Chapter 8

• Claire POV.
• My dad got up and slammed his fists down on his desk, which made the wood crack a little. "Claire, neither you nor I have a choice. We're both in the same place. Do you really want to put the lives of every member of our pack in danger? Because I don't have any plans to." I was called by my name.
• The tone and volume of his voice startled me, so I took a few steps back. It was the first time he had ever yelled at me like that.
• I stood still because I was so shocked that I couldn't move. I couldn't believe that this was really happening, and I was even more shocked that my own father would give me to that bad person without a fight.
• He let out a long sigh and then went back to where he had been standing and sat down. "In about an hour, he'll come get you. I think it's best for you to quickly pack up your things and say goodbye to everyone.
• My eyes started to tear up, and my bottom lip started to shake. I was so mad that I finally lost it and stormed out of his office without saying a word. I could no longer look at him or even be in the same room as him. I was so angry, confused, and most of all afraid of what was going to happen to me in the future.
• As I walked out of his office, everyone was standing there with sad faces. I could see how upset they were. The whole minute I stood there and looked at them, I thought about a million different things.
• I couldn't stop thinking that this might be the last time I ever see them. I was being torn away from my family and the people I had spent my whole life caring for by a terrible thing.
• I couldn't breathe, my head felt like it was spinning, and the pain in my chest was unbearable. I needed a few seconds to myself so I could gather my thoughts and take a few deep breaths. So, I turned around and went around as quickly as I could to the back door to save time.
• As I walked out of the building and toward the forest, I could hear my name being called from the hallway behind me. My safe place was in the dense woods. Because the smells and trees in the area made me feel calm, I made it a point to go there whenever I needed some time to myself.
• Once I got into the woods, I didn't waste any time getting my sprint going. As I walked through the forest, I could smell the damp ground and hear the leaves crunching under my feet. I was surrounded by trees with branches that touched each other, and the moonlight lit my way.
• As I went deeper into the forest, I noticed that my lungs were starting to hurt. This made me slow down. Then I stopped, and I fell down on the floor. When I looked up, there was a beautiful moon and a lot of stars in the sky.
• While I was sitting there, I thought about why the Moon Goddess had given me such bad luck and why she would let this be my fate. As soon as I realized what was happening, I started crying angry tears.
• Even though I could hear leaves being raked up behind me, I stayed where I was because I didn't want to see or talk to anyone at that time. I got up and started jogging in the other direction to try to get away from whoever was looking for me.
• But as I tried to get away from them, I heard a voice I knew and didn't like. It stopped me from moving forward.
• "My love. If I were in your shoes, I'd tell you not to run because it will only make things harder for you. But if you really want to do that, I won't stop you. I really like playing "hide and seek." He said it in a threatening way.
• I just stood there, not moving, because I didn't know what to do next. I finally thought, "If I just keep running, I might be able to get away from him and my future." But if I keep running, I'll put everyone I care about in danger. I didn't know what to do and couldn't think of anything.
• When I heard him getting closer, I fought with myself for a fraction of a second longer before letting my instincts take over. I started running away from the monster that was after me right away.
• As I went deeper into the forest, the moonlight got less and less until it was completely dark. As we walked through the forest, the only thing we could hear was the quiet sound of our feet hitting the ground. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, I came across a fallen tree with moss and vines growing on it. I ran as fast as I could to the tree, and when I got there, I hid in it so he wouldn't see me.
• I just laid there and tried to slow down my breathing and heart rate so I could pay attention to what was going on around me. Nothing. The fact that it was now very quiet made me feel even more afraid of what was going on.
• Just then, I heard the sound of a branch breaking, then the sound of a second branch breaking, then the sound of a third branch breaking, and so on. Each sound was louder than the last. I knew Hunter wasn't very far away.
• He said in a threatening way, "You do realize that I can smell you, right?"All I need to find you, my dear, is to smell your fear," and he emphasized the word "smell."
• I thought he was right next to me because his voice sounded like it was so close. I did my best to get myself together and calm down before going on. I tried to remember who I used to be.
• I'm a warrior who's worth his salt. I've been in competitions with the best and won. I have been brave and strong in every situation that has been hard for me. Even so, I couldn't sleep because I was scared of this man for so many different reasons, some of which I couldn't even explain to myself.
• My worry was going away, and as a result, I was getting more and more angry. I was mad at myself for hiding, mad that Hunter was going to take me away from my family, and mad that he was hunting me like I was his fucking dinner.
• Despite how I felt, I chose to do something that I will probably come to regret. As I slowly came out of hiding, I made sure to watch my surroundings closely and look for Hunter. After that, I stood there and listened for him carefully while looking in all directions to see if he was nearby.
• The tiny hairs that usually lie still on the back of my neck stood up all at once.