Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Sable’s POV
The howl sound cut through the air like a blade.
It was long, haunting, and powerful enough to make the ground underneath my feet feel colder.
Every conversation around the courtyard died instantly.
Students who had been whispering moments ago now stood frozen, their eyes wide as they turned toward the forest surrounding Moonridge University.
A strange chill crawled up my spine.
I didn’t know why that sound frightened me so much, but something deep inside my chest twisted painfully the moment it echoed across the campus.
"What.....was that?", I whispered.
No one answered me.
Leonidas’ arm was still holding me upright, his grip firm but careful as if he was afraid I might collapse again. His body had gone completely rigid.
The calm confidence he carried earlier had vanished, replaced by something far more serious.
Alertness.
Beside him, Zander’s playful expression had disappeared too. The vampire was now staring towards the distant tree line with narrowed eyes.
Even Caius looked different to me.
His gaze was locked on the forest, his calm mask cracking just enough for me to notice the tension in his jaw.
"They're early".
His quiet words made my stomach twist.
"Early?", I repeated weakly.
"Who’s early?".
No one answered.
The silence was suffocating.
Another cold wind swept through the courtyard, rustling the leaves of the tall trees surrounding the campus.
And suddenly I felt it again.
That strange pressure.
It started deep inside my chest like a pulse, spreading slowly through my body.
Warm.
Heavy.
Powerful.
My breathing grew uneven.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"I...don’t feel good", I murmured.
Leonidas looked down at me instantly.
His sharp eyes studied my face, concern flickering across them.
"You’re burning up", he said quietly.
"I’m fine", I tried to insist.
But the moment I spoke, my knees nearly gave out again.
Leonidas tightenedis his hold on my arm before I could fall.
My vision blurred slightly.
The world around me felt.... louder.
Too loud.
I could hear things I shouldn’t be able to hear.
Heartbeats.
Footsteps.
Even the wind moving through the trees.
"What’s happening to me?" I whispered.
Zander answered before anyone else could.
"The suppressants are failing".
My head snapped toward him.
"Suppressants?"
His red eyes studied me
carefully.
"That bitter tea your brother gives you every morning", he said calmly. “It’s not medicine".
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean?”
Before Zander could answer, Caius spoke sharply.
“That’s enough”.
His voice carried an authority that made several students nearby flinch.
But Zander only smiled faintly.
“You really thought no one would notice eventually?” he asked lazily.
Caius’ eyes darkened.
“I said enough.”
The tension between them was thick enough to choke on.
I looked between them, confused and frightened.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “What tea? It’s just medicine!”
Neither of them answered.
Instead, Leonidas’ attention suddenly snapped back toward the forest.
His entire body stiffened.
My heartbeat quickened.
“What is it?” I asked.
For a moment, he didn’t speak.
Then his voice came out low and dangerous.
“They’re getting closer.”
A ripple of panic moved through the courtyard.
Several students suddenly backed away, whispering anxiously to each other.
Some of them looked terrified.
Others looked… excited.
I didn’t understand any of it.
“Someone explain what’s happening,” I said desperately.
Caius finally looked at me.
For the first time since this chaos started, something close to worry flickered across his face.
“Sable,” he said quietly,
“you need to leave.”
“What?”
“Now.”
Leonidas’ grip on my arm tightened.
“She’s not going anywhere.”
The two men locked eyes.
The tension between them became suffocating.
Caius’ voice remained calm, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it.
“You don’t understand the situation.”
“And you do?” Leonidas shot back coldly.
Zander chuckled softly beside us.
“This is getting entertaining.”
Neither of them paid him any attention.
I felt dizzy again.
The strange pressure in my chest grew stronger, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
It felt like something inside me was waking up.
Something big.
Something powerful.
I grabbed Leonidas’ sleeve weakly.
“Something’s wrong,” I whispered.
My voice trembled.
He looked down at me again, his expression tightening.
“I know.”
The wind shifted suddenly.
And with it—
A new scent filled the air.
Sharp.
Metallic.
Dangerous.
Leonidas’ wolf reacted instantly.
I could see it in the way his eyes darkened.
“Hunters,” he growled.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Hunters?”
Before anyone could explain further, a loud crash echoed from the direction of the forest.
Students screamed.
Several heads turned toward the sound just as a group of dark figures burst through the tree line.
They moved fast.
Too fast.
Cloaked in black gear, their faces partially hidden behind masks.
Weapons glinted in their hands.
Silver.
Even I could recognize that.
Fear exploded through the courtyard.
“Run!” someone shouted.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Students scattered in every direction, panic spreading like wildfire.
Some of them moved in ways that didn’t look human.
Faster.
Stronger.
Almost animal-like.
My head spun as I tried to process everything happening around me.
“Stay behind me,” Leonidas ordered.
His body shifted slightly in front of mine, positioning himself between me and the approaching hunters.
Zander stepped forward too, his expression suddenly cold.
“Well,” he murmured. “This escalated quickly.”
Caius’ voice cut through the noise.
“Sable.”
I looked at him.
His gaze was intense.
“You need to leave with me. Right now.”
Before I could respond, one of the hunters suddenly raised a crossbow.
Time seemed to slow.
The weapon was aimed directly at me.
“Sable—!” Leonidas shouted.
The arrow flew.
Leonidas moved faster than my eyes could follow.
He grabbed me and twisted sharply.
The silver arrow slammed into the pavement where I had been standing seconds earlier.
The impact sent sparks flying.
My breath caught in my throat.
“That was meant for you,”
Zander said calmly.
Panic clawed at my chest.
“Why are they attacking me?!”
No one answered.
Another arrow flew from the trees.
This time Leonidas caught it mid-air with his bare hand.
The silver tip burned his skin.
Smoke rose faintly from his palm.
But he didn’t let go.
His eyes had turned dangerously bright.
“Everyone stay back,” he growled.
More hunters were emerging from the forest now.
At least a dozen.
Maybe more.
And every single one of them was staring directly at me.
Fear twisted into something heavier inside my chest.
The strange power building inside me pulsed violently again.
My heartbeat raced.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Something inside me was trying to break free.
“I can’t...” I gasped.
Leonidas looked down at me quickly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel somehow strange”, My voice shook.
The pressure inside my chest exploded outward suddenly.
An invisible wave of energy surged through the courtyard.
Several nearby students gasped.
A few dropped to their knees instantly.
Leonidas froze.
His muscles tensed violently as if he was fighting against something invisible.
My eyes widened.
“What’s happening?!”
Zander’s voice came out low and fascinated.
“There it is.”
“What?” I demanded.
He looked directly at me.
“The Omega.”
The word echoed strangely in my head.
Omega.
I didn’t understand what it meant.
But the moment he said it, something inside me reacted.
The power surged again.
Stronger this time.
More wolves across the courtyard suddenly lowered their heads.
Even Leonidas’ breathing became heavier.
His jaw clenched tightly as he struggled to stay standing.
“Control it,” he growled through his teeth.
“I don’t know how!”
The hunters were watching all of this with sharp attention.
One of them spoke into a small device.
“We’ve confirmed the target.”
Target.
My blood ran cold.
Another hunter raised a weapon.
But this time, it wasn’t aimed at me.
It was aimed at Leonidas.
The shot rang out.
A silver bullet tore through the air.
Leonidas shoved me behind him just as it struck his shoulder.
He grunted in pain.
“Leonidas!” I cried.
The smell of blood filled the air.
Something inside me snapped.
The power exploded outward again.
A force so strong it knocked several hunters backward.
The wind howled violently through the courtyard.
My heart pounded wildly.
And suddenly—
Every wolf in the area dropped to their knees.
Even Leonidas.
My eyes widened in horror.
“I didn’t mean to—”
But the words caught in my throat.
Because the hunters weren’t retreating.
They were smiling.
One of them stepped forward slowly.
His eyes locked onto me with chilling excitement.
“We finally found her.”
My chest tightened.
“What do you want from me?” I whispered.
The man lifted his weapon calmly.
“You.”
Before anyone could react—
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the forest behind them.
The ground shook violently.
Everyone turned toward the sound in shock.
And from the darkness between the trees—
Something massive began to emerge.
Leonidas’ wolf roared inside him.
Zander’s eyes widened slightly.
Even Caius’ expression went completely still.
Because whatever was coming out of that forest....
Was not human.
And it was heading straight for me.