I'm fast too, but if they catch me off-guard, it makes things more difficult. Quickly glancing around the room, I realize I'm not outside, where I can disappear into the trees, which is what I usually do. I'm stuck in a confined room.
It's too late for me to sneak out a window. The door crashes open. A blonde she-wolf with corded muscles stalks in, eyes gleaming. A man follows, and I can feel their dominance wafting off them in waves.
The woman's face contorts, her snarl ripping through the air. "Rogue!"
I shriek, my hands slamming the desk as I desperately shove backward, but the chair is cumbersome and slow. Beep's voiceslices through my panic.Duck!Under the desk, she directs.Roll under and get to the door. Faster! Move faster!
Beep thinks with the rapid precision of a war general, but I'm just not that quick. I can't make my body move like she wants me to.
I dive under the desk, belly-crawling toward freedom, but the woman's iron grip yanks me backward by my ankles. I try to dig into the ground, Beep half shifting with me, fingertips turning to claws, but the man's boot comes down on my hand with a sickeningcrackthat sends white-hot agony shooting up my arm. Our partial shift fails, and he stomps again, crushing my fingers.
The pain explodes inside me, but the scream dies in my throat when the woman drags me out like a rabbit from its hidey-hole.
She looms over me, straddling my legs with a wicked look of triumph on her face. First female wolf I've ever seen, and she's about to tear my throat out.
But I've been through too much shit to just give in and roll over. I snarl back at her, bending my legs, then slam upward with everything I have. Her kneecaps should break, but she doesn't even stagger. Barely flinches, just laughs, like we're playing a game.
Holy shit. She's not just strong—she's a fucking beast.
I wrench sideways, narrowly avoiding her boot nailing me in the stomach. My broken hand screams in agony as I scramble up, vision swimming, only to collide with the man.
His fingers grip my shoulders, pinning me in place. I thrash uselessly while he drags in a deep breath through flared nostrils. His pupils blow wide, a feral look of hunger crossing his face that makes my blood freeze. I must smell like cotton-fucking-candy because I've seen that look before, on every shifter I met while on the run.
His grip tightens. "You're—you're—" The words strangle in his throat. I wince, and something flickers in his eyes. His fingers soften—barely—but enough, and I wrench free, then lunge.
Run!Beep yells.
I make it three strides before a force slams into my back, catapulting me forward. My hands reach out on instinct to catch my fall, and the already-broken bones shatter with a wet crunch.
"Andrea, stop, she's—she's—" the guy's voice cracks with wonder. "Is that what I think it is? Is she real?"
The longing in his voice ignites rage in the she-wolf. Her boot connects with my ribs. Beep thrashes wildly beneath my skin, clawing to break free.
Shift!she shouts.Partial shift, now! Like the man on the cliff!
But the man on the cliff was distracted. This woman isn't. There's another kick, anothercrack, and I howl. My ribs are broken, for certain. I try to get up, but I can't. Something sharp pokes my insides. It feels as if I've been stabbed, and she just keeps kicking. Blood floods my mouth. I claw at the floor, desperate, but my body won't move. I can't breathe.
"Andrea, wait—"
"Shut up, Stance." Her voice is like ice. "Don't be weak. It's pathetic. Don't you think it's a little suspicious?"
Another kick, this time into my stomach. I dry heave, but it feels like I'm drowning. Another kick, then another.
Shift!Beep pleads.Shift!
I'm trying, Beep. I'm trying. Tears spring to my eyes. I don't want to die here. Not like this. Of all the attacks on the road, they were by frantic wolves who were too stunned and reckless to formulate a plan. This woman is calculating. She's in control.
"A lone omega shows up here on our territory out of nowhere? After our Lune asks about witches? Something's off. Grayson said to snatch the intruder. That's what I'm doing."
Another kick, this time to my face. My nose breaks, eye splits, and I choke on the blood as it dribbles down my throat.
Shift! Just our claws! Let me fight!Beep shouts in my head.We can outrun them, but you have to fight back!
The wolf stops her rapid assault. Their voices sound underwater, muffled.
"She's an omega, Andrea," the man reminds her.
I can smell the guy's anxiety. His desire. It's sticky. A little burnt sugar with a sour undertone. There's something weak and desperate for approval in his scent, like he'd do all the wrong things to get what he wants. Still, he tries to stand up for me. Which makes me think, in this instance, I'm what he wants.
