A flash of fur and I'm suddenly cut off, tumbling downhill. Shins stinging, I pop my head up, heartbeat spiking as the lycan starts to descend, licking his lips.
I scan the area. How far have I strayed from the course? None of the markers are anywhere in sight . . .
With a huff, his red-brown ears perk up, denoting that someone else is on our heels. He growls, turning away for the moment. The distraction is all I need to get back on my feet.
Ten seconds elapse before I come across a series of toppled trees. While a wolf could easily hurdle over them, I have to throw my entire weight over the massive trunks. The last one throws me off balance as my shoelace snags against a protruding root, catching me. I curse, tearing off my gloves. As my trembling fingers work to free myself, panic begins to claw its way up my throat. Peering up, I see only the brittle remains of grass, hearing only the chattering of squirrels.
I steady my breathing and quickly recover. Blood pumping, I veer to the right, towards a path that appears to be littered with less debris. My stride quickens, weaving in and out of the skinnier trees. It is still too quiet for my comfort, but I press onward, looking for any sign of shelter. Soon, a narrow cave system comes into view, but before I can slow down toinvestigate, I am swiftly brought down by the sweep of a bushy tail. My head makes hard impact with something solid.
I groan, rolling to my side. Blinding pain flares as I reach behind my head. For a moment, it’s as if I’m sitting in the passenger seat of Mom’s car again, gasping from the violent whiplash. My vision goes splotchy, the past blurring into the present.
A sharply acute pitch screeches through the agony.Ves! Snap out of it!
My snowy surroundings abruptly come back into focus. In my periphery, the hunter has slipped into human form. Tiny stars flutter along the edges of my gaze, but I am able to make out a few of his features. Naked features. Well over six feet in height, he has shoulder-length auburn hair with a matching beard.
If this male is anything like the lycans I encountered in Wyatt’s pack, I must keep my fear bottled in, for if he detects it, it will raise further suspicion—or arousal.
Kneeling beside me, he finally speaks. "What's your name, baby?"
I attempt to sit up using my forearms, but the pounding in my skull intensifies, and I drop instantly. Panic suddenly unleashes when I realize the hunting knife is no longer in my corset sheath.Shit.
"You did hit your head pretty hard there. Maybe it'll come back to you in a little while."
The lycan lowers himself so that we're chest to chest. With a smug grin, he runs a hand over my hip, and I let out a small whimper. He wastes no time removing the shawl and lets my true scent waft into his primal nose. “Mother above . . . Where did you come from?”
I gag as I feel him press against my stomach. The heels of my boots dig into the snowy mush as I wiggle beneath the heavy mass of him.
This isn’thim. It can’t be. There’s nothing electric in those brown eyes. Only plunderous intent.
I’ve got to get to that cabin.
Hyperventilation sets in. I harness my defense training and butt my head straight into his sharp nose. It’s the worst idea that’s ever crossed my mind. My head is rattled with red-hot stars.
“Cute,” he snickers pompously. He roughly pulls on the zipper at my neck, exposing the pale flesh of my cleavage. “Don't worry, I'll make this quick. You might even enjoy it.”
Bile rises in response to his touch. Even driving my knee into his side proves useless. With one last desperate attempt, I press my wrist against his neck. While the scorch of silver startles the male, it only provokes him into clamping a sweaty hand over my mouth. I claw at him, nails digging into his skin, deep enough to draw blood. I frantically feel around me for any kind of object to strike him with. Only to come up with nothing.
Don’t panic, Ves. Don’t give up.
The beast lowers his head next to my ear and with a rasp, says, “Well, well. There is a feisty little she-wolf under there."
Those words trigger a click in my cognition, stilling me. For the moment, I allow the male to think I’ve submitted. Wyatt’s counsel spills out of my memory:You’re not a wolf, therefore your attacker won’t be expecting you to fight back like one. Sometimes you have to bite first.
I buck my hips as hard as I can, inching him higher up my torso. With a grunt, I propel myself upwards, teeth finding his earlobe. Chomping down hard, blood trickles into my mouth as I finally seize my leverage.
“You bitch,” he sneers. When his weight shifts backwards, I knee him right in the eye.
A thunderous howl echoes from a short distance behind us. A battle cry.
The lycan stumbles to his feet, growling. I quickly take the opportunity to find my bearings and spit out the soft cartilage, only to look over my shoulder and see a black wolf bounding towards us. Gods on high. He’senormous.
The burgundy wolf rips out of the man’s skin, bracing for a brawl. The ground shakes as he collides full force with the black wolf. Forcing one foot in front of the other, I snatch my shawl and take off in search of the trail. Adrenaline pumps wildly beneath my skull. I manage to put a safe distance behind me before the sharp snapping of bone and screaming echoes through the hollow forest.
Every rustle and snap snatches my next breath. For a moment, I’m convinced that the old cabin will never come into view. But by the grace of the gods, it finally does. My head is throbbing so violently I feel as if the rest of my body has gone entirely numb.
The last few drops of adrenaline allow me to cross the flat clearing and reach the front porch. I ascend the rotting stairs and slip through the open doorway. The cabin is indeed abandoned, with nothing inside but a cot and a small chair with fabric that appears to have been torn ages ago.
Finally, I allow myself to sag and wrap my arms around myself. Ducking out of sight from the window, I cup my hand around my mouth to keep from sobbing loudly, letting the exhaustion wash over me. When my tears dry, I stare at the dead, wandering vines along the wall. My thoughts cut to the black wolf who allowed me the chance to escape. Did he mean to claim me for himself?
