03 – HUNTED

POV: AIRYS

"Why are you taking me?" I asked nervously, shifting closer to the door. "There were plenty of she-wolves there—why choose a human?"

He didn’t answer. His eyes stayed fixed on the road, ignoring my presence.

"Are you going to kill me?" I insisted, tightening my grip on the seatbelt. "What do you want from me?"

"You ask too many questions." He huffed, clearly irritated.

I swallowed hard. Every fiber of my body screamed in revolt. The Supreme Alpha—the damned Daimon Fenrir—had a dangerous reputation. An Alpha whose ancestral beast had once taken over in a rage, slaughtering everyone around him… even his own brother.

His wolf was hostile to anyone who got close. Many didn’t make it out alive after getting too near him—at least, that’s what they said in my pack.

I needed to escape!

Daimon drove in silence, his gaze fixed on the road, while I looked around restlessly—until he broke the silence.

"Earlier…" His tone dropped a note as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "You didn’t seem to fear me, little one."

Earlier?

My skin prickled. Before I could ask, Daimon stopped the car in the middle of the dark road and turned to face me. My body stiffened. He leaned forward, placing one hand beside my head against the window, trapping me. I instinctively leaned back, suddenly too close to his mouth. He wet his lips, brushing the tip of his nose against mine, closing his eyes as he slowly inhaled my scent.

"I can smell fear, anger, and indignation," he whispered in a deep, rough tone through his fangs. "But… there’s something else…"

I swallowed hard. My eyes dropped to his mouth. His warmth surrounded me, my body tingling, heating in places it shouldn’t—but the fear was still too strong.

Daimon inhaled deeply, a dangerous growl rumbling from his chest.

"You should be careful with the scent you give off around a wolf, human."

When his eyes opened, his irises were a deep, blood-tinged, earthy color. I could see the shimmer of his beast just beneath the surface.

I didn’t wait to understand what was happening.

My hand shot to the door handle, and before the Alpha could react, I flung it open and rolled out into the freezing snow, scraping my knees. My body protested at the impact, but I ignored the pain, wiping my face as I got up and ran.

A deep howl echoed behind me. My feet sank into the cold snow, the air grew heavy in my lungs—and when I turned instinctively, my stomach twisted.

He was no longer in the car.

In his place stood a massive beast, with enormous paws and black fur, its red eyes glowing with predatory hunger.

Its prominent fangs bared as it let out a long, low, threatening growl—a sound that reverberated through my entire body, making me falter in fear.

"Bad idea, little rabbit," he howled deeply, flashing his teeth before launching himself toward me.

The storm’s fierce wind lashed against my skin as my feet sank into the snow. Night fell quickly, making my escape harder. Every step was a battle against the cold and the fear pounding inside me. My heart hammered in my ears, drowning out the sounds of the dense forest around me.

I was running. Running from the Supreme Alpha!

The black wolf chased me, its paws crushing the snow with brutal force. The sound of its breathing was deep, guttural—laced with a threat that pushed me to run even faster.

I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t look back.

"Run, prey." His hoarse voice echoed through the darkness, sending shivers down every inch of my body.

Damn him—where was it coming from?

He was enjoying this. Enjoying hunting me like prey.

I leapt over a fallen log, my body agile despite the exhaustion. My lungs burned from the dense, freezing air of the storm. My vision began to blur from the snowfall, but my will to escape was stronger than the pain. I needed to find a way to lose him.

If he caught me, I would die!

The monster’s howl echoed through the forest, deep enough to make the ground tremble beneath my feet. My body froze for a moment, a primitive instinct warning me of imminent danger.

A second later, he was there.

The massive creature landed in front of me with force, its bestial form dominating everything around us. Its black fur blended into the night, but its eyes… those red eyes burned like glowing embers.

Daimon dragged his claws through the snow, dangerously close to the torn, dirty hem of my thin dress.

"Found you," the creature growled low and predatory.

I gasped, my lungs tightening. He was close—so close I could feel his heat despite the freezing cold around us.

"You can’t force me to go with you!" I shouted, trying to ignore the tremor in my voice.

His eyes narrowed, and a glint of amusement flickered in his scarlet irises. He took a step forward, the snow compacting beneath his monstrous weight.

"Want to test that theory?" His voice echoed, laced with arrogance and a hint of malice.

The bastard wanted to play. But I wasn’t anyone’s toy.

The moment he lowered his head, preparing to strike, I clenched my fist. In one swift motion, I threw my full weight forward and punched him straight in the snout.

Daimon paused, shaking his head.

The shock lasted a second before his heavy breath escaped—and then… he laughed.

A rough, deep, almost dangerous sound.

"You really aren’t afraid of me, are you?" He tilted his head, flicking his furred ears, shaking off the ice clinging to his coat, revealing more of his sharp fangs gleaming as he opened his mouth in an animalistic grin.

My heart raced. Damn it—he was beautiful even in his wolf form. There was something in his aura, something that made me tremble from within beyond fear, like it was more than just the thrill of the hunt.

"You’re not as scary as you think," I shot back, forcing a courage I didn’t have. My hands still trembled from the impact of the blow, mixed with the fear I refused to admit as I rubbed one hand against the other.

"That makes things more interesting," he murmured, leaning forward slightly into an attack stance.

Before I could react, he moved—too fast.

I threw myself to the side, barely escaping as his claws tore through the snow where I had been a second before. My feet slipped, and I ran again, but the sound of branches snapping behind me told me he was right on my heels.

"You’ll have to be faster than that, little rabbit." The growl exploded from his chest.

"You bastard!" I shouted over my shoulder.

I stopped against a tree, panting. My joints ached from the cold. A light rain began to fall, and lightning split the sky.

"Great. Of course it’s raining," I muttered. "As if it wasn’t cold enough already."

My teeth chattered. I grabbed handfuls of leaves with trembling hands, rubbing them against my skin to mask my scent. My heartbeat was erratic. The storm grew stronger, and every crack of a branch or rustle of leaves made me jump in fear.

"Goddess, please… just this once… protect me!" I pleaded to the sky, turning, ready to run again—

Only to come face-to-face with the massive beast as it huffed hot air against my face.

"And who do you think sent me?" His red eyes gleamed as his tongue slid over his fangs.