Chapter 33: The Hunt
Seraphine's POV
I called to my wolf.
She erupted from inside me.
No hesitation. No fear. Pure survival instinct taking over.
Run run RUN—
Bones snapped. Reformed. The sound like gunshots in the frozen air.
Pain exploded through every nerve. White-hot. All-consuming.
Don't stop. Can't stop—
Fur burst through skin. Silver-gray sprouting across my body in waves.
My face elongated. Jaw cracking. Reshaping. Teeth sharpening to points.
Hands curling. Fingers shortening. Claws erupting from fingertips.
Almost there. Just a little more—
I hit the ground on all fours.
The transformation finished in two heartbeats.
My wolf shook herself. Snow flying from her fur.
Smaller than most. But faster.
Behind me, Kaelen roared.
The sound inhuman. Rage mixed with something darker.
He's going to shift. Move MOVE—
I bolted.
Paws digging into snow. Launching myself forward.
The stream was right there. Just ten feet away.
Jump. Just jump and—
"Seraphine!"
Kaelen's voice. Still human. But barely.
The bond screamed. Trying to pull me back. Make me stop.
No. Keep going. Don't look back—
I leaped.
Over the rushing water. Legs stretching. Claws extended.
For one perfect moment I was flying.
Then my paws hit the opposite bank.
Solid ground. Freedom.
Yes. I made it. I—
A howl split the night.
Long. Haunting. Pure dominance.
The sound made every hair on my body stand up.
He shifted.
But I was already running.
Silver-gray fur gleaming in moonlight. Smaller. But faster.
Move move move—
I didn't look back. Just ran.
Paws pounding through snow. Breath coming in desperate gasps. Trees blurring past.
The border was ahead. Maybe fifty yards.
Almost there. Just keep—
The howl came again. Closer this time.
My wolf's ears flattened.
He's coming. He's COMING—
But I kept running. Had to keep running.
---
I made it twenty more yards before I saw him.
A massive white wolf stepped out from behind a cluster of pines. Directly in my path.
I skidded to a stop. Snow spraying.
Holy fuck.
He was enormous. Twice my size easily. Pure white fur that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Shoulders broad as tree trunks. Paws the size of dinner plates.
And his eyes. Burning red in the darkness. Ancient. Terrifying.
Not Kaelen's human eyes. Not those black double pupils.
This was pure wolf.
We stared at each other. Ten feet apart.
He didn't move. Just watched. Waiting.
He's blocking the stream.
I turned. Bolted left. Into denser forest.
Find another way. Circle around.
My paws flew over the ground. Heart hammering. Lungs burning.
The bond pulsed. Steady. Like he was tracking me through it.
No. No no—
I ran for what felt like forever. Changed direction twice. Kept low. Used every trick Dad taught me.
Finally broke through into another clearing.
The stream was there. Right there.
Yes. Finally—
The white wolf stepped out from the shadows.
Right in front of me. Again.
I froze.
How the fuck—
He'd somehow gotten ahead of me. Cut me off.
Those red eyes locked on mine. Calm. Almost patient.
Like he was giving me another chance to give up.
Fuck you.
I turned sharp right. Ran parallel to the stream.
There has to be another crossing. Has to be.
---
Three more times.
Three more fucking times he appeared in my path.
Each time I changed direction. Each time he was already there. Waiting.
Not chasing. Not attacking.
Just herding me. Like prey.
My legs were burning. Lungs screaming. Each breath knives in my chest.
But I kept running.
I won't give up. I won't—
I burst into another clearing.
And there he was. Again.
Standing between me and freedom.
Those red eyes watching. Unblinking.
Something inside me broke.
Not fear. Not exhaustion.
Rage.
Pure. White-hot. Blinding.
How dare he. How DARE he.
Playing with me. Toying with me. Like I was some fucking game.
I'd been running for my life. For Lyralei. For my freedom.
And he was treating it like a hunt.
No more running.
I charged.
Straight at him. Full speed. Every ounce of strength left in my body.
If I'm going down, I'm going down FIGHTING.
The white wolf's eyes widened. Just slightly.
Like he hadn't expected this.
Good. Fuck your expectations.
I leaped. Aimed for his throat.
He moved. Fast.
But I twisted mid-air. Caught his shoulder instead. Teeth sinking deep into white fur.
We crashed together. Rolling. Snarling.
I bit hard. Drew blood. Tasted copper.
This is for herding me like prey. For making me feel HELPLESS.
The wound closed instantly. Healing.
But I didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
Clawed his side. His leg. Anywhere I could reach.
You want to treat me like prey? Fine. This prey has TEETH.
---
He caught me.
One massive paw on my chest. Slammed me into the ground.
The impact knocked the air from my lungs.
But I kept fighting. Snapping at his muzzle. His throat. Anything.
Tears streaming from my eyes. Mixing with snow.
I won't submit. I WON'T—
A roar split the air.
Not a wolf howl. Something deeper. Older.
Pure Alpha command.
The sound hit me like a physical force.
My wolf whimpered. Against my will. Some instinct older than thought.
No. No no—
But my body was already responding. Bones cracking. Fur receding.
No. Stay wolf. STAY—
The transformation ripped through me anyway.
In seconds I was human again. Naked in the snow.
Kaelen's massive paw pressed against my bare chest. Holding me down.
Then he shifted too.
Fur dissolving. Form shrinking. Human features emerging.
In heartbeats he was straddling me. Human. Furious.
Those black eyes with their double pupils blazing down at me.
"You done?" he growled.
I tried bucking him off. Couldn't.
"Fuck you!" I screamed. Voice raw. Broken.
Tears streaming freely now.
"You think this is funny? You think toying with me like some fucking game—"
"I wasn't—"
"Bullshit!" My voice cracked. "You let me run. Let me think I had a chance. Then cut me off. Over and over and over."
I slammed my fists against his chest. Useless. Pathetic.
"Like a cat playing with a mouse. Is that what I am to you? Some fucking toy?"
Something shifted in his expression.
The anger fading. Replaced by something else.
"Seraphine—"
"I hate you." The words came out choked. Sobbing. "I hate this bond. I hate that you can do this to me. That you can make me feel so helpless—"
"I was trying to make a point," he said quietly.
I stared at him.
"You can't outrun me," he continued. "Can't escape. The bond won't let you. Your wolf knows it even if you don't."
His hand moved to my face. Wiped away tears.
"You needed to see that. Needed to understand."
"So you hunted me," I whispered. "Made me run until I broke."
"You weren't going to stop otherwise."
He's right. I know he's right.
But it doesn't make it hurt less.
Fresh tears spilled over.
"I just wanted to leave," I said. Voice small. Defeated. "Just wanted to stop being a burden. To everyone."
Kaelen's jaw tightened.
"You're not a burden."
"Liar."
His thumb traced my cheekbone. The touch gentle despite everything.
"The only burden," he said slowly, "is watching you try to destroy yourself to save others."
The bond pulsed. Carrying his emotion.
Truth. Raw. Painful.
He means it. He actually means it.
"I can't stay here," I whispered.
"You can. You will."
His other hand moved to my neck. Found the mark.
The moment his fingers touched it, electricity shot through me.
The bond roared to life. Demanding. Insistent.
No. Not like this. Not when I'm this vulnerable—
"This mark," Kaelen murmured. Thumb tracing the scar. "Means you're mine."
His eyes began changing. The black irises taking on an inner light. Golden sparks flickering around those four dark pupils.
"Means I protect what's mine. Whether you want it or not."
He's losing control again. The wolf rising.
"Kaelen—"
"You tried to leave." His voice dropped. Dangerous. "Tried to run from me."
His nose brushed my neck. Right over the mark.
Heat flared. The bond screaming.
This is wrong. So wrong.
"Say you won't do it again," he breathed against my throat.
"I—"
"Say it."
His hand fisted in my hair. Not painful. But firm. Controlling.