Chapter 3 Hunt Under the Moonlight
Amelia's POV
My mind raced frantically, human thoughts clashing with animal instincts. Run. Hide. Escape. The scent of fear—my own—filled my nostrils, sharper than anything I'd ever experienced. I bolted across the campus garden, legs that weren't mine carrying me faster than I'd ever moved.
Every sense overwhelmed me. I could hear heartbeats—hundreds of them—pounding through walls. The stench of chemicals from the science building made me sneeze. Music from dorm rooms blasted like they were playing inside my skull. But what terrified me most was smelling the fear spreading as people spotted me.
"Holy shit! Is that a fucking wolf?!"
"Someone call campus security!"
"Get inside! Lock the doors!"
Through wolf eyes, the world looked different—muted colors but sharper contrasts. I could see every movement, every shadow. Phones pointed at me as students recorded. No, no, no. A primal part of me understood this was dangerous—being seen, being recorded.
Alarms blared across campus. Red lights flashed from security poles. I darted between buildings, my new body moving with instinctive grace despite my panicked mind. Get away. Get off campus. No witnesses.
I burst through hedges marking the campus boundary and found myself on city streets. Cars screeched to stops. A woman screamed, dropping her groceries. Traffic halted as I sprinted across intersections.
"There's a wolf in the city!" someone shouted behind me.
"Call animal control!"
My heart pounded against my ribs. I didn't choose a direction—I just ran.
Then I caught it—a new scent. Not human. Like me, but different. Stronger, muskier. I glanced back and saw figures moving with unnatural speed through the chaos I'd created. They wore dark clothes, blending into shadows, but moved with predatory purpose. Their eyes glowed momentarily when they passed under streetlights.
Shadow Guard. The knowledge came instinctively, though I'd never seen them before. Enforcers. Protectors of secrecy. Hunters of rule-breakers.
I was breaking the cardinal rule: Never reveal yourself to humans.
One guard reached for his radio: "Young female wolf, likely first transformation. Pursuing on Riverfront Drive. Heading toward the park."
Another responded: "That's the Throne girl. She turns eighteen tomorrow. Trying to contain situation."
How did they know me? My wolf ears caught their words from impossible distances as I pushed myself faster.
"Don't harm her," an older guard commanded. "Guide her to the forest edge. Containment team is already working on witness management and evidence collection."
I followed my instincts, turning toward the city limits where trees thickened. Behind me, the guards worked methodically, collecting phones from bystanders who'd recorded me, creating diversions to direct traffic away.
Then a new scent hit me—familiar and terrifying.
Daniel.
A massive white wolf, larger than any natural animal, burst from between buildings. His fur gleamed under streetlights, muscles rippling as he outpaced the Shadow Guard. His eyes found mine—ice blue, glowing with rage.
He snarled commands at the guards, who immediately slowed their pursuit. Though he didn't speak, I felt his authority press against my mind.
"This is Westbrook family business," a guard translated, backing away.
An older guard hesitated. "Alpha Daniel, this is a public transformation incident. According to Protocol 7 of the Secrecy Act, all exposure events must be formally processed by the Council's Containment Committee. We're obligated to file the report."
Daniel's wolf form growled, baring teeth that could shred bone. The guards retreated, one muttering, "Know your place."
Terror gave me new speed. I didn't understand how to control this body, but survival instinct took over. I raced toward the forest preserve at the city's edge, Daniel's powerful form closing the distance behind me.
Miles away, my brother Nathan sat in his office at Pack headquarters. His pen stopped mid-signature, a strange chill running down his spine.
I crashed through underbrush, branches whipping my fur. My lungs burned. I'd never been this deep in the forest preserve, but my wolf form navigated instinctively, leaping over fallen logs and splashing through streams.
But I was tiring. My first transformation had drained me, and Daniel was stronger, faster, born to this power. He herded me deeper into the woods, away from hiking trails and campsites.
Finally, I collapsed in a small clearing, sides heaving. Daniel circled me slowly, his massive white form blocking any escape route. Then, in a grotesque reversal of my earlier transformation, his wolf form contorted, fur receding as human features emerged.
Daniel stood naked before me, not bothering to dress. His handsome face was twisted with fury.
"Are you trying to destroy me?" he hissed, circling closer. "Transforming on campus? Let the whole fucking city see you?"
I tried to change back, focusing on my human form, but panic kept me locked in wolf shape. My mind screamed commands my body couldn't follow.
Daniel lunged forward, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck and slamming me against a tree. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. His eyes, usually ice blue, burned with a primal rage I'd never witnessed before.
"You stupid, worthless bitch," he spat, his face inches from mine. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? That I wouldn't catch up with you?" Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted, veins bulging at his temples. "Look at the mess you've made! Did you think this was your revenge? Transforming on campus, making a scene for everyone to see? How pathetic!"
He released my neck only to wrap his hand around my throat, squeezing until my vision began to darken at the edges. My wolf form struggled, claws scraping helplessly at his arm.
"You think you matter?" His voice dropped to a terrifying whisper. "You're nothing. A nobody from a nothing family. Just another Omega who should be grateful I even looked your way."
I whimpered, my wolf eyes pleading, but found no mercy in his gaze. Inside my head, human thoughts collided with animal terror. He's going to kill me. He's really going to kill me.
"You've violated our most sacred law," he continued, voice deadly calm as his fingers tightened. His knuckles whitened with the force of his grip. "Public transformation carries severe penalties."
He threw me to the ground, where I landed hard on my side. I tried to scramble away, but he stomped on my ribs, pinning me in place. The pressure was excruciating.
"At first I was just angry," Daniel said, his breathing now eerily controlled. His rage had transformed into something colder, more calculated. "But now I see this is actually... convenient."
His lips curled into a smile that chilled me more than his rage had. "No one questions an Alpha executing a law-breaker. The Council will thank me for maintaining order." He crouched beside me, running a finger almost tenderly along my muzzle. "And when they find your body, torn apart by an Alpha's claws, they'll call it justice."
My heart hammered against my ribcage. I could taste blood in my mouth. The realization crashed over me—this wasn't an idle threat. Daniel had made his decision. I was going to die here.
He stood, rolling his shoulders as his body began to shake. Muscles rippled beneath his skin as he prepared to transform again. "Any last thoughts, Amelia? Not that you can share them."
His bones began to crack as the transformation started. His jaw elongated, teeth sharpening into deadly points. Fur sprouted across his chest as his human shape began to give way to the monster within.
"I should have done this the moment you found out about Vanessa and me," he growled, his voice distorting as his vocal cords changed. "My mistake. Won't happen again."
He raised a partially transformed hand—now more claw than fingers—ready to tear out my throat.
I closed my eyes, a final whimper escaping me.
