Chapter 4

• After I slept for who knew how long, I groaned. My body was covered in sweat and if it weren't for the burning sensation all over me, I would've slept at least for a few more hours. I kicked my legs in the air, glad my right leg was almost alright now, and looked at the reason for my discomfort. The wolf was lying behind me, his hot body sprawled against mine. His ear moved and he opened his eye to peek at me. I held my breath. I was like a child, compared to his size.
• My lips pulled up in a smile, hoping he'd be able to see it as such, and turned my head to the entrance of the cave. I could see the white trees and some of the gray sky. My heartbeat quickened as I thought of a plan. How do I get out? I was finally well enough to run away and find my way back home, but was I well enough to run away from him or fight, if it came to it? No. Definitely not.
• I sat up, my arm brushing Mate's fur, and unzipped my jacket. Had the Alphas sent somebody to look for us already? Had they found the car? I took my jacket off and froze when I felt two eyes on me. Slowly, I turned to look at Wolf and my mouth ran dry.
• He wasn't just an animal or a companion. He wasn't my captor, either. He was my male mate. And wild mates mated in the span of hours. Needles prickled at every part of my skin when I noticed the way his eyes gleamed.
• “No, mate... Not yet. I'm not healthy, I need to get my strength back. And-” I halted, wondering if I was doing the right thing and if he would even understand me.
• “I prefer my human form,” I finished and waited for a reaction. Reaction of what kind, I had no idea. I just hoped he wouldn't try anything drastic because I wasn't going down without some serious fight.
• Mate growled at me and his ears bent. I shuffled away from him as he shot on his feet. I prepared to shift, but when he leaped, he jumped over me and ran to the entrance of the cave. There was another turned wolf, watching us, and when it saw him, it sprinted in an unknown direction. I gawked for a part of the second and shot up on my feet, swaying for a bit. I grabbed my jacket and backpack and dashed towards the exit. Were my senses so blurred I hadn't felt it come?
• When I reached the end of the cave, I peeked out and listened. They were fighting somewhere nearby. I could hear them. But were there other turned coming this way? My eyes whirled to the opposite direction of the fight and I sprinted. Thanks to my rushed movements, I slid on the snow and tumbled over a few times. Well, shit! Did I have to do that now? I turned on my fours and glanced behind my back with a raspy breath. There was nobody there.
• I shot up and tried to compensate for the lost time with every step I took. During the time I had been unconscious, snow had fallen again, and now, it nearly reached my knees. I was shivering cold and puffs of air were leaving my lips with every breath I exhaled.
• Running among the trees, I clenched my jaw. I was still not completely healthy and my bone hadn't healed properly, so I was limping. I had to drop my luggage. I knelt next to one of the big trees and pulled out the small purse with my documents. Taking my clothes off, I shoved them in an emergency bag together with the purse, and shifted into my wolf. It was much more painful than the last time I shifted, but it was going to give me a bigger chance to run away.
• I glanced at my right hind leg and moved it around. It was going to work for now. I was going to place it correctly at the pack's doctor. She knew what she was doing. I was just a scout leader and an ex-Beta. An ex-rogue. I could handle this.
• I bit the emergency bag and lifted it. Sprinting to a direction I thought was right, I glanced at the dawn. What time was it? Around four? The trees around me became denser and denser and I wondered where exactly I was going. The wind didn't bring even a whiff of human land or cars. I was lost.
• Stepping on the rough snow, I yelped as my paw slipped and I crashed to the ground. I shook my head to clear my mind, but my fever was starting to worsen. My eyes glanced at the snow under me and I rolled on it, trying to get rid of my scent. If my mate had followed me, that's the thing he would've tracked.
• I waved my tail in the air and continued on my way. Before I knew it, night had fallen. The forest was completely dark, but I could still see everything perfectly thanks to my werewolf abilities. My stomach growled and I spewed the bag from my mouth. I had to find some food. But first, I needed to take a break. I felt like my energy was drained and my whole body ached for sleep.
• Listening around, I sat next to one of the trees and nestled myself into its trunk. It was a good place. It was surrounded by bushes and small mounds. I could take a break and decide what to do in the morning. Glancing at one of the tall trees, I sighed. I knew it could be much safer, I wasn't strong enough to climb on it.
• ...
• When the morning sun hit me, I opened my eyes and stretched. I had barely slept last night, afraid I'd be found again. The feeling was even worse than sleeping on the streets in a big city. I had felt safer there. I jumped when a sound cracked on my left and my stomach growled. It was my breakfast. A squirrel.
• With a full stomach, I examined the direction I had decided to head in yesterday and sprinted. At some point of running, I had the distinct feeling something was going to happen. My fur stood on its end and my breathing escalated in fear. I had no idea where I was anymore and something was on my tail again.
• My pace quickened and I was running at the top of my speed when a growl echoed on my side. I glanced at it without stopping and my guts clenched. There was it! Another turned among the trees! My heart jumped at my throat and I forced my limbs to pull me faster, away from this hellhole. But no. When something hit the bushes on my other side, my ears bent and dread stormed over me like a tornado.
• A pack had found me again.
• I was a quick runner, but being chased by two vicious enemies was bad. I dropped the bag in my feet and whirled around to the one that had gotten the closest to me. We snapped our jaws at each other, getting in our space to inflict wounds, but when the other wolf jumped on my back and pierced my skin with its teeth and claws, I barked in pain. I whipped my head to it and spun around, but the monster was still not letting go. I was like the gazelle in the lion's paws. The other wolf tried to bite my throat and take me down, but I snarled at it, forcing it to jump back.
• Stepping back in effort, my heart thundered in despair and gut-wrenching pain. The wolf wasn't letting go of me no matter what, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I slammed us back on a tree. It yelped, its teeth drawing figures on my back, and pulled away. Thankfully, my crazy idea turned into a successful one. Before I could recover and shake some of the pain off, the other beast had jumped at me.
• My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when familiar brown fur replaced the silvery-yellow one. I didn't know how to feel. Angered? Relieved? It didn't really matter because, at that moment, I had to defend myself. I turned to the wolf that had torn my back and pushed the thought of my annoying mate at the back of my mind. I was going to deal with him later.
• The monster shot up from the ground, baring its teeth, and leaped at me. I prepared myself for the collision and braced my muscles, but at the next moment, something blinked over my head. I decided to step away and do what it had done to me. I always paid my enemies back. When the wolf landed on the snow, I jumped on it and tightened my jaw over its neck. It cried out in pain and tried to get me off its back, but I was stuck on it like a tick.
• I slid my claws on the length of its body and shook my head, tearing the skin over it. The wolf whined and collapsed on the ground. Feeling rather sadistic, I let go and pierced its soft stomach. It tried to bite me, just as I expected, but another wolf bit into its throat and ended its misery faster than I wanted.