Lira Kane's boots sank
into the muddy forest floor, her lungs burning as she hauled Mira through the
fog. Zane Blackwood staggered beside them, his shoulder gushing blood, his gold
eyes scanning the trees for the cloaked figure that had vanished with its
chilling warning: "The eclipse comes." Lira's curse pulsed in her chest, a
heavy throb that echoed the words. Her wounds—claw marks on her arm, leg, and
back—screamed with every step, but fear for Mira and, damn it, even Zane, kept
her moving. The rogues' howls faded, but that humming air, like a storm about
to break, told her the red-eyed creature wasn't done.
"Faster, Kane!" Zane
growled, his voice rough with pain. He gripped his torn side, blood soaking his
jeans, but his alpha strength pushed him forward. His dark hair stuck to his
scarred brow, and Lira hated how his grit made her pulse race. He was her enemy,
the jerk who'd banished her, yet his blood on her hands felt too personal.
"Mira's half-dead," Lira
snapped, her arm around her friend's shaking shoulders. Mira's blond hair was
matted with dirt, her eyes wide with panic. "Ease up, Alpha."
Zane's glare softened,
just a flicker, as he glanced at Mira. "Safehouse is close. Move, or we're all
dead."
Lira's jaw clenched. She
hated his orders, but the cloaked figure's eyes—glinting, human, wrong—haunted
her. Her curse knew something, and it wasn't sharing. "Lead the way,
Blackwood," she muttered, shoving a branch aside.
The fog thinned as they
reached a clearing, a rundown cabin tucked against a cliff. Its wooden walls
were scarred, windows boarded, but Zane's pack scent clung to it—pine and musk.
"Inside," he said, kicking the door open. Dust swirled, and Lira helped Mira
stumble in, her friend collapsing on a creaky cot.
Lira's legs wobbled, blood
dripping from her wounds. She leaned against the wall, catching her breath. The
cabin was bare—two cots, a table, a rusty sink—but it felt safer than the
forest. Zane barred the door, his bloody hands leaving smears. He turned, eyes
locking on Lira's torn arm, then her leg. "You're a mess, Kane."
"Look who's talking," she
shot back, nodding at his shredded shoulder. Blood pooled at his feet, and her
stomach twisted. He'd taken hits for her out there, and it didn't add up.
"Why're you still standing, Alpha? Most guys would be down."
Zane's lips twitched,
almost a smirk. "I'm not most guys." He grabbed a first-aid kit from a shelf,
tossing it to her. "Patch up. You're no use dead."
Lira caught it, her
fingers brushing his, and a spark—blue, warm—flared between them. Her curse
hummed, her skin tingling, and Zane froze, his gold eyes narrowing. "What the
hell is that?" he muttered, staring at her hand.
"No clue," Lira lied,
heart pounding. She yanked her hand back, ignoring the heat in her chest.
Whatever this glow was, it felt too big, too dangerous. Like him.
Mira whimpered, curling up
on the cot. "Are we safe?" Her voice shook, and Lira's guilt stabbed deep. Mira
was human, clueless about Silver Hollow's monsters, and Lira had dragged her
into this.
"For now," Lira said,
kneeling beside her. She opened the kit, pulling out bandages, but her hands
shook, blood loss making her dizzy. Zane crouched next to her, his heat too
close, and took the bandages.
"Let me," he said, voice
low. His fingers brushed her arm, gentle despite his scowl, and Lira's breath
hitched. He wrapped her claw marks, his touch steady, and every graze sent
sparks through her. Her curse buzzed, magic flickering, and she hated how safe
it felt—how he felt.
"Don't get soft on me,
Blackwood," she said, voice sharp to hide her nerves. "I'm not your pack."
His eyes met hers, gold
and fierce. "Good. I don't need another headache." But his hand lingered, and
the air crackled, like the glow was waiting to spark again.
A crash outside shattered
the moment. The cabin shook, wood splintering as claws tore at the door. Lira
jumped up, pain screaming, and Zane growled, claws extending. "Rogues," he
said, sniffing the air. "And something else."
The hum returned, louder,
vibrating the walls. Lira's curse flared, her vision blurring—red eyes, a
bloody symbol, her mother's scream. "It's that thing," she whispered, grabbing
a fire poker from the table. "The red-eyed freak."
Mira screamed as the door
buckled. Zane shoved the table against it, but a claw punched through, grazing
his arm. Blood dripped, and Lira's heart lurched. "Get back!" she yelled,
blasting a firebolt. The blue flame hit the claw, and a rogue yelped, but more
pounded the walls, their howls deafening.
"We can't hold this!" Zane
roared, ripping a board from the window. "Back exit, now!"
Lira grabbed Mira, her
friend's weight heavy, and stumbled to a trapdoor in the floor. Zane yanked it
open, revealing a dirt tunnel. "Go!" he barked, shoving them in. Lira dropped
first, pain blinding as she hit the ground. Mira followed, sobbing, and Zane
landed last, slamming the trapdoor as the cabin's door caved in.
The tunnel was dark, damp,
and tight, the hum echoing like a heartbeat. Lira's magic flickered, lighting
the way, but her wounds slowed her. Zane took the lead, his bloody shoulder
brushing the walls. "Keep up, Kane," he said, voice tight. "This leads to the
cliffs."
"Great," Lira muttered,
sarcasm her shield. "From rogues to a fall. Perfect night."
His growl was half-laugh.
"You're still talking, so you're not dead yet."
The tunnel shook, dirt
raining down. A rogue's claw burst through the ceiling, and Lira screamed,
blasting a firebolt. It hit, but the hum spiked, and the red-eyed creature's
laugh echoed behind them. "It's in the tunnel!" Lira yelled, pushing Mira faster.
Zane spun, claws slashing
the rogue's arm, blood spraying. "Run!" he roared, tackling another that broke
through. Lira's magic surged, fueled by panic, and she blasted the ceiling,
collapsing it on the rogues. Dirt choked the air, but the creature's laugh cut
through, closer.
They burst out onto the
cliffs, the sea crashing below, fog swirling. Lira's legs gave out, and she
dropped, Mira collapsing beside her. Zane stood guard, blood dripping, his
chest heaving. "We're not safe," he growled, eyes scanning the trees.
Lira's curse burned, her
vision flashing—the symbol, blood, her mother's voice: "You're the key." She
gasped, clutching her chest, as the hum became a roar. The fog parted, and the
red-eyed creature emerged, flanked by four shadows, their claws gleaming. But
it wasn't alone—a cloaked figure stood behind, eyes glinting, chanting softly.
Zane's growl rumbled, his
body shielding Lira and Mira. "Stay down, Kane," he said, voice low,
protective. His blood hit the ground, and Lira's heart twisted. He was
half-dead, but he stood for her.
"No way," she said,
staggering up, magic sparking. "I fight my own battles."
His eyes flicked to her, a
spark of respect—or something deeper. "Then don't die, witch."
The creature charged,
shadows at its heels. Zane met it, claws tearing, but a shadow tackled him,
claws raking his back. Lira blasted a firebolt, hitting a shadow, but another
swiped her leg, blood gushing. Mira screamed, and Lira dove, shielding her, pain
blinding.
The cloaked figure's chant
grew, the hum shaking the cliffs. Lira's curse screamed, her vision blurring—a
woman's face, her mother's, and the bloody symbol. "Stop!" Lira yelled,
blasting a firebolt at the figure. It staggered, the chant faltering, and the
creature roared, retreating with its shadows.
Zane collapsed, blood
pooling, his breath ragged. Lira crawled to him, hands shaking as she pressed
his wounds. "Don't you dare die, Blackwood," she whispered, fear choking her.
His blood soaked her, and the blue glow flared, their pulses syncing. His eyes
opened, gold and weak, but alive.
The cloaked figure
vanished, but the fog pulsed, and a new shadow moved—bigger, with red eyes
brighter than before. Lira's curse burned, whispering one truth: it was coming
for her, and it wasn't stopping.