Chapter 6 The Hunt of Shadows and Skin
The Obsidian Pack didn’t do quiet nights or fancy dinners. They did the Hunt.
Under a bruised purple sky, the air smelled like wet dirt and adrenaline. Dozens of shifters stood at the edge of the trees, their eyes glowing like hot coals in the dark. It was a tradition a way to stay sharp, playing the game of predator and prey. Tonight, I was expected to run with them.
"You look like you're heading to a funeral, not a run," a deep voice rumbled behind me.
I didn't need to turn around. Cassian’s presence felt like a physical weight, a heat that pushed back the cold mountain air. He was wearing leather pants and nothing else. His bare chest was a map of scars and hard muscle, and in the moonlight, the tattoos on his arms seemed to move.
"I’m just not a fan of running in circles," I said, keeping my eyes on the forest.
Cassian stepped up beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. That tiny bit of contact sent a spark straight through me. "It’s not about circles. It’s about the connection. To the land, to the pack... and to your mate."
He turned to face me, his golden eyes searching mine. "You hasn’t shifted once since you got here, Aria. Why?"
My heart skipped a beat. The truth was simple: if I shifted, he’d see the Shadow Wolf. He’d see an assassin’s killer instincts, not the broken spirit of a refugee. "My wolf is... shy," I lied, the words feeling like ash in my mouth.
"There is nothing shy about the energy coming off you," Cassian whispered. He reached out, his thumb tracing my jawline. His touch was slow and deliberate. "I feel a fire in you that could burn this whole forest down."
Before I could move away, a horn blasted a deep, heavy sound that started the Hunt. With a burst of howls, the pack vanished into the trees in a blur of fur and speed.
"Run with me," Cassian commanded. "Stay human if you have to, but don't stay behind."
He didn't wait for an answer. He took off into the brush, and against my better judgment, I followed.
I was fast faster than any human but Cassian was a force of nature. He moved through the thorns with a terrifying kind of grace. We ran for miles, the wind whipping my hair across my face. For a moment, my mission faded. The Syndicate, the ticking clock, the "First Box" it all went quiet behind the raw feeling of the chase.
Suddenly, Cassian skidded to a stop in a clearing where a waterfall crashed into a dark pool. He turned and caught me by the waist as I reached him, using my own speed to pull me hard against his chest.
I gasped, my hands landing on his bare shoulders. His skin was slick with sweat, and his heart was thudding wildly against mine.
"I caught you," he breathed, his voice thick with the thrill of the run.
"I wasn't hiding," I poked back, though my breath was shaky.
His hands slid down to my lower back, pressing me closer until there was no space left. He smelled like woodsmoke and something primal. "You’re always hiding, Aria. You hide behind cold eyes and sharp words. But your body? Your body doesn't know how to lie."
He leaned down, his lips brushing against mine. I should have pushed him. I should have reached for the blade in my boot. Instead, I found myself twisting my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer.
When he kissed me, it wasn't gentle. It was a claim. It was hungry, desperate, and filled with a heat that made my knees weak. I let out a soft moan, my walls crumbling piece by piece. In his arms, I wasn't an assassin or a savior. I was just a woman being found by her mate.
His hands moved up, his palms skimming my ribs, making my skin tingle. He moved his lips to the hollow of my throat, nipping at the spot where his mark would one day go.
"You are mine," he growled against my skin. "Tell me you feel it. Tell me you belong to me."
Those words felt like a bucket of ice water. Belong to him.
If I belonged to him, Leo was dead. If I belonged to him, I was a traitor to my own blood.
I shoved him back, gasping for air. The romantic haze shattered, replaced by the cold reality of what I was doing. Cassian looked at me, his eyes clouded with passion and confusion, his lips swollen from the kiss.
"I can't," I whispered, backing into the shadows.
"Aria, wait—"
"The hunt is over, Cassian," I said, my voice turning hard again. I turned and ran, not toward the house, but deeper into the dark.
I found a quiet spot and pulled a digital tablet from my waistband. I’d managed to sneak it out with me. The screen flickered on, showing the grainy video of the cell.
But something had changed. Leo wasn't on the cot anymore. He was curled on the floor, shaking. A man in a Syndicate mask stood over him, holding a silver brand.
The man looked right into the camera and held up a sign: 24 HOURS TO THE FIRST CUT.
The kiss on my lips still burned like a brand of its own. I looked back toward the clearing, knowing Cassian was probably still standing there, wondering why I ran.
I had tasted heaven in his arms, but my reality was calling me back to hell. I had one day left to decide. Was I the Luna of this pack, or the monster who would destroy them?
I gripped the tablet until the plastic groaned. I didn't have the luxury of love. I only had the cold weight of the silver in my boot.