Chapter 50 Luca
I’ve spent my whole life being told I need to control myself, my temper, and the instinct that tells me to tear apart anyone who threatens what’s mine. Tonight, control feels like a joke because as I stand at the edge of the woods where Silverpine ends and the forgotten outskirts begin, staring at what looks like nothing more than an abandoned storage shed every instinct in me roars the same word:
Hunter.
Drew steps up beside me, hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie like we’re just two guys killing time before a math test. “So,” he says, voice low, “this the place you tracked the scent to?”
“Yeah.” My voice comes out rougher than I intend. “It’s masked poorly.”
“Humans?” Drew asked.
“Haven’t decided yet.” I inhaled again, deep enough that the cold air stings. “But whoever was here knew what they were doing.”
Drew lets out a slow whistle. “Fantastic.”
We’re supposed to be worried about college apps as senior students not hunting the people hunting us but here we are. The “shed” is nothing more than warped wood, a sagging tin roof, and a padlocked door older than my dad’s truck but the scent curling off it makes my teeth ache.
Metal, gun oil, and something else, Sienna. It was faint almost gone but it was there. A cold rush of dread washed over me. Drew noticed instantly. “What is it?”
“She was here,” I whispered. “Sienna.”
Drew tensed. “Shit! And you’re sure?”
I didn’t dignify that with an answer. He knows how strong my abilities were. He swore again, louder this time, raking a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Luca. Does Aria know?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not until I know what the hell is going on.”
Drew stepped up to the door, pulling a small metal tool from his pocket. “Okay, then. Let’s commit a felony.”
“You brought lockpicks to school.”
“Everyone needs hobbies.”
It took him less than twenty seconds to pop the lock. He pushed the door open slowly, careful not to creak it and we slip inside. The darkness was thicker than it should be like someone wanted this place hidden. I flicked on my phone flashlight and the beam cuts through just enough to reveal what we came to find.
There were weapons, guns, silver-smeared arrows, bolts with hollow tips made for delivering poison, collapsible spear etched with runes and a crossbow designed to pierce werewolf hide like paper. Drew exhaled trying not to freak out. “Yep, cool. Just your standard anti-werewolf arsenal in a shed behind the woods. Nothing to see here.”
I swallowed hard. “There’s more.”
There was a wall covered in photos of Silverpine, the forest, and students. And in the center, circled in red, were three faces: Aria, me, and Sienna. My stomach dropped so violently I nearly staggered. Drew saw it too. “Oh, hell no! Why—why the hell is Sienna up there with you two?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
“She’s human,” Drew said, like that made her off limits.
It should. Hunters didn’t usually target humans unless they’re threats. Sienna was a lot of things but she wasn’t a threat to anyone except maybe my sanity.
Drew nudged me. “Look. Maybe they’re watching her because she knows you or because she’s close to Aria.”
“Or because she knows something,” I murmured.
Something caught my eye that made my wolf inside me slam against my ribs. A small, black hoodie that was Sienna’s. I recognized the stupid embroidered mushroom patch on the sleeve tossed in the corner like trash. I yanked the hoodie up. It smelt like her skin but underneath all of it was blood.
Drew stepped in front of me, gripping my shoulders. “Luca. Look at me.”
I force my eyes up. “We don’t know what happened,” he said. “If she was hurt or if she ditched the hoodie or if someone planted it here to screw with us. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“I’m not,” I growled. “But someone brought her here.”
Drew swallowed. “You think she’s working with them?”
“I don’t know.”
Drew blew out a breath. “Aria’s gonna freak if she knows about this.”
“I’m not telling her yet.”
“Luca—”
“No.” I pulled away from him. “Not until I understand it if Sienna’s in danger or if she’s—”
“Part of this?” Drew finished softly.
I clenched my jaw. I didn’t want to believe it but the evidence was right in front of us. I really wanted to believe her but what if trusting her puts Aria in danger?
Drew moved toward one of the crates, carefully lifting the lid. “We should take pictures, document everything, and then get the hell out before someone comes back.”
My phone’s flashlight swept across a desk shoved into the corner. I flip it a notebook open. It’s coded hunter info but one word stands out bold and underlined: ASCENDANCY.
I froze. Drew leaned over my shoulder. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “But it wasn’t here before.”
“Which means it’s a new group,” Drew replied.
“Or something worse.”
We pack up fast and I took pictures of everything and made sure not to touch more than necessary.
Drew locked the shed again, leaving it looking untouched. “So. We tell your dad?”
“Eventually.”
“And the Alpha Council?”
“Yes.”
“And Sienna?”
I look away. Drew nodded slowly. “You want to believe she's innocent.”
I didn’t know if that’s true. “Yes but something’s wrong and we’re running out of time.”
We walked back toward town blending into the quiet sidewalks like we’re just two teenagers heading home after practice. Deep inside, I can’t stop replaying the same three thoughts:
Hunters are here. Sienna is missing and someone is hunting all of us.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
This chapter ramps WAY up, and things are starting to fall into place (and also fall apart). 😊 Hunters, secrets, Sienna’s mysterious involvement, the Ascendancy… Luca is barely holding it together, and Drew is MVP for keeping him from smashing things.
Chapter 51 is going to be chef’s kiss drama and revelations. Drop your comments lovelies, I’m living for them💙.