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Echoes of the Feral
The walls felt like they were closing in.
Riley's pulse thundered in her ears as she took in every detail of the room the wolves surrounding them, the smirk on Callum's face, the dangerous calm in Tobias's golden eyes.
She had walked straight into a trap.
And now?
There was no way out.
Kieran shifted beside her, his entire body coiled like a spring, muscles tense, ready to fight.
It wouldn't matter.
They were outnumbered. Four-to-one, at least.
Nova wasn't here.
Elias was gone.
And Riley?
She had been too desperate for answers.
Tobias tilted his head, studying her. "You look surprised."
Riley clenched her jaw. "Maybe I expected you to try a little harder."
Callum let out a low laugh. "She's got jokes. That's cute."
Riley barely looked at him. "You're an idiot if you think I won't kill you for this."
Callum smirked, unconcerned. "Oh, I don't doubt you'll try."
Tobias sighed, stepping closer. "Enough. We're past the threats, Riley."
Her chest tightened.
Because Tobias wasn't looking at her like prey.
He was looking at her like she was something valuable.
Like she was a prize.
She hated it.
Kieran shifted, his golden eyes burning. "Let her go."
Tobias laughed. "And why would I do that?"
Kieran's voice was low, controlled but barely. "Because if you don't, I'll rip your throat out."
The wolves in the room bristled, low growls rippling through the air.
Tobias?
He just looked amused.
"You always were predictable, Wolfe." He exhaled sharply. "That's why you lost the first time."
Riley's breath caught.
Kieran froze.
Just for a second.
But Tobias saw it.
And he smiled. "Ah. She doesn't know, does she?"
Kieran's jaw tightened. "That's not your business."
Tobias ignored him, turning back to Riley. "You're remembering, aren't you?"
Riley forced herself to breathe. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Tobias chuckled. "Liar."
Riley's fingers twitched.
Because he was right.
She was remembering.
Not all of it. Not enough.
But pieces.
Kieran is bleeding in the snow.
Her voice whispered This has to end.
The look in Kieran's eyes was like he knew exactly what she had done.
Tobias smiled. "I bet you're wondering what happened, aren't you? Why does Kieran look at you like he's waiting for a knife in the back."
Kieran tensed beside her.
Riley didn't look away from Tobias.
But she could feel Kieran's breathing change.
Like Tobias had struck a nerve.
Tobias continued. "You were supposed to kill him."
The words hit like a punch.
Riley's lungs locked.
"What?" she whispered.
Tobias tilted his head. "You don't remember that part?"
Her stomach twisted.
The memory of the vision she had seen in the barn flashed behind her eyes.
Kieran.
On the ground.
Dying.
She had been the one standing over him.
And the worst part?
She hadn't felt regret.
Riley swallowed hard, her nails digging into her palms. "You're lying."
Tobias's smirk deepened. "Am I?"
She turned to Kieran.
And the look on his face
The hesitation. The guilt.
She took a step back.
"Kieran?" Her voice shook. "Tell me he's lying."
Silence.
It was the longest second of her life.
Kieran's golden eyes met hers, his jaw tight, his breath uneven.
And then softer than a whisper:
"I can't."
Riley's stomach dropped.
She felt sick.
The memories weren't lies.
They were real.
She had been the one to hurt him.
And he had known the whole time.
Tobias's voice was smug. "There it is."
Riley barely heard him.
Everything inside her was too loud, too sharp.
Kieran had known.
And he hadn't told her.
Tobias sighed dramatically. "Well, now that that's out of the way"
Riley snapped.
She moved without thinking, lunging for Tobias.
A blur of motion.
A snarl.
Something slammed into her.
Callum.
They hit the ground hard, Callum pinning her down before she could reach Tobias.
She let out a furious snarl, writhing beneath him, fighting his grip.
"Easy there, sweetheart," Callum breathed, smirking down at her. "We haven't even gotten to the fun part."
Riley's vision went red.
She kicked out, knocking him off balance long enough to shove him away.
She rolled to her feet
Just as Tobias sighed.
"Enough."
The wolves moved at once.
A blur of bodies, of golden eyes and snarling teeth.
Kieran lunged forward, meeting them head-on.
And the room exploded into chaos.
Kieran moved like a storm, tearing into the nearest wolves with lethal precision.
Riley barely had time to react before one of them was on her.
She ducked, spinning away just in time to avoid a swipe of claws.
She lashed out with her elbow bone cracking against her jaw.
A snarl.
The wolf staggered but didn't go down.
Riley didn't hesitate.
She grabbed the nearest wooden chair and swung hard.
It shattered against the wolf's side, sending it crashing to the floor.
She turned just in time to see Kieran get tackled.
"No!"
She moved without thinking.
Her hands burned, the hunger inside her roaring to the surface.
She reached out and something happened.
The wolf staggered back, gasping.
Riley froze.
Her fingers tingle.
The wolf was choking.
But she wasn't touching it.
She wasn't doing anything.
Was she?
The wolf collapsed.
Dead.
Riley stared at her hands.
What the hell
"Riley!"
Kieran's voice snapped her back.
She turned.
Tobias was standing in the middle of the room, watching her.
Not angry.
Not afraid.
Amused.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Riley's breath came fast, sharp.
Her hands shook.
Something was wrong with her.
Something was changing.
And she wasn't sure she could stop it.
Tobias smiled.
Then
"Take them."
Darkness
Something slammed into the back of her skull.
Riley fell.
And the world went black.
Darkness swallowed her.
Her body collapsed before she even felt the pain. A heavy numbness spread through her limbs, dull and distant like she was floating outside of herself.
Somewhere in the haze, she heard Kieran shouting her name.
A snarl.
A struggle.
Then a sickening crack.
Silence.
Her thoughts blurred, slipping between what was real and what wasn't. The hunger that had burned inside her dimmed, replaced by something else.
Something colder.
Something waiting.
A voice familiar, distant.
"You're not ready yet."
Then nothing.
A sharp jolt dragged her back.
Pain seared through her skull, pulling her toward consciousness.
Her breath hitched.
She was moving.
Or rather being moved.
The scent of damp earth and blood filled her senses.
Leather straps bit into her wrists.
Riley's pulse spiked.
Her vision swam as she forced her eyes open but the only thing she saw was shadows.
And then
A voice.
Smooth. Amused.
Tobias.
"Time to wake up, Riley."
And just like that
She realized she was no longer free.