I cling onto Lance as the pack gets closer. Surely they can smell us and will run right through the vines soon. We’re trapped here. I still don’t understand why Lance led me here.Then, they stop.Mere feet away from us, they pause. The only sound is their breathing growing heavier. Then, they start moving around the area anxiously, as if they’re looking for something.“How is this possible?” Sebastian asks. He sounds furious. “We had them. We were right behind them. How could we have lost them?”“We haven’t lost them,” one of his friends answers. “That’s impossible. They’re around here somewhere. You know they are. They didn’t just disappear.”“You’re right,” Sebastian replies. He doesn’t sound completely sure of himself though. “We must’ve simply taken a wrong turn or something. We’ll search the area. We have to find them.”I’m confused. How can they not smell us? We’re so close to them. It seems impossible that they can’t find us. Even taking into account the rocks of the cave
The pack descend upon us, closer and closer to ruining the dream we’ve cultivated. They haven’t given up. They won’t give up until we’re dead. They…A comforting touch calms me. It makes the things in front of me blur.“Shh,” a voice whispers. “It’s okay. I’m here. It was just a nightmare. You’re safe.”I open my eyes to see Lance’s eyes gazing down at me. I’m snuggled into his strong arms, kept safe by his warm touch. Feeling him this close to me chases off the remnants of the nightmare. It doesn’t fix everything though. The pack is still hunting us down. I know they haven’t given up on us. They won’t until we’re dead.Still, being on the run with him is better than being safe without him. Just knowing he’s close makes this life a dream. I’m terrified because of course I am. I could lose Lance. I could lose my life. I don’t know how we’ll ever escape this.It’s worth it though, just for him. Just for these precious moments.“It’s too bad you’re awake,” he says, his lips graz
My heart pounds as I look at him. At first, I can’t say anything. It’s too much of a shock. This is all I want. I know this is who I’m meant to be with. That knowledge drowns out everything else.“Of course,” I say. “I’d love to. I…”I lean over and hug him, ecstatic that he’ll be mine forever. I’m so grateful I never told Sebastian I loved him. I’m grateful we never went through with the marriage. Deep down, I knew there was something more out there for more. Someone more. We kiss and I’m reminded of how lucky I am. How much I want this.“When?” I ask once words return to me.“As soon as possible,” he says. “It feels like I’ve already been waiting for you forever. I have been waiting for you for my whole life to be fair. I don’t want to wait longer than I have to.”“I don’t either,” I agree. I hesitate. I’m worried I’ll scare him away by making things move along too quickly, but deep down I know he wants this just as much as I do. “My eighteenth birthday is tonight at midnight.
“There’s no use running,” Sebastian calls out in a menacing tone.The sound of the other wolves closing in on Lance echoes through the forest. That horrible feeling of danger stretches across the ground and reaches me.I know what Lance wants me to do. He doesn’t want me to just hide in the cave. He wants me to run away so I can get away, and it is possibly the safest option.I can’t shift into a wolf yet, so I can’t run as fast as Lance can’t. Once he meets me here, he’ll have to slow down to keep pace with me. I’ll hold him back if I don’t get a head start now.Something keeps me here though. It’s the pull I have for him. It’s hard to be far away from him. It’s nearly impossible to leave him behind. There’s something more to it though too.To get away, he’ll either have to kill or severely injure all the wolves that have come after us, or he’ll have to cloak his scent so he can get away.Leading them into the cave would just spell disaster. It’d be much more difficult for him t
No one speaks the whole way back to the pack.Lance stares straight ahead. He has to in order to avoid falling. I watch him, hoping that somehow we can escape. Though I know it will be difficult to. I have no idea how we could ever get away from them now. They have us completely helpless, surrounded on all sides. Walking forward is taking us one step closer to our deaths, but there’s nothing we can do but keep walking forward. Everyone is angry and tense. I thought our capture would make them happier and it has seemed to cheer them up a little, but it was a long night for all of us. And they keep looking at Lance like this isn’t done yet. Like they’re far too eager for his death.“They’re here!” Voices reach out to us before the rest of the pack is even in view. They must’ve been listening for our arrival, their senses extra alert. They must all be waiting for us.They rush over as we emerge from the forest. People who were supposed to be part of my pack, who were supposed to
I wait, helpless as the sun starts to fade from the sky. Sebastian leaves to attend to his plans while I stay locked in his room, left to wait alone for the horror to begin.There are things I can use as weapons in here. At first, I thought it was strange he left me in here with things I can use as weapons. Then, I realized why.I pace, my eyes catching the various sharp and heavy objects. Sebastian has left me in here to prove a point. When we’re married, he’ll expect me to be in this room with him. He’ll expect me to behave while unattended. He’ll probably keep careful watch over me for quite some time, but that won’t always be the case. I’ll have plenty of access to things that could be dangerous.This is him testing me. If I try to attack him, he’ll stop me and punish me.No. I mean, he might, but he’ll likely punish me by hurting Lance. And I can’t bring more pain to him like that.Besides, it’s not like I could leave even if I could escape once Sebastian comes back to get
They all want to kill me.Despite what Sebastian said, it looks like almost everyone here wants to kill me.I’ve gotten used to the pack’s eyes being on me, so though it makes me uncomfortable, it doesn’t trip me up like it might’ve before this. Or maybe it’s just that this is so important. They all became much less important the day I met Lance.Now I ignore Lance’s gaze as I hold Sebastian’s eyes in mine and walk towards him. He has wanted my attention all this time. Now, he has it.“I want to be the one to kill him,” I say. Sebastian’s eyebrows arch. There are whispers passed around the fire.“Is that so?” he asks.“Yes,” I nod. “I know I’m the reason we’re all in this position. I drew the rouge to our pack. I may not have killed anyone, but there is blood on my hands. I’m deeply ashamed of that.“Now, I want to do whatever I can to make it right. I want to be a good mate. I want to be a good Luna. But it’s going to be difficult to do that when I don’t have the respect of t
Sebastian leaps back, but not before I’m able to graze his shoulder with the dagger.I can’t believe it. I’ve never attacked another person like this before. I never thought I’d be attacking Sebastian like this. But Lance and I need to get away, and I’ll do anything to make that happen.Sebastian howls in pain while Violet leaps at me. I spin around and defend myself with the dagger, only trying to injure them enough to get them off us. I just want to create space for us to leave. I don’t want to kill anyone.I will if I have to though. I realize that as I glance over at Lance who’s still trying to get the chains off. I’ll do whatever I need to do to protect him. Everyone’s so shocked, they freeze.That shock wears off quickly though, far too quickly. Sebastian comes back at me, but with the silver dagger, I’m able to defend myself. I stab his shoulder as he reaches for me.Panic clouds everything.There’s no coming back from this. I’ve attacked the Alpha. There’s no way I’
As I’m running for Rachel, something terrible happens. I’m so close, I can sense her. I can feel her. My mate is within reach.But then a solid body slams against me. It’s the alpha of the pack and he’s not going to let me go so easily. I fall to the ground under the unexpected force of his attack. Rachel seems further away than ever.“You’re dead,” he snarls at me. “I’m done with trying to deal with you. Your fate was sealed the moment you dared return here.”At that, he lashes out at my neck, clearly intent on tearing my throat out. But I have no intentions of backing down.I turn away from him, his teeth missing me by mere inches. So close to death, but I roll out from under him and nip at his leg. I’m the first one to draw blood, which causes him to sound a howl into the night. The fight is on and we know we’re both fighting for our lives. He’ll kill me if he gets the chance, so I have to stay ahead of him.We face off against each other, and he lunges at me again first. I s
I don’t want to make a deal with Kelsie. I know she’s a terrible person. She’s only offering this to me because she’ll gain so much from me. I suspect I’ll be at a loss.I love Lance though. I would do anything to save him, anything. I would give up my own life for his if that was required. So, I know I’ll do whatever Kelsie says just so he gets out alive.“Okay,” I say. “What do I have to do to save Lance?”Kelsie smiles this wicked grin. I already regret this. I know it’s going to be terrible. I don’t want to give in to someone like her. But I don’t feel like I have a choice.“I will free you,” she says, smiling with glee. “But only if you go to Lance and tell him you don’t love him anymore.”That makes my heart sink. I can’t even fathom telling Lance that I don’t love him because that will never be true. I will always love Lance. He’s my mate. He has my whole heart.“You have to tell him you don’t love him, and you have to leave this place,” Kelsie continues. “You can never re
“You don’t understand,” Justin says, stepping forward, clearly worried about his brother.“It’s okay,” Lance replies as he glances at the group. It’s clear we don’t stand a chance against them. And if Lance fights them now, there’s no way he’ll be accepted back into the group. He simply can’t kill them. We’re stuck in this awful lose/lose situation. “He knows he’s at fault,” Kelsie says. “At least he’s finally come back to admit it. Looks like he brought someone with him this time too.”“Don’t touch her,” Lance says, the first time he really sounds threatening. “She has nothing to do with this. It’s me you want. Leave her alone.”Kelsie glares at me, then notices the mark on my neck. She shakes her head in disbelief.“This is your mate?” she asks. “Pathetic. You should’ve just stuck with me.“Ah, well. At least we got you both in one go. She’s clearly willing to stand by you, so we can’t have her running around and potentially messing up our plans. Take them both.”“Never,” Lan
“Why are you here?” Justin asks as soon as the door closes. “You were kicked out of the pack. It’s dangerous for you to be here.”“I know,” Lance admits. “But that’s why I’m here. I wanted to talk to you about what happened and see if you’d be willing to help me.”“I shouldn’t even be listening to you,” Justin replies, looking quite uneasy as he glances around his home. “I could get into so much trouble by not sounding the alarm right now. I should be trapping you. You are the most wanted man of this pack.”“I appreciate that you haven’t sounded the alarm yet,” Lance says. He seems hopeful and I am too. Despite all he’s said so far, it seems like Justin will be at least willing to hear Lance out.“I’m still debating if I should,” Justin admits.“Hear me out first, at least,” Lance asks. “Then, you can make that decision for yourself. There have been lies spread about me. I think you know that already. I think you’ve known that from the start. Let me set things straight. Let me tel
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I just can’t. I’ve tried a couple of times and I always get chased away. They hunt me down and…”The look of hurt on his face is too bright to ignore. I take his hand and kiss his cheek.“It’s so hard,” he admits. “I hate facing their rejection, their hatred, their fear of me. That was once my pack. Now, it’s like I’m this awful stranger they’re trying to be rid of. They look at me like I’m a monster.”“I understand that,” I say, thinking back to how both of the packs I was once part of view me now. “It’s so difficult. Being an outcast is lonely, painful, just awful.“But I’m here with you now. I know that doesn’t change everything, but it does mean you don’t have to face it on your own. We’re in this together. Maybe with me there, it’ll sting less.”“It would,” he admits. “Everything is better when you’re with me. But I also don’t want to drag you into more danger.”“I’m already in danger,” I point out. “We live in danger now. Each second of each day. We’r
Bones start shifting without me having to think about it. My parents watch me, amazed by seeing their daughter in wolf form for the first time. It’s nice that at least this time I can shift into wolf form. We have a much better chance of getting away. It hurts worse than before though. This time I’ve been betrayed by my own parents. They have to know what will happen to us if we’re caught. I understand that they have to protect the pack but…“Stay,” my mother pleads, true sadness and concern in her eyes. “Please. They’ll forgive you. Just give up the rouge. We’ll make everything better.”Of course, I love them. I really do. I’ve always loved my parents. It horrifies me that things have to go like this. But there’s no way I’m leaving Lance’s side. I wouldn’t give him up for anyone.“If you love me, help us get away,” I say.Then, I turn and Lance and I start running. We take off through the fields I once played in. We dart through the garden, tearing through flowers and plants
“What do you think they’ll say?” Lance asks as we walk towards my parents.“I don’t know,” I reply. “But I think it’ll be good. I think they’ll help.”Yet I grow a bit more apprehensive as we near them. My mother and father come across as very regal sort of people that are both comforting and intimidating to those around them.My father is tall, and though there are slight hints of silver in his hair, true aging hasn’t hit him yet. He’s still strong, his dark eyes are intense as ever, and commands a sort of respect just in the way he stands alone.My mother is a bit shorter than him, more elegant, faster. She gives off a nurturing aura but I’ve seen how tough she is. I wouldn’t want to make a foe of either of them.I won’t though. I’m their daughter. We’ve loved each other for my whole life. I can’t imagine them turning against me now. I can’t imagine them turning against me ever.“Rachel,” my mother says as I approach her. I want to rush forward and hug her, but they’re both s
“Good morning, love,” Lance says as gold light filters through the leaves above us.“Good morning,” I reply, kissing him as I lay across his chest. “I have an idea of what to do today.”“Is that so?” he asks, with an amused smile on his face.“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about last night a lot. You are the Alpha of your pack and you shouldn’t have been displaced from that. It’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to the pack you’re supposed to be leading.“Everyone knows that no one can lead as well as an Alpha can. Whoever has taken your place won’t be the proper fit. We have to do something about it.”“I agree,” Lance say. “But I’ve tried a few times to fix things. I can’t get even close to my old pack without being hunted down. I don’t know what to do anymore.”“That’s why, I think we need help,” I explain.“Help?” he asks. I nod. “It seems like the whole world is against us though. I can’t think of anyone who would want to help us right now.”“I know,” I admit. “It would be a ri
“You’re incredible,” Lance whispers as he looks at me in my wolf form. I feel incredible. Now that I can shift and I have my mate, I’m complete. I’m alive in a way I wasn’t before. I’m happy in a way no one can touch.“So are you,” I say, as he shifts in front of me.Together as wolves we fit just as well as we do as humans.“I want to run,” I say. “I need to feel the forest floor beneath my feet. I need to test out what it’s like to be a wolf in my full form.”“We have to be careful,” he reminds me. “They’re going to come after us. We’re safer up here. We can’t risk getting caught.”I nod, disappointed. It’s the worst luck that I’ve shifted and found my mate during at time when we’re being hunted. It feels like I can’t enjoy this process in the same way I should be able to. It’s nothing like how I thought it’d be. But being with Lance is even more incredible than I imagine.“The boards still do stretch for a while though,” Lance relents. “Maybe we can run for just a little bit