Home / Werewolf / Eclipsed Wolves / Chapter 4—The Hunt Begins

Share

Chapter 4—The Hunt Begins

Author: Marina Lewis
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-10 20:29:39

Theo woke to silence.

A cold, unnatural silence.

His body was warm, the scent of pine and wildflowers lingering in the air—Willow’s scent. But something was wrong.

His arm stretched across the bed, fingers searching for her familiar warmth.

Nothing.

Theo’s eyes snapped open.

The room was dimly lit, the early morning light barely creeping through the window. The space beside him was empty.

Panic surged through him, sharp and sudden.

He reached for the bond.

Nothing.

His chest tightened, breath catching in his throat. The bond was there—but faint, distant. It was like trying to hear a whisper through a storm.

Then, the mind-link slammed into him.

“Alpha!” Luka’s voice, sharp and urgent. “It’s Luna! The rogues—she’s gone!”

The world stopped.

Atlas snapped inside him, rage and panic crashing together in a violent storm.

Theo was out of bed before the words fully registered, his bare feet hitting the wooden floor hard.

Gone? Theo’s mind barely formed the thought before his body was moving, every muscle coiled tight, his heartbeat hammering against his ribs.

No.

His vision tunneled as he shifted mid-stride, clothes tearing away as Atlas took over. His wolf form exploded forward, paws digging into the dirt as he tore through the forest toward the southern border.

The world blurred around him, his body nothing but speed and raw power.

When he reached the clearing, the scent of blood and earth filled his nose.

Theo shifted back instantly, landing hard on his feet. His body was vibrating with tension, barely contained rage curling through his muscles.

The warriors were already there—Luka, Darius, several others. They had fanned out, searching, tracking.

Theo’s blue eyes scanned the ground.

Claw marks. Blood.

Signs of a fight.

A struggle.

She had fought.

Of course, she had.

His mate—his fiery, stubborn, brave mate—hadn’t gone easily.

But still.

She was gone.

Atlas snarled inside him, the sound so vicious that Theo almost let it spill into reality.

Instead, he clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe.

Think.

He dropped to one knee, fingers brushing against the disturbed earth.

There were drag marks—but then they vanished.

Theo’s head snapped up. “How did they cover their trail?” His voice was low, dangerous.

Luka swallowed, shifting uneasily. “We think they used a wagon or some kind of vehicle. The scent ends here.”

Theo’s jaw tightened so hard it ached. “Rogues don’t do that.”

“They don’t.” Luka’s expression was grim. “This was planned.”

Planned.

Theo exhaled slowly, trying to keep himself from breaking apart.

Atlas wasn’t helping.

His wolf was practically rabid inside him, clawing to get out, demanding they hunt—demanding they kill.

“She’s ours!” Atlas raged.

“They took her—“

“I know!” Theo shoved back, gritting his teeth. “But we can’t lose control. We need to think.”

But his mind was splintering, fraying at the edges.

She was gone.

And the mate bond—weak.

Too weak.

Something was wrong.

Theo’s hands curled into fists. “We find them. Now.”

Luka nodded sharply, already barking orders to the scouts.

Theo turned, breathing hard, trying to think past the fury—

“Alpha.”

Darius’s voice. Low. Hesitant.

Theo turned to find the scout standing stiffly, something clutched in his hand.

“A message,” Darius said quietly. “I intercepted a conversation between the rogues before they disappeared. I only caught part of it.”

He held out a scrap of paper.

Theo snatched it, unfolding it with controlled precision.

His eyes scanned the jagged, rough handwriting.

“The fire-haired one is more than she seems. If she remembers, she will be unstoppable.”

The words might as well have been a physical blow.

The world blurred for a second, rage slamming through him like a storm.

He gripped the paper so hard it crumpled in his fist.

Luka shifted on his feet beside him, uneasy. “What does it mean?”

Theo’s breath came slow and even, but his hands were shaking.

“She’s more than she seems,” Darius murmured. “More than just a Luna.”

Theo’s vision darkened.

Atlas let out a snarl so vicious and sudden Theo couldn’t contain it. Every wolf in the clearing stiffened, waiting, worried. Theo had never lost control before. No one knew what to do.

Theo didn’t know what this meant.

He didn’t care.

What he did know was that someone had taken his mate, and they thought she was theirs to claim.

They were wrong.

And they were going to die for it.

He turned away, breathing hard.

The mate bond should be stronger.

Even with distance, he should be able to feel her more than this.

Something was blocking it.

Or worse—

Something was weakening her.

Atlas snapped, pushing against his control, demanding blood.

Theo gritted his teeth, his nails digging into his palms.

Luka stepped forward cautiously. “Alpha—”

Theo moved before he could stop himself.

He struck out, his fist slamming into the nearest tree. The bark cracked, splintering beneath his knuckles.

Silence.

The pack stilled. Watching.

Theo breathed hard, forcing himself back into control.

Atlas snarled, prowling inside him like a caged animal.

But rage wouldn’t find her.

Only strategy would.

He straightened slowly, exhaling sharply.

Then, he lifted his head, commanding the warriors with nothing but a look.

“We leave now.” His voice was quiet. Deadly. “We find her.”

His blue eyes burned.

“And we kill anyone who gets in our way.”

Theo shifted in an instant, Atlas taking over, massive and lethal.

Luka and the warriors followed, their wolves falling into step behind him.

They moved as one, cutting through the forest like shadows.

The moon rose above them, silver light spilling through the trees.

Somewhere, Willow was waiting.

And Theo and Atlas were going to tear the world apart to get her back.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Related chapters

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 5—Taken

    Willow woke to pain. A dull, aching weight pressed against her body, making every movement feel sluggish and heavy. The air was thick and damp, carrying the scent of stone, rot, and wolves—too many wolves. She inhaled slowly, trying to clear the haze from her mind. Something was wrong. She blinked against the dim light, her vision swimming as she took in her surroundings. Rough stone walls. A single flickering lantern casting weak shadows across the floor. Cold air brushing against her bare arms. Her wrists— A burning sensation sizzled against her skin. She looked down and found thick, silver-lined shackles clasped around her wrists, attached to a chain bolted into the wall. Not enough to sear through her skin, but enough to sap her strength—enough to keep her from shifting. Willow clenched her jaw. “Nova?” Silence. Panic flared, but then, just barely, she felt her wolf stir—weak, distant. “I’m here,” Nova whispered, her voice strained. “But I feel… drained.” So it wasn’t

    Last Updated : 2025-02-10
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 6—The Alpha’s Descent

    Theo ran. The night was thick around him, the forest stretching endlessly in every direction. His paws tore into the earth, muscles coiled tight with every bound. The warriors followed, their dark forms weaving like shadows through the trees. But Theo didn’t hear them. Didn’t see them. All he could feel was the mate bond—thin, weak, unnatural. Willow was out there. Somewhere. Alive, but distant. Something was cutting through the bond, muffling it. That was the only reason he wasn’t ripping through the forest, following the connection straight to her. And that was what terrified him the most. They had done something to her. To his mate. Atlas snarled inside him, so violent, so furious, that Theo’s vision blurred with it. His wolf was on the verge of snapping free, no longer willing to be leashed by reason. He needed her. He needed her now. “Hold on, Willow,” he thought fiercely. “I’m coming.” The air was heavy with tension, the warriors silent as they ran.

    Last Updated : 2025-02-10
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 7—The Edge of Madness

    Theo stood frozen, his breath coming in sharp, uneven pulls. The message burned in his mind, the words seared into his mind like a brand.“The fire-haired one belongs to us now. She will forget you. And when she does, she will destroy you.”The paper crumpled in his fist.The forest was deathly silent.His warriors watched him carefully, their bodies still, their ears perked, waiting for a reaction. Waiting for their Alpha’s next command.But Theo couldn’t speak.He couldn’t breathe.“She will forget you.”The words rattled inside his chest like a cage, tightening, constricting, pressing down until it felt like his ribs might crack under the weight of it.Atlas howled, his anguish ripping through their shared mind like a blade.No.No, she won’t. She can’t.The mate bond was faint, but it was still there.Wasn’t it?He reached for it again, stretching his mind, trying to grasp onto anything.Nothing.A hollow emptiness.Theo’s knees nearly buckled. His hands shook as he squeezed them

    Last Updated : 2025-02-10
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 8—The Hunt Becomes War

    Theo barely felt the shift.Atlas exploded forward.But something was different.The change was instantaneous—too fast, too smooth. Even for him.There was no slow breaking of bones, no painful rearranging of his body. Just a pulse of something deep, something raw, something ancient—And then he was running.Faster than he ever had before.Luka and Darius were only a second behind him, shifting into their wolves to follow. But they were slower. Too slow.Because Theo was moving like something else entirely.He didn’t think about it.He couldn’t.His paws slammed into the earth, his breath came in ragged bursts, and Atlas was a storm of fury and agony.He didn’t know where they were going.Didn’t know where the trail would lead.It didn’t matter.They would find someone.And they would make them talk.The scent of a rogue drifted through the trees.Theo veered left without hesitation, his body a shadow in the dark.The rogue never saw him coming.One moment, he was standing there, adju

    Last Updated : 2025-02-10
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 9—Silence

    Willow sat in the cold, damp cell, her back pressed against the stone wall.The air smelled of mildew and blood—her own, she realized distantly. The cuffs around her wrists had bitten into her skin from her earlier attempts to break free. She wasn’t fighting anymore.There was nothing to fight against.Nothing was happening.Just silence.It stretched through the room, thick and suffocating, pressing in from every side.It was the kind of silence that made the world feel distant. Unreal.The kind that made her feel like she didn’t exist at all.The door creaked open.She didn’t flinch.She didn’t even look up.She already knew who it was.It was him. The one who had taken her, the one who watched her like she was a puzzle waiting to be solved.He stepped inside with the same casual confidence, his footsteps slow, deliberate.Willow could hear the faint rustle of his clothing, the controlled cadence of his breathing. He wasn’t in a rush.Because he had already won.She hated that thoug

    Last Updated : 2025-02-10
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 10—The Memory of Fire

    “Selene.”The moment Willow spoke her true name, the world fractured.She was no longer in the damp, suffocating cell.She was somewhere else.Somewhere she had been before.The air was thick with smoke and ash.The sky burned in shades of gold and crimson.The ground beneath her feet—scorched. Stained red with the blood of the fallen.She stood at the center of a war.Wolves lay slaughtered around her. Some still twitched, some still clung to life, but none would survive.And yet—she felt no fear.Because this was her war.And she was born for it. She was the reason for it. A voice cut through the chaos.“Selene!”She turned—and saw herself.No.Not herself.Her mother.A woman with wild red hair and piercing green eyes, her body covered in blood and battle scars.She was beautiful. She was terrifying.And in her arms—A child.A baby with fire in her veins.The child reached out, grasping at the smoke-filled air.And suddenly—Selene remembered.She was not just a Luna.She was not

    Last Updated : 2025-02-10
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 11–The Betrayer’s Plan

    He stood in the shadows, watching.He did not pace. He did not fidget.He had waited too long for this moment to betray himself with impatience.The girl—Selene—sat motionless in her cell, her red hair falling over her face, her breathing steady, almost too steady.She was close.He could feel it.The spell had worked.The mate bond had been cut off-not broken, but sealed away, buried beneath layers of magic older than the packs themselves.Without it, she had nothing tying her to this life.Nothing but the past.And now?Now it was only a matter of time before the past consumed her.For so long, she had been lost.Buried under a false name, a false life.A Luna of the Onyx Pack. A mate. A lover. A woman who did not exist.He had watched. He had waited.He had seen the way she laughed, lived, loved.A tragedy.A waste.She was never meant for that life.She was meant for this.For war.For power.For vengeance.She had been forged in fire and blood.And now, at last, she would rememb

    Last Updated : 2025-02-20
  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 12–The Betrayer and the Queen

    He watched her carefully, his expression calm.Too calm.Because he had not yet decided if he had made a mistake.Selene sat motionless, her green eyes burning into him, her wrists raw from the silver cuffs that still held her. The chains dug into her skin, biting with every movement, but she gave no indication of pain. She didn’t flinch, didn’t shift, didn’t try to pull away.And yet—she looked nothing like a prisoner.She looked like a queen waiting for her moment to strike.The dim torchlight flickered across the stone walls, casting shadows that danced in eerie patterns. The room was silent, save for the occasional drip of water from somewhere unseen. But the true silence was between them. A silence thick with unspoken words, with tension stretched so tight it was suffocating.He had expected rage.Expected her to fight, to lash out, to demand answers.But she didn’t.She just watched.And smiled.Not a pleasant smile. Not the kind that spoke of kindness or mercy.No, this was som

    Last Updated : 2025-02-21

Latest chapter

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 37—The Memory Beneath the Ashes

    The hall burned. Stone walls that had once echoed with music and laughter now trembled beneath the roar of fire. The floor was slick with blood and ash. Screams echoed in the distance—wolves, warriors, mothers, children. But none of them reached her ears fully. Everything sounded muted. Hollow. Like the air had been sucked from the world. Selene stood in the center of the crumbling hall, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her dress was torn, her arms streaked with soot and blood—none of it her own. Around her, the air shimmered with heat and something more. A pulse of ancient magic that vibrated in her bones. And in front of her—he stood. Aylexelen. He was not the cloaked shadow she had seen in the forest. He was younger here, though not youthful. Regal, commanding, dressed in deep indigo robes trimmed with silver. His expression was calm. Too calm. Unbothered, even as bodies fell around them. And at his feet, Theoden lay. Deathly still. His blood pooling around him. Selene’

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 36—The Breaking Point

    The moon hung low, half-hidden behind drifting clouds, casting pale slivers of light across the forest clearing. The fire had long since died, leaving only the quiet crackle of cooling embers. Theoden slept with one arm draped protectively over Selene’s waist, his breathing deep, steady. Selene stirred faintly beneath the blankets. Her mind drifted between sleep and waking, her body warm beside his. But then— The pain struck. It was sudden. Violent. Blinding. Her eyes flew open, but she couldn’t move. Her chest heaved, her limbs trembling beneath the weight of something she couldn’t see. Every breath was a razor. Every heartbeat sent waves of agony through her body. “Nova?” she screamed into her mind, but Nova didn’t answer. The connection was static—muted. Blocked. Selene’s throat worked, but no sound came out. Her voice had vanished, locked away with the rest of her strength. And then she saw him. Aylexelen. Standing just feet away. One hand extended toward her, glowing wi

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 35—The Hollow Beneath the Surface

    The morning came with silence. No birdsong. No wind. Just the soft sound of the stream and the low crackle of coals in the fire pit. Selene stirred first, sitting up slowly. Theoden was already awake, leaning against a nearby rock, his arms crossed and gaze fixed on the woods beyond the clearing.“He’s gone,” he said without looking at her.Selene blinked the sleep from her eyes. “What?”“Aylexelen,” he clarified. “He left sometime during the night. No word. No sound. Just gone.”Selene’s heart stuttered. “Nova?”“I didn’t feel him leave,” the wolf said, her voice taut with unease. “It’s like he vanished.”Selene rose to her feet, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. “He hasn’t done that before.”Theoden shook his head. “No.”They packed up camp quickly, neither speaking much. The absence of Aylexelen was louder than his presence had ever been. Every sound in the forest made Selene tense. Every gust of wind set Atlas growling low inside Theoden’s mind.“He’s hiding something,” Atl

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 34—Cracks in the Alliance

    Aylexelen led them through a narrow gorge at the edge of the mountain range. The rock walls rose on either side, casting deep shadows across the forest path. The sky was overcast now, the light dim and pale, as though the world itself was withholding warmth.Selene trailed behind Aylexelen, her steps slow, deliberate. She could feel Nova pacing within her, a constant thrum of tension between her ribs.“He’s watching,” Nova murmured.Selene didn’t have to ask who. She’d seen the way Aylexelen’s eyes lingered too long, not with desire—but with calculation. Like he was measuring her for something.She glanced ahead. “Where are we going?”Aylexelen didn’t turn around. “There’s something I want you to see. Something that may help you understand your power.”Theoden moved up beside her, his voice low. “He mentions your power too often. I don’t like it.”She nodded. “And he never tells us what we’re walking into.”“That’s because he’s not walking into anything,” Atlas growled inside Theoden’

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 33—Sleeping Gods and Broken Truths

    Selene watched the way Aylexelen moved through the forest. Always silent. Always just out of reach. He was neither rushed nor relaxed—simply… present. Like the woods belonged to him. Or maybe he belonged to them. She wasn’t sure which was worse.They walked without speaking for some time, weaving through thick pines and silent stone ridges. The silence wasn’t comforting. It was calculating.Nova stirred. “He doesn’t breathe the same air we do.”Selene didn’t answer right away. “You mean that literally or—““Both,” Nova said. “He feels like a wound the world never healed.”Selene’s throat tightened. “There’s something wrong with him,” she murmured through the mindlink. Theoden glanced at her from a few paces ahead, then slowed to fall in beside her. “Atlas said the same.”Selene looked up. “What did he say?”Theoden’s jaw tensed. “That when Aylexelen is near, the earth quiets. Like even the wild things know not to make a sound.”Aylexelen, as if sensing their thoughts, stopped beside

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 32—Power and Pretense

    The morning light filtered through the canopy, soft and golden, but there was no warmth to it. The forest remained still, as if caught in a breath it couldn’t quite release. Selene sat on a fallen tree, her eyes fixed on the embers of their dying fire, her thoughts elsewhere.Nova stirred quietly in the back of her mind, not speaking. Just watching. Selene could feel her unease like a current beneath her skin, constant and restless.“You’re quiet,” Selene finally said.“Because I don’t trust him,” Nova replied. Her voice wasn’t sharp or angry—just deeply unsettled. “There’s something hollow in him, Selene. Something missing. Hollow. It’s not just a name.”Selene glanced toward the edge of the trees where Aylexelen stood, unmoving. He didn’t pace or fidget. He simply waited, like the forest itself. Still. Silent. Unreadable.“Do you think he’s lying?” she asked.Nova didn’t hesitate. “Not with his words. But he’s hiding something. His truth is only part of the story.”Selene swallowed

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 31–The Hollow One’s Offer

    The morning mist clung to the trees, soft and low, as if the forest itself was reluctant to wake. Selene stood near the marked tree, her fingers hovering just above the freshly carved name. The bark was still raw. Still wet. Someone had been here, not hours ago, but minutes.Theoden stood behind her, tense and silent. His eyes were fixed on the woods beyond the tree line, his body wound tight with something more than suspicion. He didn’t like being watched. He liked being toyed with even less.“He’s close,” Selene murmured, not turning around.“I know.” His voice was low and hard. “He wants us to see this. Wants us to follow.”“Atlas?”“He’s waiting,” the wolf growled. “He’s playing a game and thinks he’s already won it.”Nova stirred in Selene’s mind, sharper than usual. “He knows we’re watching for him. And he doesn’t care.”Selene exhaled, the morning air cool against her skin. “Then let’s stop pretending we don’t see him.”She stepped away from the tree, her power stirring faintly

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 30—The Echo in the Trees

    The trees thickened the deeper they walked, towering evergreens standing like ancient sentinels in the fading light. Each step was deliberate, each breath slow. Theoden walked just ahead of Selene, his eyes scanning the path, his senses stretched far beyond what was visible. Every shift of wind, every creak of branch, every rustle in the underbrush was filtered through the instinct that had kept him alive for centuries—even if he hadn’t known it until recently.“You feel that?” Atlas stirred in his mind, his voice low, wary.Theoden gave the faintest nod. “Yeah. It’s too quiet.”Selene walked beside him now, close enough that her shoulder brushed his. Her expression was unreadable, but Theoden could feel the tension in her limbs, the way her fingers twitched ever so slightly. She was listening too.“Nova?” she asked softly, eyes on the trees.“Something’s not right,” Nova murmured. “It’s like the forest is holding its breath.”Theoden turned his head slightly toward Selene. “We’re not

  • Eclipsed Wolves   Chapter 29—Awake

    Theoden felt it in his bones.The power inside him was no longer just a whisper of something ancient—it was awake. Selene lay across from him in the dim light of the cabin, her green eyes bright, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. The air around them pulsed with energy that had been sealed away for centuries. But now, there was no holding it back. And as the power inside him grew, so did hers. Selene shuddered, pressing a hand against her chest. “I feel… different.”Theoden stepped closer, his blue eyes searching hers. “Because you are.”Selene swallowed. “What is this? What are we?”Theoden lifted his hand, and without meaning to, fire flickered between his fingers. It wasn’t normal fire—it was gold, burning with the weight of something more than magic. And Selene—light shimmered over her skin, glowing softly, as if the power inside her had finally decided to take shape. Theoden clenched his jaw. “We’re what we were always meant to be.”But now they knew the truth—t

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status