Three

When you suddenly find yourself in a dangerous situation, your brain seems to split into two parts; the part that's actually going through the situation, and the part that stands back, trying to understand what's happening. Those parts don’t always share information with each other, so it takes me a moment to focus on the words of the man now taking a few steps toward me.

"Do you need help coming out? I’ll gladly help. Let’s not waste time."

My mouth goes dry, and I can barely talk, my head growing hot.

"What are you going to do? Expose me to the commander?"

He gives a snort, remaining annoyingly calm.

"Expose you? No. What fun would that be?"

I give him a quick glance and frown. "What are you planning to do, then?"

"I asked you to come out of there." His tone starts to grow icy. "Hurry, before the Prince notices my absence!"

"If you don’t plan on exposing me, why don’t you just go back and pretend you never saw anything?"

Then a new thought occurs to me. What if Dane isn't the only one who’s figured out I’m a girl? I’d be fighting a losing battle then. I just pray that’s not the case.

"Pretend I saw nothing? And what makes you think you have any say in this?"

I stop moving and just stare at him, deciding he is the man I hate the most in my life. He won’t tell me what he plans to do with me, but I think I have a pretty good idea of his intentions. My wolf can pick up all the telltale signs.

"If I have to tell you to get out of the water one more time, I’m handing you over to Titus, and believe me, you’d rather have the whole army f*ck you than have Titus find out what you really are!"

He’s right about that.

I reluctantly wade toward the shore but keep a safe distance from the man, giving him a wary look.

"Here," he motions with his hand, pointing to the ground close to his feet. When I make no move to walk toward him, he angrily approaches me.

"I see you chose the hard way!"

I’m grabbed forcefully and pulled against him, immediately choking on the revolting stench of dirty armpits. I fight back with all my strength.

"Let go of me!"

He is a wolf of higher rank than me, therefore, much stronger. My efforts to free myself from his hold prove fruitless. I wonder when he last cleaned himself because even his breath smells horrible.

"Is it the lack of time to clean yourself, or does your breath always smell like human sh*t?" I can’t resist asking, much to Dane's surprise. He blinks, as if in disbelief.

"What?"

"You heard me. Your breath smells really bad, and you'd do well to keep your distance!"

"You little b*tch!" he shouts, eyes shining with anger in the dark. "How dare you..."

I’m grabbed again, and his lips crush against mine this time, like a punishment, making me gag from the slimy taste. I bite him hard, forcing him to let go once more. I take a few steps back, watching him breathlessly. I would like to run from him, but he knows my secret. Though it seems impossible, I hope to come to some kind of understanding with him.

He swipes at his mouth and spits, glaring at me with a new kind of hatred in his eyes.

Without warning, he lunges at me, tackling me to the ground. I’m caught by surprise and struggle beneath pounds upon pounds of sweaty, stinking man.

"I was willing to play nice with you, but you’re a stubborn little savage! This is what you’re going to do to make sure I keep quiet about you being a woman in a men’s camp: You’ll serve me like a good little slut!"

Even with the help of my wolf, my attempts to throw him off prove pointless. I push helplessly at his hard chest, trying at least to avoid suffocation. Amid the chaos, I catch a new scent—a scent so sweet and savory that it drowns out the stench of the man. He pauses, staring at my face, confused as to why I suddenly stopped struggling, then continues unzipping my uniform pants.

The fact that I’m seconds away from being assaulted only vaguely registers in my mind, as my whole being is consumed by this scent growing stronger and stronger by the second. It isn’t the same scent I noticed when I discovered Titus was my mate, but it has the same effect on me—the feeling of great joy, anticipation, and a sense that nothing else matters in the world except finding the source of that scent and jumping into their arms to live there forever.

A moment later, I hear a loud thud, and Dane’s weight is lifted off of me. Someone—or something—apparently yanked him away and threw him to the ground beside me. I pick myself up, utterly confused, trying to take in the figure towering over us.

It doesn’t take long to make out his features, thanks to the excellent night vision all werewolves possess. I realize it’s another warrior by his attire, one of the finest men I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s a wonder I failed to notice him before. True, there are thousands of men in camp, but it’s hard to miss such a presence. Perhaps he seems even more appealing now due to the seemingly impossible fact that he appears to be...

"How dare you touch my mate!" he roars at a now terrified Dane. "No one touches my mate and gets away with it." With that, he bends down and snaps Dane’s neck as easily as if it were a twig.