Chapter 10: The Hunter's Moon

The cold night air was a slap of pure freedom. Emilia didn't stop to breathe it in, didn't dare glance back at the blazing, chaotic heart of the pack house. Adrenaline screamed through her veins, a stark contrast to the deadening numbness that had plagued her for months. Every sense was heightened; the crunch of gravel under her thin-soled shoes was deafening, the scent of pine and damp earth an intoxicating promise. She hit the tree line at a dead sprint, the darkness of the forest swallowing her whole. The gala's cacophony faded, replaced by the ancient, judging silence of the woods. This was the territory of her ancestors, the land she had once run as a proud daughter of the pack, not a fugitive. North gate. Get to the north gate. The command was a drumbeat in her skull, syncing with the frantic rhythm of her heart. Henderson's words echoed alongside it: "Malfunctions sometimes... especially during a heavy storm... cameras on the fritz..." Ther