On The Run

Another shiver danced down my spine, and I glanced up at the dark sky. I shifted my gaze to the wolves before me. I had no chance against them. I could defeat one or two… but six? Not to mention, I would have to fight Alpha Jarith, too. My throat worked on a hard swallow. I looked at the sky again and heard more thunder roar. My powers whispered…

I sucked in a sharp breath and lowered onto my front legs, adjusting my stance. ‘You want the talisman?’ I glanced at the sky before fixing my eyes on Jarith. ‘You will have to take it yourself, sick bastard.’

I could have sworn his eyes blazed even brighter—blazed with hatred. He looked at the warriors flanking him, giving them an order. My breath froze in my chest as I watched the wolves lurch—

I leaped back as the lightning struck one of the massive oak trees, tearing its trunk in two. A heartbeat passed, and the large tree fell where Jarith's warriors were. The vicious snarls turned into cries and whimpers as the trunk crushed their bones. I knew they would recover, but this worked to my advantage…

This was my chance—my only chance. I jumped through the stones marking the border and ran. Jarith's growl echoed through the woods, his large paws pounding behind me. ‘Just surrender, you worthless bitch!’

His words formed another crack in my heart. I had done everything for him. I had given him my all, and yet, he said it as if my all meant nothing. My wolf whimpered, drowning us in sorrow for a fraction of a second—

Jarith leaped, his teeth piercing through the black fur on my back. I cried out and rolled on the ground, trying to free myself from his grip. He fell back but returned to his feet and bared his blood-stained teeth. A few more snarls sounded as three of Jarith's warriors appeared, ready to support their Alpha.

Jarith's red eyes locked on me. ‘You can't fight me, Kaira. You're too weak.’ He stepped closer, blocking my path as he prepared to lunge.

He was right. I was too weak. I was exhausted and wounded… but it didn't mean I would let him win. I looked left to where the cliffs were. Then I was running.

‘Stop! Give me the talisman!’ Jarith roared through the link, but I ignored him, storming through the trees toward the rocky edge. ‘If you jump, you'll die!’

I knew that, gods, I knew. My chest tightened as I halted inches before the fall. It was a long way down to the icy waters of the Siocan River. The growls and snarls sounded behind me. I whirled around and saw Jarith and others surrounding me. ‘No way to run from here.’ Jarith stepped forward. ‘Surrender. I'll be merciful.’

Snarling, I stepped back and felt a few pebbles slipping from under my feet. ‘I won't let you win.’ I drew a ragged breath. Gods, I couldn't believe I had survived the war just to die this way.

Jarith glanced at the talisman on my neck, then fixed his eyes on mine. ‘You won't survive the fall.’

Something bitter twisted my insides. Guess I was meant to die either way. But now, at least, I would die on my own terms. ‘Goodbye, Jarith,’ I said my last words through the link.

Then I spun around and jumped. I could still hear his howl as I kept falling faster and faster, the merciless blow of air stealing my breath. I saw the violent waters swirling below. Then came the hit…

And then nothing.

***

The pain radiating throughout my body dragged me back to consciousness. I inhaled sharply, feeling every inch of my broken ribs as I did. My eyes flew open, slowly chasing away the blurriness. I was back in my human form. The waters must have thrown my body onto the rocky shore at some point, not that the Siocan River had treated me gently…

A painful laugh escaped my throat, and a stream of tears followed. “I'm alive,” I rasped, every fiber within me filling with sweet relief. “Thank the gods I'm alive…”

I shouldn't have survived that fall, and yet I was still breathing. Even the Siocan River's violent waters hadn't let me drown. For some reason, the gods decided I was worth saving.

I drew a deep breath, shifting my gaze to the sky. It was no longer raining. The dark clouds had been replaced by lighter ones, soaked in the fiery rays of the setting sun. How far had my body been carried?

I glanced to the sides, cautiously surveying my surroundings. The river stretched across the Fuar Woods—the vast territory occupied by rogues. Now, I was in the middle of it. My stomach roiled. The beasts living here were known to be savage and incredibly brutal.

My eyes drifted to the setting sun once more, and I gritted out a curse. I couldn't stay here. I had to find a place to hide. Grinding my teeth, I pulled my bruised body to sit. Then my hand went to my neck—

Air escaped my lungs as I traced the bare skin with my fingers. “My talisman,” I breathed, frantically scanning the shore, the river. Nothing. My talisman was gone. I must have lost it after the fall. “At least Jarith didn't get it,” I mumbled. A small relief.

I slowly rose to my feet, wincing as the pain increased with every crack and stretch. How many bones had I broken? I traced my body, searching for wounds. Most of them must have healed already, but the pain remained, limiting my movements.

“Focus, Kaira. You need to focus,” I muttered to myself as I walked toward the forest.

I almost whimpered in joy when I noticed half-torn clothes scattered under one of the trees. Doubtless, the rogues must have left them there. Most of them smelled like rotting meat, but I somehow managed to find something wearable—a long, gray tunic. “At least I won't have to roam through the forest naked,” I murmured, pulling it over my head.

Shifting into my wolf form was not an option, not with yet-to-be-healed bones. I needed at least a few more hours to recover. I could only hope to avoid any danger until that happened…

I felt a gentle tug, as if my instincts were trying to guide me east. I had never been in this part of Fuar Woods, so I decided I might as well follow a hunch. I moved slowly, trying to save my strength for the healing, but time was not on my side. The night had fallen quickly, flooding the woods with cold darkness. I kept walking until I realized the whole forest seemed to fall silent…

An icy shiver coursed down my spine, and I swallowed a curse. I felt someone's eyes on me, and I doubted this would be a pleasant encounter. My hands fisted. I had to shift. I had to escape. I had to—

“Hello there, pretty little thing,” a cold voice crooned. My head snapped toward the sound just in time to see four rogues emerging from behind the trees. Well, shit.

Their torn clothes were covered with dirt and blood. Their faces and limbs were scarred or burned. They prowled toward me, their claws coming out. One of them—perhaps their leader—stepped forward, his eyes devouring me from head to toe.

“You're just what we needed—a nice bitch to fuck.” His lips stretched and curved, revealing half-rotten teeth. Then he looked at the others. “Ready to have some fun, boys?”

“Hells, yeah,” one of them grunted, and the rest burst into wicked laughter. Their leader dragged his tongue over his bottom lip, his eyes dropping to my chest. “You may enjoy it, too,” he purred.

Sick fuckers. I stumbled back, glancing to the sides as I estimated my chances. The rogues moved closer, preparing to launch. Sucking in a sharp breath, I turned into my wolf form, crying out as my freshly healed bones elongated and joints stretched. Another tug guided me east. I pivoted in that direction, and then I was running…

“Get her!” the rogue leader roared, and they all began to shift.

I ground my teeth, forcing my weakened muscles to work harder. I maneuvered between the densely growing trees, pushing myself to the limit, but I knew I couldn't outrun them. A few heartbeats passed, and I heard their snarls behind my back. I barely managed to whirl around before one of them lurched.

I dove, and the brown wolf's jaws snapped right above my head. He was large and muscled but not too swift. He barely registered when I charged at him and sank my teeth into his neck, ripping out his throat. One down, and only three left to—

A painful cry escaped me as one of the wolves drew his claws across my back. The other one bit the back of my neck. I tried to fight them, I struggled, I snarled…

Another one's claws pierced the side of my ribs. My blood streamed down. My head began to spin. My legs gave up, and I was seconds away from losing consciousness, losing my life. A soft whimper slipped free as I ineptly tried to rise until I collapsed to the ground. I could only watch the dark gray wolf prowl toward me, baring his rotten teeth—

I blinked, and the rogue before me vanished. No, not vanished. He was knocked down, attacked by someone else—a huge black wolf. Where did he come from? Was he one of the rogues, too?

Half-conscious, I watched the black beast rip the three rogues apart. Their bones cracked, their blood sprayed, their cries and whimpers echoed… And then silence. The rogues' shredded corpses lay on the ground; the one who killed them stood among them, coldly assessing his work.

I might have stopped breathing as the black wolf turned toward me, his gaze chilling the blood in my veins. For a heartbeat, I thought he might attack, but he shifted into his human form instead. Something in my mind whispered that I was safe, filling me with relief. My eyes began to close. The beautiful black-haired man walking toward me was the last thing I saw…