THE ALPHA’S DAUGHTER 23_When The Moon Hides Her Crown

Chapter 23 Empty–handed

 SERAPHINA

 Perhaps the Goddess had taken my words too seriously during the challenge, when I’d wondered how much worse things could get. Now, I was being chased by four disgusting werewolves, their snarls echoing through the trees like a death knell..

 Worse being seen by Dante, and ahead of me stood a massive figure. A regal, ck wolf loomed in the clearing, carved from the shadows of midnight itself, blood dripping from his maw. A tiger. Dead and broken,y at his feet.

 My heart seized as our eyes locked.

 Time halted. The forest held its breath..

 He didn’t move, but he saw me. Really

 Why was Ronan here too?

 saw me.

 He must’ve realized I was a female. He must’ve known my presence was out of ce in these deadly woods. That I was forbidden. But had he figured out who I really was?

 Seth Darven.

 No, not without my scent. Without it, there was no way he could know

 Yet the way he stared at me.frozen, unblinking, as if his body had forgotten how to move, sent a shiver down my spine. That stare…it wasn’t just suspicious. It was something primal, dangerous.

 What if he joined the others? What if he nned to take advantage of me?

 Men were all the same lustful, depraved. Seeing women as nothing more than a piece of meat to ruin at their convenience. Why would he be any different?

 The wind howled through my fur as I sprinted through the trees, branches wing at me while the thunder of paws crashed behind like aing storm. My heart beat violently in my chest, but my eyes stayed locked on Ronan’s wolf, still unmoving.

 And then I made up my mind.

 way T

 There’s no way I’m letting him figure out who I was–or letting them ruin me.

 I told Phina as a familiar scent reached my nose.

 Could it be?

 My heart leapt with panic…. 

 My paws barely touched the earth as I nced to my right. Ronan, not far behind, followed my line of sight

 The darkness. A familiar one.

 Our eyes met again. In that moment, I saw his expression shift as if he’d read my thoughts.

 But I acted first..

 With a burst of speed, I veered right, plunging into the shadows.

 Behind me, the growls grew louder.

 “Fuck! Where the hell is this she–wolf going?!”

 “Don’t stop! Get hert” Reed barked in his wolf form.

 All four surged after me, unaware of whaty ahead.

 Then–ryes. Glowing in the ck. 

 Chapter 23 Empty–handed

 One pair Then another. Then more,

 Dozens of glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, freezing the wolves in ce.

 “What the fuck… Reed murmured, backing away as the others followed suit.

 From the shadows, a massive brown wolf emerged–wild, furious, and terrifying

 Then more followed. Crimson eyes like embers from hell.

 Two Five. Then dozens

 And every single one of them stared at the Alpha wolves.

 I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

 But I heard them. Heard the fear in Reed’s voice. The edge in Cassius‘ growl.

 “What the

 We’re in rogue territory!” Cassius snapped, panic rising.

 “She lured us here!! That crazy bitch!” Reed howled, unhinged.

 Their panic was deafening. Delicious.

 I tore through the underbrush, mud and leaves scattering beneath my paws, as the rogues closed in behind me imprable wall of snarling, bloodthirsty chaos now separating me from my would–be attackers.

 If they wanted me, they’d have to go through them.

 I finally stopped on the far side of the battlefield, panting, my fur bristling with energy.

 “You wanted a hunt?” I met Reed’s eyes with a cold, emotionless stare. Here. Hunt this.

 +8 Pearls

 He read the message clear as day and his rage cracked through his <bposure as heunched into battle, snarling, trying to defend himself from the swarm of rogues.

 My gaze slid past him.

 Dante stood in the distance, strangely still, an unreadable look in his eyes. Something- hauntingly familiar.

 I had seen that same expression the day he devoured Jordan.

 Then he smiled at me.

 My heart clenched

 It was him. That smile. That nightmare.

 And then my gaze returned to Ronan 

 Sull unmoved. Still watching.

 He hadn’t interfered.

 He didn’t even look like he nned to

 He just watched me

 Growls ripped through the night raw, feral unrelenting It was toote for retreat. The four Alphas had no choice now but to fight for their lives if they didn’t want to be torn apart by the rogues

 oss the dearing, no longer running. Moonlight bathed my fur in silver as I faced them–unmoving, unafraid. I let them see the. All of the

 Chapter 23 Empty–handed

 Cassius‘ eyes widened, as if he were seeing me for the very first time..

 And then

 A rogue lunged on him.

 But at the same time another finally noticed me.

 +8 Pearls

 Ronan still watched. He hadn’t moved as I slowly began backing away from the snarling wolf now advancing on me. I hadn’t expected to see rogues here–hadn’t even dreamed I’d cross their path again. But tonight, they’d be my weapons.

 And I knew this weapon could turn on me just as easily.

 Just before the rogue lunged toward me, lips curled in a deadly snarl, I made my move.

 Without hesitation. I dove sideways into a shallow stream that glittered like shattered ss beneath the moonlight.

 Ssh.

 The cold water mmed against my body. The current grabbed hold of me, fast and unforgiving.

 I let it take me. 

 Let it carry me far and fast. Away from the rogues. Away from Ronan. Away from the eyes that had begun to see too much.

 But before the current swallowed me whole, I looked back. Ronan was still there. Standing like a storm on the horizon.

 Watching me.

 Silent.

 Unmoving.

 He’d seen everything.

 And I didn’t know what terrified me more–what I had just escaped… or what that look in Ronan’s eyes meant for me.

 The current yanked me under before I could brace myself. I shifted into my human form, desperate to stay above the surface. before things got worse.

 Water roared around me, icy and merciless, pulling at my limbs like phantom hands. I kicked hard, trying to keep my head above water, my lungs aching. The stream wasn’t deep, but it was wild–angry. It dragged me far from the growls and chaos behind

 Far from them.

 Rocks scraped my stomach. Branches whipped my cheeks. The world spun in sharp bursts of pain and rushing sound.

 When I finally spotted a patch of calmer water ahead, I twisted, wing at the current with desperate strokes. My fingers scraped moss. I kicked, gasped, and heaved myself toward the edge.

 “Come one on..

 With onest lurch, I huuled myself onto the muddy bank and copsed. My body hit the earth in a heap–soaked, shivering breathless. My chest heaved My vision swam.

 Iy still, naked and trembling, the roar of water fading behind me. The forest surrounded me again, eerily quiet. My limbs. were leadden. My thoughts raced.

 They saw me

 All of them saw me in wolf form.

 But I don’t think they recognized me

 Not even Homan

 Chapter 23 Empty–handed

 He couldn’t have, right? Without my scent, how could he know?

 And yet

 How had the rogues ended up in that forest at just the right moment?

 That was no coincidence.

 Then I noticed it-

 The sky.

 Hints of orange and </bvender bled into the ck, staining the horizon like spilled fire.

 Dawn.

 No.

 +8 Pearls

 Panic crashed through me as I forced myself upright. My soaked hair clung to my skin, my heart thundering louder with every second

 I spun around.

 Unfamiliar trees surrounded me. No sign of the clearing. No familiar trail. No scent of the others.

 I was off course. Completely.

 The stream that had saved me had also cast me into the unknown.

 And the worst part?

 The bison.

 The prey

 I had hunted. Wounded. Nearly killed. The final kill that would prove my worth in this cursed trial…

 The realization hit like a blow to the chest.

 Gone.

 I turned slowly, scanning the woods. The scent trail was faint now, fading too fast to track. Even if I found it again, I’d have to fight it, finish it, and drag its massive body all the way back to the clearing.. before sunrise.

 I didn’t have that kind of time.

 Not anymore.

 My breath came in shallow pants. My ribs ached with each inhale. Was this it?

 Was I going to lose?

 The thoughtnded harder than any fang or w.

 I lowered my eyes to the forest floor. My hands were scraped. My legs smeared with mud. My body ached, and still 1 trembled. All that effort. All the danger. The risk of discovery. The near assault. The defiance. All of it…

 Only to end up here.

 Alone Empty–handed. Lost 

 My gaze lifted once more to the sky.

 Warm streaks of gold now k kissed the clouds like the first soft embers of a fire.

 Was thus how it ended?

 Was I going to fail?

NovelLamp

THE ALPHA’S DAUGHTER 23