Novel & Cerita Night-runners Prologue

Someone appeared in the doorway. It was Nate. He had one hand pressed to his stomach like he had been laughing all the way down the hall. Kylan and I pulled away from each other and both shot him a questioning look at the same time. “I just got the worst news,” Nate said, catching his breath. “We are screwed.” “Huh?” I lifted a single brow. “Cassian just told me that Rochwall told him that the first part of the race is going to be run on two legs,” he informed us. “The second half is for the wolves.”

Hannah paused. Hannah: “Speak.” Youth (trembling): “They come at night—two men, half-faced by Fang-etched scars, with mist from the caves. They said… 'Blood must pay for trust.'” Rhys exchanged a look with Hannah. Hannah (quietly): “They follow chaos.” She lifted the lantern. Hannah: “Then we bring our light.” That night, they camped near the river’s bend under open stars. Lerder built the fire; Elara, Aryn, Lyra, and Talia listened as Hannah laid out their plan:

Oh my, I'm in the rogues'. I began moving back, step by step. Then I suddenly turned and ran. Running through the woods, back from the direction I was coming. Running as fast as my leg could carry me. I went left this time around. My legs and arms started to throb, I did not stop running through the thorn woods. I just need to get away from here. The trees tearing my fur, I could care less. The only thing screaming in my head is survival. I don't wanna die yet. Scratch what I said earlier about dying.

GO. Shadows now filled the night. Dark shapes and confused grunts came from all sides as the two of us took off in a run, heading towards the north. There was never any hope of us going unnoticed; even with the men distracted, two smaller shapes sprinting madly through the camp from the direction of the warehouse would inspire anyone to give them immediate chase. I wasn't counting on being ignored. Having Drula with me had worried me from the start, because I knew that the only thing standing between ourselves and freedom at this point was speed -- though I of course would never mention a thing like that to her. 'Luna, please let us be lucky then.'

I giggled and watched as Atlas turned away from me before slumping his entire body to the ground, signaling that I should climb on his back. Alpha Jace and Luna Amara would lead the run, followed by the new pups that shifted, and then Atlas and I, followed by the five Gammas and camp delegates. The Beta couple, together with the other seven Gammas from the camp, would be at the tail end of the run. The moon finally reached its zenith, and the moment Zero, Alpha Jace's wolf, howled as a signal to start the run, the clouds moved and gave way, letting us see the moon atop the canopies of the trees surrounding us.

MIDNIGHT ***** The night air was thick with tension as Vinnie and his crew prepared for their ambush. The deserted warehouse on the outskirts of town loomed before them, a dilapidated structure that had seen better days, now a silent witness to the dangerous game about to unfold. Vinnie, a hardened criminal with a reputation for ruthlessness, was determined to eliminate the one person who had been inching too close to their operation: Detective Ling. His sharp gaze swept over the area, noting each shadow and the way the moonlight danced across the cracked pavement. His men fans out, weapons drawn, their faces set in grim anticipation. They were all armed to the teeth, adrenaline coursing thr

“When the piece went quiet.” The runner stared at it. “Sable said if the cut changed I was to tell you this next part. Distance is not breaking it.” Ronan’s voice was flat. “Say the rest.” The runner looked from my arm to the empty south road. “Distance is waking it.”

"I think she's more upset with me than with you. You're caught in the crossfire because of me. From the moment I met Yarmilla, I knew she was the kind of person who wouldn't budge once she made up her mind. I was the one who wanted too much. I shouldn't have asked for your help." With those words, Susan rested her hand on her forehead and feigned a fainting spell. "What's wrong? Should I take you to the hospital?" Hans asked with a frown. Seeing how weak Susan appeared, he hesitated but eventually supported her. "I might have low blood sugar; I haven't eaten all day. Could I stay here for the night? I'll leave Tomorrow once I've figured out how to explain everything." Years ago, Susan had us

“We’re here to decide what comes next.” Kat reached for my hand. I didn’t hesitate. I turned from the map, the weight of Kat’s story still lingering in the room. But the mission tomorrow wasn’t about her past. Not directly. “Tomorrow’s run isn’t about Boris or Liam,” I said, voice clipped. “It’s a gun run. Luca’s shipment.” My father nodded, already aware. Kat’s family looked uneasy, but no one spoke. They knew what this life meant. What it demanded. “We move at dawn,” I continued. “Clean. Fast. No distractions. Luca, you want the crates delivered to the border and offloaded before noon.”

It had simply chosen a different target while their eyes were on decoys and western tracks. Lior was already turning toward the main hall when the runner finished speaking. The tiredness was still there. The cold ease of the earlier killing was still there. And now the smoke from a village that had trusted the Nightbane name for protection was rising into the night sky, pulling every plan into a sharper and more immediate shape.