DEATH

ARIA

I kneel on the muddy grass, holding his cold body in my weak arms. My soul is shaking to the core seeing my brother struggling for his last breath.

“Don’t leave me, Hale!” I wrap my fingers around his palm.

When Hale was on protection duty guarding the Green Line, a wolf stepped onto our territory and ripped off my brother's chest with his claws. The guards changed every night for duty according to the shifts. Unfortunately, it was my brother's turn.

“Who did this to you?”

“Tell me, Hale!”

“Tell me the name!”

His teary eyes look into mine and he falters to speak the words.

“Tell me, please!”

“Alpha's son…” He releases his last breath.

HALE!”

“WAKE UP, PLEASE!”

His hand slips down from the grip of my fist.

We are from a small village, located on the outskirts of the Kezent Moon pack. We are born to hunt wolf wolves, called Red Hunters. The Red Hunters and the Kezent Moon pack are always on each other's necks. The wolves want to expand their territory by wiping off the entire hunter's village, and we hunters are protecting ourselves against wolves.

It all started with a war.

In the past, a wolf from the Kezent Moon pack accidentally killed a child of a red hunter while shifting into his wolf. The incident led to a huge war between the Kezent Moon pack and the Red Hunters. Lozark Aylestone, the infamous Alpha of the Kezent Moon pack led the war from the side of wolves. His cruelty against hunters knew no limits. He forced a list of strict rules upon his pack, and those who protested faced a brutal death.

The war took the lives of many wolves and hunters, including Lozark's mate. He blamed the red hunters for the tragedy and went on a rampage, killing every hunter who was found on his territory. After the bloodbath, the three elders from the Red Hunters' village and the Kezent Moon pack formed a divide named Green Line. The line acted as a peace treaty, separating the Red Hunters’ village from the Kezent Moon pack.

Crossing the Green Line meant death. Wolves openly murdered the Red Hunters when found on their side of the Line, whereas we hid our faces beneath black masks and hunted the wolves upon catching their sight on our side. As hunters, we were trained to hunt in the darkness.

"Aria!" A familiar voice calls my name.

Scott, Hale’s friend, stands before me, casting a shadow upon my presence and balancing tears in his brown eyes. Shifting my fierce gaze to his colorless face, my voice tells him about Hale's last words.

“Where can we find that Alpha's son?”

“No one knows him!” He utters the words, deepened with disappointment.

Since Lozark made so many enemies while climbing the ladder of power, he never revealed his son’s name or face to the pack. He was protecting his son, waiting for the right moment when he would inherit the Alpha's throne. The enemies were waiting to wipe off his heir chain to conquer the pack.

“There’s a rumor in the Kezent Moon pack,” Scott mumbles beneath his heavy breath.

“Everyone says Lozark’s son is a student in the prestigious Wolves Academy. He is around twenty-two. Lozark must have given him a fake name with an ID. He's attending the academy as a normal student but no one knows what he looks like or what classes he attends.”

The elders of the Kezent Moon pack made a sole rule for a wolf's strength recognition. Every wolf in the Kezent Moon pack must attend the Wolves Academy. An Alpha's son can only become the next Alpha when he graduates from the academy.

“I will find him…even if he's hiding six feet under the ground.” My voice rises from the pain in my heart.

“You can't cross the Green Line. Those wolves will shred you into pieces!” Scott kneels beside me on the grass.

“Do you really think I care about that damn Green Line?”

“What the hell are you planning?” He gulps.

“I will enroll in the Wolves Academy.”

“Have you gone crazy?” His voice panics.

“Our scent is different. Those wolves will recognize you the moment you cross the Green Line.” He wipes the sweat on his forehead.

"Lozark is a monster. If you kill his only heir, he'll again start a war against us."

“I know someone from the pack who is yet to repay his debt to me. He owes me his life.” My fingers gently brush through the blood on Hale's pale face.

“Aria!” Scott shouts, losing his mind.

"I won't let anyone harm my people, trust me!”

Suddenly, rain rips open the sky and starts beating the ground. Even nature is mourning for my brother's death.

“I, Aria Ezell, will not return to the village until I avenge Hale's death.” My lips vow.

***

The next day…

The village arranged for Hale's funeral. A silent prayer is flowing through the air. There was a time when Hale promised to break my shackles from the relentless life of a hunter. He wanted to see me like other normal girls.

“You broke your promise, Hale!” My voice sobs silently.

My parents were great hunters. They died saving our village against cruel wolves. Hale was a child and his responsibility fell onto my shoulders. Leaving with no choice, I had to join the training camp at a very young age. My once happy childhood with my parents was tarnished. The harsh training of the camp forced me to abandon myself as a girl.

I fought neck to neck with men and inherited the title of the best hunter. I sacrificed my childhood to protect my brother's innocence, keeping him away from the hunter's life until he was mature and responsible. After Hale became an adult, he joined the camp.

My brother couldn't fulfill his promise to me!

Four hunters step forward and bury his coffin. My eyes can barely watch the sight. One by one every person leaves…except for me.

“I will find the Alpha's son. I will make him pay for your death. This is my promise.” My fingers roughly wipe off the tears rolling down my cheeks.

***

At 3 am…

Carrying a bag of silver weapons, I climb the tallest tree in the woods. My eyes carefully observe the surroundings before making any rash moves. The huge muscular guards of the Kezent Moon pack are patrolling on their side of the Green Line. These guards are known for their heightened senses.

I aim for a tree on the wolf's side of the Green Line and jump on its thick branch. One of the guards standing right under the tree looks up at the shaking leaves.

“What's wrong?” Another guard asks him.

“Probably, wind!” He replies.

I pull out ten T-shirts consisting of my scent from my black bag and arrange them in a line over the long branch of the tree. Luckily, a wild boar run past the guards, drawing their attention and giving me enough time to escape. The moment they turn their heads in the opposite direction, my feet jump onto the pine tree ahead of me.

Suddenly, groans barge into the silence!

“A hunter has entered our territory!” The guard, who noticed the moving leaves before, groans, sniffing my scent. He climbs the tree within seconds only to find my dark clothes.

“Find the damn hunter!”

All the guards rush over to the tree behind me, following the strong scent unleashing from my T-shirts. While they are focused on it, my feet escape the woods, jumping from one tree to another.

“The hunter fooled us. He must be hiding somewhere, find him!”

“RIP HIM INTO PIECES!”

They spread throughout the woods…but my feet had already entered the pack by that time.

Hiding through the darkness, my feet stop in front of the house of an old friend. A wolf who owed me his life. He was once attacked by the enemy pack but Hale and I saved his life.

My brother followed a golden rule…never ever hurt any innocent wolf. We respected the rule even when dealing with our enemies.

I only knew that his house was an old broken castle and the closest to the Green Line. He lived alone, surrounded by trees. It didn't take me time to find the broken castle. Inhaling a deep breath, I knock at the door, relying on my guess. There's always risk in everything, and my heart isn't scared.

Exactly three seconds later, the door slightly opens, and his doleful eyes peek through the gap.

“Aria?” His eyes go wide.

“How are you, Victor?”

“I AM SURE THAT HUNTER ENTERED OUR PACK!" The sound of several footsteps echoed through the air.

"They found me!" my lips whisper.