Chapter 20 Luca
I drove down the back road behind Silverpine High catching my reflection in the window my knuckles white on the wheel. My wolf was still pacing inside my ribs, restless and angry. He was annoyed that I had walked out on her. He wanted Aria.
The last part irritated me most.
Aria Morgan should not be under my skin like this. She should not leave a scent on my clothes that calmed my wolf more than anything. But she did, and that was a problem plus someone in Silverpine was already stalking their next kill. I turned onto Maple Street. Kids rode scooters and the bakery on the corner still had customers lined outside, waiting for pastries. The smell of warm bread drifted faintly through the air. No one here would believe a human was stringing silver traps around pack homes. No one would believe a trained killer was walking distance from their mailbox.
But I did, though I knew that it wasn't my job to track hunters because that's not how a pack works. But this was my mate I was trying to protect and silver does not appear by accident.
My mate. I would never get over that word and was still in disbelief. No, she couldn't be. I slowed near Mr. Lawson’s porch. His grandson, Caleb, sat on the steps tying his shoes. He was a short lad with a lazy grin and a mop of reddish hair. He waved at me and I waved back, but something pricked at the base of my skull.
Caleb had been asking questions at geometry class last week. My wolf pulled forward inside me and I forced him back. Caleb Lawson was just a harmless human kid. Right? I drove on, the thought staying with me longer than I liked. I parked outside the old ranger station and stepped out. Crouched near the first trail sign, I scanned the dirt. There were no boot or tyre marks. I had to tell my father, because this has gone far too long.
I stood again and racked my brain for info, anything to help me in this situation. Everyone in Silverpine was familiar. You grew up here, or you moved here or get married to someone who did. Outsiders rarely stayed and people noticed newcomers. They talked and gossiped. So how was a hunter roaming free without a single rumour? Unless they were not new at all. Unless they grew up here too. I've been having a hunch about it, and my fears could eventually become confirmed.
My phone rang. It was Mason.
I answered, sharply. “What?”
“You sound thrilled to hear from me.” He said, sarcastically.
“I am working.”
“You've been doing that a lot since someone got under your skin.”
I bit back the irritation. “Aria is not under my skin.”
“Sure! You only went feral when you heard she was sleeping.”
I reined back the temper threatening to escalate and exhaled slowly. “Mason, focus. Did you get anything from the Sheriff’s files?”
“Nothing useful. Sheriff thinks the traps are from poachers.”
“Poachers do not use silver.”
“I know. He is useless but I have a list of recent gun license renewals.”
“That helps.”
“There is more. One name popped up on a police bulletin for ordering high concentration silver nitrate. Medical grade. You want to guess who it was?”
My grip tightened around the phone. “Tell me.”
“Mr. Donovan.”
I blinked. “The PE teacher?”
“Yup, Mr. Friendly Man. The one who always tells you to hydrate and stop scowling.”
I remembered the man. Bald, broad, and cheerful. He coached half the town’s kids and led charity drives. He also lived three blocks from Aria.
“Why silver nitrate?”
What did a PE teacher want with silver?
“Police report flagged it as suspicious. He said it was for metal cleaning.”
I stared at the woods again. Mr. Donovan did not fit the profile. Hunters were disciplined, trained, and secretive. Mr. Donovan was an open book and way too friendly for one.
Mason said, “I can dig more.”
“Do it quietly and do not talk to anyone.”
Mason paused. “Including your father.”
I shut my eyes. “Especially my father.”
The thought pushed nails into my spine. I'd have to tell him, eventually.
“You good?” Mason asked.
“No.”
I crossed into the trees. My wolf surged the second my boots hit dirt. He wanted to shift, track and rip apart whoever had terrified our mate. I still hated the word. Mate. But my wolf did not care. He remembered Aria’s fear outside the diner. The way her breath shook and the way her fingers trembled. That memory was an order to him.
To protect.
It overrides our own emotions and being. You just couldn't take or control it. The bond was a chain around my ribcage. One snap away from dictating everything. I slowed near an old log. Something glinted against the bark and crouched down again, brushing the leaves aside. It was a snare. A small silver wire not lethal for a wolf as big as me, but enough to slow movement and cause pains. Someone was mapping territories and knew just how to corner a prey.
A voice behind me said, “Luca, what are you doing out here?”
I stood slowly and turned.
Mr. Donovan stepped from the trees holding an axe. His eyes were calm and wore an old shirt with some faded jeans. He looked at my hand. “That a snare? I was chopping some wood”
“Yes.”
“Kids messing around.”
“Why would kids buy a silver one? It's way too expensive,” I said.
His smile did not change. “You think someone is playing around?”
“I think someone is stupid.” I did not blink.
Then he laughed. “Gosh! You have been watching too many thrillers. Go home, besides, you look tired. Don't you have basketball practice to get to?”
He walked past me and continued through the trees. Maybe he was innocent or maybe it was all a disguise. My wolf wanted to chase him and my brain wanted more evidence. The bond wanted Aria safe. I sighed, I was just stuck in the middle of all these. I looked at the silver snare again and felt something shift inside me.
Certainty.
The hunter was not passing through Silverpine. They lived here, walked streets I knew, and smiled at neighbors I trusted. And they were getting closer. I slid the snare into a bag and started back toward town, feeling the chill night air brush across my neck. The game had officially begun.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Chapter 20 just dropped some major red flags—Mr. Donovan with an axe? The hunter isn't some shadowy outsider… they're right here in Silverpine and blending in. Luca's wolf is losing it, the bond is tightening, and now he's stuck between protecting Aria and keeping everything from his dad. What do you think—innocent PE teacher or master hunter hiding in plain sight? Drop your wildest thoughts in the comments (no spoilers for later chapters pls 👀). If you're screaming at Luca to tell someone or just run to Aria's house already, add to library so you don't miss the next twist.
Things are about to get very intense… see you in Chapter 21, my lovelies 😘!