Chapter 7 – The Hunter's Moon

The air hung heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient dread. Leaves crunched underfoot, every sound amplified in the oppressive silence of the Blood Forest. 

Damien Graves, a skilled hunter, moved smoothly with his elite squad fanning out behind him. Each wolf was a shadow, but the forest itself felt like a deeper, more primal shadow, watching.

"Fan out," Damien commanded, his voice a low rumble that barely carried above the rustling leaves. "Find her. Leave no stone unturned. I want proof."

A weird feeling of unease hit him. It wasn't the usual hunt tension. This felt different, very odd, like the trees were holding their breath and waiting.

[Alpha Damien's POV]

Damien pushed deeper into the search, his senses stretched to their absolute limit, fighting against the oppressive, dense magic that permeated every inch of the Blood Forest. 

He could almost physically feel the unseen, unblinking eyes watching them, a constant, unnerving pressure. It was a sensation he hadn't experienced since his early days tracking dangerous rogue packs in the haunted, desolate mountains of the north, but this was undeniably worse.

"Any sign?" he growled into his comm, the static crackling back a harsh reply that did nothing to soothe his frayed nerves.

"Negative, Alpha," a voice replied, tight with barely suppressed nerves. "Just… too quiet out here. The silence itself feels wrong."

"Maintain formation," Damien ordered, his gaze sweeping the towering, gnarled trees that clawed at the sky, their branches thick and interwoven. The forest felt like an impenetrable, living wall of green and brown, every shadow a potential, treacherous hiding place. 

He felt a deep, unsettling pull, a strange and powerful recognition that resonated within his very bones, unsettling him to his core.

He tried to ignore it, to focus on the mission. An omega, banished. This was supposed to be a simple job, done quickly. Yet, nothing about Selene Raventhorn had ever been simple. Not how she met his gaze, fearless, when he first dismissed her. Not the whispers of her hidden power.

"Over here, Alpha!" a tracker's voice cut through the comm, laced with urgency. "Blood trail. Fresh."

Damien moved fast, his wolf answering the call. They gathered on a patch of crushed moss, marked by dark, glistening drops. It was wolf blood.

"Find the source," Damien ordered, his jaw tight. "And be ready. This isn't just a tracking mission anymore."

The trail led deeper, winding through roots like grasping fingers. More blood appeared, larger smears now, as if something had been dragged. Then, a piece of torn fabric, dark and rough. It was unmistakably from Omega's clothes.

"Nobody," a tracker muttered, his voice edged with confusion. "Just… this."

Damien knelt, touching the fabric. It was coarse. Not the soft material he remembered from the day he'd seen her, frail but defiant. The blood was still wet, but it didn't smell like a death wound. It smelled of raw power, of something new.

"Keep moving," Damien commanded, standing. "She's here. Or something that was with her."

The forest seemed to press in, the air growing colder. A low, guttural growl echoed far off. It wasn't a wolf. It was something else.

[Selene's POV]

Sellene hid deep within the ancient oak's twisted roots, wrapped in shadows. Their scent, sharp and metallic, invaded her sanctuary. Killian. Damien. Their presence was a violation, a stark reminder of the world that had cast her out.

The power inside her pulsed, a frantic, hungry beat. It clawed at her control, ready to strike back at their intrusion. She could feel them—a dozen strong wolves—stomping through her forest, hunting her.

"Unleash," the whispers urged, a soft, tempting hum in her mind. "They are trespassers. Make them pay."

Fear still twisted in her gut. Fear of herself. Fear of the beast she was turning into. But a colder, harder fire sparked instead. The memory of their scorn, their judgment. The mockery.

She watched them from deep cover, her silver eyes cutting through the dim light. They found her blood, signs of her fight. Good. Let them think I was weak. Let them think I was dying.

Suddenly, a sharp snap, a rustle in the bushes. One of them moved too fast, too carelessly. Selene felt a surge of energy.

[Alpha Damien's POV]

"Tracker Sasha, report!" Damien barked into his comm. Nothing but static.

A chilling silence fell, broken only by the frantic thumping of his own heart. Then, a single, raw scream tore through the forest, sharp and suddenly cut off. It came from Sasha's last known place.

"Sasha!" another tracker, Elias, shouted, breaking formation and rushing towards the sound.

"Elias, hold your position!" Damien roared, but it was too late. Elias vanished into the thick trees. Another scream, higher pitched and more desperate, followed.

Panic erupted. The remaining trackers scattered, their disciplined formation shattering. Fear, cold, and primal gripped them. Damien cursed under his breath. This wasn't a wolf. No wolf moved like this, silenced like this.

"Regroup!" Damien howled, his Alpha command echoing through the trees, trying to force order back into the chaos. But the fear was too deep.

A heavy thump. A strangled gasp. Another tracker gone. The forest had come alive, but it wasn't the kind of life they knew. It was a predator.

Damien felt a cold dread settle in his bones. What they are facing is a mystery, but unknown to them, it is Selene.

"What is this?" he whispered, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his hunting knife. The whispers intensified, now distinct from the natural sounds of the forest, a low, deep hum that seemed to vibrate from the earth beneath his feet.

[Selene's POV]

Chaos. Their panic was a sweet, intoxicating scent. The raw power inside her thrilled, responding directly to the terror she'd instilled. "More,” the shadows demanded. “They hunt you. Hunt them back.”

She watched them scatter, their powerful Alpha commands useless against their surging fear. Elias, the young, foolish one, had charged blindly forward. So easy. The power had surged, an absolute extension of her will. It had wrapped around him, silencing him instantly. As effortless as a thought.

Another one fell. A large male, his scent strong with arrogance. He attempted to shift, to unleash his wolf, but he was too slow. Selene commanded the shadows. They tightened, squeezed, and he vanished.

A deep part of her cried out for control. This felt savage, entirely unlike herself. Yet another part, the primal, injured omega, gloried in it. This was her sole path to survival: to inflict upon them the very sensations she had endured—powerlessness, being hunted.

The whispers grew stronger, filling her mind, shifting from subtle suggestions to absolute commands. “Embrace your true self, control its fury, and become what you are meant to be.”

The searing pain of her rejection, the crushing humiliation, the icy indifference in Killian's gaze, the brutal, calculating dismissal from Damien—every memory fueled the deepening darkness within her.

She recalled the rough rope biting into her wrists, the jeers of the wolves who dragged her away, the bitter, ironic taste of their "justice." This was justice now—her own, true justice.

She saw Damien, standing alone, his powerful form now showing confusion and fear. He was formidable, cold, and smart. He was the Alpha who had called her "weak," the one who had looked through her as if she were nothing.

The ancient whispers resonated, shaking her core. “The hunt is yours, Omega. Your reign begins.”

A fierce, exhilarating surge of power ripped through her. Fear of what she was becoming dissolved, replaced by a cold, burning purpose. She stepped out of the darkness, not into forest light, but into the deepest, most potent shadow. It rippled around her, an extension of her skin, breath, and will.

[Alpha Damien's POV]

Damien was alone now, surrounded by sudden, terrifying silence. All his squad is gone. Only his own pounding heart and a rising wave of whispers filled his mind. The forest itself felt alive, its ancient power thrumming, vibrating with an energy that raised the fur on his neck.

He had faced powerful rogues, vengeful spirits, and aggressive Alphas. But this... this was different. This was the raw, untamed magic of the Blood Forest itself, awakening. And it was directed right at him.

"Show yourself!" Damien roared, his voice trembling despite his forced bravery.

The whispers grew louder, forming a single, resonant hum that vibrated through the very ground beneath his feet.

A figure appeared. No scent of weakness clung to her. She didn't step into the pale forest light, but rather stalked forth from the shadow itself, a predator unveiled.

Darkness swirled around her, shimmering like living smoke. Her eyes, once a soft, vulnerable silver, now burned with an eerie, mystical silver fire that pierced the gloom, locking onto his. 

A chilling, powerful scent, both terrifying and intoxicating, filled the air. It was Selene. But she was no longer the frail omega he had banished, rejected, or thought dead.

She took another step, shadows bowing to her will. Her lips didn't move, yet a voice, resonant and clear, filled his mind, vibrating through his bones, directly into his soul:

"I am the darkness."