Falling For The Demon Wolf Chapter 7: Rogue Attack

A second howl rang out, closer this ti—low, guttural, and filled with sothing more than just challenge.

A warning.

The wolves around moved in unison, their drunken revelry forgotten in an instant. Laughter died. The air thickened with the scent of adrenaline and anticipation. I could feel it—an undercurrent of tension rolling through the pack like a ripple before a storm.

Rogues.

Cian was already on his feet, his body rigid, golden eyes burning in the firelight.

Selene clicked her tongue. *"They always ruin the fun."

I sat frozen, my pulse hamring. This wasn't my fight. But the mont Cian's gaze flicked to , sothing in my stomach twisted.

"Take her inside." His voice was sharp, commanding.

Two wolves stepped forward.

I surged to my feet. "I can fight."

Cian smirked, but there was no humor in it. "You? With what, exactly?"

I clenched my fists. *"You think I can't kill a rogue?"

"Oh, I know you can." His voice was silk wrapped around steel. "I just don't trust you to know the difference between them and us."

I opened my mouth to snap back, but the next howl was deafening, shaking the ground beneath my feet.

Then ca the growls.

Low. nacing. Surrounding us.

The shadows beyond the fire moved, and then— chaos.

A rogue burst through the tree line, its eyes wild, its mouth frothing. A blur of dark fur and sharp claws. The nearest wolf barely had ti to react before it lunged, jaws locking around his throat.

Screams. Snarls. The pack sprang into action, shifting in the blink of an eye.

I didn't wait.

I grabbed the nearest weapon—a discarded dagger from a fallen wolf—and whirled just as another rogue launched itself toward .

I ducked. Spun. My blade found flesh.

The rogue howled in pain, but I didn't stop. I moved with it, driving the dagger deeper, until—

Warm blood splattered across my skin.

The rogue collapsed at my feet.

Panting, I turned—only to find Cian watching , his golden eyes locked onto mine with sothing unreadable.

Sothing ...dangerous.

"Well, well," he murmured. "Looks like the little hunter has claws after all."

I didn't answer. Couldn't.

Because the fight wasn't over yet.

And neither was the real danger.

"Zain wouldn't be happy about that, bringing a filthy hunter back to him." Selene rolled eyes at , seamlessly slashing one of the rogues from chest down to stomach.

The rogue crumpled to the ground at Selene's feet, its body twitching in its final monts. She didn't spare it another glance, flicking blood off her claws with an air of boredom.

"Honestly, Cian," she sighed, stepping over the corpse, "I don't know why you bother keeping her alive. Zain's going to rip her to pieces the second he sees her."

I tightened my grip on the dagger, forcing my breath to steady. "Let him try."

Selene smirked. "Oh, sweet thing, he won't just try."

Before I could snap back, another rogue ca barreling toward us. I barely had ti to react before Selene spun, catching it mid-lunge and driving her claws into its ribs. It howled, writhing, but she only smiled, twisting her grip until the light faded from its eyes.

She turned back to , unfazed. "You're lucky, little hunter. Zain likes to play with his food before he eats it."

The words sent an icy chill through , but I shoved the fear down. I wouldn't cower.

I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

Cian suddenly tensed beside . His head snapped toward the treeline, his golden eyes narrowing.

A mont later, a ripple of energy surged through the clearing. The rogues—those still standing—went eerily still.

Then they ran.

One by one, they broke away, vanishing into the forest, their retreat frantic, desperate. The pack didn't chase them. Didn't need to.

Because sothing worse had arrived.

The air grew heavier, charged with sothing dark and suffocating.

Selene grinned. "Well, speak of the devil."

I turned, following her gaze.

A figure stepped through the shadows, moving with slow, deliberate grace. The firelight flickered over his broad fra, the sharp angles of his face, the cold calculation in his midnight-blue eyes.

Power rolled off him in waves, an unspoken promise of violence.

The leader of the rogues.

My fingers tightened around the dagger. I had sothing about him, spelled pure evil, and darkness.

And now he was standing right in front of .

"Violet Hawthorne." It sneered, looking directly at .

I kept my face carefully blank, though my grip on the dagger tightened.

The rogue leader knew my na.

I wasn't surprised. A hunter with my lineage—there weren't many of us left, and those who remained were marked for death the mont we were discovered. Still, hearing my na twisted in his mouth sent a sharp jolt of unease through .

I squared my shoulders, forcing myself to et his gaze. "You know my na, but I don't know yours. But that doesn't surprise ."

What I lacked for in strength and wit, I had in talking back, and that had always got into a lot of trouble back ho.

The rogue grinned, all teeth and malice. "You don't need to. Ti wil co, when I'll introduce myself fully"

Selene sighed dramatically beside . "Ugh. So predictable."

Before the rogue could react, she moved—fast as a shadow, a blur of silver claws and vicious grace. One mont, he was standing tall, smirking. The next, he was stumbling back, a deep gash torn across his chest.

He snarled, fangs bared, but Selene only smiled, tilting her head. "Run, little dog. You're outnumbered."

The rogue wiped the blood from his wound, but sothing in his expression shifted—sothing dangerous. His eyes flicked back to , lingering for just a second too long. Then, he laughed. "Oh, I will run. But not before I deliver a ssage."

The air crackled with tension.

I didn't move.

"Tell your Alpha," he sneered, "that the hunt has only just begun."

Then, in a flash of movent, he turned and vanished into the trees, his remaining rogues following suit.

Silence fell over the clearing.

Cian exhaled, rolling his shoulders like shaking off a lingering threat. "Well. That was dramatic."

Selene sighed, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes. "They really need new material."

I stayed quiet, my mind still replaying the way the rogue leader had looked at . The certainty in his voice. The promise in his words.

The hunt has only just begun.

I had a feeling he wasn't talking about the wolves.

Cian clapped his hands together, snapping from my thoughts. "Alright, pack it up. We're leaving at dawn."

My stomach twisted.

Because I knew exactly where we were going.

And I knew exactly who was waiting for there.

The Demon wolf, my only ticket ho.