Chapter 161

My eyes widened and blood ran cold through my veins. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The dark, hooded figure that had been haunting my mind for weeks had somehow stepped beyond the mental barrier I’d been keeping him in. Either that or he was never a figment of my imagination to behind with...

I didn’t know what to do, let alone think. This brought my whole sanity into question. If I couldn’t determine what was real and what wasn’t, how the hell was I supposed to trust anything?

Was I really seeing this hunter the entire time?

Regardless of the answer, this situation only managed to open up a whole new floodgate of questions. How? How could he have known that this was where I was?

“Impossible,” I whispered.

I was frozen. It felt like my feet were permanently rooted into the ground and I was forced to watch this horrifying nightmare come to life.

Move...I need to move...

What was I going to do?

I felt the burning, fierce strength of my wolf snarl to life. Instinctively, it was telling me to take a stand and fight back. Yet, the other part of me was telling me that I couldn’t.

Having been told numerous times that I needed to keep my identity under wraps, it meant that under no circumstances was I allowed to shift. However, without shifting, my chances of surviving were slim to none at that point.

Something caught my eye as the hunter continued to make his mad dash toward me. I thought it was a trick of light, but the familiar shape of that cursed dagger came straight into view, nearly causing my heart to stop.

Seeing that damn dagger must have struck a cord inside of me because, within seconds, I was moving once more. I turned on my heels and made off like a mad woman through campus. I raced down the main sidewalk, knowing well enough that the hunter was following close behind me.

Please...Oh, please let someone see me running from this psychopath!

If I wasn’t technically able to shift and defend myself, then at least someone else would see that something was wrong and possibly step in to stop it. But it was rather dark out. And I knew that most of the students were back in their dorm rooms and most of the staff had probably already left.

I heard the angered, strained breathing from the man behind me. Before I knew it, I felt the cold touch of his hand on the back of my neck. He clutched the collar of my shirt and hauled me off my feet.

A strangled cry tore my throat as he pulled me to the ground. My bag went flying off to the side and my books and notepads spilled out. I flailed my arms out in an attempt to catch myself but only ended up scraping my hands.

The hunter snatched my shoulder and flipped me onto my back where he proceeded to hold that same ugly dagger above me.

“You thought you could escape me,” he sneered. “With the price on your head being so high, I had no choice but to track you down and finish the job. No way was I going to let that kind of money slip through my fingers.”

My brows lighted as my eyes grew wide. What? Was this man telling me that he was being paid to do this?

This wasn’t personal then. Which means that he’s essentially taking orders for someone. But who?

I continued to struggle against him, refusing to let him believe that I was simply giving in. No. Even if this was going to be the end, I was determined to go down with everything I had.

The corner of his mouth twitched with a grueling smirk. “Where are you little protectors now, huh?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I told you before. Your kind shouldn’t even be alive.”

“How could you even know what I am?” I asked.

“Because I knew who your father was. I know about the pack he once came from.”

“What the hell do you have against the Moon Wolf Pack?”

Right as he was about to answer me, a large dark gray wolf jumped over me to lunge at the hunter head-on. My mouth fell open in fearful shock.

Come on, Ella. Pull yourself together.

I scrambled to get up and make myself scarce. But I couldn’t tear my eyes from the wolf that was snapping its jaw and clawing at the hunter.

I couldn’t recognize the wolf and I knew it wasn’t Liam. This wolf was massive and utterly ruthless in its attack. Surprisingly enough, I wasn’t afraid of it but felt rather akin to it.

The hunter thrashed and fought to get back from the wolf. He sheathed his dagger back into its holster and sneered. The gray wolf remained firmly between the hunter and me.

The man sneered. “You won’t be able to guard her forever. I will finish what I started.”

In response, the wolf let out a monstrous growl as a warning. As soon as the hunter vanished from our sight, the wolf turned to glare back at me.

I titled my head in slow recognition. “...Arthur?”

Within seconds, Arthur shifted back to his human form. My heart thudded slightly in my chest as I noticed his scowl remained fixed on his face even after he shifted back.

Oh, boy. No doubt I was well in for a lecture.

I began gathering my books and placing them back in my bag. Arthur grew closer, I could sense the storm of frustration that was clouding around him. His breathing was ragged from the amount of anger that was rising within him.

“How could you be so fucking reckless?” he asked roughly.

I shot him a glare over my shoulder and started making my way toward my dormitory. “Thanks for your help,” I muttered under my breath.

I was not in the mood to deal with this, not after nearly being killed for a second time. I could sense he was following after me with no intention of giving up the argument.

“Care to tell me what the hell you were doing on the edge of campus so late?” he questioned harshly.

I tried my best to brush him off. Considering it was he who had stepped in at the last moment to save me, he did deserve an explanation. But I really didn’t have it in me to be interrogated. No, what I wanted was to be left alone so that I could contemplate what my next move was going to be.

However, this wasn’t going to fly with Arthur. His large hands circled my arms and yanked me back. He spun me around to face him and pulled me in close till I was pressed firmly against his chest.

“You’re not going to brush me off,” he said tightly. “That may work with Liam, but not with me.”

I could feel my cheeks flush a deep shade of pink. It was strange being this close to Liam, but not unwelcomed. His touch felt natural—the same way that Liam felt.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Well...It may not have been a bad thing, necessarily, but it was certainly different.

“Arthur,” I spoke softly. His eyes searched my face as though the answers to his questions were written across my skin.

He let out another indignant snarl and leaned down to capture my lips in a searing kiss.