The forest closed in around them.
Scott didn't need to see the figures to know they were there. He felt them movement layered beneath movement, controlled, deliberate. Not rogues. Not careless.
Hunters.
His instincts sharpened instantly, every nerve alert. His body shifted slightly, positioning himself between her and the approaching threat without thinking about it.
She noticed.
"Don't," she said quietly.
Scott didn't look at her. "You said they found you."
"They didn't come for me alone."
That got his attention.
Before he could respond, the first figure stepped into the clearing.
Then another.
And another.
They moved like a unit, silent, precise, coordinated. Dark clothing. Weapons strapped in ways that weren't meant for intimidation but efficiency.
Scott's jaw tightened.
Not wolves.
Not witches.
Human.
But not ordinary humans.
His gaze flicked briefly to her. "Friends of yours?"
"No." Her voice dropped. "And if they were, you'd already be dead."
Comforting.
One of the figures stepped forward, pulling back his hood. His eyes locked directly onto Scott and didn't waver.
"You're further from your territory than expected," the man said calmly.
Scott didn't answer.
The man's gaze shifted slightly to her.
"And you," he added, tone sharpening just enough, "are exactly where we knew you'd be."
Scott felt it then.
The shift beside him.
Subtle.
But real.
"You know them," he said under his breath.
She didn't respond immediately.
That was answer enough.
"They're not here to talk," she said finally.
Scott's lips curved slightly not amusement. Anticipation. "Good."
The man exhaled slowly, almost disappointed. "We were hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict."
"You came armed," Scott replied. "That wasn't hope."
A flicker of something crossed the man's expression. Approval? Maybe.
"Step away from her," he said.
Scott didn't move.
"Not happening."
A beat of silence.
Then everything exploded.
The first attack came fast too fast for a normal human. Scott barely shifted in time, catching the incoming strike mid-motion. The force behind it wasn't just skill. It was enhanced. Trained beyond ordinary limits.
He twisted, countered, drove his attacker back.
More moved in.
Scott didn't hesitate this time.
He moved like instinct itself.
Every strike precise. Every movement efficient. His body adapted faster than his thoughts could keep up. He didn't question it he let it take over.
Behind him, he heard her move.
Not retreating.
Fighting.
That surprised him.
He risked a glance and immediately understood.
She wasn't just holding her own.
She was trained.
Precise. Lethal.
A hunter.
The realization hit but there was no time to process it. Another attacker lunged. Scott dropped low, swept his legs, drove his elbow into the man's ribs with controlled force. Not killing. Not yet.
He didn't know why.
Maybe because of her.
Maybe because something told him this wasn't a fight he fully understood yet.
"Scott left!"
Her voice snapped through the chaos.
He reacted instantly, turning just in time to catch a blade aimed for his side. His grip tightened around the attacker's wrist, twisting until the weapon clattered to the ground.
Their eyes met for half a second.
Coordination.
Natural.
Effortless.
Too effortless.
And that was when it happened again.
That surge.
Stronger this time.
Violent.
Scott's vision sharpened unnaturally. The world slowed not slightly. Completely.
Every opponent froze in place not physically. But to him, they might as well have.
He could see everything.
Every weakness. Every movement before it happened. Every outcome before it unfolded.
And then
"STOP."
The word didn't just leave his mouth.
It hit.
Like force.
Like command.
Every single attacker froze.
Mid-motion.
Mid-breath.
Even the one behind him, blade inches from his shoulder stopped completely.
Silence dropped over the clearing.
Heavy. Absolute.
Scott's chest rose sharply.
Not again.
Not like this.
He could feel it control slipping into something else. Something deeper. Something that didn't ask permission.
"What… are you?" one of the frozen men whispered, barely able to move his lips.
Scott didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Beside him, she stared not in fear.
In realization.
"That's not supposed to happen," she said under her breath.
Scott turned slightly toward her. "You want to explain that?"
But she wasn't looking at him anymore.
She was looking at the men.
"No," she said quietly. "They're not supposed to react to you like that."
The words barely settled before the control snapped.
Violently.
The attackers broke free all at once, staggering slightly like they'd been released from something heavy.
"Fall back!" the leader barked instantly.
And just like that they retreated.
Fast. Coordinated. Gone within seconds.
The forest swallowed them whole.
Silence followed.
Real silence this time.
Scott's breathing was uneven now. His hands trembled slightly whether from adrenaline or something else, he didn't know.
He turned to her slowly.
"You're going to start talking."
She didn't answer immediately.
Didn't move.
Then
"You shouldn't have done that."
Scott let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "They were trying to kill us."
"That's not what I mean."
Her gaze lifted to his.
And this time
There was no distance in it.
No mystery.
Just truth.
"They reacted to you," she said. "Not like prey. Not like a target."
A pause.
"Like something they were warned about."
That wiped the edge off his expression.
"What are you saying?"
She hesitated.
And that hesitation said everything.
"You're not just a werewolf, Scott."
The words landed heavier than any blow tonight.
He stepped closer. "Then what am I?"
Her breath caught slightly.
Like she didn't want to say it.
Like saying it would make it real.
"I don't know yet," she admitted. "But whatever you are… it's not something either side is ready for."
"Either side?"
Her eyes flicked toward the forest where the hunters had disappeared.
Then back to him.
"You're standing in the middle of something bigger than you think."
Scott's jaw tightened. "Then stop talking around it and tell me what's going on."
Silence.
Then
"You really don't know," she said softly.
It wasn't a question.
It was worse.
It was confirmation.
Scott felt something shift inside him again but this time, it wasn't power.
It was frustration.
"No," he said flatly. "I don't."
She studied him for a long moment.
Like she was deciding something.
Like she was weighing risk against instinct.
And then
"I hunt werewolves."
The words hit clean. Sharp.
No hesitation. No softness.
Just truth.
Scott didn't react immediately.
Didn't step back.
Didn't attack.
But something inside him stilled.
"Say that again," he said quietly.
Her voice didn't waver.
"I'm a werewolf hunter."
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Scott's gaze locked onto hers.
Searching. Testing.
Waiting for it to feel wrong.
But it didn't.
That was the problem.
"You've had plenty of chances to kill me," he said.
"Yes."
"And you didn't."
"No."
"Why?"
That was the first question she couldn't answer immediately.
Her composure cracked just slightly.
"I don't know," she admitted.
And somehow…
That felt more dangerous than anything else she'd said.
Scott let out a slow breath.
"Yeah," he muttered. "That makes two of us."
Silence stretched between them again but it was different now.
Not distant.
Not cautious.
Charged.
Because now they both knew exactly what this was.
Wrong.
Impossible.
And already too far gone to stop.
Then
A howl tore through the night.
Scott's head snapped toward the direction instantly.
Pack territory.
Close.
Too close.
His instincts surged.
"They're under attack," he said.
She went still. "That's not coincidence."
Scott didn't wait.
He moved.
Fast.
And this time
He didn't look back to see if she followed.
Because somehow
He already knew she would.