Ella
When I realized I was being chased, I threw off my cape and veered off in another direction, hoping that the wolves weren’t close enough to see me yet. If I’m lucky maybe I can throw them off my trail, if only for a moment. I throw down the lantern too. The moonlight is so bright that I can see the forest well enough, and the snow is so deep that I don’t have to worry about trodding on rocks or sticks.
I take up the skirts of my dress in both hands, running as fast as I can – faster than I’ve ever run before. I see a narrow creek on my right, a steady stream of water flowing along the banks, releasing steam into the air. I realize the stream must be thermal, like the pools around the stone circle. I momentarily debate jumping into the waters, both craving the warmth and knowing the water will disguise my scent.
But what if I have to get back out into the snow? I fret. I could die from hypothermia faster than the wolves could catch me.
I don’t think so. The voice in my head answers. The wolves will catch you first unless you find a way to throw them off. It’s not even like you can climb a tree – they can shift and climb true.
You better be right about this. I moan internally, jumping down into the streambed. The water comes up to my waist, and warmth quickly seeps through my dress. I dive beneath the surface, knowing I’ll be faster swimming than running. I don’t pause to try and track my pursuers, I simply go as fast as I can, praying this crazy plan will have worked – praying that Sinclair is out there somewhere, coming to help me.
I hate being dependent on anyone else and I hate feeling helpless, but I know that’s exactly what I am in this situation. I’m at the mercy of these wolves and Sinclair’s swiftness, and that would hurt badly enough even without knowing my weakness is threatening my baby’s life as well.
I swim until the water becomes too shallow, jumping back into the snow and taking off again. I hear a roar behind me, and I know I’ve failed. I didn’t throw them off at all, I probably just kept them at bay a while. I scan the forest ahead of me, searching for anything that might help me. Belatedly I realize I should have kept my lantern and set the bastards on fire, but then hindsight is always 20/20.
Cursing myself, I zero in on some boulders, catching sight of a narrow crevice between the huge stones. I know it’s my only chance. For once being tiny might help me, but only if the wolves aren’t strong enough to break through rock. A month ago I would have thought this was a given, but now I’m not so sure.
I wedge my way into the crevice just in time, for now sooner have I wriggled into the tight space that a huge weight crashes into the rock. Snarls and growls surround me, and clawed paws begin scrabbling at the opening in the rocks, trying to make purchase on my skin and drag me out.
The only piece of dignity I can boast is that I don’t wet myself, but I certainly whimper and whine like a baby. I’m sobbing with terror, wishing I’d never agreed to this stupid ritual.
This isn’t the first time I’ve thought I was going to die, but this time it matters a lot more. This time it won’t only be my life that’s lost. I might be able to come to terms with my own end, but I can’t bear the thought of my baby dying before it’s even had the chance to be born.
“Please,” I pray, knowing the Goddess probably won’t care about me, but hoping she’ll care about my son. “Please help us.”
______________________
Sinclair
She’s running. My wolf howls with delight.
Of course she’s running. I think amusedly, That’s the whole point.
No, I mean she’s not going to stop. My wolf clarifies, loping around in my head. Mine, she’s finally mine!
It’s taken all my willpower to wait the full five minutes to give my mischievous little human her head start, and as I prepare to shift, I wonder if my wolf knows something I don’t. Surely he’s just getting ahead of himself. We won’t know what Ella decides until we catch up to her, but he seems to think this is a done deal.
I’d known there was a chance Ella would disobey my instructions and run from me tonight, and my inner wolf had certainly prayed she’d give me the excuse to finally make her mine, but I still feel anxious about the situation. I’d much rather take Ella to bed when I’m in full control, and I know as soon as I shift that will be out the window. At the same time, I warned Ella – I did my part and left the decision in her hands.
I know my reluctance and worry will disappear as soon as I give my wolf free reign, so I give him one last order before transforming. We have to be gentle.
He snarls in reply, as if affronted I might think he’d forget. After all, his job is just to catch her, all the rest comes after I’ve shifted back again. Even so, I know from experience that the haze of the solstice leaves him largely in control, and I won’t take any risks
– not with Ella.
With a sudden blur and a loud crack, I transform, only pausing to howl before I take off into the night. The howl is mostly for show
– Ella might hear it, but she won’t feel it the way a she-wolf does. She won’t be temporarily frozen in place, struggling to fight my power over her, my demand that she answer my call. She won’t understand that this is her first chance to submit, that raising her own voice into the air would be to accept me as her mate even before I’ve caught her.
I pick up Ella’s scent and her tracks instantly, a thrill of excitement pulsing through my body as I think about everything I’m going to do once I’ve caught her. Will she protect herself like she should and stop running, or will she provoke me? Does she want to be with me as badly as I want to be with her? Will her base instincts make her surrender to lust, despite her humanity? Either way I’m going to take her home and spoil her rotten for doing so well with Lydia tonight, but the real question is how much fun we get to have first.
With the magic in the air tonight, I wonder why we’ve been fighting this so hard. I know all the reasons of course, but under the moon and the stars they all seem so silly. I don’t care that Ella isn’t a wolf, and I don’t care that we’ve started out on a lie. I just want her.
I howl again, but soon after I catch the scent of other wolves; wolves that shouldn’t be anywhere near these forests, especially not tonight. I immediately recognize one, remembering his scent from the alley behind the club where Ella was attacked. My wolf snarls at the mere memory and as much as I want to attack, I have to figure out how many there are, as well as where they’re located.
I scent the air again, cocking my ears for more sounds and scanning the dense trees. Fury and fear crash into me when I realize there are at least half a dozen wolves in the woods with Ella and I, and that can only mean one thing: The Prince has chosen the hunt to make his next assassination attempt, only this time, I think he’s targeting Ella and I both.
There are four rogues tracking me, but the other two are far ahead. I know instinctively that they’ve gone after Ella. They must have been in the forest waiting for us already, and now my sweet human and my pup might pay the price for my distraction.
Maybe Lydia was right – I’ve been so caught up in her that I’ve gotten sloppy.
Or maybe Linda was part of it – she certainly helped distract you. My wolf suggests viciously.
She might be conniving, but I don’t believe that of her. After all, if I’m dead she can’t be queen. And in all honesty, the failure would still be mine even if she was plotting against me. Like it or not, I’ve missed threats brewing right under my nose. It’s the canal attack all over again, only this time it’s a thousand times worse. I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to Ella and the baby – never!
I have to decide quickly. Do I dispatch the wolves nearest to me so I can run down Ella’s attackers without added risk, or do I go straight to Ella and face them all at once. Four is certainly easier to defeat than six, but even one wolf against Ella is too much. I have to reach her before they can harm her. If I pause to fight my own attackers, they could easily kill her.
Unfortunately the rogues seem to understand this too. I’m sprinting ahead, racing towards Ella with every bit of strength and endurance I possess, when a huge red wolf barrels into me from the side.
