THIRD PERSON POV:
Hazel looked down at her watch to see that it was past seven, and Fae wasn't back yet. She sensed something was wrong, so she got to her feet in an attempt to leave when Sebastian walked into the cabin.
"Where is Fae?" she asked, her brows shooting up, and Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly.
"She asked me to meet her here, so I did," he said, walking past Hazel to sit on the couch.
Hazel tried to sit back, but her spirit was uneasy, causing her to grab her bag from the couch and race out of the cabin without looking back. She knew the triplets wouldn't let Bella stay in the food hall, but part of her felt something was wrong.
She raced down the campgrounds, making her way to their cabin. The moment she opened it, she saw the triplets hovering around Fae, who had her tongue tied with Finn's.
"Shit!" Fae cursed, pulling away from Finn, and they all turned to look at her, the triplets uneasy as they turned away their faces from Hazel.
"What is it I haven't seen?"
"Bella!" Hazel called out between labored breaths, walking up to Fae with a hand on her chest as she tried to catch her breath. "You're here?" She pulled her into a hug while Fae hesitated, her hand hanging in the air, wondering what Hazel meant.
Hazel was glad she took that hug because Halle made her potion-proof, and the moment their bodies came into contact, she could feel Fae's entire being. The energy didn't match that of Bella, causing her to swallow hard.
"What do you mean, I'm here?" Bella asked, and Hazel pulled away, forcing a smile to her lips.
"We were supposed to go to the hall together to meet Riley, remember?" Hazel said, and the triplets shot Fae a confused look.
"I thought you said she was with Riley?" Ryder asked, and Fae's eyes widened as she scrambled for an excuse.
At that moment, Hazel screamed, collapsing to the ground with a hand on her chest.
"Ouch! Ouch!" she kept yelling, causing the triplets to rally around her while Fae watched, anger surging through her. "Riley! He's hurt," Hazel said as Finn wrapped an arm around her waist, and she clung to his neck.
Hazel was right; Riley was hurt, and she could feel it through the mate bond.
As Riley and Bella made their way through the woods, pursued by rogue wolves, he stepped on a huge nail, causing him to lose his balance as pain radiated through his body.
While trying to steady himself, he tripped over a twig and his wolf lost control, making him swerve recklessly through the bushes.
"Look out, Riley!" Bella yelled, but he was too hurt to pay attention, slamming into a gigantic tree and throwing Bella off his back onto the rough, stony ground.
Bruised, Bella fought to get to her foot as the footsteps of the rogue wolves grew louder in the dark night. She finally made it to her feet, taking a deep breath as pain surged through the left side of her abdomen.
"Mmhh." She let out a muffled groan, her breath labored. Grabbing her aching side, she dragged her broken feet through the rough path toward Riley, who had shifted back into his human form and was now naked.
Finally, she reached him. He laid on his side with his hands together. She noticed blood oozing from his left leg, and his head was badly bruised.
"Riley," she called out, crouching down and turning him so that the back of his head rested on the ground. She shook him gently, but his eyes wouldn't open, causing her heart to clench. She placed her right index and middle fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse, and when she felt a slight rise and fall under her fingers, her racing heart calmed a bit.
He's still alive, she told herself, but then she heard a loud howl.
The rogue wolves were fast approaching, making Bella bite her wrist as she dropped to her knees.
"Come on, Riley," she said, pulling down his lower lip and placing her bleeding wrist in his mouth.
Her blood seeped into his mouth, but he wouldn't wake. The footsteps grew louder, and her heart raced faster against her rib cage. She knew she couldn't carry Riley in this form, and she'd have to transform into a vampire.
She took out her phone and quickly sent a message to Hazel and the triplets.
"Riley and I are in the woods. Help!"
"Riley, come on," she repeated, biting herself multiple times, trying to fill him with enough blood. As the footsteps grew closer, he still wouldn't move. In a flash, she sensed their presence behind her. "Shit!"
Pain surged through the triplets at once, causing them to groan while Fae fought hard to conceal her joy.
"I think I pricked my hand," she lied, and Ryder rushed over to see, but at that moment their phones beeped with a message from Bella, causing their eyes to widen as they exchanged glances.
They knew instantly it was Fae. How could they be so foolish? They questioned themselves.
Suddenly, the camp siren blared, and a voice came through the speakers.
"All students are advised to remain in their cabins. If you check the safety box on the walls near your door, you will find a feature to protect you against vampires. An unbalanced energy has been detected in the woods, so stay indoors!"
"Oh my, we should lock the doors," Fae said, but before she could press the button, the triplets dashed out of the room, abandoning her.
Hazel managed to get to her feet, attempting to leave the room when Fae grabbed her hand.
"You could pretend to be hurt and watch her die. Our plan is almost complete," she said, and Hazel raised a brow. "Fae?" Hazel asked, and Fae nodded with a grin on her face, causing Hazel to force a smile. "They'll find out, and you'll be arrested," Hazel said, freeing her hand from Fae's grip and stepping outside.
The campground was filled with teachers, alphas, lunas, and betas from various packs, all standing guard to protect the children.
"Ryder, why the hell are you outside?" Alpha Fred yelled from a distance when he saw the triplets rushing toward the woods.
They ignored him, continuing toward the path leading into the forest, which was surrounded by huge, muscular security men.
This didn't stop them. They pressed forward, and when the men came at them, Finn didn't hesitate to draw his claws. The fight was brief as camp security soon overpowered the three of them, but they all struggled against the grip of the bulky men, slapping their chests to be released.
"What do you think you're doing, huh?" the beta asked Finn, slapping him across the face. "Are you trying to get revenge or-"
"Bella, she's in there," Ryder interrupted, causing Evelyn's blood to run cold.
Just then, someone rushed to the camp director, who was near the scene created by the triplets.
"A body was found." Fear surged through the triplets as chills spread through their hearts. "It's a male student."
Their hearts momentarily calmed, but Hazel, who had reached the spot, fell to her knees, clutching her chest.