Sarah slipped into the alley after them, her steps silent against the damp pavement. The evening air was sharp, biting at her skin.
But the two cloaked figures were gone.
She scanned the shadows, straining her ears, her nose—nothing.
"Damn," she muttered. "They got away…"
She took a deeper breath, focusing. Still nothing.
"I can't sense them. No scent. No presence."
Her brow furrowed.
"They're that skilled at hiding themselves."
"Okay… you can come out now" she called out looking around.
"Well, well... hello there, big sis," Hunter drawled, stepping out from the shadows with that signature smirk.
"Missed me?"
She didn't smile. "Where's your partner?"
He shrugged. "Around. You know how she is—always dramatic with her entrances."
Sarah stepped closer, voice low. "Here on Daddy's orders?"
Hunter smirked. "You know us. Wouldn't lift a finger unless Father snapped them. But…" He squinted at her. "He didn't mention an Alpha being involved."
"That's because your business is with me, not him."
He chuckled. "Looks like someone's been busy." His eyes narrowed slightly. "New pack…?"
Then his grin sharpened.
"Wait—don't tell me… you found yourself a mate?"
"A mate?" she scoffed. "I have a husband waiting for me at home."
She turned, already walking away.
"I'll be on my way now. Tell the pack how much I don't miss them."
"A husband?" he laughed—loud and mocking. "You? With a human?"
He stepped forward, eyes glinting with amusement.
"That's rich. How'd you do it, Luna? Seduced the poor human into thinking you were in love?"
"Luna's dead, remember? You all left her behind the night the Blood Fang Pack raided—just stood there while they dragged her off."
Hunter chuckled, stepping closer, head tilted mockingly.
"Sarah, was it?" he said with exaggerated politeness. "Cute. But let's not pretend."
His smile faded into something colder.
"You're Obsidian Crimson. One of the FourPillars. One of the strongest."
He leaned in slightly.
"The Alpha won't let you go. He owns you."
She looked at him—unshaken.
"Not anymore," she said, her voice cool and steady.
Then she walked past him, as she exited the alley.
Over her shoulder, she added,
"He should've sent Scar. Not his little errand boy."
"Why you…" he growled, fury flashing in his eyes as he lunged forward.
But he froze mid-step.
A second shadow stepped into the alley's entrance—slow, poised, dangerous.
Huntress.
Her cloak shifted as she moved, and even without seeing her eyes, Sarah felt the weight of her stare.
"That's enough," Huntress said calmly, but the steel in her voice cut through the air like a blade.
She and Sarah locked eyes for a long moment.
Then Huntress' facade cracked.
"I really missed you, we all thought you died" she whispered, tears spilling over as she rushed forward and pulled Sarah into a tight, desperate hug.
Sarah smiled softly.
"C'mon, little sis," she said, patting her back gently. "Don't lose your cool in front of your younger brother."
Hunter scoffed in the background. "We're twins, goddamnit."
Huntress wiped her eyes, still holding onto Sarah.
"Yeah, well, I was born five minutes earlier," she muttered without looking at Hunter.
Sarah chuckled. "Still counts."
Hunter groaned in the background. "Tch, you two… Together, worst sight ever." He turned, brushing past. "Just get it over with, Huntress. Let's head back."
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "You're not taking me in anymore?"
He stopped, his back still to her. "I don't owe you an explanation," he said sharply. "Just be grateful."
Huntress pulled back slightly, her expression hardening as she glanced between them.
"You could at least pretend not to be a jerk for five minutes," she said to Hunter.
He scoffed but didn't respond.
Sarah folded her arms, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "So you actually just really missed me."
Hunter met her eyes, cold and unreadable. Then, without a word, he turned and walked off.
As his footsteps faded, Huntress tilted her head with a teasing smile.
"So... you've gone and gotten yourself a husband, huh?"
"Well," Sarah began, brushing some hair behind her ear, "after you guys left me with Mikasa, I escaped. Had to jump into a freezing stream."
She gave a dry chuckle.
"I almost drowned… until a human—my husband—saved me."
Huntress's smile faded. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I would've—"
"It's okay," Sarah cut in gently. "I know you'd have had my back. Always."
She hesitated, then her voice turned cold.
"It wasn't your fault… it was his."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That selfish father of yours."
"Selfish?" Huntress snapped, her voice cracking.
"You didn't come back for me."
She took a step back, pain flashing in her eyes.
"I thought we were supposed to run away—leave it all behind and live the rest of our lives together… What happened to that, Luna?"
"I couldn't come back," Sarah said quietly, voice trembling just a little.
"Please try to understand. But I never forgot you. Not a single day went by that I didn't think about you."
"I would've come for you… eventually.
The timing just… wasn't right."
Huntress' warmth faded, replaced by her usual cold edge.
"Be careful out there," she warned softly.
Then, without another word, she vanished back into the shadows—gone as quickly as she'd appeared.
Sarah stood alone in the alley, heart pounding—not from fear, but from the weight of everything rushing back.
The past.
The pack.
The Alpha.
She turned, stepped into the night, and didn't look back.