Desmond's tone was level. "She's unarmed. Let her reveal what she is on her own terms."
The others glanced at each other—hesitant, but obedient. One by one, they turned around.
I exhaled.
A small victory. Maybe.
Perfect.
The moment their backs were to me, I acted fast.
I kicked off my boots, wriggled my ankles free from the binding rope, and did what any sane, cornered wolf would do—
I jumped out the goddamn window.
The blond one turned just as I launched.
"Fucking shit—she tricked us!"
His shout echoed through the room as I dove headfirst into open air.
No, I didn't shift. That would've helped. Apparently my birthday was still a month away, which meant no wolf form yet.
Timing is a bitch.
The fall was way higher than I'd expected. My body slammed into the ground, ankle twisting hard beneath me. Pain lanced through my leg, white-hot and immediate.
I bit back a scream. No time for pain.
I stumbled once—then bolted, limping hard, into the thick woods behind the estate.
Branches clawed at my face. My lungs burned. The forest swallowed me whole.
But I wasn't alone.
Behind me—howls.
Loud. Deep. Close.
They were already leaping from the window—five massive wolves mid-shift, claws extended, eyes locked on me like I was prey.
Fuck.
*******
Branches whipped across my face. My lungs felt like they were on fire, but I didn't stop.
Couldn't.
Behind me, the sound of pursuit was unmistakable—the pounding of paws, snapping of twigs, the guttural growls of wolves who weren't used to being defied.
They were coming. All five of them.
And I had maybe thirty seconds before one of them caught me.
My ankle screamed with every step, but pain was better than capture. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder, diving into the thicker underbrush, where the trees grew tighter and the moonlight barely reached the forest floor.
Let them chase.
Grapa had trained me for this—back when I was still small enough to believe his bedtime stories and stubborn enough to think I'd never need them. He used to say, "If they come for you, don't fight first. Run first. Fight only when you choose the ground."
Well, I was running, and now it was time to lead the bastards to my ground.
I veered sharply to the left, down a deer path so narrow the alphas would have to slow down or risk slamming into trees. My smaller, leaner body had an advantage here—where bulk and power worked against them.
The first howl came from behind—deep, brutal, furious. Probably Desmond. He didn't sound pleased.
"Yeah, well," I muttered through clenched teeth, "join the fucking club."
I leapt over a fallen log—almost crashed. My ankle gave out, and I tumbled, rolling hard across the leaf-littered ground. Sharp pain sliced up my side, but I forced myself up, staggering.
Can't stop.
I heard them closing in. The growls were louder now. Closer.
They were gaining.
Then I spotted it—the ravine.
It was shallow, just deep enough to hide in, but only if I made the jump. One misstep, and I'd land wrong—maybe break a leg. Then I'd be done.
I didn't hesitate.
I ran for the edge, ignored the fire in my ankle, and launched myself into the air.
The wind roared in my ears—then the ground slammed into me again. I rolled down the embankment, hitting rocks, roots, mud. Came to a stop face-first in wet dirt.
Everything hurt.
But I was alive.
I bit down a scream, pushed up to my elbows, and crawled behind a cluster of thick ferns and under a large, overturned tree root. My heart pounded in my ears like a war drum. My breath came in shallow gasps.
Still. Be still.
Above me, shadows moved along the ravine's edge.
They'd stopped. Couldn't see where I landed. Good.
Desmond's voice, still in wolf form, was a low snarl. "She must be here somewhere. Split up. Flush her out."
They began to scatter—splitting in different directions.
I held my breath.
Please, Moon, if you're out there, don't let them catch me now.
Something shifted nearby—a paw step. Close. Too close.
A shadow paused at the top of the ridge.
I recognized him—Jake. The northern alpha. Quiet. Precise. The kind who didn't speak much because he didn't need to.
His wolf form was massive—dark gray with ice-blue eyes that flicked across the forest floor like a hunter.
He sniffed the air. Took a step forward.
My heart stopped.
Then—he turned.
A beat. Two.
He leapt in the opposite direction.
Gone.
I didn't dare move. Not for a full minute.
Then I began to crawl—slowly, silently, deeper into the ravine.
Bleeding. Limping.
But free.
For now.
I stayed motionless, wedged between the roots of an old oak, the cold, wet earth pressing against my ribs. Every muscle in my body screamed from the brutal landing—the twisted ankle, the bruises blooming across my chest, the deep aches settling in my back from the fall.
If only I could shift.
If only.
Since I hadn't shifted yet, my healing was sluggish. My wolf wasn't awake, not yet. Sure, I had the raw potential buried deep inside me, but it wouldn't fully awaken until my eighteenth birthday—a month away. For now, I was stuck with the scraps of wolf genetics coursing through my veins, just enough to survive but not enough to fully heal.
With a broken ankle and most of my body screaming from the impact of the jump, I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't going anywhere.
My only option was to hide. Keep quiet. And pray the bastards above didn't pick up my scent.
Stupid fucking alphas.
They were the reason I was here. The reason I was hurting. The reason I had to run like an animal, with nothing but my instincts to guide me.
It was like waiting for a storm you know is coming, but just... not quite yet. And in the meantime, you're stuck, with no way to fight back.
I clenched my jaw, digging my nails into the dirt beneath me, trying to push the pain away, to focus on the cold night air and the silence.
I had to wait them out.
I knew they were looking for me—searching the ravine, scouring the forest. They weren't stupid. They'd hunt until they found me. There were five of them. They were huge. They were wolves. And they were unpredictable.
It would only be a matter of time before they realized that I wasn't in the ravine anymore. They'd catch the trail. They'd find me.
I had to be smarter. Faster. More ruthless.
Stupid bastards. I'd been stupid, too, thinking I could just run. I should've known they'd hunt like this—persistence wasn't something alphas were short on.
I shifted slightly, wincing at the sharp pain in my ankle. The movement a cold shiver that had nothing to do with the night air. The moon was high now, filtering down through the trees in patches of silvery light, and it felt... wrong. All wrong.
If it happens to be proven that I am a female and not a defective wolf, I am definitely not going to be at their mercy .
I wasn't a pawn. I wasn't their plaything.
And I sure as hell wasn't going to let them use me.
They were going to regret ever laying eyes on me.