Falling For The Demon Wolf-Chapter 32: The hunt

**Two Nights Before the Full Moon**

*Evening*

By the time I made it back to the servant quarters, the pack was already preparing for the hunt.

The courtyard buzzed with movement—wolves gathering in tense clusters, exchanging armor for loose clothes easy to shred during the shift, sharpening blades not meant for hunting animals. There was a current in the air—sharp, electric. It crawled down my spine and settled at the base of my neck.

No one was talking about it openly, but I could see it in their eyes.

They were getting ready to *hunt humans*.

I slipped past them unnoticed, pressing my back against the stone wall as two guards carried crates filled with shackles and wolfsbane-lined nets.

They were gearing up for more than just a mindless bloodbath.

They were preparing for *capture*.

And whoever they didn’t kill—they’d drag back to the cells beneath the pack house. Like cattle.

My stomach twisted violently.

I had to warn them. My family.

My sisters, my mother—maybe even my father. They didn’t know. *They couldn’t know*. If they went outside... if even one of them so much as stepped onto the porch—

No.

I *had* to get a message out. Somehow. Even if it meant risking everything.

***

I ducked into the kitchen where Inara was alone, elbow-deep in a bowl of something she probably didn’t even plan on serving.

"Do you still have that radio?" I asked, low and fast.

She glanced up, startled. "What?"

"The one you used last month to tune into the outside broadcasts—the emergency line."

Her eyes flicked to the hallway, then back to me. "Violet, if they catch you trying to contact the humans—"

"They won’t." My voice was steel. "But if I don’t do this, people are going to *die*."

Inara hesitated, then wiped her hands and darted toward the pantry. A moment later, she returned with a small, battered two-way radio. "It only works when the jammers aren’t active."

"When will that be?"

She looked at the ceiling, calculating. "The guards do a sweep right after the call for dusk howl. You’ll have five minutes. Maybe less."

I nodded and clutched the radio tightly. "Thank you."

"No," she said, grabbing my wrist. "You don’t get to thank me. Just *come back*."

Her voice cracked on the last word.

I ran.

Down the hall, past the butchers’ quarters, and into the narrow crawlspace behind the old well. It was the one place the jammers didn’t quite reach. Cian had mentioned it once in passing, probably never expecting me to remember.

I clicked the switch, static filling the space around me. My hands trembled.

I swallowed hard and pressed the button.

"This is Violet Hayes. If anyone can hear this, please listen carefully. I don’t have long."

My breath caught, but I forced the words out.

"I’m with the Blackridge Pack. Two nights from now, during the full moon, they will leave the territory to hunt. Not animals—Mate.

Anyone out walking, camping, or even near the edge of town is in danger. If you’re hearing this, don’t go outside. Lock your doors. Use wolfsbane if you have it."

The radio crackled, but no voice came through. Just silence.

I tried again. "April, if you’re listening... take Jade to the basement. Tell Mom not to open the windows. Dad—if you’re alive, stay away. Don’t be a hero. Just... hide."

Footsteps echoed overhead. I froze.

They were calling for dusk howl. I was out of time.

I whispered one last thing into the speaker: "Please... survive."

Then I shut it off and shoved it into a crack in the stone.

A voice barked outside. "All able-bodied wolves to the clearing!"

I scrambled back out the crawlspace and straightened my clothes just as two guards passed. One looked me up and down, then smirked.

"Careful, human," he sneered. "Tonight, the wolves are already sharpening their teeth."

I didn’t answer, hurrying back to the kitchen.

"How did it go?" Inara asked, looking wide eyed.

"I think I did it but I feel like it did get to them... does anybody have s phone here?"

Inara looked at me like I had go mad. "A phone? Violet we don’t use phone here, we are werewolves remember."

"Shit!" I cursed, pacing the wooden floor.

"But-"

"What is it Inara?"

"There’s an elder, she’s blind one of the oldest we have, her son went to war century ago and died she thinks he’s still coming back and often plays pretend to calling him."

"What are you saying Inara?"

"She has s cellphone, and I sometimes go to her cottage to keep her company"

"You should have said that first, let’s go."

"Hold on, I don’t think she’ll appreciate um.....you coming in."

I nodded knowing that she referred to my human self. " that’s fine, I’ll just wait for you around the corner."

Inara nodded and we walked behind the kitchen through a small part way, soon we got to a clearing where a want small hut sat in the center.

"Stay here, the tree will mark your scent." She said pointing to the big willow tree.

I nodded, moving toward it, as Inara made her way into the hut.

I sat at the foot of the tree too focused on the sky.

The moon wasn’t full yet—but it was almost there.

And when it rose...

There would be blood.

"Got it!" Inara whispered as she came out looking triumphant.

"Thank you so much." I took the number that I knew so well.

"April...April Can you hear me?"

As I laid down in bed, fully dressed, eyes fixed on the window.

I didn’t sleep.

Couldn’t.

Because far out in the distance, across the wind and trees, a long, bone-chilling howl rose.

One voice, then another.

Dozens.

Maybe more.

The pack was gathering.

And the hunt was about to begin.

April

The kettle screamed just as Jade dropped her spoon into her cereal bowl. I turned off the stove and poured the hot water over the dried herbs Ma insisted we drink every morning now—wolvesbane tea. It tasted like burnt dirt and regret, but it was supposed to keep us safe.

"Jade, eat up," I called over my shoulder. "You’ve been poking that cereal for twenty minutes."

She wrinkled her nose. "It’s soggy."

"Then next time don’t drown it in milk," Dad grumbled from his usual seat near the window, newspaper in hand though I doubted he read a single word. He was always peeking outside lately. Watching. Waiting.

Ma placed a trembling hand on his shoulder and handed him his tea without a word. Her face was drawn, pale in a way that made her look older than she was.

We were all worn thin.

Ever since Violet left.

Deep down I knew she would but I just wanted to believe that’s she’ll stay with her family rather than walk into her death.

I carried two mugs over—one for Jade, one for myself—and tried to pretend things were normal. We kept up the routine. Morning tea, locked doors, no one outside after dusk. But beneath all of that was a pulsing fear, raw and unspoken.

And then my phone buzzed.

A number I didn’t recognize.

My heart stuttered.

I snatched it up and answered immediately. "Hello?"

Static.

Then—

"April?"

I nearly dropped the phone. "Violet? Violet, is that you?"

"I don’t have long. Listen to me." Her voice was hoarse, like she’d been running, or crying. "You need to keep everyone inside for the next few nights. Don’t go out. Not even a step."

I stood up so fast my chair screeched back across the floor. "What’s happening? Are you okay?"

"There’s a hunt," she whispered. "Wolves. They’re going after humans. It starts soon—maybe tonight. They’ll be drawn to any scent, any sign of weakness. You have to stay hidden. Keep the wolfsbane burning. It might be the only thing that keeps them out."

"Dad, Ma—" I turned, frantic. "She’s on the phone. It’s Violet. She says—"

But her voice broke through again. "April. Promise me. No matter what, don’t come looking for me."

My breath caught in my throat. "Vi—"

The line went dead.

Just like that.

"April?" Ma was already on her feet, eyes wide.

"It’s starting," I whispered. "We need to seal the windows. Lock everything. And keep Jade inside."

Dad stood without a word, already moving toward the door, securing the bolts, picking up his crossbows and knives.

Jade was crying now, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. "Is Violet coming back?"

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t know.

And if this hunt was anything like she made it sound—

The best we could do was survive the night.

The phone clattered to the table like it had burned me.

"She said the full moon," I whispered, "they’re hunting."

Silence followed—thick, cold, and absolute.

Dad was the first to move. He stood from his chair with a stiffness that spoke volumes, his jaw clenched, his expression unreadable. It was the look he wore before every mission, every ambush, every time he walked into a den of monsters.

"So it’s true," he muttered, pacing toward the cabinet where he kept the wolfsbane and silver rounds. "They’re still doing it. And they’re using the cast-outs."