The girl with the mask.
Run!” Damien shouted, his voice echoed through the dark room.
The sound of snapping branches and pounding footsteps echoed behind them. The Alpha, the same beast that had bitten Damien was chasing them through the woods, his red eyes glowed at the night sky. Every step made the ground shake, every snarl shook Damien’s chest.
Jack stumbled but kept running, gasping for air. “Why is it always after us?”
“Don’t stop!” Maya snapped, her wolf senses sharp, the tone of her voice changed. She was ahead, her silver eyes glowing faintly as she guided them through the dark woods. “If you stop, you’re dead!”
The Alpha growled louder, and Damien felt his heart beating fast in his chest. He wanted to turn back and fight but he knew he wasn’t ready. Not against this thing, not yet.
Branches bruised their arms as they ran, the Alpha chasing right behind them. Suddenly, an arrow struck a tree beside Damien, another whistled past Jack’s shoulder.
“Hunters!” Maya yelled.
“Perfect timing,” Jack muttered between breaths. “As if one giant psycho wolf wasn't enough.
Shadows moved between the trees. Hunters in dark gear ran after them with their crossbows drawn. And in front of them came the masked hunter, her blonde hair shinning against the moon light. She didn’t hesitate, she raised her bow and aimed straight at Damien.
“Damien, duck!” Jack shouted.
The arrow flew, damien fell on the ground, and the arrow dropped just inches from his face. He looked up at her. Her mask reflected the moonlight, hiding her face completely, but he could feel the cold determination in her stance.
“She’s aiming for me,” Damien whispered.
“Figures,” Maya growled, stepping in front of him protectively.
But before the hunter could fire again, the Alpha burst through the trees with a roar so loud it shook the hunters. He lunged at them, swiping it's claws trough the air. The hunters panicked.
“Fall back!” one of them shouted. But instead of retreating, they shoved the masked hunter forward.
“Use her as bait!” another barked.
Lyra’s eyes widened behind the mask. “What?!”
The Alpha turned to her, drawn by her fear and the hunters’ betrayal she scrambled back, dropping her bow as the beast charged at her.
Damien didn’t think, all he knew was that he had to save her.
He ran straight at the Alpha. “Get away from her!” he roared. His eyes glowing, the Alpha swung a claw at him, but luckily he dodged it grabbing Lyra and pulling her out of the way just as the blow smashed into the ground.
Lyra gasped, her blonde hair falling over the mask. “Why did you…?”
“Because I’m not like them!” Damien shouted.
The Alpha howled again, but the hunters fired more arrow, drawing its attention. The monster turned back toward them, giving Damien a chance. He grabbed Lyra’s arm and pulled her to her feet.
“Run!”
Together they ran through the trees, Jack and Maya rushing to meet them. They tried to dodge the arrows flying in the air, then the chaos blurred into one long nightmare. Finally, the Alpha’s roar faded into the distance, leaving them gasping in the dark.
Damien bent over, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Lyra stood a few feet away shaking, but her mask… it was cracked, one side was broken from the Alpha’s attack.
And through the broken piece, Damien saw her face.
His eyes widened. “Wait… I know you.”
Her eyes darted to his, she pulled the mask tighter against her face and turned to run.
The next morning at school, Damien sat beside Jack in the cafeteria. His mind wasn’t on his food. His hands clenched around his tray, replaying last night scene again and again.
Jack leaned closer, frowning. “You’ve been staring at nothing for ten minutes. What’s up?”
Damien sighed. “I feel like I have seen the hunter before, I know who she is.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? And she's the girl trying to kill you every night?”
Damien lowered his voice. “She’s one of us, she’s….the girl with the blond hair.”
Jack blinked. “What?”
“She was in class yesterday. Blonde hair, quiet… She sits near the window, I think her name is.....lyra.”
Jack shook his head. “No way, that doesn’t make sense. Hunters don’t just… hang out in math class with us. You must’ve seen wrong.”
“I didn’t, you also said she felt weird” Damien insisted. His chest tightened. “I saw her face, I couldn't wrap my head around it last night, and the fact that she was used by her own hunters as bait. They would’ve let her die.”
Jack leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “And you saved her.”
“I had too.”
Jack groaned. “Damien, she’s tried to kill you twice. She’s not suddenly your friend just because you pulled her out of a wolf’s mouth.”
Before Damien could answer, the cafeteria doors opened. Lyra walked in, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders, her blue top and black jeans looked plain. Her gaze fell on Damien.
Damien felt tense, Jack muttered, “No way…”
Lyra stopped in front of them, her brown eyes sharp, her face was calm but her expression wasn't. “We need to talk.”
Jack scowled. “No, we don’t.”
Damien stared at her. “Why are you here?”
She hesitated, her voice quieter now, almost uncertain. “Because you saved my life and I owe you. Whatever you need… I’ll help you.”
Jack slammed his hand on the table. “You expect us to believe that? After you tried to kill him last night?”
Lyra’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t look away from Damien. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. But I’m here and I’ll prove it.”
Damien studied her face, she wasn’t lying, at least not completely. Something about her eyes told him there was more.
Before he could reply, a voice called from across the cafeteria.
“Damien.”
It was Coach, his voice was unusually serious. Everyone turned to look as Coach pointed toward the door. “My office. Now.”
Jack whispered, “What did you do this time?”
Damien swallowed hard and followed Coach, he wondered why the coach called him. When they entered the office, Coach closed the door. For once, his goofy smile was gone.
He leaned across the desk, his eyes sharp and his expression changed, Damien knew something was wrong.
“Listen to me, Damien,” Coach said in a low voice. “I don’t know how deep you are in all of this. But whatever you’re doing, you need to stop right now because if you don’t…” He paused. “…you’ll end up dead.”
