Faye barely managed to sleep. Every time her eyes closed, she saw the shape at the tree line. Every time she drifted off, her wolf jolted awake again.
By sunrise, she gave up trying.
She dressed quickly and headed downstairs, expecting the packhouse to be quiet.
But when she reached the main hall, she froze.
People were gathered in small groups, whispering. Their gazes flicked toward her and then away just as fast.
The tension in the air was thick—fear, suspicion, unease.
The Alpha's voice echoed from behind her. "Faye."
She turned to see him standing by the stairs, Beta Rowan beside him.
"We need to discuss your protection," the Alpha said.
Faye stiffened. "I don't need a bodyguard."
"This is not optional," he said sternly. "You are a target. And the pack cannot afford to lose you… not right now."
Not right now
—meaning her being the mate of the future Alpha made her suddenly valuable.
Rowan stepped forward. "You'll have an escort at all times. Starting immediately."
"Who?" Faye asked.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Darian appeared.
Faye's stomach sank. "You?"
"Who else?" Darian asked quietly.
The Alpha nodded. "He's the strongest wolf we have, and the bond will help him sense danger near you."
Faye wanted to argue. To refuse. But even her wolf murmured reluctantly:
"It is logical."
She crossed her arms. "Fine. Just don't expect conversation."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Darian muttered.
By late morning, Darian escorted her outside to meet with the trackers. She could feel his presence at her side like heat—steady, grounding, frustrating.
The trackers spread out maps of the border on a large wooden table.
"We found new prints," one tracker said. "Not wolf. Not human."
Faye leaned forward, studying the markings.
They were elongated—too long, too narrow—and they sank deep into the earth, as if whatever made them was heavier than any normal creature.
Darian frowned. "How big was it?"
"Seven feet, at least," the tracker replied. "Maybe more."
A chill crawled up Faye's spine.
Her wolf went silent for a moment. Then:
"This is not just a creature. It is a hunter."
As they moved farther into the forest, the air grew colder.
Faye's skin prickled.
Darian stopped abruptly. "Do you feel that?"
She nodded. "Something's… wrong."
The trees grew unnaturally quiet. No birds. No movement. Just an eerie stillness—as if the forest itself was hiding.
A sharp scent cut through the air—metallic, cold, wrong.
Darian inhaled sharply. "That scent… it's the same one we found after the attack."
Faye's wolf growled so loud it echoed in her mind.
"Back away."
Faye took one step back.
Then—
A low growl—real, physical—rumbled through the trees.
Darian's posture shifted instantly, protective and alert. "Get behind me."
Faye didn't argue.
Branches shifted. Something large moved just beyond the tree line. A shadow that didn't match any wolf, human, or creature she knew.
Her heart hammered.
The trackers braced themselves.
The shadow crept forward—
a shape too tall, too distorted—
and then, just before it broke the tree line—
It stopped.
As if it sensed her.
Then it retreated.
Darian exhaled shakily. "That thing was watching you. Not us. You."
Faye felt her throat tighten. "Why?"
Tracker Jareth swallowed hard. "Because whatever it is… it's connected to her awakening."
Faye shook her head. "That makes no sense."
Elder Mira's voice echoed from memory:
"Your wolf awakened late for a reason."
Faye didn't know which was more terrifying.
As they turned back, something caught Faye's eye—scratched into a tree trunk.
Darian saw it too and stepped closer, frowning.
The markings weren't natural.
They weren't scratches.
They were words.
Carved deep by claws.
Faye's breath hitched when she read them:
WE FOUND YOU
Her wolf hissed:
"Run."
Faye took a step back.
Darian looked at her, his face drained of color.
"Faye… whatever this thing is—
it's not done."
Faye couldn't stop staring at the carved message.
WE FOUND YOU
Her stomach twisted. Her wolf paced frantically inside her, a low growl rumbling through Faye's bones.
Darian placed a hand on the tree's surface, jaw tight. "This wasn't here yesterday. Whatever did it—it came close. Very close."
Faye swallowed hard. "Why me?"
Tracker Jareth exchanged a worried look with the others. "We don't know. But it's watching you."
Darian insisted they return immediately.
"Don't argue," he said in a low voice as he walked beside her. "You're pale."
"I'm fine," Faye muttered, though the truth was she felt sick.
"You're shaking."
"I said I'm fine."
"You don't have to pretend." His voice softened just slightly. "Not with this."
Faye kept her gaze ahead. "Old habits."
He didn't argue with that.
When they reached the packhouse, the Alpha, Beta Rowan, and Elder Mira were already waiting for them—as if they'd known something had gone wrong.
Faye held up her hand before anyone even spoke. "It left a message. On a tree."
The room stilled.
"What kind of message?" Rowan asked.
Darian answered instead, voice tight. "A threat."
Mira's face darkened. "Show me."
After they described everything, Elder Mira pulled Faye aside.
Not gently. Not politely.
Desperately.
"Child," she whispered, "you must tell me everything your wolf has said to you."
Faye hesitated. "Why?"
"Because this is not normal. Your wolf is late, yes—but late wolves are not hunted by creatures that do not belong in these woods."
Faye took a slow breath. "She said it's a hunter. That it's after me. And… that it's afraid of me."
Mira froze.
Then she grabbed Faye's hands, her old eyes burning with something between fear and awe.
"Oh spirits," she breathed. "Faye… wolves do not fear their prey. And hunters do not fear who they track."
"So what does that mean?" Faye whispered.
Mira's voice shook.
"It means you are not the prey."
Darian stepped closer, having caught the last part.
"What do you mean she's not the prey?" he demanded.
Mira turned to him solemnly. "It means that whatever hunts her… fears what she will become."
Darian's jaw clenched. "That thing was nearly eight feet tall and moved like shadow. What could it possibly fear?"
Mira looked at Faye.
"You tell me."
Faye's heart thudded painfully. "I don't know anything yet."
Faye hunched forward slightly, gripping the edge of a nearby table.
Darian moved instantly to steady her. "Hey—easy."
"I'm fine," she whispered again.
"You really need a new definition of fine," he muttered.
But he didn't move his hand.
Just as Mira was about to press further, Rowan rushed into the room.
"Alpha, we have a situation."
The Alpha stiffened. "What kind?"
"A body," Rowan said grimly. "Found at the southern border."
Faye's stomach dropped.
"Shadow creature?" Darian asked.
"We're not sure," Rowan replied. "But the body… it's not intact."
Faye flinched.
Rowan quickly clarified, "No graphic detail. Just—it was attacked, not by a wolf, not by any natural animal. And there's more."
Everyone waited.
Rowan continued, "The scent around the body? Same as the one near Faye."
The room went silent.
Faye stepped back instinctively.
Darian turned toward her immediately. "Faye—"
Her voice trembled despite her trying to steady it. "It's getting closer, isn't it?"
Rowan nodded grimly. "Or bolder."
Mira spoke quietly. "This creature leaves threats… kills without reason… and follows a trail no one else can sense."
Her eyes turned to Faye again.
"Whatever it wants… it wants you now."
The Alpha straightened with authority. "Enough. We can't wait for it to strike again."
He looked at Darian.
"You will stay with her. Day and night."
Faye jerked upright. "What?!"
Darian stiffened. "Alpha—"
"This is not a negotiation," the Alpha growled. "You are her mate. And you are the strongest wolf in this pack. You will protect her until this threat is eliminated."
Darian exhaled slowly. "If that's what it takes to keep her safe… I'll do it."