were sucking the fight out of me.
The van slowed suddenly, taking a sharp turn. Through the barred window in the back, I caught glimpses of dark warehouses and broken streetlights. Wherever they were taking me, it wasn't anywhere safe.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to think. Leonard, Edward, and Markus were still out there. They wouldn't just let me vanish, but how long would it take them to find me?
The hunter with the scar leaned forward. "Don't waste your energy, girl, you'll need it where we're going."
I met her gaze, refusing to look away. "If you think I'm just going to sit and let you do whatever you want, you don't know me."
She smiled faintly. "Oh, I know exactly what you are, that's why they want you."
Before I could ask what she meant, the van screeched to a halt. I heard voices outside, quick and tense, the driver cursed under his breath and grabbed his weapon.
"Stay here," he said to the woman.
The doors opened, and cold night air and mist rushed in. A wolf's snarl ripped through the night, followed by the crunch of metal and the sound of someone screaming, the driver was yanked out of the van and I heard a body hit the ground.
The woman's eyes widened, she reached for her weapon but never got the chance.
The van shook violently as something slammed into its side, the rear doors burst open, and there stood Edward...half-shifted, blood streaked across his jaw, eyes glowing bright and furious.
"Ella," he growled, breaking the chains around my wrists with one swift strike. The silver burned my skin as it snapped, but I was free.
Behind him, I saw Leonard fighting two hunters at once, his movements fast and merciless. Markus stood atop the van, grinning like a madman, throwing knives with perfect aim.
"Can you stand?" Edward asked, grabbing my hand.
"I can fight," I said, my voice sharper than I expected.
"Good," Markus shouted from above. "Because they've got friends coming."
In the distance, more black vans turned the corner, headlights cutting through the mist. The hum of those strange blue devices filled the air.
Leonard glanced at me. "We need to get out of here, now!"
But before we could move, a loud crack split the night, the ground trembled under our feet. From the shadows behind the warehouses, something even worse than hunters appeared....a massive shape, its silver-coated fur glinting under the streetlights.
Edward's jaw tightened. "That's not a hunter."
Markus cursed silently. "And it's not here to help us either."
The silver-coated creature stepped out of the shadows like a nightmare given form. Its fur shimmered unnaturally, every strand glinting under the streetlight as though dipped in molten metal. It was larger than any wolf I had ever seen...taller than Edward even in his full-shifted form, its eyes glowing a pale white that burned cold rather than warm.
The hunters froze, for a moment, even they seemed unsure of what they had brought into this fight.
Leonard's stance shifted, his golden eyes narrowing. "That's no ordinary wolf."
Edward growled, his white wolf form crouching lower. "It's one of theirs! Silver slaves, I told you they were experimenting."
Markus twirled a knife between his fingers, his pale eye glinting with something between amusement and anticipation. "Well, isn't this fun? A monster in the middle of the playground."
The creature let out a roar that didn't sound like a wolf's howl. It was colder, jagged, like metal scraping stone. The hunters regrouped, one of them shouting, "Keep it under control!" but the thing wasn't listening.
Its gaze fixed on me. My wolf stirred, a fierce surge of fear and defiance rising in my chest. It's coming for us, she whispered, fight or die.
Leonard stepped in front of me, blade flashing in his hand. "Stay behind me."
"No," I said, gripping the moonsteel sword tighter. "It wants me, hiding won't change that."
The silver beast moved, faster than I expected. It lunged straight through the hunters, knocking them aside like rag dolls, Edward launched himself at it, his claws slashing, but the beast barely flinched. Sparks flew where fur met claw.
"Edward!" I shouted.
He yelped as the beast slammed him into a parked car, the metal crumpled under the force. Leonard attacked from the other side, slicing with precision, but his blade skittered off the silver fur with a shower of sparks.
Markus appeared behind the creature, stabbing low with his knives. "It's like cutting through steel!"
"Aim for the joints!" Edward roared, shifting back mid-leap, his body bleeding and trembling.
I took a step forward, my hands shaking, and the moonsteel sword hummed in my grasp. It wanted this fight, maybe I did, too.
The silver beast turned its attention to me, its lips curling back over jagged teeth.
"Ella! Don't!" Leonard shouted, but I was already moving.
I ducked under its first swipe, rolling on the wet pavement. The smell of burning metal and blood filled the air as I slashed upward with the moonsteel blade. This time, the weapon bit deep into the creature's leg, slicing through fur and metal. The beast howled, staggering back.
"It's working!" Markus yelled. "Keep cutting!"
The hunters saw their chance and fired glowing bolts into the creature's side. It roared again, the sound splitting the night, and turned on them instead. One hunter didn't even have time to scream before it crushed him with a single strike.
"We need to bring it down now!" Leonard barked. He looked at me, his eyes fierce. "You're the only one who can end this."
I swallowed hard, my chest heaving. "Then tell me how."
Edward's voice came low and fast. "Go for its throat! Moonsteel through the core, and don't stop, no matter what."
I nodded, gripping the sword tighter. "Cover me!"
The three alphas moved as one, Leonard lunged high, slashing at the beast's face. Edward circled to the right, his claws digging into its hind leg, while Markus leapt from a broken car, knives aiming for its neck. Their combined assault made the creature stumble.
My wolf howled inside me. Now!
I ran forward, every muscle screaming, and drove the moonsteel sword into its throat. The blade sank deep, a burst of white light exploding from the wound and the creature let out a shriek that made my bones ache. Its body convulsed, silver melting away like wax. And then, silence.
The beast collapsed at my feet, smoke rising from its body.
I stood frozen, my hands trembling around the sword, blood dripping down my arms where the silver burns had caught me. Leonard came to my side, his hand brushing mine. "You did it."
"What was that thing?" I whispered.
Edward's expression was dark. "A warning, they're making more of them."
Markus wiped his blade clean on his coat and chuckled. "Well, if this was just their first wave, I'd say we're in for a hell of a night."
Before I could answer, the sound of sirens slash through the air...human police, heading toward the chaos, Leonard's jaw tightened.
"We have to move," he said. "Now! Before the humans see what's left."
Edward frowned. "Where? We can't just keep running."
Leonard looked at me. "To Crownstone, it's the only place that can hold against both hunters and shadows.
Markus grinned. "Or we could do something more fun than hiding."
I met all of their eyes, still shaking from the fight. "No, we need answers about the hunters. About this silver pack, and about my mother."
Leonard hesitated, then nodded. "Then we start with the one person who knows everything."
"Who?" I asked.
He glanced at Edward and Markus, as if deciding whether to speak. Finally, his golden eyes locked on mine.
"Your mother's old ally," Leonard said quietly. "The one she died protecting, and if she's still alive… she'll be waiting for you."