Chapter 14 Luca
The first bell had barely rung and I already felt an itch under my skin. I tried to ignore it during history, tried to focus on the textbook in front of me, and the monotone voice of Mr. Hargrove droning on about the industrial revolution but my senses refused to obey. The scent revealed a hunter and whoever it was, was close.
I closed my eyes for a second in the back of the classroom, taking a quiet, steadying breath. My wolf pricked every hair on my body, snarling in frustration that it couldn’t stretch its limbs, couldn’t taste the air and confirm the intruder. The thought of anyone threatening the territory or worse Aria, twisted something in both our chests. I opened my eyes and caught Mason shooting me a look. My cousin knew and he always knew.
“Luca, you’re zoning out again?” Mason muttered under his breath.
“I’m fine,” I said, though the words were meaningless. My senses were screaming, and Mason could feel the tension radiating from me without another word.
By the end of the last period, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I cut through the back corridors and slipped past the crowded cafeteria to the outdoor basketball court. The warm afternoon sun struck against the asphalt, highlighting the gleam of sweat on my teammates as they practiced, unaware of the danger lurking on the edge of town. My team was loud, their laughter and trash talk filling the air, but my mind barely registered the noise. My wolf pressed against the cage of my human body, urging me to move, to hunt, and defend.
Mason jogged up behind me, tossing his gym bag onto the bleachers. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or are you finally realizing being captain isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?”
I gave him no reply. He persisted, “What's really wrong, Luca?”
I shook my head and my focus had shifted to the treeline behind the school. Normally, the forest was just scenery, a boundary the pack monitored quietly but now the hairs on my arms stood up as the scent grew clearer. Someone or something had crossed into our territory last night, and my instincts whispered that this was no ordinary intruder.
I watched as the basketball bounced back and forth between Jace and Theo, my teammates, and felt a pang of irritation. Their lives were uncomplicated. They trained, played, and joked like human teenagers. I envied them for it, if only for a second, before my wolf reminded me that simplicity was a luxury we would never have. Hunters didn’t wander by accident. They were precise, patient, and lethal. Whoever had entered Silverpine had purpose and Aria living so close to the edge of their territory was walking a line she didn’t even know existed.
Mason leaned on the fence next to him. “What are you staring at?”
“The treeline,” I said. “Last night, someone crossed near Aria’s fence. It’s not a rogue wolf.” I let the words hang, letting Mason digest them.
“A hunter?” Mason asked, his voice dropping. “You think a hunter is actually watching her? Surely you know hunters haven’t been seen for generations.”
I clenched my fists. “Yes, I know hunters existed before but I swear we now have one. I could smell them before I even got home last night. I do not think it's a threat we can underestimate and they’re close way too close.”
Mason’s face darkened, the usual glimmer gone. “Your dad…”
“I’m not telling him yet,” I interrupted. My voice was low and careful. The Alpha would mobilize the pack instantly with patrols, curfews, and questions for humans with unnecessary attention. I wasn’t opposed to protecting the pack yet I never wanted to hand over control. Not this time and not when I could see and handle it myself and Aria’s name was involved.
Mason frowned, hesitant. “You’re planning to take this on alone?”
“Not alone,” I said. “But quietly. Drew will help me confirm it. No one else until I get the full picture.”
Mason shook his head, bewildered. “You’re seriously asking to deal with a hunter in Silverpine without the Alpha knowing?”
I groaned inwardly. “I’m asking to make sure no one panics before we know the threat. I want to understand it before Dad turns the entire town upside down. You know what it’s like when he hears a word like ‘hunter.’”
Mason ran both hands through his hair. “It’s reckless.”
“Maybe but it’s necessary.” My gaze swept across the court, settling on Jace scoring another shot. Everything else was background noise because my senses remained trained on the periphery of the woods. The faint scent of the hunter still lingered in my nostrils wrapping around my thoughts like smoke.
The afternoon faded into early evening. The practice ended and the boys left for showers, leaving me and Mason behind. I remained near the court leaning on its fence and letting the sun’s last warmth slide over my skin.
“Keep your eyes open,” I said strictly, to Mason. “For smells, movement, and anything unusual. You see something, you tell me first. Not Dad, please.”
Mason nodded, reluctantly understanding. “And if it escalates?”
“Then we tell him. But only when we need to.” My voice held more certainty than I felt. My wolf was restless straining against my control, and I could feel him trying to mark the territory and trying to protect. Aria still was on my mind tying itself around me. I hadn't told my family yet about the bond besides, my dad and the pack would go ballistic about a human bond. It wasn’t a common thing for werewolves to be mated to humans cause it was forbidden.
I turned my attention to the treeline again. The leaves rustled slightly and I imagined the hunter watching Aria from within the shadows. I swallowed hard and pushed the panic down. Hunters were skilled, yes but I was faster and stronger than them. I would track them just as they were skilled in tracking my kind, find them, and when the time came, I would strike before they even realized what they were dealing with.
I stepped off the court and started jogging back toward the locker rooms with Mason trailing behind. I didn’t speak of it further and Mason knew not to prod. We both knew words were futile when instincts were screaming. The sun disappeared behind the horizon leaving the sky a wash of orange and purple and the high school grounds fell silent, save for the faint hum of traffic from the distant road. I lingered for a final moment letting the fresh air wash over me. I could not yet see who had crossed into Silverpine but I knew one thing with absolute clarity. A hunter had entered our territory and the moment they moved closer to Aria, I would be waiting and ready.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Luca is keeping the bond a SECRET? Well, what could we expect from our favourite male. How do you think the pack will handle the news if they ever knew? Isn’t Luca’s Dad overbearing? Don’t forget to comment, my lovelies♥️.