by Emma Wolfe
I blinked a few times before I dropped my gaze. I could feel his desire as acutely as my own. But this wasn’t the time to dwell on any of this. We were in the woods not for me and Liam but for Grayson and Rose.
I smiled at Rose and nodded toward the trees. “Ready to get moving again?” I asked.
Rose sighed and stood, nodding as she took a few steps in the direction I’d gestured. “Yes,” she said.
I kept behind her a few strides. I wasn’t sure if it was because I wanted to give her some space or because I wanted to see what Liam would do.
Even though I wished it was the former, I knew, deep down, it was the latter.
I feared I was never going to move on from Liam. That he was seared on my soul, and no matter how hard I tried—no matter how much I attempted to move on—he was always going to have this hold over me.
And it sucked.
“What are you doing?” Liam’s voice was deep and commanding with a hint of fear hidden behind his words.
I glanced over to see that he’d fallen into step with me. His head was ducked down, and his hands remained in his front pockets. His shoulders were rounded, and I could feel his frustration pulsing from his body.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked. It was frustrating me that he thought I could let my best friend wander through the woods by herself. “Rose is determined, and I can’t just leave her alone.”
I felt Liam’s gaze on me as he tipped his face in my direction. My breath hitched in my throat. I could feel his intensity as he contemplated what to say.
“You should have asked me. I would have taken her.” He reached up and ran his hand through his hair.
I knew that was true, even if it frustrated me. But I wasn’t going to just leave my best friend’s life in the hands of someone else. I was strong enough to handle myself. I could protect her if I had to.
“Liam—”
“Get down,” he hissed as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to the ground.
Suddenly, I was face-first in the dirt. I winced as a tree root stabbed me in the stomach. Liam shielded me with his body, his weight pressing me further into the damp ground.
“Rose,” he whispered, waving his hand in her direction. If she noticed, she didn’t move toward us.
Fear coursed through me as I tried to figure out what was going on. Who was here? What did they want? Why the heck wasn’t Rose listening to Liam’s desperate pleas?
All of it caused my ears to ring and my head to swim. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my mind.
I heard Liam curse under his breath as he rose up on his forearms to lessen his weight on my body. I gasped, taking in a deep breath and trying to steady my pounding heart.
“Liam,” I whispered as fear clung to my words. Rose had disappeared into the woods, and there was nothing I could do about it. She seemed too distracted with her own thoughts to realize that we’d stopped following her or that Liam had sensed danger and dropped to the ground.
I moved to stare up at him. He was inches away from me as he met my gaze. His breathing was heavy, and I could feel his desperation. It was as apparent as my own.
“I can’t leave you,” he whispered. His voice was deep, and I could feel his pain.
As much as that caused my body to warm and my skin to flush, I couldn’t just lay here while my best friend walked into a dangerous situation.
“Please,” I begged. “I’ll be fine. Go. Make sure she’s safe.”
He studied me for a moment, then he growled and sprang off of me. Before I could even blink, he shifted and disappeared. The last thing I saw was his tail as he slipped between the trees.
I lay there on my back, taking in a few deep breaths. My heart was pounding, and my arms and legs were tingling from the lack of the warmth that Liam gave off. The night sky loomed above me as I closed my eyes and tried to steady my mind.
Whatever was going on, I knew Liam would fix it.
I had more confidence in that than anything else at the moment.
If Rose’s life was in danger, Liam would find her. He would bring her back.
I knew he would. He had to.
12
Rose
My heart was pounding. My whole body went numb. I wished that I could figure out what was going on, but with a dark hood pulled over my head and tied tight around my neck, I couldn’t seem to get my bearings enough to process what was happening.
I could feel the pounding of the wolf’s paws on the ground. I was strapped over his back with my feet tied to my hands so I couldn’t slip off. My body ached from the angle which I was forced into, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I was going to go wherever these wolves wanted me to go. I was their pawn, and they were in charge. No matter how much I squirmed or screamed, they were going to silence me.
I winced as my body slid against the wolf’s spine, grinding my rib cage against the large, protruding bones. I whimpered, but that was all I could do after they’d stuffed my mouth with some type of fabric.
The jostling caused my head to ache. I’d hit it on a low-hanging branch when I was bombarded by the pack. I’d been temporarily blinded, making it impossible to see the faces of my attackers. By the time my sight returned, I had the fabric over my face, and I was being tied to the back of a wolf.
That was all I knew.
My stomach churned as the desire to vomit rose up inside of me. The fabric in my mouth tickled the back of my throat, activating my gag reflex. I wanted to vomit. I wanted them to drop me in disgust.
But all throwing up was going to do was cover my own face in vomit, and that was the last thing I wanted. So I would to muscle it down with as much determination as I could.
I would to be strong. I had to be.
Time passed, and before I knew it, the wolf slowed to a walk. I perked my ears up, trying to catch words or sounds that would explain where I was or give me an idea of what to expect.
I needed to prepare myself for whatever was going to happen, good or bad.
Ha. Why would I assume anything good was going to come of this?
Bad. It was going to be bad.
Muffled voices finally met my ears, and my heart picked up speed as I felt hands grip the ropes tied around my hands and feet. The tension that was pulling them together loosened, and my body slid off the wolf’s back and crashed to the ground.
I winced as my attempt to brace myself failed. A whimper escaped my lips again, and the only response was the sick laugh of someone standing over me. A hand gripped me under my armpit, and I was pulled to my feet.
“Let’s go, little human,” he said as I felt his lips nuzzle my ear.
I tried to scream. I twisted my body in an attempt to free myself from his grip, but nothing happened. Instead, his fingers dug deeper into my skin as he held me tighter.
“Oh, a fighter,” he said with a hint of laughter in his voice. I didn’t need to see his face to know that he was smiling in a disturbing and sadistic way. He was enjoying this.
Bile rose up inside of my throat, and I forced it down. I wasn’t going to give this guy the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting me. Instead, I went limp.
If he was going to drag me off into the woods, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. He was going to have to literally drag me.
He growled as I began to fall toward the ground. I felt his arms surround my waist and hoist me up onto his shoulder. I winced as his shoulder bone dug into my stomach, but I stayed limp. I wasn’t going to let him know what he was doing to me. I was going to be strong even though I felt so weak.
“What’s wrong with her?” another deep voice asked from beside me.
The man who was carrying me shrugged his shoulders. “Dunno. She just dropped to the ground, the witch.”
“Boss’s not going to be happy if something happens to her. She needs to be alive to do what we need.”
The man carrying me growled. “I know. She’s fine. She’s just being a pain.”
Suddenly, a hand clubbed me. I whimpered as pain seared through my head. I must have gotten cut or seriously bruised from when I hit my head.
“See? She’s alive. She’s just being a bitch right now,” the man who was carrying me said.
I wanted to tell him off. I wanted to unleash a slew of insults at him. To tell him how he was acting like an animal, and I could see why he was hiding me behind this fabric. That he was a coward. One that needed the protection of the woods because if he showed his face, the world would be at his door.
That only a weak person would do what he was doing.
But that chance never came. I was dumped onto the ground and left alone in a dark room or tent—I wasn’t really sure which. All I knew was the walls were very thin and I could hear voices as if their owners were standing next to me.
Once I was sure I was alone, I wiggled around trying to free my hands, my feet, anything. But all the pulling and shifting didn’t help. If anything, it just caused the rope to rub my wrists raw. My eyes were filling with tears as the feeling of defeat settled in around me.
I had no idea where I was, why I was here, or what these wolf shifters wanted with me. Was this a joke? Were they trying to get to Grayson by kidnapping me?
If only they knew I’d been abandoned. It seemed like Grayson had no intention of ever finding me again. At least Liam followed after Cora. Sure he showed up at inopportune times and demanded strange things of her—like forcing her to take his hoodie—but he cared enough to stay. Not Grayson. He was fine with stomping on my heart and then disappearing.
Forever.
The feeling of helplessness overtook me, and I shifted until I was lying on the floor. My body ached from the angles at which they had me tied. I was desperate to free my hands, but I couldn’t.
Right now, all I wanted to do was lie on the ground and close my eyes. Maybe if I fell asleep, I would wake up and find that all of this had been a nightmare. I would be back in my room in Smoky Hills, the same Rose I’d been a week ago.
Before I knew what really lurked in these woods.
Before I let Grayson into my heart.
It seemed like a simpler time. It felt like a lifetime ago.
I closed my eyes. The small glimmer of light that had made its way through the fabric of the hood faded away. I took a few deep breaths through my nose and allowed my body to relax. If I just ignored the pain of lying on my bent arm, I could actually fall asleep.
Thankfully, it turned numb, and soon, I succumbed to the darkness and fell asleep.
Grayson
I kept pace with Oliver as we raced through the woods. I could feel his agitation, and I kept casting my gaze in his direction, fearing that he might feel the change in my heartbeat. That he might sense what I’d already picked up on.
Humans. In the woods around Smoky Hills.
And not just any human.
Rose.
I growled at myself for thinking her name. Every time I did, part of the wall that I’d built up around my heart crumbled a bit, and I knew it was only a matter of time before my father or Oliver sensed it.
They would know I was lying.
They would know I still loved Rose. That she was just as much a part of me now as she had been before I walked away from her. All the work I’d done to convince them that she didn’t matter would be for naught, and I would be right back where I was before.
Fearing for her life.
Dad wants us, Oliver said, pushing into my mind.
I nodded and followed after him as he veered to the left. As much as I wanted to continue on—to find out if, in fact, Rose was in the woods like I’d sensed—I couldn’t deviate from Oliver’s commands.
I was still trying to convince them that I was on board with their plans to overthrow the Bronsons. That I would fight to the death to see my father become the alpha of the Mother pack.
They told me it was my destiny to help them win this battle. That as soon as I evolved, I would be the perfect killing machine. Destined to do what my father commanded.
Anger coursed through me at the thought. There was so many things I wanted to do, and being my father’s lapdog was not one of them.
But they saw me as weak. Living among humans had made me weak—or so they thought. It had caused my wolf to grow soft. That was why I wasn’t changing like most eighteen-year-olds did.
They were going to force it out of me if they could. They were pushing me to the point of breaking, just to force my adult wolf to the surface. Anything to get me to evolve so they could take their fight to the pack.
But nothing they threw at me seemed to work. And maybe it was because I wasn’t letting them. I wasn’t this person. I refused to be my father. I refused to be what he saw me as.
We neared the camp and I slowed my gait. There was something going on, something I wasn’t going to like. I could feel it. Sense it. Smell it.
Rose.
She was here.
Anger took control, and I slammed into Oliver. He yelped as he was flung into a nearby tree.
What did you do? I yelled at him as I charged him again.
But he seemed to expect that. In a matter of moments, he was on all fours and facing me. He growled as he lowered his head and plowed toward me.
I welcomed his advance. I was ready for this fight.
I knew it had been only a matter of time until they did something stupid. And bringing Rose to our camp was…stupid.
Dad was right. You’d stop at nothing to save your precious human, Oliver said, sneering with distain.
Shut up, I growled as I rose up onto my hind legs and attempted to get the dominant position.
My fury had turned to rage. I could feel it coursing through my veins. It was like hot lava as my heart pumped it throughout my body.
My vision turned hazy as white spots filled it. I blinked a few times, shaking my head. Trying to focus.
Before I knew it, Oliver rammed into me, tossing me a good five feet. I winced as my body landed on the ground. The grass was cold and wet.
I took a few deep breaths as I lay there on the ground. I hated this feeling pulsing through me. I feared and welcomed it at the same time.
It felt good, the charge the change was giving me. But I couldn’t allow it to happen. Not right now. Not when it was the exact thing my father wanted.
I stilled my mind as I closed my eyes, relaxing my body. I could fight this off. I had to. If my father got what he needed, my fate and the fate of the shifters in Smoky Hills would change.
And not for the better.
“Get up.” Oliver’s human voice cut through my thoughts,
I allowed myself to shift. I kept my eyes closed for a moment more—just to make sure I was ready—and then opened my eyes. I glared at him as he stood over me.
He extended his hand like he wanted to help me up, but I hit it away. There wasn’t anything that I was going to accept from him. Not when he’d betrayed me.
Sure, he hadn’t fated yet, but he knew what it meant. And messing with the fate of another wolf wasn’t right. Especially when I was his blood.
“What is going on?” I asked as I stood to my full height, towering over him. But he didn’t seem threatened. Instead, he shrugged as he shoved his hands into his front pockets and headed in the direction of camp.
“Dad wants to speak to you,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder at me.
I glowered at him as I followed behind. With Rose in their possession, there was nothing I could do.
I had to follow. Her life was all that mattered. I didn’t know what I would do if something happened to her.
Not when it might be my fault.
So I dipped my head and obeyed.
We headed toward my father’s tent. Just as we neared one of the tents on the outskirts of the camp, I heard it. Plain as day.
Rose’s heartbeat.
It was soft and quiet. Like she was asleep.
I whipped my gaze over to Oliver, who was studying
me as if he knew exactly what he was looking for.
He was looking for a change in me.
And it was there.
A burning. A fire deep in my gut. I was trying to ignore it, but I couldn’t.
If I needed to evolve to save Rose, I would.
And Oliver knew that.
13
Cora
I wanted to cry. I wanted to sob. I wanted to allow my grief to swallow me whole.
What else was I supposed to do?
Lying here on the forest floor, waiting for Liam to return was pure torture.
What if he didn’t find her? What if something had happened to her?
What if I lost my best friend?
How was I supposed to move on from that?
Dad was gone. Liam was untouchable. Besides Mom, who didn’t seem to want to do anything but work, I was alone in Smoky Hills.
And I was never too good at being alone.
Rustling in the trees drew my attention. I scrambled to sit up, scooting until my back was pressed up against the tree trunk. I held my breath as I willed my heart to stop hammering.
Whoever—or whatever—was coming toward me, had to be part wolf, and my erratic pulse wasn’t going to help me.
If only I could control my emotions like I so desperately wanted to do, I just might survive.
I closed my eyes and stilled my mind. I figured the last thing you wanted to do when trying to calm yourself was to think about how you weren’t calming down.
So instead, I imagined myself on a beach. Where it was warm, and I wasn’t wet and cold from the damp forest floor.
“Are you okay?” Liam’s voice asked, drawing me from my thoughts.
I startled and glanced up at him as soon as I felt his hands on my body.
His brow was furrowed as his gaze swept over me.
Heat raced across my skin from every point of contact. My heart pounded, and I hated myself for it.
“I’m fine,” I said, breaking his contact with me and scooting to the side. I wrapped my arms across my chest and peeked over at him. “Did you find her?”
