" Alpha Ronan Volkstane ," one of the Alpha instructors called out , marking my name on the list as I stepped into the wide clearing with a tiger draped over my shoulders . Its body was still warm , its weight pressing into me like the price of victory carved in flesh and blood . The instructors stood like statues along the edges , arms folded , faces unreadable beneath the flickering glow of torchlight . They offered a single nod as I passed . I didn't stop With a sharp motion , I hurled the tiger to the ground . It landed with a dull , final thud - its lifeless eyes staring up at the stars . already fading with the approach of dawn . Done . I straightened , exhaling slowly , and let my gaze sweep across the clearing . It was filling now . One by one , the Alphas returned , dragging , carrying , or hauling their prey . Warriors , all of them . Bloodied , bruised , exhausted - and yet victorious . My eyes remained fixed on the forest.I spotted a familiar figure off to the left - Finn , with a coyote slung across his shoulder . He made it . But not ' him " My eyes cut to the forest's edge again . Stillness . The trees stood silent and unmoving . No figures . No movement . The same heavy silence I'd been watching for minutes now . " Ronan , you're finally back , " came Asher's voice from behind . I nodded once without turning . His pace was slower than mine , but he carried a massive wild boar . He dropped it beside my tiger with a grunt and wiped sweat from his brow . " What the hell are you staring at ? " I didn't answer . The wind stirred the leaves like whispers . Still , no movement . That's when Alpha Gideon stepped into the clearing . " What's the report ? " he demanded of the nearest instructor . " Out of one hundred forty Alphas , only thirty have returned . Our scouts haven't sensed more than ten from the designated . range . It's likely the rest failed to secure their prey . " I perked up instinctively at " The sun will rise in less than twenty minutes , " Gideon growled , disappointment curling through his voice . " The weak will be weeded out today " Asher glanced back toward the gathered Alphas , then followed my stare . " You're expecting someone " No. " I muntered . He blinked . " Then maybe stop glaring before your eyes bleed and you drop dead . " I turned my head to him slowly . " Wanna die ? " He laughed and leaned against a nearby tree , eyes scanning the clearing where five more Alphas had just emerged . " Reed and Cassius made it back . But I don't see that bastard Seth Darven , he muttered , a scowl darkening his features . " If he's alive . I'll kill him myself . I didn't respond . Just glanced at him once before returning to the treeline . The morning crept in soft and patient . The sky began to bleed with the first colors of dawn , amber and violet streaks crawling over the horizon . Time was slipping away . " You're definitely waiting for someone ." Asher said with certainty . I reached for the water bottle near my feet . " Maybe " His ears perked . " Who ? " I uncapped the bottle and raised it to my lips . " That's what I'm trying to figure out ." I murmured , taking a slow sip . That white wolf flashed through my mind . The one I'd seen in the woods . The one who looked at me like they feared neither death nor judgment . Amber eyes Beautiful , haunting eyes . Eyes I couldn't forget . " Dante's back ," Asher murmured . I turned my head . Dante had just dropped a massive elk beside the others . His gaze locked with mine across the clearing , and something in it was off . Before I could place the feeling , an instructor called out another name , snapping me from my thoughts . I tilted my head , eyes drifting to the sky where the light was blooming . " Morning's almost here ." Asher sighed . " Let's go , it's over ." " It's not over yet I didn't move a muscle . There's still five minutes left Asher stopped mid - step . " What the hell could change in five minutes ? Those capable of hunting have returned . I can't sense a single Alpha still out there . No one's coming " Over ? " My gaze hardened on the trees . " Then why doesn't it feel over ? " That's when the ground shifted beneath us . A subtle tremor . Asher stiffened . " Did you feel that ?! " Every Alpha in the clearing froze . " Was that an earthquake ? " one of them whispered , voice tight with panic . " Something's not right , " I muttered , eyes fixed on the trembling earth . Then came the shout , sharp and urgent . " Look ! The forest The forest erupted The trees trembled . The ground roared . " Something's coming " someone screamed , pointing toward the entrance of the woods . I squinted into the shadowed treeline , until a figure burst into view . " It's Seth ! " Finn shouted , his face beaming with happiness . Seth , covered in dirt and ash , raced from the forest with terrifying speed . But he wasn't alone . Behind him … A stampede . A hundred wild bison thundered through the trees in his wake . " What kind of lunatic is he ?! " an Alpha cried in horror . " He was supposed to bring one , not a damn army ! " Technically , the rules never said the prey had to be dead . " MOVE ! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES ! " someone screamed . Chaos broke out . Alphas scattered like panicked ants . But L I stood there frozen , my heart taking a sudden race . Seth's eyes were locked on mine . He ran straight for me , like I was the only thing he could see . The next second , his hand seized mine , and he pulled me hard . " Run " " Together , we bolted . " Climb ! " he yelled , pointing to a massive tree just ahead , aledar in seconds , a breath away from being trampled The clearing shook beneath us , thunder rolling from hooves and dust choking the air . The world blurred in panic and sound . Clinging to the thick branch , I turned . Seth ut boude me , breath heaving his amber eyes catching the light I stared into them . My gaze dropped briefly to his blood - streaked lips before rising again to meet his eyes . I leaned in , just inches between us . " I saw a white she - wolf in the woods , " I murmured , voice low . " Did you see it too ? "