Chapter 98 98
AIDAN
I run, the forest opening beneath my feet, branches tearing at my arms. The human border is close, and I don’t look back. I can’t. The air burns my lungs, the city’s noise still buzzing in my ears. I have to get out of here, reach Lois. My legs drive forward, fast—faster than they should—and the collar around my neck vibrates, cold, keeping me hidden.
I reach the edge, tall trees casting shadow over me, and I stop, crouching behind a bush. I look. To the east, vampire territory burns—living flames devouring everything, a red wall lighting the sky with black smoke. But straight ahead, the human border is sealed. Men like the ones from the city form lines, dark armor gleaming under the sun, long weapons pointed at the forest. They guard their perimeter, masks reflecting the light, steps steady. They don’t scare me. What unsettles me is the smell. Strong, like burning incense, but heavier. It smells of death.
I stay still, my eyes sweeping their formation. I search for a gap, an opening to cross into wolf territory without stepping into that hell of fire. Then I see them. Five figures among the men—younger, different. Brown leather clothing, fitted, no heavy armor. Three men and one woman. The smell comes from them, thick, suffocating, climbing up my nose into my throat. I look at the men, their bodies covered in markings that aren’t tattoos. Curved lines, strange angles, engravings I recognize. I saw them on the shelter door—carved, glowing. My skin prickles.
I look at the woman. Blonde hair falling loose, pale face, young. Her eyes lift and lock onto mine. Impossible. She’s far away, on the other side of the line, between the trees and the sunlight. She can’t see me. But she does. I know it. Her hand rises, pointing at me, and the four others snap their heads toward me, precise, as if they heard a gunshot.
“There,” one says, low, sharp.
I don’t think. I run—straight toward them. If I cut through the middle, I can reach the wolves without touching vampire land. My legs eat the distance, wind roaring in my ears, and I watch them grow larger, their shapes closing in. I pass between them, my shoulders brushing leather, and I turn my face, inches from the woman’s. Her blue eyes pierce me, cold, and her mouth opens.
“Aidan,” she says, and her voice is a blade that slices me open.
My head spins. How does she know my name? My stride falters for a second, but I don’t stop. I leave her behind, the ground changing under my feet, and I cross. Alpha Thorne’s territory. Wolf land. But there’s no relief. A growl rumbles, and ten wolves burst from the shadows—huge, ferocious, fangs gleaming like daggers. Black, gray, bodies coiled, yellow eyes fixed on me.
“Intruder!” one howls, and his paws slam the earth.
I run, full speed, the forest trembling around me. But they don’t fall behind. They chase, ten shadows at my sides, matching me, claws slicing the air. They know what I am. I don’t know how, but they know. The collar makes me smell like wolf, but something in me ignites them, and their fangs hunt my flesh.
I imagine everyone already knows… A vampire lived among them.
One leaps, jaws wide, and I twist, dodging by a hair. Another comes from the left, claws raking my arm, and blood drips, hot, to the ground. I growl, running, but they don’t stop. Ten massive beasts, their howls ringing like war drums. One slams into me, body crashing against mine, and I fall, rolling across the earth. I scramble up, limping, and leap into a tree, hands gripping a branch.
“Get down!” one roars, and his fangs snap beneath my feet.
I climb, fast, bark cutting my palms, and launch myself to another tree, body swinging between branches. The wolves jump, claws tearing wood, growls filling the air. One catches my leg, teeth grazing me, and I kick free. I keep going, branch to branch, the forest thickening, canopies closing over me like a roof.
“He won’t escape!” another howls, and paws pound the ground below.
I don’t look. My breath cuts short, arms shaking, but I push on. The trees crowd tighter, branches crisscrossing, and the howls blend, growing distant. I leap one last time, dropping to the ground, knees sinking into damp earth. The forest is denser here, a green wall wrapping around me. I’ve lost them. Silence falls, heavy, broken only by my gasping.
I lean against a trunk, chest heaving fast. My arm bleeds, my leg throbs, and I glance back, expecting fangs. Nothing. The wolves are gone. But that woman… her voice saying my name. Aidan. What was that? My head pounds, the smell of death still in my nose, and my hands tremble. I understand nothing. I only know I have to keep going, reach Lois.