Chapter 54
Elara's POV
The clearing appeared ahead. Moonlight cut through the canopy. Made everything look silver and wrong.
The screaming stopped.
I grabbed Chloe's arm. Pulled her to a halt behind a thick pine.
"Wait," I whispered.
The clearing was empty. Just packed dirt and a few scattered rocks. No person. No struggle.
But something sat in the middle of the open space. Small. Rectangular. Glowing faintly.
A phone.
The screen lit up. Then that voice played again. Tinny through the speaker.
"Help! Someone help me!"
The same recording. On loop.
My stomach dropped.
"What the hell?" Chloe's voice shook. "Whose phone is that?"
I already knew the answer. Already felt it in my bones.
"Finally."
The voice came from behind us. Cold. Satisfied.
We both spun around.
Sophia stepped out from the trees. Moonlight caught her face. That sweet smile was completely gone. Her expression was ice.
"Took you long enough," she said. "I was starting to think you were too stupid to follow a simple recording."
Chloe made a small noise. Fear. Confusion.
I just stared at Sophia. Calculated distances. Escape routes. My body was already shifting into combat mode without me thinking about it.
"Sophia, what are you doing?" Chloe's voice climbed higher. "This isn't funny."
"Funny?" Sophia's laugh was sharp. Mean. "You think this is a joke?"
She took a step forward. Then another.
"You know what's funny, Elara? You. Standing there like you're something special now."
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"You made me look like an idiot. In front of everyone. The archery. That stupid fight in the gym. And you just keep acting like you're better than me."
My pulse hammered in my ears. But I kept my voice level.
"I never said I was better than anyone."
"You didn't have to say it!" Her voice cracked. Raw fury bleeding through. "You're a defective Omega who can't even shift. You're supposed to be nothing. Weak. Pathetic. That's what you've always been."
Chloe shifted beside me. I could feel her fear radiating off her in waves.
"But suddenly," Sophia continued, "suddenly you're good at archery? You're fast enough to dodge me in training? You're walking around like you own the place?"
Her breathing got heavier. Faster.
"It makes me sick. Looking at you. Watching everyone whisper about you like you're interesting."
Something in her voice changed. Got darker.
"Tonight there's no coach. No rules. No cameras. Just you and me."
My mouth went dry.
Sophia's body started to change.
I'd seen partial shifts before. But never this close. Never directed at me with this much hate.
Her shoulders hunched. Bones cracked. The sound was wet. Wrong. Her fingers stretched. Lengthened. Nails sharpened into claws that gleamed in the moonlight.
"I'm going to teach you exactly where you belong," she said. Her voice was rougher now. Deeper. "On the ground. Bleeding. Begging."
I shoved Chloe. Hard.
"Run."
"What? No, I'm not—"
"Run!" I didn't take my eyes off Sophia. "Get help. Now."
But Chloe didn't run. She stepped in front of me instead.
My heart stopped.
"Sophia, stop this!" Chloe's voice shook but she stood firm. "You're talking about assault. About murder. Do you hear yourself?"
Sophia tilted her head. Almost curious.
"You're defending her? Really? After everything?"
"She's my friend!"
"She's nothing." Sophia's claws flexed. "And you're in my way."
It happened too fast.
Sophia moved. Just a blur of motion and moonlight.
Her clawed hand whipped out. Caught Chloe across the shoulder.
Chloe screamed. Her body lifted off the ground. Flew backward. Slammed into a tree trunk.
She crumpled. Didn't move.
"Chloe!"
I started toward her but Sophia blocked my path.
"Don't worry." Her smile was all teeth. Sharp canines. "You'll be joining her soon enough."
Every cell in my body screamed. Twenty years of Lynette's training roared to life under my skin. I wanted to rip her throat out. Wanted to show her what a real predator looked like.
But I couldn't shift. This body couldn't do what I needed it to do.
Sophia took a step closer. Then another.
"Now," she said softly. "Where were we?"
A growl cut through the clearing.
Low. Rumbling. Coming from everywhere at once.
Sophia froze. Her head snapped toward the tree line.
The growl got louder. Deeper. More than one voice.
Then the shadows moved.
Wolves burst from the trees. Massive. Bigger than any normal wolf. Their eyes caught the moonlight and threw it back in shades of gold and silver.
Four of them. No. Five. More coming.
One of them—gray fur, scarred muzzle—went straight for Sophia.
She barely had time to turn before it hit her. The collision was brutal. They went down in a tangle of fur and claws and snapping teeth.
The other wolves didn't stop. They streamed past us. Heading toward camp. Toward the others.
Screaming erupted in the distance. Human voices. Panicked. Terrified.
My heart stopped.
No.
Who were they? Where did they come from?
The thought crashed through my mind. Ice flooded my veins.
Was it—
Wild Hunt?
Had they found me already? Tracked me here?
I couldn't tell. Couldn't see any identifying marks in the chaos. These wolves moved with purpose. With coordination. But so did professional mercenaries. So did trained packs.
Another wolf charged past. So close I felt the heat coming off its body. Smelled blood and wild things and violence.
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think past the panic clawing up my throat.
If this was Wild Hunt—if they'd found me—
Everyone here was going to die.
More howls. More screams. The sounds of chaos spreading through the forest.
I looked at Chloe. Still unconscious against the tree. Blood on her shoulder. On her face.
I looked at the path toward camp. Where my classmates were. Where the wolves were heading.
My hands were shaking. My whole body was shaking.
I didn't know who they were.
But I knew one thing.
This was real. The danger was real.
And people were going to get hurt.