Chapter 8: Hide, Seek and Chasing

Judah was pissed because he had been standing there under a freaking Christmas tree, fighting two other Alphas over one girl. He was pissed that the other Alphas wanted the blond girl, assumed he wanted her too and attempted to rip him to shreds over her. 

And lastly, Judah was pissed that he had to do all of this and more just to plant his seed in some female for some heirs and have to put up with said female for the rest of his life. 

He loved a challenge just as much or even more than the next person, but this haquihana female was just ridiculous. He wanted a mate who would be smart and athletically capable of producing strong pups, but she had far exceeded his expectations. 

Wolves can climb trees, but they prefer to stay on the ground. That's what made Judah stop for a moment to think if it was even worth it to chase down a female as crazy as she was, a female that was crazy enough to climb a tree only to escape the inevitable fate of being bred by some desperate male wolves like him. 

Judah found himself hesitant to chase the raven-haired girl after she had fallen out of the tree and on top of him. After watching her run away, his wolf practically lurched forward, forcing him to run after her. If it wasn't for Judah's instinct, he would just walk up to one of the other females in his human form and try to ask them to be his mate politely, and he was sure a few would accept. 

Judah watched Gray strip her clothes as quickly as she could while running, nearly tripping over herself to get far away from him as possible. He rolled his eyes and easily picked up his pace, closing in on her. To his surprise, Gray's wolf was black just as he was. It would be hard to spot her if she got far enough away. 

 

It was clear that the wolf ahead of her had stamina since she didn't feel tired from the zigzagging while she ran. Judah did feel bad for her; he couldn't imagine how scared he would be to run non-stop for almost two hours or more continuously. She was clearly desperate to be left alone, but he was more desperate. 

He needed a mate and heirs if he wanted to be a king. Aside from that, it meant that he couldn't go off and busy himself with other females. A mate would be good for him, as much as he hated to admit it, and instead of using random women to get off, there would be a woman who would please him as part of her duty to her mate. 

To make the story short, he couldn't wait to sink his canines into that striking raven girl and make her his once and for all.

Gray was tired, but she could not rest. She wanted to get away from that hungry Alpha, and she'll do whatever just to keep her distance from him. When she came to a stop, Gray found a lake. She didn't waste any moment and hurriedly shifted before jumping into the water. Once she floated, she swam to the bushy part of the lake and watched the hungry Alpha's arrival. Since her body was submerged in the water, her scent was hidden. 

A few minutes passed, and a large black wolf arrived, sniffing the air. She could see the wolf's frustration as it growled and whined simultaneously. He obviously tried to detect her scent, but to no avail; it ended up where he was right now. 

The large wolf left after a couple of minutes and ran away, going south to where he had stopped a few moments ago. Gray slowly swam back to the lake bank and rested for a bit. 

One week, if she can make it without a male claiming her, she will be a free wolf, but to be honest with herself, she can't keep up like this, especially some persistent Alpha who has been chasing her non-stop.

 It was pitching black outside, and the only reason she could see was thanks to her wolf's vision. Her wolf was begging her to give in and stop this stupid endeavor for freedom that she wasn't going to have, but she was too strong-willed. 

Gray had already promised herself she would only mate with someone she wanted. That's it, and nobody can change her mind. 

She was resting quietly when she heard a thumbing of paws. She got up and shifted into her wolf once again, and ran. Gray knew that the bastard Alpha was back on track with her again. How he smelled her again was a question that Gray could not answer since all she knew was the Alpha probably had a good distance away from her. 

It had been days of hide, and seek, and chasing between them, and Gray used all the tricks she knew, but still, the Alpha had been trailing her and wouldn't give up until he had her. Her legs were already aching, and her paws were probably bleeding at that point, but she didn't want to give in. Giving in and letting this Alpha have her would mean that she loses everything dear to her; her opportunity to fall in love on her own terms, have her freedom, and see her father again. She didn't want to give that up. She couldn't give it up. 

But it seemed as if she had to. 

Gray's vision was beginning to blur, and her heart was screaming at her to take a breather, hammering away at her rib. Her whole body was aching, and her running was becoming sloppy and sluggish. She's tired and hungry. She hadn't eaten for days; all she could do was run and hide. 

Nevertheless, she rested for a bit and ran after. She wasn't paying attention to her direction, and suddenly she tripped, or her paw got caught up between two large stones and couldn't get it out.