Page 2 of Lycan’s Hunt

Max’s breathing is ragged, a mix of fear and exertion, and his eyes dart around wildly, reflecting both the moonlight and his growing panic. It seems now he is realizing the mistake he made by coming to find me. His grip on my hand tightens, and he shakes my hand for reassurance that I’m struggling to give when the howls grow nearer. Despite his obvious terror, he matches my pace, trusting me to get him home safely. I’m beginning to slow, my body struggling to fight against the urge to shift.

We’re too late. The change is starting.

Panic seizes me as a shiver wracks my body. I can barely contain a whimper as my bones start shifting beneath my flesh. Every muscle burns as though exposed to white-hot flames—my sight wavers. The world is tilting on its axis, my vision and sense enhancing, morphing.

“No,” I grit out between my clenched teeth, stumbling and dropping Max’s hand. He spins around, worry etched across his face. “Bree?” I shove him away when he tries to touch me.

“What’s happening?” he asks, his voice trembling slightly. I can’t answer him, he pain is blinding now.

“You need to go!” I growl, jumping at the sound of my beast coming forward.

Without a word or explanation, I push Max away as hard as I can. I send him sprawling into a pile of leaves near a towering oak. He cries out in shock. I don’t have time to comfort him or explain again why he needs to stay away from me.

The first silver ray of moonlight brushes against my skin, and I feel it–the shift. It rips through me like a hurricane, bones contorting, flesh reshaping.

“Max.” The word is a growl, torn from a throat that’s no longer fully human.

He recoils, eyes wide with horror as the change overtakes me. “Run,” I manage to snarl, the command rough and guttural.

He’s rooted to the spot, transfixed by the grotesque metamorphosis I’m trying desperately to stop. “Please!” I beg him. If Max doesn’t run, the beast’s instincts might take over completely, leaving him vulnerable to an attack. His hesitation could mean the difference between life and death, as I may not be able to control the primal urges surging through me. Every second he remains there, frozen, brings him closer to a fate neither of us wants to imagine. My teeth elongate, fur covering my body as I will my body not to snap and pop. If I complete the shift, I’m not sure I can reverse it until the moon drops.

“Bree?” Max whispers as a howl pierces the night, one that doesn’t belong to me. Others are near; I can smell them so strongly now. They want to hunt; they want to chase. Shoving Max, he stumbles out of the treeline when I notice the river; I know it runs at the back of the castle grounds, and hope flares in my chest.

We reach the river, its waters a black mirror reflecting the moon above. The other wolves close in, emboldened by the scent of fear and the promise of a she-wolf. They’re shadows flitting between the trees, circling, hungry for the hunt. As my gaze tracks them on the other side of the river, I grit my teeth, knowing if I shift completely, Max stands no chance.

“Stay behind me,” I command, my words barely recognizable. My body moves of its own accord, instincts honed by countless moons taking over. Max’s eyes widen in terror, his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. He clutches onto my arm, his knuckles white.

“Bree, they can smell us, can’t they?” he stutters.

I don’t bother answering.

Max’s face is pale, his chest heaving with terror. He knows, as do I, we’re no longer alone in these woods. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—” His words are cut off with a shriek as one wolf backs up and charges toward the water. A vicious snarl leaves it as it jumps from rock to rock, trying to cross, only to disappear into the treeline further up the river.

The air vibrates with growls, a sinister chorus that chills my already fevered blood.

“Max,” I whisper urgently, my voice a rough echo of my human self. “Stay back.”

I let out an involuntary cry, dropping to my knees in front of a shocked Max. The shift is taking over, and there is no turning back now. My skin feels as if it’s on fire, my bones dislocate and snap as they rearrange themselves. Sweat breaks out across my forehead as I fight to keep conscious - not for myself, for Max.

He is still too close.

He is still not safe.

My human features are slipping away beneath fur and muscle as every bone in my body screams in protest. The phone drops from my hands and skitters across the hard ground.

Max takes another step forward, his small hand reaching out for me. “I’m not afraid…”

“No!” It’s a roar now. My voice distorted as my body bends and twists. Terror flashes in his eyes, but it’s too late–he's seen too much. Two hulking forms emerge from the shadows, their eyes gleaming like molten silver in the moonlight. They’re here for me, driven by instinct and the allure of the full moon.

“Run…” It’s the last coherent word that makes it past my lips before the change is complete, ripping away my humanity.

I crouch low, teeth bared, as the first wolf lunges. Its jaws snap inches from my face, but I’m fast–fueled by desperation. Claws meet flesh, mine against theirs. Vicious and brutal. The second wolf joins in, aiming for my flank, I whirl around. Teeth and claws.

I can’t afford to lose, not with Max so close. I feel a rib crack under the force of a massive paw, pain flaring hot and bright. It only serves to sharpen my focus.

With a ferocious howl, I tear into the throat of the attacker, blood hot on my tongue. The other wolf hesitates, sensing the turn of the tide, and I seize the moment. Bones crunch beneath my jaws, a finality that echoes through the stillness as his neck snaps. The one that tried to cross from the river suddenly steps out of the tree line too and barrels toward me, only to stop mid-jump.

The chaos pauses as clouds drift over the moon, casting a brief shadow. My form shivers, reshaping into something fragile and human. I collapse onto the cold ground, naked and slick with blood; each breath is ragged when the other wolf shifts back.