Chapter 161: Escape and Trap

Seraphine's POV

Both of them tensed, their attention flickering toward the sound for just a second. Their bodies shifted, instincts pulling them toward the potential threat even as they tried to keep focus on me.

That flicker was all I needed.

The sound was real—too heavy, too deliberate to be anything natural. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, every instinct screaming at me that something was out there, something dangerous. But I couldn't let that stop me. Whatever was making that noise was coming from the east. If I could make them think I was running toward the threat while I actually bolted south, I might have a chance.

I let my eyes widen, let the fear I was already feeling show on my face as I stared past them into the dark trees. "What the fuck is that?"

Another crack of branches. Closer this time. From the east.

"Something's coming," I whispered, taking a step back, my voice climbing with just the right amount of panic. "Lucian—Orion—"

The rustling grew louder. Whatever was out there was moving fast, crashing through the underbrush without care for stealth.

And then I screamed.

Sharp, terrified, the kind of sound that bypassed logic and hit straight instinct. Both of them turned—just for a heartbeat, their bodies angling toward the threat, their guard dropping as their training kicked in to protect me from whatever was coming.

I bolted.

Not toward the tree line where they expected, but to the side—south, away from the noise—my hand scooping up a fistful of loose dirt as I moved. I spun and hurled it at both their faces in one fluid motion.

The cloud of dirt and dust hit them square in the eyes. Lucian cursed, his hands flying to his face. Orion blinked hard, turning away from the grit.

I was already running, my boots pounding against the grass as I made for the southern edge of the tree line. So close. Just a few more yards and I'd be—

A hand clamped around my wrist like iron.

"No," Orion said, his voice tight as he yanked me back, his other hand coming up to wipe at his eyes. "You're not doing this."

I struggled against his grip, my wolf snarling beneath my skin, but he was too strong. His fingers dug into my wrist, holding me in place as Lucian recovered, blinking away the last of the dirt.

"Let me go!" I twisted, trying to pull free, but Orion's hold didn't budge.

"Luna, please—"

And then I remembered.

Jason. Derek. That day at the lake when I'd been bored and mischievous, when I'd pretended to strip and watched them both scramble backward like I'd pulled a weapon.

Kaelen would kill us if we saw anything we shouldn't.

It was a long shot. A stupid, desperate long shot.

But I was out of options.

I grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it upward.

Orion's eyes went wide. "What are you—"

The shirt came up, exposing my stomach, my ribs, the edge of my sports bra.

"Fuck—Luna, don't—" His grip didn't loosen, but his head jerked to the side, his eyes squeezing shut as his jaw clenched. His entire focus fractured for just a split second, his body turning away instinctively even as his hand stayed locked around my wrist.

That was all I needed.

I drove my knee up hard into his elbow joint, feeling the impact shudder through his arm. His grip weakened just enough, and I twisted my wrist free using every ounce of strength my wolf could lend me. Before he could recover, I lunged forward and sank my teeth into the back of his hand, tasting blood as he let out a strangled curse.

"Fuck!"

I was already gone, diving into the trees, yanking my shirt back down as I ran. My wolf lent me speed as branches whipped past my face and the forest swallowed me whole.

Behind me, I heard Orion's shout—frustrated, furious.

"Seraphine!"

---

The forest was a blur of black and shadow, branches clawing at my face like skeletal fingers as I tore through the undergrowth. My lungs burned with each ragged breath, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat, but I didn't slow down. Couldn't slow down.

Behind me, Lucian's voice cut through the darkness, sharp and furious. "Seraphine! Stop!"

I didn't. My boots pounded against the uneven ground, roots threatening to trip me with every step, but I kept moving, my wolf lending me speed and balance even as my human side screamed at me to think, to stop, to turn around before it was too late.

But I was done listening to that voice. Done being careful. Done waiting for permission to save the people I loved.

A low branch whipped across my cheek, leaving a stinging line of pain in its wake, and I felt the hot trickle of blood sliding down toward my jaw. My arms were covered in scratches, my shirt torn in places where thorns had caught and ripped, but none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was getting to Ironfall. Getting to Lyralei.

The bond with Kaelen pulsed faintly in my chest, a dim, aching reminder of his absence. It wasn't the sharp, searing pain I'd felt when he'd been close to death—just a hollow, gnawing emptiness that made everything feel wrong. Incomplete.

I pushed it down, forced myself to focus on the rhythm of my breathing, the sound of my footsteps, the way the moonlight filtered through the canopy above in thin, pale streaks. I couldn't afford to think about Kaelen right now. Couldn't afford to let the fear creep in and paralyze me.

Just keep running. Keep moving. Don't stop.

The forest seemed endless, the trees closing in tighter with every step, the darkness pressing down like a physical weight. My ankle twisted on a hidden root, and I stumbled, catching myself against the rough bark of a tree before pushing off and continuing forward. My hands were shaking, my legs trembling with exhaustion, but I didn't let myself slow.

I couldn't.

The scents of the forest rushed past me—damp earth, decaying leaves, pine and moss—all familiar, all safe. My wolf's senses were sharp, alert for any sign of danger, any hint of a threat lurking in the shadows.

A dense wall of shrubs loomed ahead, their branches tangled and twisted together like a natural barrier. I didn't have time to go around. I lowered my shoulder and crashed through, branches snapping and leaves tearing as I forced my way past.

And then I broke through—

And something was wrong.

A scent hit me like a physical blow. Rot and decay, but underneath it something else—something sickeningly familiar that I couldn't place, masked by layers of wrongness that made my wolf recoil in confusion.

I tried to stop, tried to pivot, but my momentum carried me forward—

—straight into something solid.

The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, the force of it sending me stumbling backward. My feet caught on something—a root, a rock, I didn't know—and I went down hard, my knees and palms hitting the dirt with a jarring crunch. Pain shot through my hands as rough earth and sharp stones bit into my skin, and I felt the wet warmth of blood mixing with the dirt beneath my palms.

For a moment, I couldn't move. Couldn't think. The world spun, my vision blurring as I tried to suck in air that wouldn't come. That smell—it was everywhere now, choking, overwhelming.

Get up. Get up now.

I forced my head up, blinking through the haze of pain and disorientation, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The moonlight filtered through the trees above, casting pale silver light across the forest floor, and my eyes focused on the figure standing directly in front of me.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. The silhouette achingly familiar in a way that made my stomach twist with dread.

And then he stepped forward, and the light caught his face.

No.

No.

My blood turned to ice.

Damien.