I Left Before He Learned My Worth novel Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**ARIA**

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A wave of terror surged through my veins, cold and unrelenting, as my mind raced to recall everything I had learned about these nightmarish creatures. Once, long ago, they had been werewolves, noble beings of the night. But their descent into darkness had been swift and brutal, as they committed atrocities so vile that a powerful coven of witches had deemed them unworthy of their humanity. Stripped of their essence, their pack bonds severed, they had been cursed to wander the earth as invisible predators, forever hungry, forever unsatisfied.

They were not just foes; they were the embodiment of nightmares, feared by all—humans, werewolves, and even vampires skirted around their territory, wary of the malevolence that lurked within. Their existence revolved solely around the hunt, the thrill of spreading the misery of their cursed lives.

And here I was, foolishly wandering into their domain.

A growl echoed through the trees, closer this time, a sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I felt a chilling brush against my leg—something cold and wrong, a sensation that sent shivers racing up my spine.

My hands trembled violently as I clutched the moonbeam plants, yanking them from the earth with their roots still intact. I was no warrior, not against an enemy I could not see. My only recourse was to flee.

With a frantic scramble, I pulled back from the edge of the cliff, my basket clutched tightly as I gathered the remaining herbs I had collected. My wolf stirred within me, desperate to break free, yearning to shift and fight, but what good would that do against foes that lurked in the shadows, unseen?

The growls intensified, closing in from all directions, a symphony of menace that filled the air.

I ran.

Branches lashed against my face as I tore through the underbrush, abandoning the safety of the well-trodden paths. My instincts as a wolf kicked in, guiding me through the trees, helping me leap over fallen logs and dodge the obstacles that threatened to trip me. Behind me, the nightwalkers pursued, their presence felt like the whisper of a chilling wind rustling through dead leaves, a haunting echo that sent dread curling in my stomach.

Suddenly, something struck my shoulder—a claw, sharp and unseen, tearing through my jacket and biting into my flesh. I stifled a scream, forcing my legs to move faster, my lungs burning with exertion.

The pack borders loomed ahead in my mind. If I could just reach them, the guards patrolling would offer safety—

But I knew I wouldn’t make it. The weight of their approach pressed down on me, their invisible forms closing in like a noose tightening around my throat.

Another strike—this time on my leg. I stumbled, falling hard to the forest floor, my basket flying from my grasp, herbs scattering like lost dreams around me.

Rolling onto my back, I gasped as I caught sight of the air shimmering above me, a distortion that hinted at the presence of one of the nightwalkers looming over me. It wasn’t fully invisible; it was more like peering through rippling water, a sight that made my head spin and my heart race.

It raised a clawed hand, poised to deliver a fatal blow.

This was it. This was how my story ended—alone in a dark forest, slaughtered by creatures cursed by their own sins, never knowing if my bond with Kael could have saved him, never having the chance to truly start anew.

The nightwalker’s claws descended, and then—

A massive black shape collided with it, a blur of fur and fury.

Kael.

Even in his wolf form, bound by his own curse, he was awe-inspiring. Towering and powerful, his midnight fur glimmered with strange silver patterns that seemed to pulse with life under the dim light filtering through the trees. His eyes blazed like molten gold as he lunged at the invisible nightwalker, his fangs finding purchase on something I could not see.

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