“Hanna…”

  “Hanna…”

  “Wake up, sweetheart…”

  “Mom…”

  “Wake up, darling…”

  “Mom…” Hanna sobbed. “I’m so tired…”

  “Hold on, Hanna… hold on…”

  Hanna opened her eyes slowly, feeling her eyelids heavy, almost too weighted to lift. Her vision was a blur, swaying precariously between a dream and reality.

  “Mom…” she called out weakly. “Mom…”

  There was no answer. Only the roar of the forest wind replied, long and cold. Tears streamed incessantly down her cheeks. She tried to move her hands.

  “Erk—!”

  “Argh…!”

  A panicked scream erupted from her throat. She couldn't move.

  “Mom! Mom! Help me!”

  Her cries lingered, broken and gasping, eventually swallowed by the oppressive silence of the woods. In that moment, her heart truly gave up.

  Perhaps… she would die here alone.

  Without anyone ever knowing.

  Hanna continued to sob, her weeping muffled by the wretched stillness. Her right arm was twisted at an impossible angle. Her left hand was pinned, crushed beneath the dead weight of her own stiffening body.

  However, the sight of her legs was far more horrific. Both knees were shattered—sharp white bones tore through the skin, protruding amidst raw, jagged flesh. It was no longer just an injury; it was physical devastation.

  "Hah... hah..."

  Her breath began to catch in her throat, short and dry. Her vision clouded; one moment her eyes were wide with the stare of death, the next they flickered shut. She could feel a cold pull dragging at her entire body, as if Death itself was coming to claim her at any second.

  "I'm going to die... I'm going to die..." she whispered, more an acceptance than a lament.

  Yet, just as the darkness began to invite her in, something unimaginable happened.

  "ERKKK! ERKKK!"

  A guttural scream exploded from her chest. Hanna arched her back with all her might, the veins in her neck bulging prominently. This new pain was far more cruel, more agonizing than her previous injuries. It felt as though every nerve and bone was being forcibly wrenched apart.

  Crack! Crack!

  The sound echoed—the sound of bone grinding against bone. Beneath her skin, something was moving. Her skeletal frame was twisting and reassembling itself. Her body remained hunched in a painful position as the gruesome healing process began.

  The broken bones in her arms began to knit together, as did those in her legs. The splintered bones that had pierced through were pulled back into place before fusing shut. Torn skin stitched itself back together, slowly sealing the wounds until they were smooth and scarless.

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  Throughout the horrific ordeal, Hanna howled in agony. Her voice broke in her throat until she finally slumped into unconsciousness, unable to bear the extreme torture any longer. Now, only the 'crack' and 'snap' of shifting bones filled the silent space until the restoration was complete.

  The atmosphere returned to a haunting silence.

  ___________

  Meanwhile, Marcus and his followers moved swiftly, tracking the residual scent Hanna had left behind. They ran through the stands of stiff, ancient oaks. Virgo led the pack; his sharp sense of smell made him the most effective guide, while Marcus and the others followed closely behind.

  "Stop!" Marcus shouted suddenly.

  They came to a dead halt. Marcus stepped forward, his brow furrowed as if weighing a new, more cunning plan.

  "Rico, Savage!" Marcus called.

  "Marcus," they answered in unison.

  "You two go ahead. If you find her, do not waste time trying to take her alive. Just kill her."

  "Understood, Marcus."

  Without delay, Rico and Savage began to strip their clothes one by one until not a single thread covered their bodies. They stood hunched over, faces contorted in a grimace against the pain as the sound of cracking bones broke the forest's silence.

  Their frames expanded voraciously. Thick fur began to sprout, crawling over every inch of their skin. Their jaws elongated, forcing sharp fangs to thrust past their lips, while their ears peaked upward. In an instant, the human forms vanished, replaced entirely by the terrifying bodies of werewolves.

  Rico and Savage lunged forward with extraordinary speed. Their shadows disappeared among the trees, watched by Marcus in silence.

  “Why didn’t you let me go with them?” Marco asked, dissatisfied.

  “The two of them are enough,” Marcus replied firmly.

  “Do you know why I followed you here?”

  Marcus went silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the forest ahead.

  “She is still a fledgling, Marco. She knows nothing. There is no need to unleash your rage on her.”

  “I don’t care. Fledgling or not… as long as the blood of Edward and Victoria runs through her veins, she deserves my torment.”

  Marcus turned slowly. His gaze was flinty.

  “In her veins flows the blood of the Maximus lineage. If you mention that again… I will take your head myself.”

  Marco bowed his head the moment he met Marcus’s threatening stare. The words died in his throat.

  “Pick up their clothes. Fast. We’re moving,” Marcus ordered.

  Marco nodded stiffly. When he looked up again, Marcus had already walked ahead, leaving him stunned in his wake.

  Rico and Savage moved almost in sync. Their breath was heavy and fast, rasping between the oak trees. Every stride slammed against the earth with power. The forest, once silent, now vibrated with the thud of their paws.

  Their eyes were locked forward. The prey must be hunted quickly.

  In the distance, Hanna still lay motionless. She was completely unaware that two monsters were hunting her down.

  _________

  “Hanna… Hanna…”

  A man's voice tried to rouse her. The voice was faint.

  “Hanna! Wake up!”

  “D-Dad…?”

  “Wake up, Hanna. You have to run. They are coming.”

  “Who…?”

  “Wake up now!”

  Hanna jolted awake. Her eyes snapped wide. She gasped for air. In that instant, her nose caught a scent she knew all too well—the smell of wolves. The same scent that had attacked her and her mother.

  Her heart hammered against her ribs.

  Without a second thought, Hanna scrambled to her feet in a panic, forgetting the agony she had just endured. Her eyes darted around, searching for her bag.

  The bag was snagged on a branch, hanging over a cliff.

  She climbed quickly, snatched the bag, then turned and ran with all her strength.

  Behind her, the breath of the hunters drew closer.

  Hanna kept running. Her breath was ragged and sharp; her chest felt as if it were on fire. Every step was painful, but she didn't stop.

  Branches clawed at her arms. Rocks cut into her soles. She didn't care.

  She couldn't stop or look back.

  The creatures hunting her wanted her life. She didn't even know what her sin was to make them want her dead.

  _____

  “Grrr…”

  “Grrr…”

  Rico stopped at the edge of the cliff. Savage halted beside him. Rico lowered his head, sniffing the damp earth. His eyes peered sharply toward the base of the cliff.

  “Awooooo…!”

  Rico’s howl shattered the forest’s silence.

  “Awooooo…!” Savage answered.

  In the distance, Hanna—still running—flinched at the sound of the howls.

  “Hah… hah…”

  Her breathing turned chaotic. Her face was pale. She sprinted faster, running for her life without daring to look back.

  After the howl, Rico leaped down the cliff. Savage followed closely on his right. Their movements were lithe—one moment claws gripped the earth, the next their bodies glided swiftly down the slope.

  Midway down, Rico raised his head. In his sights, he saw Hanna’s silhouette darting between the trees. He turned to Savage. Savage returned the look.

  Rico lifted his snout slightly, signaling with a small movement toward where Hanna was spotted. Savage understood. They accelerated once more, moving in deadly silence.