Chapter Nine

I run through the forest, but I don't know where I'm going.

I just know that I have to escape. I have to live.

I can hear Parker behind me.

He's running too.

I can hear him screaming my name.

"Rachel," he yells. "Faster! Whatever happens, you keep running!"

I can hear Lance behind him. He's yelling, too.

"You'll never be free of me, Rachel. Not ever."

My heart sinks. I know he's right.

But then there's Parker's voice, brave and clear and strong.

"I won't let you have her."

I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch" Lance replies, "and then I'm going to kill her."

The words seem to echo through the forest.

"I won't let you touch her," Parker insists.

"Like you could stop me."

I stop then. I can tell they're about to fight. And I can't just leave him there on his own.

But then Parker yells at me again.

"Run, Rachel. Just run!"

And as much as I want to argue, my fear takes over, and I run.

With every step, I know I need to turn back.

I know I need to fight.

But I'm scared.

I don't know what's going to happen when I stop running.

If I can escape now, run far enough – fast enough – I can save us.

But the longer I run, the more I know that's not true.

Because there is no running away from him.

No matter how far I go, no matter how fast I run, he'll always find me.

I can't outrun Lance forever.

As long as he's alive, he'll always find me and kill me, and he'll kill Parker, and then he'll kill everyone else I love.

And it will be my fault.

I stop running.

I turn around.

"Rachel!" Parker says. "Keep running!"

"No," I say, standing my ground. "It's time."

I place myself between Parker and Lance

"Well, isn't this an unexpected turn of events," Lance says.

"This ends now," I say, sounding way braver than I feel.

"It does," Lance agrees, "but not the way you think. I'm going to kill Parker, and when I do, you're coming home with me."

"Over my dead body," I say.

"That can be arranged."

I glare at him, rage washing over me.

"So, is that the plan?" Parker asks. "You've come to challenge me?"

"I have," Lance says. "Unless you want to run away again. That is what you do best."

"No," Parker says, standing up straighter. "I have learned my lesson. You are not the true alpha, and that pack does not belong to you. It belongs to me."

"You will not take my place," Lance says. "You do not have what it takes."

"We'll see about that," Parker says.

"We will. All you know how to do is run away. You've done it before, and you'll do it aga. n. Everyone knows you don't know how to fight. And you don't know how to win. But I do."

"I know how to win," Parker says.

"Prove it," Lance says.

Parker doesn't wait for another invitation.

In one fluid motion, he pounces on Lance, and the two wolves become a flurry of fur and teeth.

I watch in horror as they fight for their lives.

I can't tell which one is which.

I can't tell who is winning.

All I can see are two wolves locked in a deadly battle to the death.

Lance is bigger than Parker and he has more experience, but Parker is faster and more determined. He's spent years imagining this moment. I can tell.

It's a close match.

I don't know who's going to win.

I don't know what to do.

I am frozen in place. I can't breathe.I can't think.

Is this what it's like to watch someone you care about die?

I don't want to watch, but I can't turn away.

Not now.

Not when it's almost over.

I can feel the tension mounting in my body.

My knees start shaking and my arm goes numb.

I'm dizzy and lightheaded and nauseous.

I feel like I'm going to pass out.

"Get it together, Rachel" I whisper to myself. "The last thing Parker needs right now is you passing out."

I look around for something to distract me.

There are trees, and more trees and shrubs and plants.

I  should grab some.

If Parker wins, it will help me heal his wounds.

It will help him survive.

This thought makes me feel better-- makes me feel useful.

I look for some with berries, with roots and leaves, anything that will help.

And then, when I finally feel steady again, I look back at Lance and Parker.

They are still fighting.

Parker still has a chance to win.

He just needs to be a little bit faster, a little bit smarter, a little bit stronger.

There's still hope.

"You can do this, Parker! I believe in you" I yell, though I'm not sure he can hear me. "You are the true alpha! You can do this."

I'm not sure I believe it, but I'm certain I want to.

I take a deep breath and try to stay calm.

No matter how bad things may look, I know it's not over yet.

Not until it's over.

I look at Parker.

He's still fighting with everything he's got.

I try to remember everything I've ever known about Lance, anything that might help Parker in the fight, but I come up empty.

I feel so useless.

I wish I could help him.

I wish I could do something to help us both.

But I can't.

In a few minutes, it'll be over.

One of the wolves will die.

I just hope it isn't Parker.