I jump, startled, ready to fight.And then, I hear Parker's voice. "It's alright," he says. I stare at him, stunned."They're gone," he says. "For now."He shifts from a wolf back into a man. I stare at him, tears running down my cheeks."I thought you were dead," I say.He laughs. "It would take far more than that to take me out."He turns to me. "But this isn't the end of it. They'll send more. We're not safe here. Not now. We have to go."He walks inside and begins gathering supplies. He quickly gathers as much food as he can and throws it in a bag. Then he grabs his bow and arrows, pours some oil over a pile of wood, and sets it alight."We'll burn the place," he says. "They won't be able to track us if we destroy all of our scent."I nod, impressed."We'll have to run," he says. "But we aren't going to stick to the woods. We're going to run on the ground. Hopefully, that will throw them off our trail.""Alright," I say.He smiles. I can tell he's trying to be comfort
Parker’s POVShe is in trouble. I know that. I want to save her. I know that, too."Parker," she screams as the wolves advance around her. "Parker, please! Help me!"I want to help. I need to. But I don't know how.The wolves are too strong. They are too many.What do I tell her to do? She is standing. She wants to run, but I know that will only make things worse.I need to save her. I need a plan.And just then, it hits me. I know exactly what to do.I look to the skies, and I begin to chant."Knotty, knotty, knotty," I say, over and over.The wolves all stop. They gather all around us. They look to the skies, confused."Knotty, knotty, knotty," I continue to chant.They begin to chant with me. This is not what they want to be doing. But they are unable to stop themselves."Knotty, knotty, knotty," they repeat in unison.I look over to her. She is silent. She is confused. She is scared."Knotty, knotty, knotty," I continue to chant.
My heart races as the wolves get closer. I need to escape, but they have me surrounded. There is no way out.I scan the woods for Parker, but he is nowhere to be found. "Parker," I yell. "Parker, help!"I call out his name, but I know he can't hear me. There is too much howling. My voice can't get to him now.And he can't get to me.There is nowhere to run.I look at the wolves. They are baring their teeth and growling. With every pounding beat of my heart, they are getting closer.And then, suddenly, they stop.They do not move towards me. They do not move away. They are frozen.And that is when I feel a hand on my shoulder."Run" a voice behind me says.I turn to find Parker standing beside me. He came back for me."You came back," I say, tears of gratitude filling my eyes."Run," he says again, but my feet are frozen. I know he cannot hold them off for long. I know I need to leave. But I can't."Run!" he commands. And I want to. But I know what will happen to him if
Lance POVMy blood boils, and I am filled with rage. "Who does this Rachel think she is?!" I yell to Thom, our beta."I am the alpha. Me. Lance. I say no to people. They do not say no to me.""I know," Thom agrees."I should have killed her just for leaving. I should have killed her the moment her response to my proposal was to profess her love for another.""You couldn't have known--"And now, she's run off with that rogue," I continue. "And that-- that's worthy of a fate worse than death."I growl under my breath. Parker.Of course. "How could I have been so blind?!" I yell, angerly swiping a glass off a nearby table."I should have seen this coming. It was Parker that helped her escape my grasp. It was Parker, that told her to run.""Lance," he says. "It's okay. You are the alpha. You have your choice of mates. Rachel--she never deserved you anyway."I know he's right, but I cannot help feeling angry anyway. Angry at Parker. Angry at myself for allowing it to happ
I wake to find Parker preparing breakfast. As soon as the smell hits my nose, I realize I am starving.But then I remember-- remember what happened, and my stomach turns.The memories of last night's attack are still too fresh.As he turns around, I can see Parker's face.He looks at me and smiles, but I can see the fear behind his eyes."Good morning," I say, and my voice is steady."Good morning," he replies, quickly returning to his task.I can see him trembling.I can see him afraid."You shouldn't have come back for me, Rachel" he says."You would have died if I hadn't" I reply.It's not a lie."For a girl who just ran away yesterday, you sure seem eager to die today," he replies."I wouldn't have run if I didn't have to!" I snap as I approach him, trying to keep my voice quiet."Why did you come back?" he whispers back, "You couldn't possibly have thought you were saving me. You were just throwing your life away. You had to know that."I don't say anything. I just
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. Bu
I feel like I'm watching this from outside my body.I feel like I'm floating above the ground.I'm standing on the sidelines, waiting for the fight to be over.I tell myself not to worry about Parker.I tell myself he can win this, but the truth is I don't know that that's true.The two wolves finally stop fighting.They stand facing each other for a moment."I have to admit, you've got more fight in you than I expected," Lance says."I was born to do this," Parker says."Yeah, I'm sure your mother thought that when she named you.""What are you talking about?" Parker asks."I'm talking about your real name. Your real name isn't Parker. It's Xavier. Xavier Fuller.""That's not true," Parker says."Oh, but it is. You might've fooled your friends, but you didn't fool me. I always knew you weren't really one of us. That's why you could never be the true alpha. Even if your father was the alpha, you weren't his son.""And yet, here I am, beating you.""You didn't beat me," L
I wander through the woods, unsure where I'm going.It's colder than it has been in days--cold enough that I can see my breath.I wish it would snow. If it snowed, it would be beautiful.I would be able to hear the flakes of snow hitting the ground and see the light from the street lamps reflecting off of them.Back home, when it snowed, I would curl up by the fire and watch it, feeling warm and safe. I want nothing more than to be back there now.But I'm not.I'm out here, and I'm lost, and I have no idea what to do.Not without Parker.As I walk, I come across the edge of a cliff, and I look down into the water below.Nothing feels real or tangible.I keep thinking about seeing Lance kill Parker.It's like I'm still there.I don't want to have to relive that again.I don't want to see Parker die.I don't want to be here alone, but I am. And it's dark and it's cold, and if I'm going to survive, I have to make a plan."What would Parker do?" I ask myself."First, you ne