The guard snaps his gun up, training it at Beth as she stumbles out of the treeline.
“Hello?” She manages to sound drunk with one word. Then flashes a huge smile. Like she’s not seconds away from getting shot.
I fight the urge to run out there and get in between them, the alpha in me screaming toprotect. Protect. Protect.This close after a shift, the animal nature of my wolf is dangerously close to the surface. Common sense is buried by base instinct and it’s a struggle to sort that mess out in my head.
Mal’s fingers close around my bicep, grip unforgiving as he yanks me back from where I’d started to rise. “Wait.”
I want to shake him off and pin him to the forest floor. How dare he tell me what to fucking do. I fight that urge too.
Because he’s right.
It takes me a second, but I finally bury my wolf enough to gain control. Shrugging out of Mal’s grip, I reach for the rucksack and pull out our clothes, never taking my eyes off Beth.
We dress quickly, because if, no,whenshe handles the guard, we need to be ready to move.
“Stop.” The guard aims his gun at her fucking face, and she just carries on smiling at him.
“Oh, thank god. I thought I’d never find my way out.” She wobbles a little, slowly getting closer to him and into the light.
His gun lowers when he gets a good look at her. Beth is a beautiful woman. White-blonde hair and big blue eyes. She’s tall and slim, and to the human eye I imagine she looks weak and vulnerable, especially in her current state. I see the exact moment he decides she’s not a threat.
I almost laugh at how very wrong he is.
He grins at her, tongue wetting his bottom lip as he holsters his gun. He’s got about three inches on her and is twice as wide, and his intentions are obvious even from here.
No one would hear her scream, and even if they did, they wouldn’t fucking help. I have no sympathy for what’s about to happen.
She lets him get closer, then stumbles forward, and it happens so fast, blink and you’d miss it. As he reaches out to catch her, she lets her claws slide out and darts her hand upward, slicing across his throat in one smooth move.
He’s dead before he hits the ground.
“Go,” I hiss, pushing to my feet and running through the trees to join Beth. There’s a radio on the guard’s belt and we have no idea when or if he’s due to check in.
We reach Beth and she already has her head lifted, scenting the air. “I can smell it.” A storm of emotions fills her blue eyes. Pain and heartbreak with an undertone of anger. I recognise it because I feel exactly the fucking same.
Blood, sweat, and misery coat the air, clinging to it like a warning of what we’re walking into. A reminder of why we do this.
As if any of us need one.
An anguished roar breaks through the cheers and chants, a guttural scream hot on its heels, and the whole fucking thing tears at my heart. I want to help them, want to let my wolf loose, barrel into that ring and kill them all.
“We can’t help them,” Mal snaps, his hand onmythroat this time.
Turning away never gets any easier.
I hope it never will.
With a nod, I force myself to block out the cries and the sounds of fighting.Goddess, forgive me and let them live.
Voices sound up ahead: human. As one we take cover behind the nearest van. It’s a black Transporter, and it reeks of blood and death, but I can’t hear any noise coming from inside.
This one’s for the bodies.
As harsh as it sounds, that’s good for us, because if they’ve come to collect another fighter for the ring, then they won’t come this far back.
Another roar fills the air, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Shock him!”
