Chapter 156: Hunting Season: Part One

Esme instantly started running towards the gunshots, the trees blurred by her sides as her pawprints kicked up mud as she rushed forwards. Her heart pounded in her ears as panic started to consume her. What if it was Marcus?

"Focus!" Isana snapped; her wolf was more than on edge, but she was right. She was trained to stay calm and focused, to assess the threat before making any rash decisions. A bark echoed towards her, and her legs started to automatically slow down as the woods began to get sparse and the path led to another field. 

That bark didn't sound like Marcus. 

Esme slowed her racing heart, breathing slowly as she assessed her surroundings and the scene before her. A large reddish-brown wolf was growling towards two humans; their attire revealed they were hunters. But not the kind that she was used to seeing. They were dressed in chequered shirts and combat trousers, and when she looked at the dead deer to the side, she had already summed up what was happening.

"W-what do we do!? Those bullets don't do anything!" The first man shouted in panic and started to hide behind the larger man.

Wait.. She recognised that voice.

"I swear if we live through this, I am NEVER going on a camping trip with you again, Leo!" Rory exclaimed behind him, his legs starting to tremble in fear. It was a little comical for her to see. Her eyes flashed to her friend, who still pointed his gun at the wolf growling at him in warning, his lips pulled back and his ears flat. 

"Let's just walk away slowly," Leo replied in an overly calm voice. It was quite surprising, considering he was facing a wolf five times the size of an ordinary one. Maybe he'd come across a bear at some point or something similar to which he knew panicking would not help.

The pair started to back away slowly; Leo slowly reached down to grab his bag and slung it on his back. That little action caused the bag to accidentally hit Rory in the head, who jumped and squealed, dropping the gun and firing another gunshot. The bullet hit the wolf's arm, setting it off into a rage, and it raced towards them. 

Rory screamed, rather high-pitched and Leo aimed his gun, continuously releasing shots at the charging wolf. Esme snapped her jaw shut after being temporarily shocked by such a bizarre event then she set off towards the charging wolf. Leo began walking backwards, his steps quickening the closer this wolf got to him, then his head turned in Esme's direction, his eyes widening as she let out a growl and leapt towards them. 

Leo aimed and fired his gun, the bullet grazing her shoulder. Esme grunted as she tackled the other wolf to the ground. The pair spiralled into a heap on the ground, but both hopped to their paws instantly, seizing the other up. The male werewolf growled ferociously at her and then in the direction of the men. Esme eyed him, wondering what sort of wolf he was; his stature revealed he was large like an Alpha. She even felt a sense of power radiating off him. 

Was he a rogue Beta wolf? If so, what the hell was he doing attacking humans?

Esme walked into the reddish-brown wolf's line of sight, hiding Rory and Leo, who was shuffling away on the ground now.

"I-is that one protecting us?!" Rory whisper-shouted.

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"Shh!" Leo hushed his friend. But his words caught her attention; she swivelled her head to the side and looked at them. They stopped in their tracks, noticing the black wolf looking between them. 

Not only have they been exposed to large irregular wolves, but they have seen her act differently from what a wolf would do in this situation. Before, they might have assumed they were some sort of hybrid of a wolf or an experiment that had gone wrong and left it as an extraordinary story. 

Hmm.. She eyed the other wolf who took a step towards her, and she flattened her ears, growling back at him, her eyes glowing in a warning. He barked at her and looked in the human's direction. She narrowed her eyes, her muscles going tense, waiting in anticipation for the other wolf to attack, but instead, he started to walk from side to side, pacing as he sniffed the air and tilted his head, stopping in its tracks. Esme's stomach dropped at the sign of the wolf smelling her scent and reacting like it recognised her. 

This needed to be resolved quickly. Esme swiftly picked up the rifle, her teeth snapping shut near the trigger where Leo pushed it, and it made a clicking sound. He'd run out of bullets. Esme yanked the gun then swung her head; the weapon smacked into Leo's temple, knocking him unconscious. She pounced over to Rory, but before she could knock him out, he fainted.

"What a pussy," Isana snickered, causing Esme to snicker aloud. She dropped the gun, which still smacked the poor guy in the head; at least she knew he was 100% unconscious now. Esme looked back at the other wolf who was now watching her with interest, his fur no longer ruffled. But his curious gaze was still wary. 

She turned her attention back to it, smelling the air for his scent and stilling as she recognised it. Her chest began to heave, and her eyes darted to the woods, her survival instinct taking over her protective instinct to look after the boys behind her. 

"Esme?" The wolf's eyes glazed over, revealing the mind-link he had just sent to her.

Isana gasped as Esme stumbled backwards, but she straightened herself and went to turn. But she was tackled to the ground, the wolf biting into her ear. "Esme!? Answer me! I know it's you!" 

Esme pushed him off her and jumped to her paws, instantly running away from the red-furred wolf. She heard his giant steps pounding after her, the sound making her legs sprint faster, no matter the burn. Her heart drummed against her chest, pumping adrenaline through her body, her instinct to run sent in full gear.

Again, it didn't take long until she was tackled down, this time from the side by another wolf. The air left her as she grunted from the impact but kicked the wolf off her and rolled to the side, deciding to defend herself instead. 

"We don't know how many there are," Isana reminded her worriedly as Esme's jaws snapped shut on the other wolf's neck, it whimpered, and she readied to finish it off-

"Esme, let's talk." 

Esme growled, her teeth tightening on the other wolf's neck. But her eyes landed on a man she hadn't seen in more than two years. A man who never spoke up for her. Ethan's Beta. 

Callum.

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