CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

"Come back here, you bitch!" Ember's enraged voice echoes behind me as she gives chase, her footsteps closing in fast. I grit my teeth, forcing myself to focus on the path ahead and resist the urge to glance back. Every wasted second could mean the difference between escape and capture.

I push my human legs to their limits, the branches and underbrush whipping past me in a blur as I race through the woods. Though the temptation to shift into my wolf form tugs at me, I know the risks outweigh the benefits. Shifting would only make me easier to track, and I can't afford to take that chance.

As I continue my desperate flight through the woods, the thought of unmasking my scent to throw off my pursuers crosses my mind. However, the memory of the spell Nickolas cast to stop my heart should I unmask gives me pause. I can't afford to take the risk of checking if it was still there, especially now with danger hot on my heels.

Wi