chapter 25

Bella POV

Jace led the way as we kept sprinting forward through the thick woods for several minutes, and I followed closely behind as fast as I could. The law enforcement officers and the alpha's men were a lot faster than I anticipated, and I was already out of breath, gasping for air. Jace glanced backward, noticing my struggle.

"Bella, what's the matter? We have to keep moving fast if we're going to get away from them," he urged, his voice tinged with concern.

I tried to catch my breath, my chest heaving as I spoke between gasps, "My love, I don't think I can keep up with the chase anymore. The only way we're going to get away from them is if we shift."

Before I could finish my sentence, Jace responded with a determined gaze, "That would be a huge error. We would only make it easier for them to track our scent, and we won't be able to get away from them without a fight."

I sighed, feeling defeated. "So what do we do then?"

But just as Jace was about to respond, several gunshots ra