<h4>Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Hunters and Hunted</h4>


    The forest was pitch ck as ra ran between Kael and Ronan. Her legs wobbled with each step, but she refused to slow down. Behind them, the howls of shadow wolves grew louder.


    "We need to move faster," Kael whispered, his hand tight around ra’s arm.


    "I’m trying," she gasped. The poison might be gone, but her body felt heavy, like she was running through deep water.


    Tobias led the way, his eyes glowing green in the darkness. "The skin-walkers’ territory starts beyond that ridge," he pointed ahead. "Once we cross it, we’ll be in their hunting grounds."


    Ronan growled. "Sounds like a bad idea."


    "It’s our only way to Darian," ra reminded him. She touched the silver crescent ne at her throat, drawing strength from its warmth.


    The moon peeked through the trees, casting silver light on their path. Suddenly, Tobias froze, raising his hand for silence.


    "Listen," he whispered.


    They heard it then—not the howling of shadow wolves, but voices. Human voices. Pack members.


    "This way!" a familiar voice shouted. "I saw them run this way!"


    ra’s blood turned cold. "That’s Celeste."


    "She’s leading a hunt," Tobias said, his face grim. "Against you."


    Kael pulled ra behind arge tree. "Why would the pack hunt us?"


    "Lies," Ronan spat. "The skin-walker queen must have told them something."


    From their hiding spot, they watched as a group of wolves emerged from the trees. At their head stood Celeste, her face twisted with anger and something else—triumph.


    "The Alpha’s orders are clear," Celeste announced to the group. "The omega is to be captured alive. She has bewitched the Alpha’s sons and poisoned Luna Evelyn."


    Gasps spread through the hunting party.


    "That’s not true!" ra whispered, but Kael covered her mouth.


    "The Luna showed us proof," Celeste continued. "ra Moon is not what she seems. She’s been working with rogues to destroy our pack from within."


    One of the younger wolves stepped forward. "But she’s their mate—"


    "A fake bond," Celeste snapped. "Dark magic, created by the same rogues who attacked our borders."


    ra’s heart sank. The skin-walker queen had turned the entire pack against her.


    "We need to keep moving," Tobias urged. "Reach the ridge before they pick up our scent."


    As they crept away, a twig snapped under ra’s foot. The sound, though small, seemed to echo through the forest.


    Celeste’s head whipped around. "There!"


    "Run!" Kael ordered, pushing ra forward.


    They sprinted through the trees, panic giving ra speed she didn’t know she had. Behind them, wolves howled as they shifted, paws pounding the earth in pursuit.


    "We can’t outrun them," Ronan panted. "Not with ra injured."


    Tobias veered left, toward a small stream. "Through here! Water will mask our scent."


    They sshed through the icy water, the cold shocking ra’s system. As they reached the middle of the stream, howls erupted from both sides.


    "They’re surrounding us," Kael growled.


    ra’s heart hammered in her chest. There was nowhere to run. Then she felt it—a pull, deep inside her chest, tugging her forward.


    "This way," she said suddenly, pointing upstream. "I can feel Darian."


    Without waiting for a response, she plunged forward, letting the bond guide her. The others followed, trusting her instinct.


    The stream led to a narrow gorge, walls rising high on either side. As they squeezed through, ra’s ne began to glow, casting silver light on the wet stones.


    "Keep going," she urged. "The bond is getting stronger."


    Behind them, they heard snarls as their pursuers reached the gorge entrance.


    "They won’t fit through in wolf form," Ronan said with grim satisfaction.


    They pushed on, the gorge widening into a small valley. At its center stood a towering waterfall—just like in Luna Evelyn’s vision.


    "The cave," ra breathed. "It’s behind the waterfall."


    Kael studied the rushing water. "How do we get through?"


    Before anyone could answer, a wolf’s howl cut through the night—closer than the others, anding from ahead, not behind.


    "Celeste," Tobias warned. "She must have circled around."


    From the shadows stepped Celeste, already shifted back to human form. Her eyes gleamed with hatred as she blocked their path to the waterfall.


    "You won’t get away this time, omega," she spat.


    ra stepped forward, summoning her courage. "Why are you doing this, Celeste? You know I’m no threat to the pack."


    Celesteughed, the sound sharp and bitter. "No threat? You stole everything from me! I was supposed to be Luna. I was raised for it, trained for it. Then you appeared with your silver eyes and fake innocence."


    "The skin-walker queen is manipting you," ra said. "She’s not the real Luna Evelyn."


    "More lies," Celeste snarled. She pulled something from her pocket—a small vial filled with ck liquid. "The Luna gave me this. She said it would break the spell you cast on the Alpha’s sons."


    Kael tensed beside ra. "That’s poison. The same kind that nearly killed her."


    Celeste’s smile turned cruel. "It’s not meant for her. It’s meant for you." She turned to Kael and Ronan. "One drop, and you’ll see the truth. You’ll be free of her control."


    "We’re not under any spell," Ronan growled.


    "Put it down, Celeste," Kael ordered, using his Alpha voice.


    For a moment, Celeste hesitated. Then her face hardened. "The Luna said you’d resist. That’s proof the spell is strong."


    She lunged forward, uncorking the vial.


    ra reacted without thinking. She raised her hand, and a surge of power rushed through her body. Silver light erupted from her palm, knocking the vial from Celeste’s grasp. The poison sshed harmlessly on the rocks.


    Everyone froze, staring at ra’s glowing hand.


    "What are you?" Celeste whispered, fear recing anger in her eyes.


    ra looked at her own hand in wonder. The silver fire Luna Evelyn had mentioned—she’d called it forth without even trying.


    "I’m what the skin-walkers fear," she answered, her voice stronger than she felt. "And I’m going to save the real Luna Evelyn."


    Celeste backed away, shaking her head. "You’re one of them. A monster."


    "No," ra said firmly. "I’m a Luna. The true Luna."


    Behind Celeste, the waterfall seemed to shimmer. The water parted, revealing the dark mouth of a cave.


    "The entrance," Tobias breathed. "It’s opening for you."


    Celeste whirled around, eyes widening at the sight of the parting waters. In her moment of distraction, Ronan moved, swift as lightning. He grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back.


    "Let me go!" she shrieked, struggling against his grip.


    "We can’t let her warn the others," Kael said grimly.


    Tobias stepped forward. "I can put her to sleep. A simple spell, nothing harmful."


    ra nodded. "Do it."


    As Tobias worked his magic, ra approached Celeste. The girl who had tormented her for years now looked small and frightened.


    "I’m not your enemy, Celeste," ra said quietly. "I never was."


    "You took everything from me," Celeste whispered, her eyes already drooping from Tobias’s spell.


    "No," ra replied. "The skin-walkers did that to both of us."


    As Celeste slumped unconscious in Ronan’s arms, theyid her gently on the ground.


    "The spell will hold until dawn," Tobias assured them.


    ra turned to face the cave entrance. Beyond the parted waterfall, darkness waited. Somewhere inside was the real Darian—and the skin-walker prince who had taken his ce.


    "Are you ready?" Kael asked, standing beside her.


    ra took a deep breath. "Yes."


    Together, they stepped through the waterfall. The moment they entered, the waters crashed back together behind them, sealing them inside.


    ra’s ne glowed brighter, illuminating a long tunnel that sloped downward.


    "I can feel him," she whispered. "Darian’s close."


    They moved forward, following the silver light. The tunnel narrowed, then opened into a vast underground chamber. At its center stood what they hade for—the bone throne.


    And sitting upon it, chains of shadow binding him to the gruesome seat, was Darian. The real Darian.


    His head lifted weakly as they entered. His eyes—the same golden color as his brothers’—widened in disbelief.


    "Kael? Ronan?" His voice was hoarse from disuse. His gaze settled on ra, and something flickered in his expression—recognition, even though they’d never truly met.


    "You," he whispered. "The silver-eyed girl from my dreams."


    Before ra could respond, a coldugh echoed through the chamber. From the shadows stepped a figure they all recognized—Darian’s face, but not Darian.


    The skin-walker prince smiled, his eyes turning solid ck.


    "Wee to my kingdom," he said. "I’ve been waiting for you."