19 --- The Night Hunt

Aria’s POV

The tension in the air was so thick you could almost choke on it.

The Winchester Pack had grown quiet these past few days... too quiet. Warriors moved in pairs even within the camp, and every howl that echoed in the distance made hearts skip a beat. Something was approaching.

Damon sensed it before anyone else. I could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, how his eyes kept flicking towards the forest as if he expected the trees themselves to attack. He hadn’t slept much... nor had I.

Every evening, he returned from the border, smelling of metal and pine, his jaw clenched. He spoke little, but his silence conveyed more than words. Whatever troubled the woods was not merely rogues; it was something more sinister.

Tonight, even the moon appeared to hide behind the clouds.

I sat by the window, gently brushing my fingers over my stomach ... still small, yet enough for me to sense the flutter of life. My wolf, Shira, shifted restlessly under my skin.

Something’s wrong, she whispered. He’s too quiet tonight.

I sighed and looked down at the training yard below, where torches flickered softly. Damon was present, commanding his warriors with a confident, commanding voice. However, when his eyes met mine, a fleeting expression, perhaps fear, passed across his face, though he would never openly acknowledge it.

He had been distant these last few nights. Since Luca’s visit, the atmosphere between us shifted once more. He wasn't touching me as much and didn't stay in the same room for long. It wasn’t coldness but a form of protection, a wall erected out of worry.

“Rest, Luna,” one of the guards said from the hall, bowing slightly as I passed.

I nodded but didn’t pause. Restlessness took over me. My chest felt constricted, and Shira’s anxiety coursed through me like fire. An instinct urged me to act, to leave.

The forest called.

The night echoed with whispers. Leaves crunched under my boots as I tracked the faint smell of blood. I knew I shouldn’t have gone... Damon would go crazy if he discovered I’d strayed this far from the compound alone.

But the cry had been faint, almost human. A voice carried by the wind. A plea.

And I couldn’t ignore it.

My wolf’s sense of hearing became sharper, leading me further into the darkness. Then I saw him, a boy, just over sixteen, with torn clothes and mud and blood on his skin. When he saw me, he stumbled back and showed his teeth feebly.

“Don’t come closer!” he rasped.

I lifted my hands slowly. “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you.”

His eyes darted around wildly, every muscle trembling. “They’re coming. He sent them.”

“Who?” I asked softly.

“Zac,” he whispered, and my heart froze. “He’s hunting me. He knows I’m here.”

My breath hitched. “Why would he hunt you?”

The boy’s voice broke. “Because I ran. I didn’t want to follow him anymore. He said… he said he’d kill anyone who betrayed him.”

I looked at the wound on his leg ... deep, clawed, fresh. He wouldn’t last the night like this.

“Can you stand?”

He nodded weakly.

I was aware that what I was doing was reckless... Damon had clearly stated that no rogues should be allowed inside without his approval. However, something in the boy’s eyes echoed my own feelings—lost, desperate, afraid.

“Lean on me,” I whispered, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “You’re safe now.”

I led him to a healer’s hut at the edge of the compound, far enough from the main hall to remain unseen. Old Mira, the healer, looked surprised when I arrived at her door.

“Luna?” she whispered. “What...?”

“He needs help,” I said quickly. “Please. Don’t tell Damon yet.”

Her gaze lingered on the boy’s wound, then flicked back to me. “You know the Alpha won’t like this.”

“I’ll take responsibility,” I said. “Just do it.”

Mira hesitated, then sighed. “Fine. But if he finds out...”

“I’ll deal with it.”

As she worked, I remained nearby, wiping sweat from the boy’s forehead. He kept murmuring Zac’s name, whispering about hunters and the marks burned into his flesh.

When Mira finally sent me to get fresh water, I stepped into the cool night air and exhaled shakily. My heart was pounding, and every instinct warned me I had crossed a point of no return.

And then I heard him.

“Aria.”

The voice was deep, quiet ... and furious.

I turned around to see Damon standing there, the moonlight highlighting the sharp line of his jaw. His eyes shimmered with a faint gold hue, revealing his wolf side barely held back.

“What did you do?” His voice was deadly calm.

I swallowed hard. “He was hurt. He’s just a boy...”

“He’s a rogue,” Damon cut in, stepping closer, his presence suffocating. “And you brought him into my territory without permission?”

“He said Zac sent hunters after him. Damon, please, he was terrified...”

His eyes flashed. “Do you even hear yourself? Zac could have sent him here as bait. You risked yourself, Aria! You risked our entire pack!”

My heart pounded. “I couldn’t just leave him to die!”

He growled low in his chest, every muscle tight. “You don’t understand the danger, Aria. You never...”

“I do understand!” I snapped, my voice breaking. “I understand what it’s like to beg for mercy and get none! I understand what it’s like to be thrown away like you’re nothing! That boy reminded me of who I used to be.”

Silence fell ... heavy and trembling. Damon struggled for breath, his fists tight with tension.

For a moment, we remained silent. The tension in the air was intense. His rage was obvious, yet underneath, I sensed something else fear.

He closed the distance, his voice rough. “You think I don’t know what that feels like? You think I wouldn’t die before letting it happen to you again?”

My lips parted, yet no words came. The storm between us shifted... fury transforming into something more profound and raw. His gaze shifted from my lips to my stomach. His hand twitched, as if wanting to reach for me but hesitating.

“Don’t make me choose between protecting you and trusting you,” he whispered.

The words cut deep. My eyes stung. “I never asked you to choose,” I said softly. “I just want to help.”

He turned away sharply, jaw tight. “You already have.”

Before I had a chance to respond, a scream sliced through the air... Mira’s.

Damon spun around, and his wolf instantly surged forward. We both hurried to the healer’s hut, where the door was open, and a sharp, metallic scent of blood filled the air.

The boy was gone.

The bed was overturned, the sheets shredded. And on the wall, written in fresh blood, were the words that made my stomach turn to ice:

“He’s coming for her.”

For a moment, everyone held their breath.

Damon’s growl was low and threatening, like a beast prepared for battle. He slowly turned to face me, his eyes shining gold.

“Aria,” he said, voice rough with fury and fear, “what did you bring into my home?”

I couldn’t answer. My throat tightened as the scent of blood thickened around us.