Peeking cautiously around the tree again, a sudden blinding flash rips through the darkness-white, searing, violent. I throw an arm over my eyes, but the light scorches my vision, leaving me blind. I stumble backward, crashing onto the damp earth, growling in frustration as ringing fills my ears.
Then comes the sound I dread most-laughter.
I can’t tell how close they are. My wolf can’t pinpoint their direction. My vision is useless, just bursts of red and white behind closed eyelids. I hear their footsteps pounding on the forest floor, twigs snapping beneath their weight, their cruel laughter echoing as if this is some twisted game.
“Cowards!” I snarl into the dark, my voice rough and low. The word bounces off the trees before fading. The footsteps retreat, growing fainter.
As my sight slowly returns, all that remains are the afterimages of the flash and the faint chemical sting still drifting from the creek. Whoever they were, they’ve vanished. I’m not reckless enough to pursue them blind-not when I know what they’re armed with.
I crouch low, fingers pressing into the cool earth, breathing through the surge of anger and adrenaline. My wolf claws at me, desperate to hunt them down, but I silence him with a low growl. Not tonight. Not alone.
“Remy?” Callen’s voice crackles through the link just before I hear him crashing through the brush.
“Over here,” I call out, standing and blinking hard to clear the lingering blur.
Moments later, Callen bursts through the trees, eyes wild with concern. The moment he spots me, he shifts down, his wolf bones melting away as he closes the distance in a few strides. Before I can speak, he pulls me into a fierce hug that knocks the breath from my lungs.
For a brief moment, I let myself be held. My hands rise to grip his back, grounding myself in his familiar scent-a scent that’s always been home. But even this comfort doesn’t soothe me as it once did.
The warmth that used to settle between us, the quiet calm of knowing exactly where we stood-it’s fractured now. Paige fills the space between us effortlessly, and the realization tightens my chest. I hate that I can’t find the same solace here anymore. Hate that what once felt whole now seems only half.
Callen pulls back, his eyes searching mine, still wild with worry. “You’re okay?”
“Yeah,” I rasp, throat dry and raw. “Flash bomb. Must’ve been loaded with silver dust or something. It didn’t last long, but it was enough.”
Callen’s jaw clenches, his gaze flickering toward the trees behind me. “Did you see who it was?”
I shake my head. “No. Just heard their laughter. They wanted me to know they were here.”
He swears under his breath, low and vicious, then taps into the mind-link. “Everyone, head to my position at North Creek. Bring containment kits and UV filters. We’ve got contamination and possible exposure.”
Confirmations ripple through the pack link. Within minutes, the patrol team arrives, Ryder among them.
“What the hell happened?” Ryder asks, crouching beside the stream.
I nod toward the water. “They’ve poisoned it. It smells like the same compound Jake found on the bullets. I caught the scent just before I was about to drink. Then they shot at me-a warning shot before the flash bomb.”
“Poisoning running water…” Ryder mutters, eyes scanning the creek. “That’s not reckless. That’s calculated.”
“Exactly,” Callen agrees grimly. “They’ve got someone who knows what they’re doing. Someone with access to chemicals and supplies. Hunters usually don’t get this sophisticated.”
I crouch beside him, eyes tracing the water’s faint shimmer under the moonlight. “There has to be something upstream. Some kind of dispersal device. I was searching for it when I ran into them.”
Ryder exhales slowly, his breath misting in the cold air. “We’ll bring Jake out here at first light. For now, pull patrols back from the border. Keep it tight and avoid all water sources.”
As the others plan a new patrol route, my gaze catches a glint of metal half-buried near where I first crouched.
“There,” I say, pointing.
Callen approaches carefully, using a stick to nudge the object for a better look.
“Looks like the same make as the others,” he mutters, turning it over. “They want to remind us what they’re capable of.”
I nod, jaw tight. “Or warn us. They want us paranoid, on edge.”
Ryder’s eyes flick to me. “It’s working.”
We stand in heavy silence, the forest around us unnervingly still. Even the wildlife seems to hold its breath.
“Let’s head back,” Callen finally says. “We’ll report to Jake and tighten patrols until we know more. It’s not safe out here right now. We can do the tests tomorrow in daylight.”
The group begins to shift back, the sound of cracking bones echoing softly. I linger a moment longer in human form, glancing toward the treeline where the laughter had echoed.
Nothing stirs, but I can feel it-the sense of unseen eyes watching, waiting. Whoever they are, they’re not finished.
I shift back, falling in step with the others as we race through the trees toward home. The laughter, the flash, the mocking footsteps replay endlessly in my mind. Something is changing. The hunters aren’t just desperate anymore. They’re provoking us, escalating. And if they’re targeting our water supply, that means only one thing-they’re preparing for war.
**Paige’s POV**
The sound of hurried footsteps pulls me from sleep. Heavy, fast, urgent-each step echoes through the quiet house.
For a brief moment, I wonder if it’s just a dream, but then faint whispers drift up from downstairs. The voices are low, serious-nothing like the usual morning chatter. A tight knot forms in my stomach. Something isn’t right.
I slip out of bed, grabbing Ryder’s hoodie draped over the chair and pulling it over my head. Barefoot, I pad softly to the landing. The air feels thick, charged, like the calm before a storm. From below, fragments of conversation reach me.
“…in the water,” one voice says. “Jake’s already been called.”
A cold shiver runs down my spine.
By the time I reach the kitchen, Ryder stands by the counter, shirtless, his broad shoulders tense and rigid. Callen paces back and forth, restless. Remy leans against the doorway to the porch, his damp hair sticking to his forehead, a towel draped around his neck. Parker busies himself brewing coffee.
All four turn toward me as I enter.
Ryder’s face softens immediately when he sees me, but the strain in his eyes is impossible to hide. “You should’ve stayed upstairs, angel. It’s still too early for this.”
“What’s going on?” My voice feels fragile, barely above a whisper.
Remy looks away before Ryder answers, and that small gesture unsettles me deeply. Remy never avoids my gaze without a reason.
“The hunters,” Ryder says at last. “They’ve poisoned North Creek.”
My breath catches in my throat. “Poisoned? Like… the same thing that-“
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