Chapter 77. Hunted

Ainsley

Time slows. Every second stretches into a painful eternity.

The human’s eyes give off an eerie glint, wild and dangerous, as they aim their weapons for us, closing in on us. There are over a dozen of them, all packed together in a tight formation that leaves no room for either of us to run past or through.

Why would humans be out this way so late at night? If the government had sent someone to check on Redmon’s settlement, they would’ve been barreling through the forest in armed cars, wouldn’t they?

“Fuck,” Koen moves in front of me. “Hunters.”

What? My mind rings with the information.

I can hardly believe that in this moment, I am forced to confront yet another nightmare. One that was long supposed to be dead, gone and buried.

I’m still reeling from the shock when I see the flash of wood and steel—a crossbow’s bolt—streaking through the dim light. It slams into Koen’s shoulder just before he can shift, his body jerk