Hunted

LEO

It started with the locker.

A note slipped between the vents,no name, no scent, no handwriting.

Only four words, scratched in red ink:

We Know Who You Are.

I didn’t blink. I didn’t let my hands shake. I just folded the note and slipped it into my jacket like it didn’t matter.But it did.

It meant someone had seen me or thought they had.

It meant my time was running out.

I shoved my books into the locker and walked out into the hallway like nothing was wrong. Juno was already waiting by the courtyard fountain, backpack slung over one shoulder, scanning the yard like a nervous bird.

I didn’t go to her.

Ash stood near the far gate, pretending to talk to someone from the track team, but his eyes kept darting to me.

Every day since the sparring match, he'd found a reason to be close. Not obvious, but there.

He hadn’t confronted me.

He hadn’t spoken to me.

But he was circling.

And I was starting to wonder if he already knew the truth, and was waiting for me to admit it first.

Coach Briar called an emergency meeting with the “underdog” racers, us rejects who were too slow, too small, too lowborn, or just not wanted on the official team.

It wasn’t unusual. He liked to encourage us in private. Keep the packs from seeing what he was doing.

But this time, the meeting wasn’t in the gym.

It was in the underground storage tunnels beneath the arena.

We entered through a rusted hatch behind the gym bleachers. I followed Juno down the steps, flashlight clutched tight, the air getting colder with each step.

“What is this?” she whispered. “We’ve never been down here before.”

I kept my voice low. “I don’t know. But it feels... off.”

Coach Briar waited at the bottom, alone.

His amber eyes caught mine. “You’re late.”

“We had class,” I said, stepping into the dim space.

He gestured us forward. “There’s no time. They’re moving faster than I thought.”

“Who?” Juno asked, her grip tightening on her bag.

“The Elders.”

My heart dropped.

I stiffened. “What do they want with us?”

Briar didn’t answer right away. He walked to the far wall and pried loose a brick. Inside was a steel box. He opened it and pulled out a torn folder wrapped in cloth.

Inside, photos. Dozens. All of Shade Wolf.

Different races. Different angles.

Me.

Juno leaned forward. “No way… These are….”

“They’ve been tracking me?” My voice came out hoarse.

“For months,” Briar said. “Longer, maybe.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Juno swore under her breath. “How did they get this?”

“They control the surveillance towers,” Briar said. “This is bigger than just you now. They’re using you as bait.”

“Bait for what?” I snapped. “I’m not leading anything.”

“But you’re winning,” he said. “That’s enough.”

I backed away, my fingers curling into fists. “So what, you called us down here to tell me I'm screwed?”

“I called you here,” he said calmly, “because it’s not just about you anymore. The Elders are afraid. And when they’re afraid, they strike fast. You need to be ready.”

“For what?”

He didn’t answer.

*****************

That night, I didn’t sleep.

I laid in bed staring at the ceiling, the walls pressing in like a trap. I could feel it, like the air had changed. Like eyes were on me from every direction. I didn’t know who left the note in my locker, but I knew it wasn’t just a prank.

The Elders were moving and I was the target.

I didn’t tell Juno about the note. Not yet. I didn’t want her to panic.

But deep down, I knew she already suspected.

The next day, things got worse.

The Trials pre-qualifiers were announced on the school-wide holoscreen. Ash’s name was at the top of the list.

And mine... wasn’t on it.

No surprise.

But something strange happened. After lunch, Coach Briar handed me a sealed envelope. “Don’t read it here,” he said. “And don’t throw it away.”

“Is this... bad?”

He didn’t answer. Just walked off without looking back.

I opened it alone, behind the mechanics lab.

It was an invitation.

An unofficial invitation to an underground Redline event, one not sanctioned by the Elders. One that didn’t follow rules.

No spectators. No cameras. Just racers.

It was signed with a symbol I’d only seen once, on my brother’s old jacket.

The mark of the Omega Rebellion.

*************************

That night, I met Juno in the garage.

She was soldering wires to the new gear, her fingers shaking.

“You okay?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

She didn’t answer.

I crouched next to her. “Juno.”

She looked up, guilt written all over her face.

“I was followed today,” she whispered.

My heart froze. “By who?”

“I don’t know. I think... I think they’re onto me too.”

I clenched my fists. “We need to be more careful.”

“We need to stop,” she said suddenly. “Leo, this isn’t just a race anymore. This is war. And you’re right in the middle of it.”

I looked at her. “And if I back down? What happens then?”

She swallowed. “They’ll still come after you.”

“Exactly.”

Juno slammed her tools down. “I don’t want to lose you, okay? You’re all I’ve got left.”

Her voice cracked on the last word.

I walked over and pulled her into a hug, arms tight. “You won’t lose me.”

She didn’t answer, but I felt her nod against my shoulder.

Then the garage light flickered,and shut off.

Both of us froze.

A second later, the door creaked open.

Footsteps. It was slow and measured.

I grabbed the wrench on the table and stepped in front of Juno, every instinct roaring to shift.

“Don’t move,” I whispered.

But it wasn’t an Elder.

It was Ash.

He stood in the doorway, silhouetted by moonlight, his eyes unreadable.

My breath caught. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he reached into his jacket and held up a photo of me.

As Shade Wolf.

“I knew it was you,” he said quietly.

Then he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.