Chapter Twenty-Eight ▏The Pack

My instincts kick in. The moment Alistair takes a step forward, I swerve to the right, hoping to avoid his direct attack. Unfortunately, his reflexes are much sharper, much more accurate than mine. He changes direction seamlessly, meeting me perfectly halfway as I try to get away from him.

Now he’s directly in front of me, and I have nowhere to go.

“Alistair, calm down,” I say breathlessly. “Please.”

He swings his right hand, which is now a fully fledged paw tipped with sharp, pointed nails. This move would have reduced my face into bacon strips, but I manage to duck at the last moment. His paw hits the tree and slashes four deep lines on the bark. The impact is so strong that some of the smaller twigs fall off, causing a shower of leaves and little shrapnel to fall on us like a cascade of rain.

I take this as my chance to go around and hide behind a tree, but his heightened senses allow him to track me down. Just as I stay f