Chapter 3: The Hunt Begins

Lyra ran.

Her lungs burned with every desperate breath as thorny branches tore at her dress and scratched her skin. Behind her, the forest echoed with savage laughter and pounding footsteps.

The rogues weren’t in a hurry.

They were enjoying the hunt.

“We’ve got you now!” one of them shouted.

Another laughed darkly.

“Don’t kill her too quickly. The Alpha’s rejected mate should suffer first.”

Tears stung Lyra’s eyes.

How do they know?

Only the Blackwood Pack had witnessed her rejection.

Unless…

Someone had told them.

The thought sent a chill racing down her spine.

She pushed herself harder.

Her heart hammered wildly as she darted between towering pine trees, praying for a miracle.

Back at the Alpha Manor, the celebration had finally ended.

Karl stood alone on the balcony, staring at the Blood Moon hanging low in the sky.

The air was unnaturally still.

His wolf refused to calm down.

She’s in danger.

Karl rubbed his temples.

“Enough.”

Go to her.

“I rejected her.”

You rejected her. I didn’t.

Kael clenched his jaw.

His wolf roared so violently that a sharp pain shot through his chest.

Before he could gather his thoughts

A long, desperate howl shattered the silence.

Every wolf in the manor froze.

Another howl followed.

This one belonged to a border patrol warrior.

“Alpha!”

A guard burst into the hall, panting.

“Rogues have breached the eastern border!”

Karl’s silver eyes darkened instantly.

“How many?”

“At least thirty.”

His expression turned deadly.

“Prepare the warriors.”

The entire manor erupted into chaos.

Meanwhile…

Lyra stumbled over a tree root.

She hit the ground hard.

Pain exploded through her knees.

“No…”

She scrambled to her feet, but it was too late.

The rogues surrounded her.

Seven of them.

Huge.

Scarred.

Bloodthirsty.

Their glowing crimson eyes reflected the moonlight.

The largest stepped forward.

His black fur was streaked with silver scars, and one of his ears was torn clean in half.

“So…”

He grinned, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

“This is the Alpha’s precious mate.”

Lyra backed away.

“I-I’m not his mate.”

The rogue laughed.

“Oh, we know.”

“You rejected him?” another mocked.

“No…” the leader corrected with cruel amusement.

“He rejected her.”

The others burst into laughter.

One wolf circled behind her.

“What a pathetic little human.”

Lyra’s hands trembled, but she forced herself to stand tall.

“I’ve done nothing to you.”

The rogue leader crouched until they were eye level.

“Wrong.”

He leaned closer.

“You exist.”

At the Alpha Manor…

Karl shifted into his massive black wolf.

His fur gleamed beneath the moonlight, and his silver eyes blazed with power.

Without another word, he shot into the forest.

Hundreds of Blackwood warriors followed behind him.

The hunt had begun.

Back in the clearing…

The rogue leader suddenly grabbed Lyra by the throat.

She gasped for air.

Her feet dangled helplessly above the ground.

“I wonder…”

He smirked.

“Will your Alpha come to save you?”

“He…” Lyra struggled to breathe.

“…isn’t… my Alpha…”

The rogue’s grin widened.

“Exactly.”

He threw her violently against a tree.

Crack!

Pain exploded through her back.

She cried out as she collapsed to the forest floor.

Her vision blurred.

Warm blood trickled down her forehead.

The rogues closed in slowly.

One unsheathed a long silver dagger.

“Let’s end this.”

The blade caught the moonlight as it rose high into the air.

Lyra squeezed her eyes shut.

So this is how it ends…

She thought of the small life she had lived.

The parents she barely remembered.

The years spent serving people who looked down on her.

The man who had broken her heart without ever knowing her.

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

“I’m… sorry…”

She whispered the words to no one in particular.

Then

ROAR!

The forest exploded.

Trees shook violently.

Birds burst into the sky.

The ground trembled beneath every paw.

The rogue holding the dagger froze.

“No…”

His eyes widened with fear.

“It can’t be…”

A colossal black wolf crashed through the trees like a living shadow.

Its silver eyes burned with lethal fury.

Without slowing, it slammed into the rogue with devastating force.

Crunch!

The rogue’s body was hurled across the clearing, crashing through two trees before falling still.

The remaining rogues instinctively stepped back.

“The Alpha…”

“It’s Blackwood!”

Karl stood protectively between Lyra and the rogues.

His massive frame blocked their path completely.

His lips curled back, exposing gleaming fangs.

A thunderous growl rolled through the forest.

Every warrior who had arrived with him immediately surrounded the clearing.

The rogues were trapped.

Karl’s eyes flickered briefly toward Lyra.

She was covered in dirt.

Blood stained her forehead.

Her breathing was shallow.

For one fleeting moment, something inside him twisted with guilt.

His wolf growled.

She was hurt because of us.

Before Karl could respond, the rogue leader laughed.

“So…”

He slowly drew a second silver blade.

“The mighty Alpha finally came.”

His crimson eyes gleamed with malice.

“But tell me, Alpha…”

“If she means nothing to you…”

He pressed the dagger against Lyra’s throat.

“why are you here?”