Chapter 11
"Well, well" Damon smiled and his dark eyes sparkling with wicked amusement. "Running away again little Emilia?"
I swallowed hard but tried to replace my fear with a look of defiance. "Get out of my way, Damon."
He laughed, his height stepping closer. "You actually thought you could get away from Ava? You're a loose end, Emilia. And you know what she does to loose ends."
My fingers itched to reach for the dagger hidden under my cloak but Damon struck before I could react. I dodged to the side just in time and rolled onto the wet forest floor tightening my grip on the dagger, my pulse hammered as I sprang to my feet.
"I won't go down easily," I hissed. Damon grinned. "Good. I like a challenge."
He attacked again, his blade flashing in the moonlight. I blocked his strike and immediately followed with a quick slash at his arm. My blade found flesh, and blood dripped onto the fallen leaves. Damon let out a deep growl but barely flinched.
"Feisty," he said, shaking his arm. "But you're wasting your time, Emilia. No one is coming to save you."
I couldn't accept that. I'd come too far, suffered too much. Vickson needed to know the truth. Hailey needed to know that her pain had been engineered by the very people she once trusted most. And nothing was going to make me let Damon stop me now.
Summoning all my strength, I spun around and delivered a precise kick to his ribs, causing him to stagger backward. There was no delay; I charged through the trees pushing my drained body ahead. The land blurred around me but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not when I was so close to catching them.
Damon's curses followed me out the door, but I didn't turn around. I had to get to Vickson before it was too late.
Because the last piece of Ava's twisted game had just fallen into place.
And if I didn't stop her, no one would.
Vickson's POV
The smell of rain hung in the air, combining with the pressure that thickened my thoughts. Something was wrong. I'd felt it all night long, some writhing in the connection I shared with Hailey. It was as if danger hovered just out of reach, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
Pacing the room, I clenched my fists. Emilia was out there. She had come back after all these years, but she hadn't come alone. Someone who had been tracking her was still in the shadows, and now she had dashed into the night with nothing but desperation in her voice.
A knock sounded at the door, urgent and insistent. My Beta, Gregor, stepped inside, his face grim.
"She's here," he said. "Emilia."
I moved before he could say another word, flinging the door open to find my sister in the darkened hallway, her hood wet from the mist outside. But it wasn't just the exhaustion in her eyes that made me catch my breath—it was fear.
"Vickson," she gasped, stepping forward. "We have a problem."
I guided her inside, shutting the door. "Tell me everything."
She hesitated for a second but only for a second before she spoke, her voice tight with urgency. "Ava's not acting alone. There's another person. More dangerous than Ava. And they know about Hailey's kids."
I felt my body go rigid. "What do you mean?"
"They are on the run," she whispered. "And give us now an act convoy we will lose".
Rage coiled within me, sharp and unrelenting. My children. My blood.
I pounded the desk with my fist. "Who's after them?"
Emilia shook her head. "I don't know yet, but the rogue who warned me... he was terrified. This isn't just about Ava's obsession with Hailey. It's about power. The kids have something this person wants to take."
My wolf surged forward, demanding action, demanding blood.
"We must send them away," said Gregor, stepping closer. "In case there is a threat, they can not remain where they are."
I breathed out sharply, pushing myself to think clearly. "Hailey doesn't trust me. Not yet, anyway. If I tell her we need to take the kids, she'll fight me."
"Then make her trust you," Emilia said emphatically. "Or we all lose."
The weight of her words settled in my chest. I had already lost Hailey once. I wasn't about to lose her again—or our children.
One way or another, I would protect them. Even if that was all war was going to be.
Emilia's POV
The moment I entered the dark chamber, a cold shiver went down my spine. Ava had disappeared, and yet her presence was still there like a shadow that stretched across the walls. My brother's voice reverberated in my mind, his last words before I left the packhouse still burning in my ears - Stay vigilant Emilia. Ava is not done yet.
I walked to the old wooden desk clenching my fists and my heart was racing with a bizarre combination of fear and determination. Something was wrong. I could feel it. An unseen anxiety slunk beneath my skin like some hidden beast watching from the shadows. Then, I saw it.
One piece of parchment folded squarely, rested centrally on the desk. I quickened my breath in reaching for it, slowly unfolding the sheet. As soon as my eyes ran over the words, breath caught in my throat.
You think you've won, little sister?
There is a storm coming. And this time around all you will see is the aftermath
My blood ran cold. Ava. She had left this for me--no, for all of us. This was not a simple threat. It was a promise.
I raced out of the room, my heart pounding in my ears. Vickson had to see this. If Ava was up to something, we needed to be ready. But I already knew deep down that we were losing time and fast.