Chapter 26 — The Hunters Stir
Hazel didn't remember how she got home from The Smith's Company.
She only remembered the mark.
Burning.
Alive.
It pulsed faintly against her wrist, glowing beneath her skin like it had always belonged there.
She wrapped a cloth around it.
It burned through the fabric.
Annabelle stood near the doorway, tense.
"You shouldn't be alone," she said softly.
Hazel let out a hollow laugh.
"I don't think I've ever been alone."
The words hung heavy between them.
Because now Hazel understood.
She had been watched her entire life.
Protected.
Or monitored.
She wasn't sure which was worse.
Across the veil, Ryan stepped back into the mortal realm.
The air felt thinner here.
Smaller.
Liam was waiting.
"You were gone too long."
Ryan's gaze was distant.
"It wasn't long enough."
Ralph stirred, uneasy.
Venom was alert.
Blade was calculating.
"She's not just powerful," Ryan said quietly.
"She's political."
Liam frowned. "Political?"
"She unites realms."
That was worse than power.
Power can be killed.
A symbol cannot.
That night—
Something moved in the forest bordering Ryan's territory.
Not wolf.
Not vampire.
It moved wrong.
Low to the ground.
Watching.
Smelling the air.
And then it froze.
Its head snapped toward the city.
Toward Hazel.
The mark on her wrist pulsed again.
The creature smiled.
"She's awake."
Back in her apartment, Hazel collapsed to her knees.
Pain lanced through her spine again.
But this time—
It didn't feel like breaking.
It felt like stretching.
Like something massive was folding itself smaller inside her body.
A whisper brushed her thoughts.
They are coming.
Hazel gasped.
"Who?"
No answer.
But outside—
The streetlights flickered.
Dogs howled.
And miles away in the forest—
A pair of silver eyes opened.
Not wolf.
Older.
Hungrier.
Ryan stopped mid-step in his office.
He felt it.
Not her power.
Something else touching it.
Testing it.
Venom's voice darkened.
Let them try.
Blade's tone was colder.
We should move her.
Ralph finally spoke.
Bring her to the pack.
Ryan's eyes sharpened.
Not yet.
If he brought Hazel to his pack now, it would signal fear.
And Ryan Smith did not move out of fear.
But if the hunters crossed into his territory—
There would be war.
He turned to Liam.
"Double patrols."
Liam's expression hardened. "You think it's them?"
Ryan's jaw tightened.
"I know it is."
Back at the apartment, Hazel slowly stood.
Her breathing steadied.
Her fear thinned.
Something else was replacing it.
Resolve.
She unwrapped the cloth from her wrist.
The mark glowed brighter this time.
Not wild.
Controlled.
As if it were syncing with her heartbeat.
Hazel looked at her reflection.
And this time—
She didn't flinch.
"If they're coming," she whispered,
"let them."
The wind outside picked up violently.
And somewhere in the forest—
The hunters began moving.