Chapter 150

Kayla

I immediately began tracking the stag, following the trail that had started with those droppings.

It wasn’t long before I found something else—a tree with its bark scraped on one side. Chunks of bark were scattered around, sitting on top of the snow.

It was snowing a little right now, just a dusting, but since the bark was sitting on top with no snow covering it I knew that the damage was very recent. The stag must have been rubbing his antlers against the tree not long ago. Ten minutes ago, at the most.

I moved quickly, my eyes scanning the trees for any sign of movement. And then I saw it—the stag, its white coat gleaming in the sunlight, its antlers broad and strong. It was beautiful, more beautiful than I had imagined.

And no one else was around. Just me. I could win this thing.

I crouched low, my bow in hand as I crept closer. My heart pounded in my chest as I drew the arrow back, my eyes locked on the stag. But just as I was about to release the arrow, I heard it—the sound of footsteps behind me.

I turned just in time to see Nora in her wolf form stalking toward the stag on the other side of the clearing. Her eyes briefly locked with mine, a silent challenge in them.

But I wasn’t the only one who heard her. The stag heard her, too, and leaped off into the woods before either of us could react.

Nora huffed, her breath coming out in a white cloud. I bared my teeth at her, a silent “Nice going, asshole”, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a begrudging respect for her. None of the other warriors seemed to have made it this far, I supposed.

With that, we parted ways, each of us heading off into the forest to continue the hunt.

I moved for hours, carefully tracking the stag’s movements. But eventually I lost the trail due to the snowfall getting heavier and covering the forest floor, and by the time the sun began to set, I still hadn’t found it again.

Exhausted and frustrated, I found a small clearing and set up camp for the night. I built a shelter and a fire, killed a rabbit for dinner, and spent the night staring at the stars. All night, I swore I heard footsteps moving around me, and I wondered if Nora was there. If she was, I didn’t call out to her.

But her words echoed in my mind, regarding Nicholas. Regarding what she’d said about him, how he used women like playthings.

The Nicholas I had come to know didn’t seem to act that way. But then again, I’d heard the recording loud and clear. Nicholas only chose me so he could get Bluemoon pack. In that regard, at the very least, I knew Nora couldn’t lie. It wasn’t as if she could fake his voice.

Somehow, trying to think about it just made me angrier about the whole situation. So for now, I pushed the thoughts away and rolled over, forcing myself to get some sleep.

Sleep didn’t come easily, though. At some point during the night, I heard shouting not far from my camp. I sat up, pricking my ears to hear what sounded like an argument between two men.

“The stag is mine!” I heard one of them shout, followed by a swift thwack that almost sounded like a punch.

The shouting went on for some time, long enough for me to finally give up listening for more developments. I sighed and covered my head with my arms, determined to get some sleep while they tired themselves out with fighting.

As I rolled over, though, I could have sworn I saw movement just beyond my camp. I lifted my head again, narrowing my eyes. “Nora?” I called out, wondering if she had returned for a second night.

If she was there, she didn’t answer. But somehow, I had a feeling she wasn’t far.

The next morning, I woke up early, the cold air biting at my skin and my legs aching from yesterday’s exertion. I broke down my makeshift camp once more and set off into the woods, once again searching for the stag.

I moved quickly, my eyes scanning the trees for any sign of the stag. I heard a scuffle a ways away at one point, but I ignored it, figuring it was the other warriors arguing. I hurried past, keeping low.

Finally, I caught another trail: more fresh droppings, this time colored with the purplish juice of berries. I recognized the berries; I had passed by a copse of the bushes yesterday, had even eaten some myself. It wasn’t far from here, meaning that the stag might be lingering in this area.

Taking a deep breath, I hitched my makeshift bow across my back and kept moving. My feet and legs were killing me, blisters forming on my ankles from three days of constant walking, but I kept going.

I didn’t care that I was the only one without a wolf, that I had to move on two legs instead of four. As far as I knew, only Nora and I had gotten close enough to the stag to nearly take it down. The other warriors seemed to be arguing, posturing like Alpha males. They didn’t really care about taking down the stag. They just wanted to say that they did.

But I cared. I needed to prove to myself, to the others, even to Nora, that I could do this. That I wasn’t a useless, wolfless Luna. That I wasn’t a woman who could be used for sex and political gain and nothing more.

I pushed on, spotting a hoofprint in the snow. My heart pounded as I crept forward, crouching in the underbrush as I came upon a small, sunny clearing.

And there it was. The stag was standing directly in the center of the clearing, his slightly fuzzy antlers catching the light. It was young. Younger than I’d realized before. Hardly more than a baby, really.

I crouched low, my bow in hand as I drew the arrow back. But as I aimed at the stag, something stopped me.

I couldn’t do it.

The stag lifted its head, its eyes meeting mine. And in that moment, I just… couldn’t kill that beautiful creature. It was young, and beautiful, and alone. And in a strange, unexpected way, I saw myself reflected in those gentle eyes.

This creature wasn’t an offering. He wasn’t ‘lesser’ because he wasn’t a wolf. He was a part of this world, just like the rest of us. And I’d just spent three days hunting him down, terrorizing him, competing against my own pack members just to get to him, and for what?

So I could prove myself to people who didn’t even give a shit?

I lowered my bow, my heart pounding in my chest. The stag stared at me for a moment longer, slowly chewing a mouthful of berries, and I almost laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of it all. But then, suddenly, a scream tore through the forest, and the stag took off into the trees.

Nora.

My heart leapt into my throat as I turned, following the sound. I moved quickly, my boots crunching against the frost-covered ground as I raced through the trees.

A few minutes later, I finally came skidding to a halt in a small clearing. There, bleeding out on the snow, was Nora with a frantic-looking warrior standing over her.

“What happened?” I rushed forward, dropping my bow.

The warrior saw me, and a look of horror and relief crossed his face—a reminder that I wasn’t a warrior, that yes, I was wolfless, but I was also their leader, Nora’s leader, and I had failed them in a vain pursuit.

“Luna!” the warrior cried, falling to his knees and clasping his hands. “Luna, please, you have to help!”