THE HIDDEN ARCHER
The arrow cut through the air with deadly speed.
Aria barely had time to see it.
But the Alpha King did.
His hand shot forward instantly, grabbing Aria by the waist and pulling her sharply to the side.
The arrow flew past them and slammed into a tree behind them with a loud thud.
Aria gasped as her back hit his chest.
Her heart raced wildly.
“That was close,” she breathed.
But the Alpha King’s expression was already dark.
His golden eyes were scanning the trees.
“Stay behind me.”
Aria quickly stepped back as he moved in front of her.
“Who would shoot at us now?” she whispered.
The Alpha King didn’t answer.
Because he already knew.
The forest around them began shifting again.
Leaves rustled softly.
Branches creaked.
And then—
Figures began stepping out of the darkness.
Not wolves.
Humans.
But they were armed.
Five men slowly emerged from the trees, dressed in dark leather armor.
Each one carried a bow.
More arrows rested in the quivers strapped to their backs.
Aria’s stomach dropped.
“Hunters,” she whispered.
The Alpha King nodded once.
“Yes.”
Her wolf growled inside her mind.
I hate hunters.
Aria couldn’t blame her.
Every werewolf knew about them.
Human groups who hunted wolves for money, power… or fear.
Most packs avoided them.
But these hunters clearly weren’t afraid.
The man in the center stepped forward slowly.
He lowered his bow slightly, studying them both carefully.
“So it’s true,” he said.
The Alpha King’s voice was cold.
“You have one chance to leave.”
The hunter smirked.
“Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”
Aria frowned slightly.
The hunters didn’t look nervous at all.
Even though the Alpha King was standing right in front of them.
That didn’t make sense.
The hunter’s eyes moved toward Aria.
“And you must be the girl.”
Aria felt a chill run down her spine.
“How do you know about me already?” she asked.
The hunter shrugged.
“News travels fast.”
His smile widened slightly.
“Especially when it’s worth this much.”
He pulled a small folded paper from his coat.
Then he held it up.
Even from where she stood, Aria could see her own face drawn roughly on the page.
Her breath caught.
“That’s…”
“A bounty poster,” the hunter finished casually.
The Alpha King’s eyes burned with anger.
“Who issued it?”
The hunter chuckled.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
He tucked the paper away again.
“But let’s just say some very powerful people want the Shadow Bloodline.”
Aria felt her chest tighten.
The hunters already knew.
How?
The leader continued.
“You’re worth more than most Alpha heads right now.”
The Alpha King took a slow step forward.
His presence immediately grew heavier.
“Then you should leave before you regret it.”
The hunters didn’t move.
Instead, the leader raised his hand slightly.
Instantly, the other hunters lifted their bows again.
Arrows aimed directly at them.
Aria’s heart pounded.
“You think arrows will stop me?” the Alpha King asked quietly.
The hunter smiled.
“Not normal arrows.”
He pulled one from his quiver and held it up.
The metal tip glowed faintly silver under the moonlight.
Aria’s stomach dropped again.
“Silver,” she whispered.
Her wolf snarled angrily.
Cowards.
The hunter nodded proudly.
“Silver-tipped arrows.”
His eyes gleamed as he looked at the Alpha King.
“Even the strongest wolf can bleed from those.”
The Alpha King’s voice turned dangerously calm.
“You’re testing your luck.”
The hunter shrugged again.
“Maybe.”
Then his gaze returned to Aria.
“But we only need the girl.”
The other hunters adjusted their aim.
Arrows pointing directly at her now.
Aria felt fear crawl through her chest.
The hunter’s smile grew wider.
“So here’s the deal.”
He looked directly at the Alpha King.
“You hand her over…”
His finger slowly moved toward the bowstring.
“…and we might let you walk away.”
The forest went completely silent.
Then the Alpha King laughed.
A low, dangerous laugh.
“You’ve made a very serious mistake.”
The hunter raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
The Alpha King’s golden eyes burned brighter.
Then he said quietly—
“No one takes what belongs to me.”
And in the next second—
He moved.
Too fast for human eyes to follow. ????