Chapter Eleven: Caleb's POV
Upon entering the room, I saw that everything was still quite the same. He was on the bed, nurses and doctors moving around quietly.
The old man looked frail, defeated—like Death himself was already whispering to him. After the attack by the Thorns, everything had gone downhill.
They'd first attacked a rival pack. Back then, our pack, Silver Pack, and theirs were the three strongest in the region. Always at each other's throats, never one backing down.
I'd been playing with toys that day, sitting on the balcony near my room, when I looked up and saw bloodied, beaten people staggering toward our gates. Then, I wasn't living in the pack house yet. My father—the Alpha—had rushed out, his presence filling the air like thunder, and told the omegas to get the doctors.
But the people refused treatment. Their eyes were wild, haunted. I'd crept downstairs, hiding behind one of the pillars near my mother's rose garden. The scent of the flowers helped mask mine; the perfect cover. Eavesdropping was a skill I'd perfected. If my father found out, he'd move the meeting to his office, and I liked being in the know—even at fifteen.
My father's voice was sharp. "Alpha David, what happened?"
The visiting guard—one from Silver Pack—was panting hard, bleeding through his torn uniform. "Alpha… we were attacked. They came out of nowhere. Some looked rogue, but they weren't—they fought in formations, like soldiers. Their claws were laced with silver and wolfsbane. They had no scent. We thought that was it until the next wave came." His voice trembled. "The stronger ones—fast, silent, deadly. We called them Shadow Hunters. But then… the third tier appeared."
He swallowed hard. "They didn't die. No matter what we did. Their laughter—gods, their laughter—wasn't human. They moved like smoke, like nightmares with teeth. We realized too late what they were." He looked up, eyes wide with fear. "Oni."
My father froze, expression darkening. "Oni? You mean the creatures that haven't existed since Helena's time?"
"We thought so too," the guard said, shaking. "But Alpha, we saw their faces. Their skin was black and crimson, veins glowing like molten cracks. Horns curling from their temples, eyes burning gold. They bled smoke. They tore through our warriors like paper."
Silence fell heavy in the room.
My father mind-linked the warriors immediately. Within minutes, a quarter of our pack assembled outside. The air smelled like rain and tension as they got into vehicles and left with the guard.
I sat there trembling. Helena. Oni. Those names tickled the edges of my memory—then it hit me. Grandfather's story.
Helena was the Moon Goddess's creation—pure light, born to bring balance. But she fell for a demon. Love corrupted her.
When he died—killed by some unknown hand—she broke. In her grief, the demon gave her the gift of summoning Oni—demons bound in flesh. They brought ruin to every realm: wolves, witches, vampires, humans. The Moon Goddess responded by creating the Red Wolf, a being whose power could match Helena's, and sealed a forbidden soul inside her.
The Red Wolf loved a great Alpha, and together they fought to protect everyone from Helena's wrath. But love became their downfall. Nobody knows what happened—only that the White Wolf was sealed away, and both the Alpha and Red Wolf died.
I'd always thought it was a bedtime story. Until today.
A sharp voice cut through my thoughts.
"Alpha! Caleb!!!"
I blinked. Daniel.
"Yes?"
"Caleb, Hazel's gone!"
"What?!" I snarled, the words tearing from my throat. "I gave strict orders—how the hell did she escape?!"
Adam—my wolf—roared in my mind. "Let's go find her. Now!"
I called for five guards and Daniel to follow. Lucien stayed behind to manage the pack. My mind was spinning.
She couldn't have gotten out through the gates. So how?
The tunnels. But those were only accessible to high-ranking members.
"She had help," Adam growled.
"Then it must be a guard or council member," I muttered, heading into the forest.
The scent hit me instantly. Blood. Fear. Her scent underneath—sweet, wild, electric.
The forest pulsed around me like a heartbeat that wasn't mine. Hazel's.
"She's here," Adam rumbled.
I didn't reply. I was already running.
A scream echoed ahead—deep, guttural. Not hers.
The shift tore through me mid-stride, bones cracking, muscles stretching, fur exploding across my skin as Adam surged forward.
We hit the first Shadow Wolf before it could blink—my claws slicing its chest open. It crumpled, twitching.
Shadow Wolves were nightmares reborn—wolves corrupted by dark magic. Their fur shimmered like oil in the moonlight, eyes empty black. They didn't howl. They whispered. Every step was silent until it wasn't, until it was too late.
Adam licked his muzzle. "One."
We moved like a storm, silent and merciless. Two more fell before I caught sight of her.
Hazel.
She was standing in a small clearing, breathing hard, surrounded by bodies. Her hair—red like firelight—was tangled, streaked with blood. Her torn clothes clung to her like a second skin. Her stance was feral. Defiant. Beautiful.
She was cornered between three Shadow Wolves and four Oni. The Oni towered—eight feet of solid muscle and darkness, skin rippling like obsidian glass, golden eyes glowing through cracked faces. Their claws dripped molten black ichor that hissed when it hit the ground.
Hazel stood her ground, a smirk tugging her lips. She looked exhausted but wild, like she could take on the world just out of spite.
Something twisted in my chest. Rage. Pride. Lust. All tangled together.
A Shadow lunged, and I was there before it touched her—my claws ripping through its side. Blood sprayed across my chest. Hazel spun, ready to fight, then froze.
"Move," I growled.
"You think I need your help?" she spat, eyes blazing.
"You're surrounded."
"Then let them come." Her lip bled as she grinned. "I'm done running, Caleb. From you. From anyone."
Adam purred in my head. "Perfect."
"Shut up," I muttered.
Hazel darted forward, ducking under a strike and stabbing a dagger into an Oni's gut. It screamed—a sound that felt like glass shattering in my ears. I joined her, driving silver through the heart of another Oni. Its body convulsed, then turned to ash.
Minutes later, silence fell. Blood slicked the ground. Moonlight filtered through broken branches. She wiped her mouth, breathing hard.
"You done saving me now?" she asked dryly.
I stepped closer. "You think that was saving you? Those were bounty wolves, rogues, Shadow Hunters—and Oni. They weren't after me."
Her smirk faltered. "Then who?"
"I don't know," I said, voice low. "But I'll find out. Next time, don't run off alone."
She raised her chin, eyes defiant. "Why? Don't tell me you've fallen for me already. You don't own me, Alpha."
The bond pulsed between us—hot, sharp, alive. I could feel her heartbeat matching mine.
"No," I said softly. "But I could've lost you tonight."
She looked away, her voice small but steady. "I didn't ask you to care."
The moonlight kissed her hair, silver and red. Her scent—wild, maddening—coiled around me.
Adam murmured, "She's starting to see us."
"Don't," I warned him.
Hazel slung her bag over her shoulder. "Don't follow me."
I let her go. Watched her disappear between the trees, every muscle in my body screaming to chase her.
When she was gone, I looked down at the corpses. One of the Shadows had a symbol branded into its arm—an ancient mark. Twisted. Familiar.
The same sigil carved into my grandfather's old seal.
"So it's true," I whispered. "You're still moving your pieces, old man."
Adam's growl was low and feral. "Then it's war."
"Not yet," I said, wiping the blood from my hands. "First, we find out who else he's playing."
The dawn was breaking, pale light cutting through the mist. Hazel's scent still lingered on the wind.
"She's changing," Adam murmured.
"I know."
"So we're just letting her leave?"
"I wanted to take her back," I said quietly. "Torture her. But you stopped me."
Adam huffed. "Me? Nah, that was all you, buddy. You like her. You're just hiding behind old grudges. She's not her parents."
I shut him out before he could say more.
No. She wasn't escaping again.
I quickened my pace—and went after her.