Chapter 48 Night Ambush
POV: Luna
I shouldn't be out here.
It's past curfew, and I'm supposed to be in my dorm resting after tonight's full shift. But I can't sleep. My wolf is still too restless, and the feeling of being watched hasn't gone away.
So I'm walking the grounds, telling myself I'm just getting air.
The moon is still full and bright, casting everything in silver light. My footsteps are quiet on the grass as I head toward the forest edge.
Not into the forbidden woods. Just close enough to feel the wildness of it.
That's when I hear it.
A low growl. Not from one direction. From several.
I freeze, my heart jumping into my throat.
Slowly, I turn around.
Three creatures step out from the shadows near the tree line. They're wolf-like but wrong. Too thin. Too hunched. Their fur is matted and their eyes glow red instead of the normal gold or amber.
Rogue wolves.
The ones Professor Cael warned us about in class. Wolves who've lost themselves to madness or been corrupted somehow.
They're rare near the Academy. The wards are supposed to keep them out.
But here they are.
Surrounding me.
"Okay," I whisper to myself. "Okay, think."
I'm too far from the dorms to scream for help. And these things look hungry.
The largest one steps forward, lips pulling back to show yellowed teeth. It snarls, and the sound makes my skin crawl.
My wolf surges forward instinctively. She doesn't want to run. She wants to fight.
I let her.
My bones crack as I shift partially. Not full transformation. Just enough to strengthen my muscles and sharpen my claws.
The rogues circle closer.
I back up until I feel the forbidden woods at my back. Great. Trapped between corrupted wolves and the one place we're never supposed to go.
The largest rogue lunges.
I dodge left, using the speed from my partial shift. Its jaws snap closed on empty air where I was standing a second ago.
The second one attacks from the side.
I spin and slash with my claws, catching it across the snout. It yelps and stumbles back, but the third one is already moving.
This one is faster.
It hits me hard, knocking me to the ground. I roll, kicking out with my legs. My foot connects with its ribs and it grunts.
I scramble to my feet, breathing hard.
Three on one. I'm faster than I used to be, stronger too, but I'm still a first year. These things have been hunting and killing for who knows how long.
The largest one circles around behind me. The other two spread out to the sides.
They're coordinating. Working together.
Not good.
I need to break their formation. Need to make them come at me one at a time instead of all at once.
I feint left, then dart right, trying to get past the smaller one. It snaps at me but I'm already moving, using my enhanced speed to stay ahead.
But the third one anticipates my move.
It cuts me off, forcing me back toward the forbidden woods.
They're herding me.
Pushing me toward the boundary line where the wards are weakest.
I realize with cold clarity that this isn't random. They didn't just happen to find me out here.
They were hunting me specifically.
The largest rogue lunges again, and this time I'm not fast enough.
Its teeth sink into my arm.
I scream, the pain white-hot and blinding. My blood is hot against my skin.
The wolf shakes its head, trying to tear flesh, but I punch it hard in the eye with my free hand. It releases me with a yelp.
I stumble backward, clutching my bleeding arm.
The rogues regroup, getting ready for another attack.
I'm losing. I know I'm losing.
My vision is starting to blur from pain and blood loss. My partial shift is slipping because I can't concentrate.
The rogues sense weakness. They move in for the kill.
I brace myself, claws out, ready to go down fighting.
Then a blur of movement crashes into the largest rogue from the side.
Ryder.
He's fully shifted, a massive dark wolf with amber eyes. He's easily twice the size of the rogues.
He grabs the largest one by the throat and shakes hard. There's a sickening crack, and the rogue goes limp.
The other two rogues turn their attention to this new threat.
Big mistake.
Ryder moves like lightning, all power and precision. He tears into the second rogue before it can even react.
The third one, the fastest one, tries to run.
Ryder chases it down in seconds, teeth flashing in the moonlight.
Within moments, two of the rogues are dead.
But the third one, the one Ryder chased, breaks free somehow. It's injured, limping badly, but it manages to slip into the forbidden woods.
Ryder doesn't follow. The wards flare at the boundary, warning him back.
He shifts back to human form, breathing hard, and rushes to me.
"Luna. Luna, look at me."
I'm sitting on the ground now, not sure when I sat down. My arm is bleeding badly, and I feel dizzy.
"I'm okay," I try to say, but it comes out slurred.
"You're not okay. You're losing blood." Ryder pulls off his shirt and wraps it tight around my arm. "What the hell were you doing out here alone?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"So you decided to get yourself killed?" His voice is sharp, but I can hear the fear underneath. "Those were rogue wolves, Luna. Corrupted. Dangerous."
"I noticed."
He makes a sound that's half laugh, half groan. "You're impossible."
"You saved me."
"Barely." He ties the makeshift bandage tighter, and I hiss in pain. "Sorry. We need to stop the bleeding."
"How did you know I was out here?"
"I didn't. I was doing patrol and heard fighting." He meets my eyes. "You're lucky I was close."
Very lucky.
Ryder helps me stand, keeping one arm around my waist to steady me. We start walking back toward the castle, moving slowly because my legs are shaky.
"We need to report this," he says. "Rogues shouldn't be able to get past the wards. Something's wrong."
I nod, but I'm not really listening.
I'm looking back at the forbidden woods.
At the darkness between the trees.
And I swear I see them.
Glowing eyes.
Red eyes, watching us from the shadows.
The third rogue. The one that escaped.
It's not running away.
It's watching me.
Studying me.
Like it's memorizing my face. My scent. My weaknesses.
A chill runs down my spine that has nothing to do with blood loss.
"Ryder," I whisper.
"What?"
"It's watching us. The one that got away."
Ryder follows my gaze. For a moment, we both stare at those glowing red eyes in the darkness.
Then they blink out.
Gone.
But I can still feel them. Can still feel that hungry, hateful stare boring into me even after they disappear.
"Come on," Ryder says, his voice tight. "We need to get you to the medical wing. Now."
We hurry toward the castle as fast as my injuries allow.
But the whole way, I can feel those eyes on my back.
Watching.
Waiting.
And I know with bone-deep certainty that this isn't over.
That rogue wolf marked me tonight.
And it will be back.