Chapter 57 Rogue Ambush
POV: Luna
I don't have time to react.
The eyes disappear again, and then I hear it.
Movement.
All around me.
Not just one set of footsteps. Multiple.
I spin in a circle, trying to locate the source, but the sounds are coming from everywhere at once.
Then they emerge from the trees.
Five rogue wolves.
All with those same glowing red eyes. All wearing collars identical to the one I just removed.
They circle me slowly, cutting off any escape route.
My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears.
Five against one.
And I'm already exhausted from the first fight.
The largest one, a gray wolf with scars across its muzzle, steps forward. It snarls, showing yellowed teeth.
This isn't a coincidence. Someone sent these wolves after me.
Someone knew I'd be here.
Panic threatens to overwhelm me. Five rogues. I barely handled one.
But I can't panic. Panic gets you killed.
I force myself to breathe. To think.
I still have the cursed collar in my hand. Maybe I can use it as evidence if I survive this.
I shove it into my jacket pocket.
The gray wolf lunges first.
I dodge left, but another one is already there, snapping at my legs.
I jump back, barely avoiding its jaws.
They're coordinating. Working together like a real pack.
That's not normal for rogues. Rogues are supposed to be mindless. Feral.
But these ones are hunting with strategy.
A third wolf attacks from behind.
I feel its teeth sink into my shoulder and I scream.
I twist and claw at its face, making it release me, but now I'm bleeding badly.
The other wolves press their advantage, sensing weakness.
I have no choice.
I shift.
Fully.
My bones crack and reshape. Within seconds, I'm on four legs, my wolf form larger and stronger than my human body.
But even as a wolf, five on one is bad odds.
The rogues attack as a group.
I fight back with everything I have. Claws. Teeth. Raw desperation.
I manage to catch one across the throat. It goes down hard, whimpering.
But the others don't stop. Don't even pause.
They keep coming.
I'm fast, but they're relentless.
One gets my hind leg. Another my side.
Blood is everywhere. Mine and theirs.
I'm losing.
The gray wolf, the leader, circles around behind me while the others keep me distracted.
I realize too late what it's doing.
It lunges for my neck.
I try to dodge, but I'm too slow. Too tired.
Its jaws are inches from my throat when suddenly it's knocked aside by a blur of dark fur.
Ryder.
He's shifted into his wolf form, massive and powerful. He tears into the gray wolf with a fury I've never seen from him.
The other rogues hesitate, confused by this new threat.
That hesitation is all I need.
I attack the nearest one, using the last of my strength to drive it back.
Ryder finishes the gray wolf and moves to help me with the others.
Together, we're a force. He's stronger, more experienced. I'm faster, more desperate.
Within minutes, three of the five rogues are down. Dead or too injured to keep fighting.
The last one, a smaller brown wolf, sees what's happened to its pack.
And it does something I've never seen a rogue do before.
It retreats.
Not in a mindless panic. Strategically.
It backs away slowly, keeping its eyes on us, then turns and bolts into the forest.
I start to chase it, but Ryder blocks my path.
He shifts back to human form, breathing hard.
"Let it go. You're injured."
I shift back too, immediately feeling the full weight of my wounds. My shoulder is bleeding heavily. My leg can barely support my weight.
"It's getting away," I gasp.
"I know. But you'll bleed out if we don't get you back to the Academy now."
He's right. I can feel myself getting weaker by the second.
Ryder catches me as my legs give out.
"I've got you," he says, lifting me easily. "Stay with me, Luna."
"The collar," I manage to say. "In my pocket. Someone's making them rogue on purpose."
His expression darkens. "I know. We'll deal with that. Right now, we need to get you to the medical wing."
He starts running, carrying me through the forest.
I try to stay conscious, but everything is blurring together.
The trees. The moonlight. The sound of Ryder's footsteps.
"Stay awake," he orders. "Luna, look at me. Stay awake."
I force my eyes to focus on his face.
"Why did you come?" I whisper.
"Because I knew this was a setup. The faculty wouldn't send a first year on a solo trial unless someone pressured them to."
"Who?"
"I don't know yet. But whoever put those collars on those wolves wanted you alone. Wanted you vulnerable."
The Academy walls come into view.
Ryder shouts for help, and suddenly there are people everywhere. Professor Cael. Nurse Willow. Other faculty members.
They take me from Ryder's arms and rush me inside.
I hear voices, but they're distant now. Muffled.
"Multiple lacerations."
"Severe blood loss."
"Get the healing potions. Now."
Someone presses a vial to my lips and forces me to drink. It tastes like copper and herbs.
Warmth spreads through my body. The pain dulls slightly.
"Will she be okay?" That's Nova's voice. She sounds terrified.
"She'll live," Nurse Willow says. "But these wounds are deep. She'll need time to heal properly."
"What happened out there?" Professor Cael demands.
"Ambush," Ryder says. "Five rogues. All wearing spelled collars. They were waiting for her."
Gasps from the gathered crowd.
"Someone set her up," Ryder continues. "Someone wanted her dead."
"That's a serious accusation," Professor Thorne says.
"And I have proof." Ryder pulls the collar from my jacket pocket and holds it up. "Luna removed this from the first rogue. Look at the symbols. This is dark magic. Someone is creating rogues deliberately."
Silence.
Then the Headmaster's voice, cold and sharp. "Bring that to my office. Immediately. And someone find out who authorized this solo trial."
I try to sit up, but Nurse Willow pushes me back down.
"Rest, child. You've done enough for one night."
"The wolf," I mumble. "One got away."
"I know," Professor Cael says quietly, leaning close enough that only I can hear him. "And that's what worries me most."
"Why?"
"Because that wolf didn't run in fear. It ran with purpose." His expression is grim. "It's going back to whoever sent it. To report what happened. What you did."
"Report?"
"Those weren't normal rogues, Luna. They were being controlled. And whoever was controlling them just watched you remove a spelled collar and survive a five-on-one ambush."
The implications sink in slowly through my exhausted, pain-addled brain.
Whoever is behind this now knows exactly what I'm capable of.
Knows my strengths. My weaknesses.
"Get some rest," Professor Cael says. "We'll post guards outside the medical wing. You're safe here."
But I don't feel safe.
Because somewhere out there, that brown wolf is running through the forest.
Running back to its master.
And I know, with absolute certainty, that this was just the beginning.
Whoever wants me dead just learned that direct attacks won't work.
Which means next time, they'll try something different.
Something worse.
I close my eyes, but I can still see them.
Those glowing eyes in the darkness.
Watching me.
Always watching.
Closer than before.
And next time, they'll be closer still.