Chapter 156

For the first time in my life, I felt like a predator. A hunter. A wild animal that was eager to chase down its prey.

The pure adrenaline that was coursing through my system was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was addictive.

The way the air rushed through my hair I felt like I was flying it was a sensation I never wanted to stop. I never knew I could be so fast. But not fast enough...

I knew there was someone stalking the group of us back at the library. I could hear the ongoing, distinctive shutter of their camera. They weren’t being slick about it.

What surprised me was how neither Liam nor Arthur was able to hear it. Maybe it had something to do with the abilities that were slowly coming in. I knew for at least a couple of weeks, a lot of my senses were going to be hyper-sensitive.

No matter, I was determined to track this person down and demand that they delete that damn media account. What right did they have to invade my privacy and publicize it all over the internet? Zero.

When I bolted out of my chair, I knew I evidently ended up causing a scene. I did my best to dodge anyone who may have fallen into my path the best I could, but there was only so much I could avoid.

Arthur and Liam were frantically rushing after me, demanding to know what the hell was going on. But I wasn’t about to stop to explain to them what I was doing.

So, I kept running. And it wasn’t as if I was chasing some mere shadow. The second I took off, my eyes were locked on a slim figure wearing a dark hoodie to mask their identity.

Once they realized that I was planning on chasing after them, they tried to put as much distance between us as possible.

Somehow this excited me. The creature that was slowly coming to life within me was thrilled at the concept of chasing this unknown person down. When I had shoved through those library doors, I was able to know exactly which direction this stalker was heading in.

I paid zero mind to anyone else around me as I tore through the campus in my pursuit.

“Ella!” Liam shouted out.

Arthur growled in demand. “Stop running!”

No. I had no intention of stopping or even letting up. I knew the two of them were picking up speed behind me. Much like my moving target, I couldn’t let them reach me either.

If either Liam or Arthur managed to reach me, they were going to make me stop. And I couldn’t let that happen. I pressed on.

As I passed the various academic buildings, I managed to catch a glimpse of certain people who had no idea what was going on. Bonnie, whose eyes were wide with shock, was just coming out of the science building and jumped out of the way.

“Ella? What are you doing?!” she called out.

As I rounded the corner, I noticed Olivia walking with a small group of her friends. She also wore the same expression as Bonnie and the others.

“What the hell?”

“Ella, for fuck’s sake! Stop running!” Arthur snarled.

A massive surge of anger and defiance raced up my spine. “NO!!” I shouted out.

The hooded person made it beyond the campus and headed toward the heavily wooded area in the back. It didn’t matter. I had been in these woods before and nothing was going to stop me.

I could feel it in my bones—a kind of certainty that made me believe I was right about this person. I knew they had to be the one responsible for that media account.

But what I didn’t know was how I was going to react once I got my hands on them...The energy that was flooding through my system was a mixture of vexation and pure rage. Was I going to have the ability to suppress it once I uncovered their identity? Or were things going to end up getting violent?

No! My intentions aren’t to hurt this person...I just want them to stop taking photos of me and posting them.

While my head tried to stay clear, the feeling in my chest was telling me otherwise. This intense feeling was telling me that there was no room for a peaceful resolution. My wolf wanted to tear this person apart.

Thousands of shivers broke out over my body. All the air had caught in my lungs. The second I felt myself begin to shift, I forced my body to stop moving. I nearly threw myself off my feet to keep from going any further.

I knew the chase was important, but I needed to keep a low profile and prevent any more news about my wolf from getting out.

The anger I felt now was directed completely at myself. The wolf inside of me was thoroughly pissed off with my decision and had no problem letting me know. It snarled and hissed.

“Son of a bitch!!” My voice came out strained and sounded inhuman. “I WILL FIND YOU!!”

When Arthur and Liam finally managed to catch up with me, they gave me an identical look of shock and confusion.

“Ella,” Liam said breathlessly. “What the hell is going on?”

“You can’t just take off like that,” Arthur said weakly while catching his breath.

I kept my gaze fixed on the direction I had last seen the person running in. Regret swelled in the pit of my stomach. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. When I felt the twin flicker of warmth from their hands, resting on my shoulders, I let the tension melt from my muscles.

“What happened?”

“I heard them...I heard them taking pictures of us in the library.” They both gave me a bewildered look. “The person who created that damn social media page about us. They were in the library, trying to take more pictures.”

Their confusion turned to shock while twisting with bitterness.

“Did you get a good look at them?”

I sighed in defeat and shook my head. “Hardly. They were wearing a hood over their head.”

Arthur grimaced. “Wait. What about their scent? Did they give off any sort of distinguishable smell?”

I took a moment to think. “The smell was a little musty, stale...Like, he was wearing day-old clothes.”

“Sounds like a basic student,” Liam muttered.

“Anything else?”

“Worn leather and...A strange citrusy smell.”

“As in perfume?”

“Do you think this so-called stalker could be a girl?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. The scent is faint...But it was definitely there.”

This person possessed a lean frame, but that wasn’t enough to clarify whether or not they were male or female. And their scent, as Arthur had brought up, gave no clear indication of anything either.

For a brief moment, Arthur and Liam gazed at me with devoted amazement.

“What?”

Liam deepened his smile. “Ella, you don’t realize how fast you’ve run.”

“Your senses are sharper and are really trying to push through,” Arthur noted with a hint of pride.

I felt my cheeks flush and waved off their comments. “Come on, let’s go back to the library.”

By the time we made it back to our spot, we were joined by Bonnie and Olivia who demanded to know why I was running through campus. After telling them what happened, we all returned to our previous reading.

Unfortunately, my mind was focused on the chase I had just given up.

Perhaps with these growing abilities, I’ll have what it takes to face the other hooded figure that's been trying to hunt me down.