Is that why I've been resisting Thane, subconsciously clinging to an imaginary doom if I ever allowed myself to find pleasure in his arms?
I can't harm him….
But neither can I harm myself when I don't even trust him enough to let him in.
Or is it that I don't trust myself?
Suddenly, my breath turns to uncontrolled pants as I shove my hands under the shawl, needing to hide them from myself.
I have to escape this, I have to run as far away from fate as I can, before it consumes me.
Before it changes everything.
As soon as I've packed my things, I wait until the dark shadows spread across the garden, covered in a light dusting of snow, before deciding to slip out. Thankfully, Thane hasn't returned for the day, sticking to his word and allowing me to escape without him stopping me like last time.
My hands tremble as I tighten my grip on the strap of the worn sack carrying a few of my belongings—a spare dress, bread, water. Just essentials to get me through one night of figuring out a route to my next stop.
Hopefully, I can find shelter, away from any pack, somewhere secluded, somewhere isolated, where no one can badger me about being a wolfless wolf, or pressure me into mating with an alpha to emerge as a witch.
I'd like to bury all that nonsense for good, and fleeing again is my only way out. The silence of the house feels like a trap closing in on me, and I can't get out fast enough.
By the time I reach the back door, my heart races faster than my thoughts. I push it open and step into the biting cold, my breath misting in the air as I break into a run.
Freedom stretches out in front of me as I spur my feet into the fastest run I can achieve in human form. I really wish I had the ability to shift, to let wolf paws navigate my escape through the forest.
But my agile human form does allow me to stick to the shadows without being seen, hiding amongst the trees until I'm crossing the invisible border around Girdwood. Beyond Girdwood are the snow-covered hills and treetops that map out my escape, and I continue my trudge ahead.
I slow down once I reach the frozen lake, checking for a way to cross it, when I discover a newly built log-bridge that will allow me to cross. Just as I grab the wooden balustrade, I hear a distant growl that stops me from moving.
It’s low, deep, and unmistakably familiar. I've heard that sound before, when I followed Thane into the woods to spy on his training before he left for Alpha Camp.
Back then, I thought it was the most majestic sound I had ever heard. But right now, it causes me to freeze on the spot, chilling my spine as it becomes a signal of concern.
Turning my head slowly, I see the silhouette of Thane's wolf emerging from between the trees, raven-black fur gleaming with silver accents under the moonlight, his green eyes burning through the dark.
“Thane…” I whisper, a natural response to witnessing the might of his wolf, the prowess of his large paws as he stalks forward, and the fierce, intense glint in his eyes as he stares into my soul.
When my heart recovers from the beat it just skipped, I turn and run.
Snow splatters around my boots with every lightning-fast step as my feet carry me over the bridge, my heart pounding, my lungs burning with every tedious pant. I notice the way the air I'm rushing through has turned icy cold, but in my quest to put distance between the alpha and me, I don't stop.
Not until a screeching cry rips through my eardrums, forcing me to stop and look up just in time to see a dark apparition floating toward me. Black, ghastly tendrils of smoke follow the shadowy figure as it whooshes forward, the sight of the horrid creature freezing me on the spot as my eyes widen. My palms suddenly tingle, my hands the only part of me that moves of their own accord, rising toward the creature just as golden sparks ignite from them and burst out at the malevolent being swooping in.
The golden light that emanates from my hands hits the screeching creature, knocks it out of the way, but ripples across the earth.
The forest floor splits open with a flash of light, the impact forcing me backward as I'm sent flying through the air, knocking into a soft, furry cushion that becomes a safety net against the impact as we both crash to the floor.
“Willow!” Thane calls out urgently as he flashes into human form, strong, protective hands grabbing my shoulders to turn me over to face him. Intense green eyes penetrate my soul with his worry, his face hardening with the expression only an alpha can wear.
Stern. Protective. Determined.
“The demons are here!” Thane yells as he grabs my arm and pulls me behind a tree stump. “I need you to stay down while I fight them off!”
Thane immediately shifts back into wolf form and leaps over the tree stump before landing on cushioned paws that quake the ground on impact. The trembling of the ground vibrates through my frozen body, and my jaw drops as I process that the demons are real.
A real threat.
Not just something made up to force me into the mate bond with Thane.
