CHAPTER 41: THE CONVERGENCE.

The sound of the howl hung in the air, stretching the silence taut.

Cassian’s eyes locked on Luca’s. "That wasn’t one of ours."

Luca shook his head once. "No, it wasn’t. There are strange beings around now."

They both turned toward Bella. She had shifted slightly in her sleep, her brows drawing faintly together like she was sensing the tension even in dreams.

Cassian stepped closer, lowering his voice. "We need to move her out of this place tonight."

"She’s too weak," Luca said immediately. "She just woke up—"

"And she’ll wake up to worse if we stay," Cassian cut in, "If there’s one out there, there’s more. That howl was a signal to move in, come together, not a scare tactic. They’ll be converging now."

Luca’s wolf was already pacing hard inside him.

"They’re hunting tonight," he muttered.

Cassian didn’t deny it. He glanced at the door. "We have minutes, maybe less, before they circle. Rafe and Killian are still outside. If they see something, they’ll hold it off, but we can’t count on that for long."

Luca’s gaze fell to Bella again. Her skin looked too pale, but his gut was screaming at him to listen to what Cassian was saying. "You think they’re coming for her?"

"We can’t tell for sure, Luca," Cassian admitted, "but my instincts don’t like what I smelled out there. Whoever or whatever it was... it’s not human."

Luca’s hands curled into fists. "Then we stand and fight them."

Cassian hesitated, studying him. "You’d risk a fight in here? With her like that?"

Luca didn’t answer, instead he turned to look round the room. He told himself the truth. A fight inside the hideout would be chaos. Especially as they didn’t know yet what they were facing. And if they succeeded to breach the door, Bella would be right in the center of it.

"Alright," Luca said finally, clenching his jaw. "If we move her, we do it my way."

Cassian gave a short nod. "Fine. But we have to move. Now."

Luca slid an arm under Bella’s shoulders, careful not to wake her fully. She stirred faintly, her head resting against his chest.

"Shh... you’re alright," he murmured.

Cassian moved to the door, listening. "Nothing yet. Let’s go."

A sudden thud from outside made them both freeze.

Luca met Cassian’s eyes. "That’s them."

Cassian’s hand was already on the doorframe. "Killian’s howl was closer before. That means they’re pushing us inward."

"They want to push us to a corner," Luca said grimly.

They heard another sound, light, rapid footsteps passing along the wall. Luca’s wolf lunged against his skin, urging him to tear the door open and chase.

Instead, he adjusted Bella in his arms. "We’re not going out the front."

Cassian didn’t argue. "Yes, let’s use the back door. If we keep low, we can cover some distance before they smell exactly where we are."

The door rattled faintly again.

Both of them froze.

Luca’s heartbeat kicked hard against his chest. It wasn’t the wind.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. "Move. Now."

He slipped ahead, leading them toward the narrow back passage. Luca followed, carrying Bella in his arms.

Behind them, the door’s bolt unlatched.

Luca didn’t look back.

He knew they’d been found.

Bella shifted weakly in his arms. Her voice was barely audible.

"Luca..."

"I’ve got you," he murmured without slowing down.

Her fingers caught on the collar of his shirt. "Too many... it’s... not safe..."

Cassian glanced back, but Luca shook his head. She was still half-dreaming but the timing of her words...

They reached the last door in the corridor. Cassian pressed an ear to it, listening. The night outside was silent now.

"Clear enough," he muttered. He eased the door open just a fraction. Cold air spilled in, carrying scents Luca didn’t like, musk, damp earth, and something else that smelt like rot.

They stepped out into the darkness.

Luca adjusted Bella’s weight, keeping her close, his gaze focused on the edges of the tall grasses.

Halfway across the open space, a shadow detached itself from a tree to their right.

"Stop," Cassian hissed.

The shape moved low to the ground, fast, but not on all fours. The way it shifted its weight was scary, the movements were too smooth, like it was boneless.

Another shadow joined it, then another, both flanking from opposite angles.

Luca’s wolf surged to the surface, heat flooding his muscles. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a low snarl.

Then, a low whistle cut through the air from the trees behind them.

Killian.

A moment later, Rafe stepped out of the shadows ahead holding a long blade in his hands. "Move! Now!"

Cassian spun toward him. "They’re cutting us off!"

"Not for long," Rafe growled. He sliced the knife through the air. One of the shadows halted, retreating and disappearing into the dark.

Killian emerged at their side, breathing heavily. His gaze landed on Bella and hardened. "She’s slowing you down."

"She’s not dead weight," Luca snapped.

"Never said she was," Killian replied coldly. "But they’re not chasing us, they’re chasing her. We can’t lead them straight to the next safe house unless we throw them off first."

"We’re not splitting up," Luca said flatly.

"You might not have a choice," Rafe said. He jerked his head toward the forest line. "They’re circling. We need to break it before they close the ring."

Cassian swore under his breath. "Let us cut north, straight through the gully. It’s risky, but it’ll buy us time."

A sound tore through the night then, high-pitched and shrilly. It echoed from three different directions at once.

Bella stirred in Luca’s arms again, her eyes opening just a slit. She looked toward the sound, her voice came in a raspy sound, "They’re already here. They’re weakening my energy."

Luca’s grip tightened instinctively. "Who?"

Her glassy gaze met his. "The demons from my vision."

Before he could press her, the undergrowth exploded.

Figures spilled from the trees, they had tall, lean limbs, and a rotting torso, you could see through them. Their eyes were pale and rimmed in black.

Killian drew out his own blade. "Luca! RUN!"

The first one lunged.

Cassian shifted mid-stride, his wolf bursting free in a blur of muscle and fur. The sound of bone snapping and reforming filled the air. He slammed into the demon’s chest, the impact shaking leaves from the branches above.

"Go!" he snarled over his shoulder, voice already deepening with the growl of his wolf.

Luca tightened his hold on Bella and ran, the forest tilting steeply downward toward the gully.

Rafe sliced through a demon but the blade went through and demon came back to shape

Seeing it wasn’t a knife fight, his shift came next.

The air stank of rot and iron now, thick enough to burn Luca’s nose. Every step seemed to draw the demons closer, their movements wrong, jerking, twitching, yet fast enough to blur between the trees.

One dropped from above, catching Killian in mid-shift. They hit the ground hard, snarling and thrashing. The demon’s limbs bent the wrong way, clawed hands gripping fur to twist. Killian’s jaws clamped down on its shoulder, the crunch of bone sharp in the night, but instead of screaming it only laughed, a dry, rattling sound that didn’t belong in any living throat.

Cassian tore the demon off him with his teeth and flung it into a tree trunk. "MOVE!"

They ran.

Bella stirred against Luca’s chest, head turning toward the sounds behind them. Her voice was faint, but it cut straight through the chaos. "They’re... after me."

Luca didn’t answer but she kept speaking, her tone clearer now. "They’re the same ones from outside the door."

Something burst through the undergrowth to their left. Luca twisted, letting his wolf’s claws tear free just long enough to rake across a pale, veined face. The skin split, dark smoke curling from the wound instead of blood.

Killian’s voice was rough, panting. "They’re not even wolves."

"No," Bella said weakly, "they’re worse."

More shapes appeared at the ridge above them, crouched low, pale eyes fixed on Bella as though she were the only one they saw. One tilted its head, its lips peeling back in a too-wide smile.

Cassian slowed, hackles raised. "DEMONS!."

His voice seemed to ripple through the clearing.

The nearest one leapt, its mouth opening impossibly wide. But then the wolves were in motion. Cassian met it midair, their bodies slamming together with a force that cracked branches. Killian swept in low, claws sinking into another’s leg, dragging it down.

Luca dropped to one knee just long enough to set Bella behind him, his wolf surging forward at last.

The night filled with the sound of snapping jaws, claws tearing into flesh that didn’t bleed, only produced black smelly smoke and the cackled laughter of creatures that were long dead.

Still, for every one they knocked down, two more slipped through the trees. And all of them, every single one, kept their gaze fixed on Bella.