The forest felt wrong.
Zane noticed it first—not because something moved, but because nothing did. The usual rhythm of the woods had stilled, as if something had passed through and silenced everything in its path.
He slowed slightly, drawing in a deeper breath, his senses stretching outward.
Then the scent hit him.
Cold. Sharp. Unmistakable.
Zane's head snapped to the side.
"There's a vampire."
The words were quiet, but they carried.
Kidd didn't hesitate.
"Move."
The pack surged forward as one, slipping into motion with practiced ease. The ground shook faintly beneath the force of their speed as they cut through the forest, weaving between trees, leaping over fallen branches without breaking stride.
Zane led the first stretch, tracking the scent as it twisted through the terrain in sharp, unnatural turns. It wasn't just fast—it was deliberate.
"It's running," Levi called, keeping pace on the flank.
"Of course it is," Kidd replied, pushing harder.
But something about it felt off.
The vampire wasn't fleeing blindly. Its path wasn't chaotic—it was directed, purposeful. It moved like it knew exactly where it was going.
Kidd felt that realization settle in before he fully understood it. A tightening in his chest, instinct rising before thought.
"Cut it off," he ordered sharply.
Two wolves broke formation immediately, circling wide to intercept. The rest pressed forward, closing the distance inch by inch as the scent grew stronger, thicker in the air.
Zane inhaled again, slower this time.
Then his expression changed.
"It's changing direction."
Kidd's gaze sharpened.
"Where?"
Zane hesitated only a fraction of a second.
"…Toward the house."
A heavy silence followed.
Kidd didn't ask which one.
He already knew.
"Faster."
This time, the command carried urgency that needed no explanation.
They were no longer hunting.
They were racing.
The vampire burst through a thinner stretch of forest ahead, its pale form flickering between shadows as it crossed into more open ground. It moved with unnatural fluidity, leaping obstacles with ease, adjusting its direction mid-stride as if anticipating pursuit.
Kidd pushed harder, muscles burning, breath cutting sharper with each stride. He could see it now—just ahead, within reach.
He lunged.
Missed.
The creature twisted mid-air in a way that defied instinct, landing just out of reach and accelerating again.
Kidd swore under his breath.
"It's not trying to escape," Zane called from behind. "It's heading somewhere."
Kidd didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
They all knew where.
Ithilien stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door closed quietly behind her.
The air outside was cooler, carrying the faint scent of pine and damp earth. It should have been calming. Instead, it felt too still, like something was waiting just beyond perception.
She exhaled slowly, rolling tension out of her shoulders. Hours of studying had left her mind strained, her thoughts tangled and restless. She needed a moment—just one—to breathe, to clear it.
Then something shifted.
The scent reached her before she consciously registered it.
Foreign.
Sharp.
Wrong.
Ithilien stilled, her entire body going alert in an instant. Her senses snapped into focus, scanning the air, searching.
Not wolf.
Not human.
Her heartbeat quickened.
The scent was moving—and fast.
Toward the house.
Her jaw tightened as she stepped forward slightly, eyes fixed on the tree line. Every instinct in her body sharpened, pulling her attention outward.
No.
It's nothing.
The pack is in the forest.
You're safe.
Marco is inside.
You're safe.
She forced a breath, deeper this time, steadying herself.
But the scent didn't fade.
It grew stronger.
Closer.
Too close.
A flicker of unease slid under her skin, cold and immediate.
"No…"
The word barely left her lips.
This wasn't a passing threat.
This was coming straight at them.
Her pulse picked up, tension coiling in her muscles.
The distance between them was collapsing far too quickly.
It wasn't wandering.
It wasn't lost.
It was hunting.
Ithilien's body tensed fully now, instincts overriding reason.
"Marco—"
She didn't finish.
The scent hit the edge of the property.
And then something moved.
Fast.
Violent.
From the side of the house—
Tauriel launched forward.
She burst into motion without hesitation, a flash of muscle and fur cutting through the space between them in a heartbeat, colliding with the incoming figure with full force—
—and slamming straight into the vampire.