The Sound of the Hunt - Austin

The Sound of the Hunt - Austin
“We need to move. Now.”
She didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the book, tucked it against her chest, and together we rushed to the door. I waited for her to step through, then she twisted the lock behind us—sealing the office, sealing the dagger away from anyone who might try to touch it.
By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, the house was already stirring. A low alarm bell tolled through the halls—three measured rings, then silence. Every warrior in the pack knew that signal: incoming threat, high alert.
“I’ll handle the women and children,” Elara called as we hit the foyer. “Get them to the cellar, lock it down. We’ll make it safe here.”
I nodded, heart pounding. “We only saw ten with him, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more. Assume there are.”
She met my gaze for a split second, fierce and determined. “Then we’ll be ready for all of them.”
Without thinking, I reached for her, cupping the back of her neck and pulling her close for a kiss that burned too quickly. The taste of her lingered, steadying me. “Stay safe,” I murmured against her lips.
“You too,” she whispered.
Then we broke apart—she turned toward the east wing, already calling out orders to the omegas and the healers, while I sprinted toward the door and out into the open.
The cold air hit my lungs like fire.
Across the field, the pack was already mobilizing. Leo had done what he did best—turn chaos into control. Wolves and humans alike were moving with purpose, weapons gleaming under the gray sky. Communication lines were up, and the scent of iron and earth filled the air.
“Status,” I barked as I approached.
Leo jogged over from the command tent, headset looped around his neck. “Scouts are out. I’ve got units spread along the tree line, snipers in the west ridge, and traps being laid in the ravine. Marcus is running the secondary defense near the northern approach.”
He paused, scanning the horizon. “We’ll hold them, Alpha. Even if there are more than ten.”
I nodded, pride cutting through the tension for a heartbeat. “Good work. Keep them tight and quiet—we’ll catch them off guard.”
Within minutes, two scouts came sprinting through the grass, panting, their fur bristled. One shifted mid-run, skin gleaming with sweat. “Alpha! Ten confirmed,” he said, chest heaving. “All rogues. Taylor’s with them, leading the charge. They’re about fifteen minutes out—maybe less.”
A low growl escaped my throat. “Any others behind them?”
The scout shook his head. “None that we could scent. But—” He hesitated. “The smell around them is strange. It’s… wrong. Like decay and lightning.”
Dark magic. The thought snapped through me before I could stop it. I glanced toward Leo, who only grimaced and gave a small nod. He’d felt it too.
“Keep your lines spread,” I ordered. “They’ll try to flank us. And if Taylor’s carrying even a fraction of that book’s energy, he’s not coming alone in spirit.”
Leo’s eyes hardened. “Understood. We’ve set snares along the slope—barbed and with wolfsbane. They won’t expect it.”
That earned a grin from me, even through the dread clawing at my gut. “Good. Let’s make them regret crossing our border.”
As the last preparations were set, I could feel the tension rise. The pack fell silent, the world narrowing to the sound of breathing, the soft clink of metal, and the rustle of grass in the wind.
We didn’t have long.
I crouched low behind a rock outcrop overlooking the southern field. My claws itched to come out, my wolf restless beneath the surface. The sky above was heavy with clouds, the kind that promised rain—or blood.
And then it hit me.
A pull.
Soft, then sharp.
Through the bond.
Elara.
Her emotions flared in my chest—fear, focus, that hum of energy that always preceded the impossible. My stomach twisted as realization hit.
She was back in the book.
Without me.
“Damn it,” I hissed under my breath, standing abruptly.
Leo, from his crouched position a few feet away, looked over sharply. “Austin? What is it?”
“Elara,” I said, already scanning the horizon though I knew she wasn’t out there. “She’s in the book again.”
Leo’s face went pale. “What do you mean, in it?”
“She went back into the vision,” I said through gritted teeth. “Without me this time. The connection’s weaker—I can barely feel her.”
For a heartbeat, Leo’s composure slipped. “Can you pull her out?”
I closed my eyes, reaching along the bond. Usually, her presence was a steady pulse—soft and warm, like sunlight through water. But now it was distant, faint, as though she were somewhere far beyond reach.
“She’s… alive,” I murmured, forcing the words past the knot in my throat. “But she’s not here. It’s like she’s buried in another time.”
“Do you think it’s the dagger?” Leo asked.
“Maybe,” I said quietly. “Or maybe the book doesn’t want to be silent anymore.”
He swore softly under his breath. “What do you want to do?”
I hesitated for half a heartbeat, torn between duty and instinct. My wolf wanted to turn around, storm the house, and drag her out of whatever she’d done. But my people were out here, waiting for me. And Taylor was closing in.
“She told me once,” I said finally, eyes still fixed on the horizon, “that sometimes the only way to protect a pack is to trust someone else to protect you.”
Leo nodded slowly. “Then you trust her now.”
I gave a grim smile. “And pray she doesn’t throttle me when she gets back.”
The first howl rose then—long and furious. The rogues had crossed the ridge. Ten dark shapes moved through the trees, fast and low, kicking up dirt and leaves as they came. Taylor led them, taller than the rest, his eyes burning with a strange, unnatural gleam.
“Positions!” I shouted, the word echoing across the field.
Wolves shifted all around me, the air filled with the rip and crack of transformation. Fur, claws, teeth—the pack was ready.
I felt the burn of the shift rip through me, my vision sharpening, the scent of blood already heavy on the wind.
Hold the line, I sent through the link, my voice steady even though my pulse was wild. We end this here.
Leo moved beside me, a shadow at my flank. The traps were set, the border reinforced, and the rogues were closing fast.
But beneath it all, beneath the fury and the fear, my thoughts stayed tethered to Elara—my Luna, my heart—somewhere lost in a story that had already claimed too many lives.
And as the first rogue broke through the brush, I swore silently to the moon above:
Whatever hell she was walking through inside that book, I would make sure there was a world left for her to wake up to.