Chapter 6 The Hunt Begins

• Silvercrest's central clearing buzzed with anticipation as pack members formed a perfect circle around the ceremonial stone. Chad knelt before his father, Alpha Matthew, who stood draped in the traditional mantle of succession—silver threads woven with wolf fur from generations of alphas who had come before. Moonlight filtered through the canopy above, casting ethereal shadows across the gathered faces.
• This moment represented everything Chad had worked toward. Years of preparation, of proving himself worthy to lead the Silvercrest Pack, culminated in these sacred words. The weight of tradition pressed down on his shoulders as he prepared to recite the oath that would bind him to his people for eternity.
• "I pledge my strength to protect the pack," Chad intoned, his voice carrying across the clearing with practiced authority. Each word felt heavy on his tongue, laden with the responsibility he was about to inherit. "My wisdom to guide the pack. My—"
• The oath died mid-sentence.
• An invisible tsunami of power crashed into the gathering without warning. Every wolf in attendance dropped to their knees simultaneously, gasping as though an enormous hand had squeezed the breath from their lungs. The ceremonial torches flickered wildly, casting dancing shadows that seemed to writhe with malevolent life.
• Alpha Matthew, despite his years of experience and natural strength, clutched his chest desperately. "What sorcery is this?" he demanded through gritted teeth, fighting to remain upright while pack members collapsed around him like dominoes.
• Chad felt the wave hit him differently than the others. Where they experienced crushing pressure, he felt something far more complex—a resonance that vibrated through his very bones. The power called to his wolf in a way that was both terrifying and exhilarating, like recognizing a melody from half-remembered dreams.
• "Tolvar," he reached for his wolf through their mental bond. "What is this?"
• "Ancient power, Chad. Old magic that shouldn't exist anymore," his wolf's response came laden with confusion and primal recognition.
• The sensation was impossible yet undeniably familiar. Chad's mind raced through possibilities, though the source remained unclear. The power had swept across the entire territory, originating from somewhere beyond the central clearing.
• Bobby.
• Without waiting for his father's permission or explanation, Chad abandoned the ceremony entirely. Protocol demanded he remain until the ritual was complete, yet instinct overrode training. He shifted mid-run, bones cracking and reforming as he burst through the clearing in his massive black wolf form.
• Trees blurred past him as he charged toward the dungeons with desperate urgency. Guards scrambled to keep pace, their own wolves struggling to match his frantic speed. The forest floor pounded beneath his paws as terrible certainty settled in his chest.
• "She's gone," Tolvar growled within his mind. "I can feel it."
• Chad's suspicions received immediate confirmation upon reaching the isolation chambers. Two guards lay unconscious outside the reinforced door, their bodies crumpled like discarded dolls. The cell door—six inches of silver-lined steel designed to contain the most dangerous prisoners—stood wide open.
• The cell was empty save for lingering traces of silver and something else. Something that made his wolf pace restlessly within his consciousness.
• Chad shifted back to human form, rage contorting his features as fury overwhelmed rational thought. Years of careful planning had been destroyed in minutes. Years of methodically breaking her spirit for daring to reject their mate bond, of teaching her proper submission—all ruined by her escape.
• Grabbing the nearest conscious guard by the throat, Chad lifted the man clear off his feet. "How did she escape?"
• "We don't know, sir," the guard choked out, his face rapidly turning purple as Chad's grip tightened. "One moment we were standing watch, the next—"
• Chad didn't allow him to finish. With a vicious twist, he snapped the man's neck like a dry branch. The body hit the stone floor with a sickening thud that echoed through the dungeon corridors.
• "They failed us," Tolvar snarled. "They let her slip away."
• "Exactly," Chad whispered aloud, his voice carrying a deadly promise.
• Turning to the remaining guards, Chad's eyes blazed with inhuman light. These men had been trusted with the most important prisoner in Silvercrest territory, and they had failed catastrophically. Failure demanded consequences.
• Within minutes, three more bodies joined the first. Chad's hands dripped crimson as he surveyed his work with cold satisfaction. The message would spread quickly through the pack—incompetence would not be tolerated, especially where Bobby was concerned.
• "She rejected us and has now escaped," Tolvar seethed. "This is your fault."
• "My fault?" Chad snapped aloud, his voice echoing through the empty forest.
• "You let her reject the mate bond instead of forcing her submission from the beginning. You played games instead of claiming what was ours by right. Now look where your weakness has led us."
• Chad's hands clenched into fists as his wolf's accusations cut deep. "I was breaking her properly, teaching her to submit willingly—"
• "And she used that time to plan her escape! You should have marked her the moment we discovered the bond. You should have mated her and bound her to us completely instead of your pathetic psychological games."
• Chad's lip curled in a savage smile. Neutral territory meant nothing to him. Bobby belonged to him by right of their mate bond, regardless of her rejection. She could run to the ends of the earth, and he would still claim what was his.
• The argument with Tolvar continued to rage in his mind as he returned to the pack house. His wolf's accusations stung because they held truth—Chad had chosen psychological warfare over immediate physical dominance, and that choice had cost them their mate.
• "You were too weak to take what was ours," Tolvar continued his assault. "Now she's out there, probably laughing at how easily she escaped us."
• "Enough," Chad growled, his patience finally snapping. "We'll get her back."
• "Will we? Or will you find another excuse to play games while she slips further away?"
• *** Chad paced behind the ornate oak table that served as his impromptu command center, maps scattered across its surface alongside hastily scrawled notes. The space still carried Alpha Matthew's scent, though Chad's presence was slowly beginning to overlay it. The interrupted ceremony would have to be completed tomorrow, making this transition official.
• Timothy shifted uncomfortably near the massive stone fireplace, watching his childhood friend transform into something unrecognizable. The Chad he'd grown up with—the one who'd sneak extra desserts from the kitchen and share them during midnight adventures—had vanished. In his place stood a stranger with wild eyes and clenched fists.
• "The power calls to us," Tolvar's voice rumbled in Chad's mind, rough as grinding stone. "She carries our destiny. We must claim what is ours."
• "Shut up," Chad muttered under his breath, earning concerned glances from nearby pack members.
• Alpha Matthew entered without knocking, still wearing the ceremonial mantle despite the chaos that had consumed their evening. Luna Diana followed closely behind; her face etched with concern that went beyond tonight's strange events.
• "We need to talk," Matthew announced, his voice carrying the authority of an alpha who had led this pack for decades.
• Diana closed the door behind them, ensuring their conversation would remain private. "Chad, your father experienced something just before the power surge hit."
• Matthew lowered himself into one of the chairs facing the desk, his weathered features showing strain. "Someone severed their ties with our pack tonight. The pain was... unlike anything I've felt before."
• "She rejected the pack bond too," Tolvar whispered, though his tone had shifted from accusation to something approaching respect. "She's stronger than we realized."
• Chad leaned forward, intrigued despite his wolf's continuing reproach. "When exactly did you feel this?"
• "Moments before the surge," Matthew replied. "The severing was violent, desperate—whoever did it was willing to endure incredible pain to break free from our pack structure entirely."
• Diana moved closer to her mate's chair, placing a protective hand on his shoulder. "The severing nearly knocked your father unconscious. Then came the power wave that affected everyone else."
• Chad's mind raced as he processed this information. Bobby had somehow managed to reject not just their mate bond but her connection to the entire pack. Such a feat required strength of will that bordered on supernatural.
• "She's more dangerous than we thought," Tolvar admitted grudgingly. "Pack bonds aren't meant to be severed by individual will alone."
• "The power originated from the border," Chad revealed, his fingers drumming against the desk surface. "Bobby didn't just escape—she severed her pack bonds at the boundary line, then either shifted or received help from other wolves."
• Matthew's expression darkened considerably. "Other wolves? From which pack?"
• "Unknown." Chad's voice carried a dangerous edge that made both his parents exchange worried glances.
• Diana stepped forward; her maternal instincts clearly troubled by what she was observing in her son. "Chad, your behavior tonight—executing those guards, this obsession with one rejected mate—"
• "Is necessary," Chad interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Bobby is mine by right of the mate bond. Her rejection changes nothing."
• "Finally showing some spine," Tolvar approved. "Though it's too late to undo your earlier mistakes."
• Matthew leaned forward in his chair, paternal concern overriding diplomatic caution. "Son, your mother and I have been watching these changes in you for months. This level of violence, this possessive fixation—"
• "Goes beyond normal mate bond dynamics," Diana finished, her voice heavy with worry. "We're concerned about where this path is leading."
• Chad's eyes flashed with inhuman light as his wolf stirred restlessly within his consciousness. "Bobby possesses abilities that make her dangerous if left unchecked. Tonight's events prove that beyond doubt. I will not allow her to threaten our pack's security."
• "They don't understand," Tolvar growled. "They're too weak to see what needs to be done."
• The older alpha studied his son's face for a long moment, clearly seeing something that troubled him deeply. "The ceremony can be completed tomorrow night. Tonight, we need to discuss your methods and this escalating violence."
• Chad nodded curtly, though his wolf's contempt for his parents' perceived weakness echoed through their bond. "Of course, Father. After I retrieve what belongs to me."
• Alone again in his new office after his parents departed, Chad closed his eyes and reached out with senses enhanced by his wolf's power. Bobby's trail was clear despite her head start—desperation and severed pack bonds left distinctive signatures that his enhanced abilities could follow across great distances.
• "She thinks she can run from us," Tolvar observed with dark amusement. "She doesn't understand that rejection only makes the hunt more satisfying."
• "This time will be different," Chad promised both himself and his wolf. "No more games, no more psychological warfare. When I find her, I'll claim her immediately."
• "Good. You should have listened to me from the beginning instead of playing with your prey."
• Chad's smile turned predatory as he considered the chase ahead. Bobby had shown remarkable spirit in rejecting both their mate bond and the pack itself and had endured weeks of imprisonment without breaking completely. That strength would make her eventual submission all the sweeter.
• A knock followed, interrupting his thoughts, and reminding him of the task at hand. Chad's eyes narrowed in determination as he rose to answer the door, ready to begin the final phase of his pursuit.
• Pack members huddled in small groups along the walls, their whispered conversations dying the moment his cold gaze swept over them.
• "Find her." The words dropped like stones into still water. "I don't care if you have to tear apart every tree in the forest. Wherever she's hiding, I want her brought back alive and unharmed—her punishment is mine to deliver."
• "And what a punishment it will be," Tolvar added with satisfaction. "She'll learn what happens when someone tries to deny our claim."
• The search parties dispersed into the forest as Chad remained behind, his mind already planning the lessons he would teach Bobby once she was returned to his custody. Months of careful psychological pressure had been undone by her escape, requiring him to start the breaking process over again.
• This time, he would be more thorough.
• "She's stronger than we anticipated," Tolvar acknowledged grudgingly. "Tonight's power surge proves she's been hiding her true capabilities."
• Chad nodded thoughtfully. Bobby's hidden abilities only made her more valuable as a mate and more dangerous as an enemy. Whatever supernatural gifts she possessed; they would serve the Silvercrest Pack once she accepted her proper place at his side.
• The hunt had begun, and Chad felt the familiar thrill of pursuing prey that might actually provide a worthy challenge. Bobby could run as far and as fast as she wanted—it would only make her inevitable capture more satisfying.
• Standing in the moonlight that streamed through his office's barred windows, Chad made a vow that seemed to chill the very air around him. His obsession with Bobby had evolved far beyond simple mate bond dynamics into something much more possessive and dangerous.
• "I will find you, Bobby," he promised the empty room, his words carrying the weight of absolute certainty. "You can run to the ends of the earth, cross every border, hide in every shadow—it won't matter. When I finally catch you, and I will catch you, you'll submit to me completely."
• "Before we're finished with her," Tolvar added with savage satisfaction, "she'll beg for the chance to accept our bond."
• Chad's eyes fixed on the rising moon visible through the window, its pale light seeming to pulse in rhythm with his determination. The ceremonial mantle of leadership could wait another day. Tonight belonged to the hunt, and nothing would stand between him and his prey.
• The forest beyond Silvercrest's borders stretched endlessly into darkness, but Chad felt no concern about the challenge ahead. Bobby might have gained a temporary advantage through her mysterious power surge, might have had several hours' head start on her pursuers, yet none of that mattered in the face of his absolute determination.
• "She belongs to us," Tolvar reminded him unnecessarily. "The mate bond ensures she can never truly escape."
• Somewhere in those dark woods, Bobby was running for her freedom, believing herself finally free of the imprisonment and torment she had endured. Chad's smile widened as he imagined her terror when she realized the futility of her flight.
• The hunt would end only one way—with Bobby kneeling before him in complete submission, begging forgiveness for daring to reject what fate had ordained. And this time, there would be no cell bars to separate them when he claimed his prize.
• What neither of them knew was that Bobby's transformation had sent ripples through the supernatural world, alerting ancient enemies who had been searching for the Moon's Shadow for over a century. Her freedom had come at a price none of them could yet imagine.