🌙 Episode 46: The Ambush
Lila's POV
The forest pressed in close, branches clawing at my clothes as we moved deeper. Ethan's pace was swift, urgent. I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat.
"Stay behind me," he ordered, his golden eyes scanning the shadows.
I gripped the iron poker I refused to leave behind, my heart hammering. The air was too quiet.
Then it happened—an explosion of sound as three wolves burst from the undergrowth, teeth bared.
Ethan moved like lightning, his claws flashing in the twilight. "Run!" he barked.
"I'm not leaving you!"
He growled, shoving one wolf back. "Lila, now!"
I hesitated—then heard it.
"Lila…"
The voice was faint, but familiar. My breath caught. It was my brother's voice.
My brother who'd died years ago.
I spun, searching the trees. And there, just beyond the thicket, I saw him. Standing. Alive.
"Jason?" My voice broke. He lifted a hand, beckoning me.
I stumbled forward, tears blurring my vision. I didn't care how—it was him.
Ethan's POV
I ripped through the wolves, my body a blur of claws and fury, but the bond twisted in my chest. Something was wrong.
"Lila!" I roared, slashing down the last wolf.
I turned—and she was gone.
Panic slammed into me. I pushed through the trees, the scent of her fear sharp in the air.
And then I saw him. Marcus. His claws curled around her arm, pulling her close, his face inches from hers.
Her wide eyes flicked to me, realization dawning too late.
"Ethan!" she screamed.
Marcus's POV
Her terror was intoxicating. The Alpha's precious human, finally in my grasp.
Ethan burst into the clearing, golden eyes blazing. I smiled, pressing a claw to Lila's throat.
"One step closer," I purred, "and I'll spill her blood before your wolf can reach me."
The fury on his face was beautiful. I wanted to see him break.
Lila's POV
My breath came in shallow gasps, the illusion of my brother's face still flickering in my mind. Marcus had tricked me. I'd fallen for it.
But Ethan was here. And if I knew him, he'd never stop fighting.
Neither would I.
I tightened my grip on the poker still in my free hand, hidden in the folds of my cloak.
This wasn't over. Not yet.
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✨ End of Episode 46