Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Hunted by Fate

“We must kill that creature before it attacks us first!”

The desperate cry echoed through the village square. The men had gathered, each gripping torches and weapons. Their eyes burned with a mixture of fear and fury.

Aria stood among them, her heart pounding. She wanted to scream, to tell them they were wrong. Lorian wasn’t a threat. But if she defended the werewolf, how would they react?

“His tracks were found near the river,” one of the hunters announced. “We’ll track him through the forest tonight. No one returns until the beast is dead!”

The crowd cheered, as if this were just another hunt.

Aria bit her lip. She couldn’t let this happen.

Without hesitation, she turned and ran toward the forest.

---

The Chase in the Darkness

The sky was darkening by the time Aria reached the riverbank where she and Lorian often met. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her legs trembling, but she didn’t stop.

“Lorian!” she whispered urgently.

No response.

She moved deeper into the forest, searching for him. But the woods were eerily silent, the only sounds being the rustling leaves in the wind.

“Lorian, please—”

Suddenly, something shifted behind the trees. In an instant, a tall figure with golden eyes leaped from the shadows.

Aria gasped, but before she could react, Lorian grabbed her and pushed her behind a thick tree trunk.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed.

Aria struggled to catch her breath, forcing the words out between gasps. “They’re coming… the hunters… they know you’re here!”

Lorian’s expression hardened. He glanced toward the village, then back at her, his jaw clenched.

“You shouldn’t have come back.”

“They’re going to kill you!” Aria’s voice broke with desperation. “You have to leave. Now.”

Lorian studied her face for a moment, then exhaled sharply. “There’s nowhere for me to go, Aria.”

She swallowed. “Then I’ll help you hide.”

A bitter laugh escaped Lorian’s lips. “Foolish human. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Aria grasped his wrist, forcing him to meet her gaze. “I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m choosing to protect you.”

Lorian tensed. The moonlight illuminated his face, revealing the surprise flickering in his eyes.

Before he could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed through the forest.

Aria stiffened. Lorian turned, his senses immediately on high alert.

“They’re close,” Lorian whispered. “You need to go back to the village.”

Aria shook her head fiercely. “No. I can’t leave you.”

“If you stay, they’ll suspect you.”

The voices were getting closer. Aria knew Lorian was right, but her heart refused to leave him.

“I’ll distract them,” she whispered hurriedly. “Go east through the forest. I’ll lead them in the opposite direction.”

Lorian stared at her, as if searching for a reason behind her reckless courage.

Then, he nodded.

---

A Dangerous Choice

Aria let out a breath of relief and sprinted in the opposite direction, deliberately making noise in the underbrush.

“There! Someone’s running!” a hunter shouted.

Aria kept running, stomping on fallen branches to make it sound like a fleeing figure. The flickering glow of torches closed in behind her.

She pushed forward, hoping to draw them far enough away to give Lorian time to escape. But the hunters’ footsteps grew louder.

“Don’t let him get away!”

Aria cursed under her breath. She couldn’t get caught. If they realized she was leading them astray, they might suspect she was helping the very creature they hunted.

She dove behind a thick bush, holding her breath.

Torches lit up the darkness as the hunters moved closer.

“Are you sure you saw something?” a man asked gruffly.

“Yes, a shadow moved.”

Aria bit her lip, praying that the shadow they had seen was hers and not Lorian’s.

“The tracks lead east,” another hunter said. “Let’s move!”

Aria’s stomach dropped. East. That was the direction Lorian had gone.

No.

She had to do something.

Grabbing a small stone from the ground, she hurled it as far as she could to the west. It crashed against a tree branch with a sharp snap.

“What was that?”

“Over there! Let’s check it out!”

Several hunters veered toward the sound, splitting up the group.

Aria sighed in relief, but she knew this wasn’t over yet.

She had to make sure Lorian was truly safe.

---

On the Edge of Danger

Aria ran east, hoping to find Lorian before any of the hunters did.

The cold night air stung her lungs as she pushed through the thick undergrowth. Leaves crunched beneath her feet, but she barely noticed.

Then, she felt it.

A presence.

Someone—or something—was watching her.

Her pulse quickened.

She stopped, glancing around.

“Lorian?” she whispered.

Silence.

Then, from the shadows of a towering tree, a figure emerged.

Not Lorian.

Aria froze.

A massive creature, covered in thick black fur with glowing red eyes, stepped into the moonlight. Its breath came in heavy, menacing puffs, and its claws dug into the dirt.

This wasn’t Lorian.

This was another werewolf.

And it didn’t look friendly.

Aria wanted to run, but her body refused to move.

The werewolf let out a low growl, a clear warning.

Then, before she could react, something blurred through the darkness and landed in front of her.

Lorian.

He stood protectively between her and the other werewolf, his stance tense, his golden eyes blazing.

“Don’t touch her,” Lorian growled, his voice deeper and more dangerous than she’d ever heard before.

The other werewolf eyed Lorian, then flicked his gaze toward Aria. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face, revealing razor-sharp fangs.

“You brought a human into our territory, Lorian?”

Aria swallowed hard.

This was worse than she had imagined.

Lorian wasn’t just being hunted by humans.

His own kind was after him, too.