CHAPTER 37: THE HUNTER BECOMES HUNTED

Lily POV

The arrow whizzed past my ear so close I felt the feathers brush my hair. I dove behind a fallen tree, my heart pounding as more arrows thudded into the wood above my head.

"She went this way!" a voice yelled. "Don’t let her reach the river!"

I pressed my back against the rough bark, trying to catch my breath. Three days of running through the wilderness, barely stopping to eat or sleep, and the rogues were still following me. Every time I thought I’d lost them, they came again like shadows that wouldn’t fade.

My Triple Moon mark burned against my wrist, pulsing with a strange heat that seemed to grow stronger every hour. Whatever power was building inside me, it was making me easy to find. Like a light calling to every enemy in the forest.

Another arrow hit the tree. I had to move.

I crawled along the ground, staying low as I made my way toward a clump of rocks. The rogues were getting closer. I could hear their footsteps crunching through the dried leaves, spreading out to surround me.

"Come out, little omega," one of them called. "We know you’re tired. Stop making this harder than it needs to be."

I recognized the voice. It was Jake, the rogue leader who’d been hunting me since I fled their camp. He sounded way too cocky, like he knew something I didn’t.

That’s when I smelled it. More rogues. Not just the five who’d been chasing me, but at least ten others. Fresh scents coming from the direction I’d been going.

My stomach dropped. They hadn’t just been chasing me. They’d been moving me. Driving me exactly where they wanted me to go.

I was stuck.

"Smart girl," Jake’s voice came closer. "You found it out, didn’t you? We’ve been moving you toward this spot for two days. Every time you thought you were fleeing, you were really just following our plan."

I closed my eyes, fighting back fear. How could I have been so stupid? I’d been so focused on running that I hadn’t noticed the trend. Every time the rogues had gotten close, they’d attacked from the same side, causing me to run in the same direction. Like wolves gathering sheep.

"The First Shadow taught us well," Jake continued. "He said you’d use your omega instincts to try to beat us. But we’re not just rogues anymore. We’re part of something bigger."

That’s when I noticed their smells were wrong. Not just rogue dogs, but something else mixed in. Something cold and dark that made my skin crawl.

Shadow power. They’d been touched by it.

"You can’t hide forever," another voice called. "We have your area surrounded. Twenty rogues, all strengthened by the First Shadow’s power. You’re just one little omega."

Twenty. My heart sank even lower. I’d never fought more than three wolves at once, and that was when Brock and Aiden were helping me. How could I possibly live against twenty enhanced rogues?

But as the fear washed over me, something else rose up to meet it. Anger. These wolves were working with the monster who’d taken control of my pack, my friends, my family. They were helping him hurt innocent people.

My Triple Moon mark flared brighter, and suddenly I could sense things I’d never noticed before. The exact place of every rogue around me. Their heartbeats. Their breaths. Even their feelings.

And what I sensed shocked me. They weren’t as sure as they sounded. Half of them were scared. Scared of me.

Why would improved rogues be afraid of one omega?

"She’s not responding," I heard one of them whisper. "Maybe we should just grab her and go."

"The First Shadow said to be careful," another responded. "Triple Moon bearers are dangerous when cornered."

"She’s just a kid," a third voice argued. "How dangerous could she be?"

That’s when I realized something important. These rogues had been told to catch me, but they didn’t really understand what they were dealing with. The First Shadow had sent them to hunt me, but he hadn’t told them everything about my power.

I could use that.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the feelings flowing through my mark. Each rogue had a slightly different scent, a different heartbeat, a different amount of fear. And underneath the shadow magic that improved them, I could sense their true natures.

Most rogues became outsiders because they couldn’t get along with others. They were loners, distrustful, quick to fight even their own friends. The shadow magic was keeping them together as a group, but it was like a thin rope stretched too tight.

What if I could snap that rope? "I know you can hear me, little omega," Jake yelled out. "Last chance to surrender quietly. Otherwise, things get ugly."

Instead of answering, I did something that probably seemed crazy. I stood up, walked out from behind my hiding spot, and raised my hands.

"I surrender," I called out.

The rogues emerged from their hiding places, making a circle around me. Twenty wolves, just like they’d said. All of them bigger and stronger than me. All of them touched by shadow magic that made their eyes gleam with an eerie light.

Jake smiled as he approached. "Smart choice. The First Shadow will be pleased."

"Before we go," I said, keeping my voice steady, "I have a question. Who’s really in charge here?"

Jake’s smile faltered. "I am, obviously."

"Are you?" I looked around the circle. "Because Marcus over there keeps looking at you like he wants to challenge you. And Sarah’s been questioning your choices for the past hour."

Jake spun to glare at Marcus, who instantly snarled back. "I haven’t said anything!"

"You don’t have to say it," I continued, focusing my omega senses on the increasing tension. "Everyone can smell your fear. You think Jake’s leading us into a trap."

"That’s not true!" Marcus snapped, but his defensive tone made it clear I’d hit a nerve.

"And Sarah," I turned to the female rogue, "you’re worried Jake’s going to take all the credit for capturing me. You think you deserve to be the leader just as much as he does."

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. "Maybe I do."

"This is ridiculous," Jake growled. "She’s trying to turn us against each other!"

"Is she?" asked another thief. "Because I’ve been thinking the same thing. Why do you get to make all the choices, Jake?"

The shadow magic that had been holding them together like glue was starting to crack. I could feel it fading as their natural distrust of each other grew stronger.

"You’re all idiots," Jake growled. "The First Shadow chose me to lead this mission!"

"Did he?" I asked innocently. "Or did you just tell everyone that? Because from what I heard, he just said to bring me back living. He never said you were in charge."

That did it. Marcus stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists. "I’m tired of taking orders from you, Jake. Maybe it’s time for new leadership."

"Try it," Jake dared.

As the two rogues faced off, I felt the shadow magic binding the group together totally shatter. All around the circle, wolves were turning on each other, old complaints and rivalries flooding back as the magical control faded.

In the confusion that followed, I ran.

But as I ran through the trees, my Triple Moon mark suddenly blazed with light so bright it hurt my eyes. Behind me, the fighting stopped. An eerie silence fell over the forest.

When I looked back, all twenty rogues were standing perfectly still, their eyes now shining with the same terrible light I’d seen in the controlled pack members.

A new voice rang through the forest, cold and ancient and filled with power.

"Clever little omega. But did you really think I wouldn’t be watching?"

The First Shadow himself was here.