Claire's POV

From my position, I surveyed the battleground and breathed deeply to compose myself for the forthcoming fight. The Dark Hallow pack had yet to surface, even though dusk had already arrived. However, we were not duped by their apparent absence. We knew better.

As I kept my focus on the scenery, I glimpsed a lone rogue slowly advancing towards one of our soldiers. The instant I gave the cue, the rogues pounced on us with their full force. Our pack fought back using all their strength and valor, while I began to eliminate our adversaries one by one. Blood-curdling screams pierced through from every direction; the air thickened with the smell of iron and the scarlet blood of the fallen pooled on the ground beneath me.

Cain, my brother, was surrounded by a group of outlaws, but before I could act, I noticed his powerful figure shift into a robust wolf's body, and he began fighting back relentlessly. Although he was incredibly formidable in his wolf form, the odds were stacked against him.

Without thinking another moment, I leaped from the tree and shot arrows left and right at the many rogues swarming around my brother. As I approached him, I discarded my bow, discarded my garments and underwent my wolf transformation. My claws gained sharpness, and my instincts took over as I lunged at the assailants, tearing them apart to join Cain in battle.

The situation began to favor us as the rogues fled in disarray. But as Cain's mind connected with mine, he became furious with me.

"What the fuck, Claire?" he bellowed at me, his wolf still snarling. 

My wolf growled right back at him, "I'm saving your sorry ass, dummy!" 

Grumbling, he replied, "I didn't need your help! I had the situation under control. Get back up there in the tree, where you belong."

I made an exasperated chuffing noise, and with a shift, returned to my human form, scooped up my clothes, and grabbed my bow. However, before I could make my way back up the tree, a sound came from my left. I came to a dead halt and began to pay attention to everything around me.

As I perched on my spot, I listened carefully for any suspicious sounds. Suddenly, a man's voice pierced through the tense silence. "Well, well, let's see what we have here," the voice said.

I turned around and scanned the trees attempting to locate where the sound came from, but I couldn't find the source. I drew my bow, primed to shoot if needed, and heard a faint chuckle echoing behind me.

"What do you intend to do with that, exactly?" The voice mocked in my ear.

I remained silent, trying to spot the figure that belonged to the voice. But all I saw were the dark shadows cast by the dense foliage. My heart started racing in my chest as I stood there, taking deep breaths to calm myself, but they seemed to have no effect.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind me. The same stern, deep voice filled with threat and malice spoke again, "I can hear your heart beating erratically, love. Are you scared? You ought to be." His words sent shivers down my spine.

When I turned around to face my attacker, I saw nobody. For a brief moment, I thought he had vanished into thin air, but then everything went silent.

Suddenly, my hands were wrenched from my bow, and I was slammed into a tree with a thud. My attacker held my hands above my head against the rough bark, and his hand wrapped tightly around my neck.

I tried to focus my eyes, which were initially blurry from hitting the tree, and then a face comes into view. The man was at least a foot taller than me, with jet-black hair tinged with gold that shone in the moonlight. He had striking green eyes, full lips, a sharp jawline, and high cheekbones, making him both handsome and intimidating.

As he trapped me against the tree, I could feel my heart racing. However, I tried to remain composed, knowing he would use any show of emotion against me. I scanned his face for any sign of emotion, but besides confusion and surprise, he didn't show much, burying his feelings in the darkness that surrounded us.

His expression turned cold and intimidating, and he leered at me with a broad grin, "Aren't you a brave little wolf out here fighting with the big leagues? You should be at home like a good little bitch," he sneered.

I kept a straight face, fighting the urge to lash out at his crude comment. But he could see through me and asked, "What's going on? Cat got your tongue?" his sly smile caused a stir in me, and the feeling grew when he started to scan my face and body with his mesmerizing green eyes.

As his eyes roamed, his grin grew wider, "Love, let me introduce myself. I am the Dark Hallow pack's Alpha Hunter," he exclaimed, and I shuddered in terror.

My father and the elders had always described Alpha Hunter as a brutal power-hungry fiend whose heart was made of hell's flames.

Fear started to engulf me as he held me captive against the tree. My heart was pounding at a frantic pace, and my breathing became erratic. He didn't miss the terror in my eyes but instead laughed maniacally.

"What do you want?" I croaked, summoning my little courage.

He leaned in closer to my ear, and his lips grazed my skin as he spoke. "To instill fear within you and make you writhing beneath me," he whispered.

My heart was going a mile a minute, and I could feel the fear overwhelming me.

I can imagine the intense emotions I must be feeling right now. It's natural to feel conflicted and overwhelmed after such a close encounter with danger. I clenched my eyes tightly, the fear permeating through me. I couldn't help but think, "I'm going to die."

Suddenly, a deafening howl broke the tension, catching both my and Alpha Hunter's attention. Hunter looked towards the source of the roar briefly before turning his gaze back to me. A smile graced his face, and his eyes sparkled with amusement as he spoke, "Love, until we meet again."

With that, he released me from his grip and backed away, turning into a large black wolf. The fur on his body glistened in the moonlight, appearing silky smooth with hints of silver. His eyes glowed bright, a daunting yellow.

I scrambled further up the tree, my back pressed against it, as the wolf snarled at me before turning away. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths until I was sure he was gone.

Then, I fell to the mossy forest floor, trying to process what had just happened. As a child, I had heard stories of Alpha Hunter, how he never let anyone go, and how he never spared anyone during a battle. So why did he release me? And why did I feel a hint of attraction towards him? My mind was in turmoil as I tried to make sense of the conflicting emotions I was experiencing.

For a moment, I even wished that he had come closer and overpowered me. I knew it was wrong, especially when he had threatened me not too long ago. But his mesmerizing green eyes, his scent, and the sound of his voice caused an unwelcome attraction that I couldn't shake off.