I woke to screaming and chaos. Snarls, growls, teeth, and fur. All around me was a battle that I was somehow in the middle of without warning.A huge gray wolf bounded toward me and I rolled to the side, just as another wolf tackled my attacker.Heart racing, mind spinning, I crawled away from the mess so I could figure out what was going on. This was not what anyone expected to wake up to. Wolves were attacking each other and honestly, I couldn’t tell which were my friends and which were foe. I had to shift. I should be able to feel my friends better in wolf form. It was the only option.I called to my inner wolf, begging her to come to me. She rose up, but fell flat.I thought we worked through this. I need you.She didn’t respond. Of course she didn’t, but I didn’t even get an emotional response. This was not the time I needed her to fail me.Come on.I closed my eyes tight and tried to urge her to the forefront. It was futile, she wasn’t responding.Fuck. My eyes snapped open. If my wo

The cold night air on my bare skin was painful. Goosebumps spread on my arms and legs. I covered my chest with my arms, trying to maintain some warmth. Every so often, I stepped on something sharp and hissed in pain. What I wouldn’t give to come across some human campers we could borrow clothes and shoes from. Okay, steal them, but it was an emergency, maybe they’d give them to us. Unfortunately, there was no sign of life. We were isolated here.We didn’t speak as we walked, but I was grateful for the silence. When we were talking, I was closer than I wanted to admit to giving in to him and I wasn’t ready to forgive him. I needed more time to work through everything. There was too much between Tyler and Wolf Creek and my father to add other complications.My mind wandered and I thought about Sheila, Kyle, and Malcom. Were they safe? Were they hurt? Did they have to walk through the woods naked? Visions of my friends suddenly turned into thoughts of Tyler. I shook my head at the unwelc

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I stood and dusted the dirt and pebbles from me as best I could. I was covered in dirt, freezing cold, and completely embarrassed.Sure, my slumber had been blissfully devoid of Tyler, and I hadn’t expected anything from Alec, but where the fuck was he?I crept to the front of the cave and peered outside. The sun made the woods look almost cheerful this morning. Birds flitted from tree to tree and somewhere nearby I could hear a woodpecker pounding away. A light breeze rustled the trees and carried the fresh, clean scent of pine.I covered my chest, aware that it wasn’t doing much to hide me from anyone who might have stumbled upon our sleeping spot. It did make me feel better as I ventured into the openness of the woods.Hoping I’d find Alec nearby, I started walking away from the cave.Fuck. I hopped on one foot, grabbing my other foot. Of course I’d managed to step on something sharp. Carefully, I pulled out the pointy stick and tossed it asi

As we walked, I tried to send away any thoughts that entered my mind. There was too much to consider and too much at stake.One thing at a time.That was the only way I was going to get through this. We stopped at a stream and drank some of the best water I’d ever tasted. Other than that, there were no breaks. I was eager to find my friends and make sure they were safe.“If Wolf Creek tracked us here, you think they’ll find us again?” I asked.“The others can take care of themselves. I would guess our immediate threat is gone,” he said.I hated that my friends had to cause harm to others on my behalf. Granted, the assholes from Wolf Creek deserved it, but I didn’t like that my friends had to take on the burden of protecting me. I wanted to be strong enough to fight my own battles and I was willing to put in the work to make myself and my wolf stronger.Ahead, I noticed a strange looking tower. It was bright blue and might have once been a tree. It wasn’t much thicker than the tree stump

“I told you, I don’t want to be with you,” I said. “Stop trying.”“I was being nice. I was willing to wait for you. You are my mate. You are the one who is supposed to comply,” Tyler growled.“No. You are the one who should,” I snapped. I was done being afraid. Done backing down and running.Hands balled into fists, I took a step toward him. “You have two choices. You can break the bond and accept your place as a member of my pack, or I will kill you myself.”Tyler laughed. “Yourpack? It’smypack. You are mine. Same as a pair of shoes or an obedient dog. You’re my property.”I lifted my shirt enough to show the mark. “I am your alpha.”Tyler’s laugher died. “I thought they were lying. My dad said he saw the mark, but I thought it was his excuse to kill you.”“You will allow me to break the bond,” I insisted. “That is your only option.”Alec growled. He’d been silent this whole time, letting me handle Tyler, but I could sense his rising anger. “She’s giving you a choice you don’t deserv