The Last Aethri

The cold asphalt shredded the bottoms of my bare feet with every desperate step I took. Rain poured from the sky in relentless sheets, soaking straight through my thin clothes until they clung heavily to my skin. The flickering streetlights at the edge of town cast weak reflections across the wet pavement, but the darkness swallowed almost everything else. My chest burned violently with every breath, my lungs struggling to keep up as I forced myself forward. Behind me, the hounds barked. Closer. Louder. Hungry. The sound echoed through the empty streets like a death sentence. I lowered my head and pushed harder, my wet hair sticking to my face as I turned sharply into a narrow alley between two abandoned buildings. The stench of damp garbage and rust filled the air. My heavy glasses slid down my nose again, blurred with rainwater, but I didn’t bother fixing them this time. My hands were shaking too badly. A bright flashlight beam suddenly cut through the darkness behind me. "Check the perimeter! She couldn’t have gone far!" The harsh voice sent pure panic crashing through my chest. I didn’t stop to think. I ran. At the end of the alley stood a rusted chain-link fence. I grabbed it immediately, ignoring the sharp metal biting into my palms as I climbed. My muscles screamed in protest, exhaustion making my arms tremble, but fear pushed me harder than strength ever could. I threw myself over the top and landed hard in the wet grass on the other side. The town ended there. Ahead of me stood the forest. Massive black trees stretched endlessly into darkness, their towering forms swaying violently in the storm like living shadows waiting to swallow me whole. Most people in town avoided these woods after dark. Stories surrounded them—stories about disappearances, strange sounds, and creatures no one could explain. But right now, the forest was safer than the people hunting me. Without hesitation, I plunged into the trees. The world changed instantly. The smooth pavement disappeared beneath slick mud and tangled roots. The weak glow of the town vanished behind me, leaving only darkness and rain. Branches clawed at my arms and face as I pushed deeper into the woods, thorns tearing holes into my soaked clothes. Still, I kept moving. I had to. The barking grew louder behind me as the hounds entered the forest. They were faster here. Stronger. I could hear them crashing through the undergrowth, following my scent with terrifying precision. My breathing turned ragged and uneven as I stumbled through thick patches of ferns. My vision blurred from exhaustion and rainwater coating my glasses. Just reach the ridge, I told myself desperately. Just get over the ridge and keep going. But fate had already decided otherwise. My right foot suddenly slammed against something hidden beneath the mud—a thick tree root slick with rain. My balance vanished instantly. I pitched forward violently, arms reaching for anything to grab. There was nothing. The ground beneath me disappeared completely. A scream ripped from my throat as I fell. The drop was steep and brutal. My body slammed against jagged rocks and loose earth as I tumbled downward uncontrollably. Pain exploded through my ribs when I hit the side of the ravine, knocking the air from my lungs before gravity dragged me even farther down. Somewhere during the fall, my glasses were ripped from my face. Then everything stopped. I crashed hard into the freezing mud at the bottom of the ravine. For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe. I lay flat on my back, rain hammering against my face while agony radiated through my entire body. My vision was nothing but blurred shapes and shadows without my glasses. A sharp pain shot through my left leg the moment I tried to move. I gasped. Something was badly wrong. Above me, flashlights swept through the trees at the top of the drop. The hounds barked furiously over the edge, pacing back and forth as they searched for a way down. They had cornered me. It was over. My chest tightened painfully as I stared blindly up at the stormy sky. Water mixed with the blood on my lips while exhaustion slowly dragged at my consciousness. I closed my eyes. I wouldn’t cry. I refused to give them that satisfaction. Then suddenly— The dogs stopped barking. Not gradually. Instantly. The violent snarls were replaced with frightened whimpers. Paws scrambled backward across the wet ground above me. The hounds were retreating. Terrified. My eyes snapped open. The air around me had changed. The freezing cold of the storm disappeared beneath an overwhelming heat that pressed heavily against my skin. Even the scent of the forest vanished, replaced by something darker. Something ancient. Crushed cedar. Smoke. And raw, unapologetic violence. Fear crawled slowly down my spine. From the shadows between the trees, figures began to emerge. Huge men stepped silently into the clearing, their massive forms barely visible through the rain. They moved with unnatural stillness despite their size, like predators perfectly aware of their own power. They didn’t carry flashlights. They didn’t need them. Then I saw him. The man at the front. He was enormous, easily over six-foot-four, with shoulders broad enough to block out the storm behind him. Even standing still, he radiated a terrifying dominance that seemed to consume the entire ravine. The air itself felt heavier around him. Dangerous. My survival instincts screamed at me instantly. The men hunting me suddenly felt insignificant compared to whatever stood before me now. This wasn’t human. It couldn’t be. I should have been afraid. I was afraid. But I was also broken, bleeding, trapped, and completely out of options. So I lifted my head slightly and looked toward the towering shadow standing only a few feet away. “Help...” I whispered weakly. The word barely survived the storm. But he heard it. The giant froze instantly. The violent pressure surrounding him shattered without warning, replaced by something wild and completely uncontrollable. A deep growl rumbled from his chest, so powerful it seemed to shake the earth beneath me. Then, through the pouring rain and darkness, one single word echoed like thunder. "Mate."