Forsaken by E. M. Moore

28

When time is up, I let out a waning cry that surprises even me. It echoes through the dark night, but no response comes. I wait for another minute, using my superior hearing to try to decipher even the tiniest of movement.

There’s still one more chance.

I peel the beautiful gown off and place it in a pile so it’s easy to pick up when I shift. My wolf is waiting to take over, to save me from the pain I’m experiencing. She takes control in no time at all, the pain of shifting is nothing compared to the worry exploding in my heart. She picks up the gown and takes off, leaving no trace that I’d been there. When she gets to the stream in the woods, she drops the gown.

No evidence.

My only awareness is attuned to listening for any sign of Nathan. I need him to be at the car. I need to turn this into the love story I always should’ve had. Nathan is my everything. We promised each other, and dammit, he better keep that promise.

With my wolf in control, she tears through the forest, her animal instincts making it much easier than the first half of the journey I made alone. Unfortunately, the distance she has to travel is much farther than mine. When every second feels so important, time condenses. It feels like it takes her forever to get even remotely close to the rendezvous point Kinsey marked on the map.

When we’re several football field lengths away, she slows, prowling through the forest like the natural predator she is, searching for threats. At this point, we can’t be too careful. The pack may be after us by now. I don’t know how much time Sean’s wolf gave me. He could’ve shifted after I ran for it, then ratted me out to the alpha soon after.

It feels so lonely in the woods by myself. The more the night sounds close in, the more I realize I don’t want to do this alone. Nathan is supposed to be here. I won’t make it a day without him. It would be like ripping off half of myself and thinking that I would be able to survive.

The stillness that forever surrounds us is a mourning march. We get close enough to spy the car on the back road, and my wolf lets out a whimper.

He’s not there.

He’s not leaning against the trunk, smiling. He’s not pacing and searching the tree line, wondering what direction we’re coming from.

My wolf sits, panting, the energy expenditure catching up with her now that she’s settled.

At least we’re on the same page. We’re not leaving here without Nathan.

The wind trickles through her fur. Alert, we wait for a sign. Any sign. The clock that’s been over my head, ticking down since I got pulled into Ms. Ebon’s office, is reemerging with a vengeance. I brought forward my time limit. I’m doing it on my own terms. Much scarier ones, if I’m honest, because I’ve taken control of my life. If this goes wrong, I won’t just be dropped off in the middle of nowhere to live packless.

I’ll be captured, interrogated…punished.

My wolf starts to pace, whining and whimpering. We should’ve left by now. If this was just about me, I would have, but I ceased being one person when Nathan and I gave in to the pull drawing us together like magnets. If he doesn’t leave, I don’t either. He’s fighting for us. I know it. Wherever he is, he’s trying like hell to get here.

Return?My wolf asks. Her discomfort level has risen a few notches the longer time stretches on. She’s as aware of the stakes as I am.

I try to reassure her with the same thoughts that have been running through my head about how hard Nathan will fight to get here, to leave with us.

We perk up when a faint noise reaches her ears. She focuses on it, ears straightening, turning in its direction. The little noise gets louder and louder until I can make out what it is.

Car.

My wolf retreats further into the shadows as we wait. It could just be someone passing by, and I hope like hell that the car waiting on the side of the road doesn’t raise any red flags.

However, it could also be Nathan. That thought makes my heart ram against my ribcage. The beam of headlights spotlight the forest around me. When they approach our getaway car, they slow.

My wolf crouches down, waiting. The SUV inches closer, and I nearly come out of my skin when it suddenly jerks ahead, tires squealing as if whoever is driving has stomped on the gas. My wolf stands, watching as the SUV points directly at our getaway car.

It’s then that I see Sean’s outline.

Fuck.

My wolf leaps from behind the tree, paws digging into the dirt as she runs like hell. If he sabotages our escape, it’s over.

Bounding over the embankment and toward the road, she leaps in the air. The SUV is getting closer and closer, its nose aimed right at the rear end. Everything slows while my wolf flies through the air. I can see Sean so clearly in the car, the look of rage on his face. He catches my wolf out of the corner of his eye, his mouth opening in a slight part as recognition hits.

She lands on the hood with such force that the vehicle swerves, and Sean loses control. My wolf’s paws slip on the slick metal, and she tries to gain purchase, but he slams on the brakes. She’s thrown against the windshield, and a crack splits the air as she tumbles up and over the roof, landing in a hard thud on the blacktop. The red lights around us turn white.

Move!

She rolls out of the way just as Sean attempts to back over me. Instead, his rear tires hit the side of the road and sink into the mud. He puts the car into gear again as my wolf stands, every bone in her body aching. Flooring it doesn’t work. The tires spin, kicking up mud. He’s too far into the embankment to get his SUV out.

He roars, the sound penetrating the steel surrounding him. He forces the car door open and steps out. “Where are you, you little bitch?”

My wolf won’t back down from this fight. She steps out into the road in front of his car, and he turns to spot us. The headlights blind the side of her face, but she stares him down, anyway. Her lips pull back, a threatening growl ripping from the rear of her throat.

Sean stalks forward. “Why can’t you just behave?” he seethes. His skin starts to ripple, and his fists tighten at his sides. He throws his head back, the veins in his neck protruding. Squeezing his eyes closed, he bellows into the night. Several deep breaths later, he gains control over his wolf, stuffing him inside the cage he’s been putting him in.

His poor wolf.

Another growl rips from my wolf’s throat. She lunges at Sean, the fiercest sound cutting straight from her mouth. His eyes widen as she comes at him, her jaw gaping open for an attack.

At the last second, he sidesteps her and then throws his arm out, fist catching her in the ribs. Pain ripples through us. She falls to her feet, head down. A whimper careens from her throat, but she shakes herself off and stalks toward him again.

He wipes his face with the back of his hand. “You thought you could escape me?” The laugh that bubbles forth is maniacal. He’s turned himself into a vessel with no compassion. “What? You didn’t think I’d be paying attention when my wolf tracked you. We’re still connected, Mia. As soon as I was able to take control again, I came for you. We’re going back to Daybreak, Mate.”

My wolf snarls at his careless use of the word. We know what it means to have a real one now. We have everything we need in Nathan. Using mate to describe us is a taint of how special the bond really is. She lunges for his throat, and he catches her in the air, squeezing her body. His elbows dig into bruised ribs, and she cries out, which only spurs him on. “Shift!” he commands.

My wolf wants to laugh at him. He has no control over her; no alpha power to make her do something she doesn’t want to do. She resorts to clawing at him, ripping into his face until he lets go.

She scrambles away as I cheer her on from inside.

“Fucking bitch!” He reaches his hand up to his face, gingerly touching the claw marks. When he pulls his fingertips away, fresh blood runs down the sides. The look in his eyes transitions to darkness. “I’m going to kill you. There are no witnesses out here. I’ll tell everyone you tried to run away, but you got lost out here and died. They’ll believe whatever I say.”

My wolf circles him. His evil smirk has nothing on the low growls ripping up her throat. He’s slowly been killing me since we were paired—leaving me alone at the academy, heartbroken; taking me away from my pack; then the outright, obvious attempts to murder me after I got here. He’s sadistic. Pure poison in its truest form.

He tries to pull alpha over me again. “Come here.”

My wolf sits. We’re completely separate from him now. He can’t rule over us. I barely even feel the thrum of Daybreak through my veins, so I doubt he’d even be able to pull pack hierarchy over me. He’s nothing to me now.

The more I stay away from him, the angrier he gets. If his temper gets too out of control, he might shift again, and that will turn the tide in my favor since his wolf and I are on the same page.

He knows better, though.

“Fine,” he seethes. stalking to the trunk of his SUV and grabbing a crowbar. At first, I think he’s going to come for us, but he does something worse—he goes for our escape car.

My wolf leaps at him, her jaw finding his hip before clamping down. He screams, elbowing her in the face until she unhinges her hold at the blossoming burn where he connected. He brings the crowbar up, and she runs away, but not before he catches her in the flank. She cries out in agony, sprawling on the ground. That fucking hurt. She tries to stand among the rippling discomfort, but another whimper rolls through her when she’s met with nothing but aching throbs.

His quick footsteps sound behind her, and she rolls out of the way as the crowbar comes down again, hitting the pavement this time. He tries a third time, catching her in the shoulder.

Another explosion of agony ricochets through us. The whimper she gives is half growl, half pain. He brings the crowbar back again. This time, she gathers up all the energy she has left and lunges for him. Despite her discomfort, she pushes through until she sinks her teeth into his leg. He howls, but she doesn’t let go. He hits her on the other flank, and she whines but still doesn’t relieve her grip.

A familiar growl rips through the air. My wolf looks up in time to see Nathan flying toward them. His white teeth gleam in the moonlight as he arches over her and sinks directly into his target: Sean’s neck.

She releases her hold as Sean falls back, landing on his ass and shoving Nathan’s wolf away. The teeth marks in Sean’s neck ooze with blood. A maniacal laugh hits us, and my wolf’s ears perk up. Mate?

Nathan’s wolf turns his head and stares at mine. Mate?

A sound pours from my wolf’s mouth that’s half agony, half excitement. We’re not mates by fate. We shouldn’t be hearing each other in our heads.

Nathan’s wolf moves toward me. Hurt?

His distraction gives Sean enough time to pick up the crowbar again. His fingers wrap around the metal before he gets to his feet. Watch out! I warn.

Nathan’s wolf spins. He leaps for Sean again, but he misses his mark and gets hit by the black piece of steel. He rolls away, whimpering.

“You think you can have her?” Sean glares at him. “You can’t. How the fuck did you get away, anyway? I knew you would show your hand when I announced we accepted each other. You just couldn’t take it, could you?”

Nathan’s wolf growls, saliva dripping from his mouth as if he’s so hungry to get revenge on Sean that he can barely wait.

Distract.

My wolf starts moving. As predicted, Sean follows us, lips pulled back into a scowl. “Two against one? Doesn’t bother me.” He bounces the crowbar in his hands.

Now!

My wolf leaps away, spying Sean as he presses his lips together before swinging the crowbar forward. He catches my wolf again, but the painful cry that escapes his lips overpowers anything she’s feeling.

Nathan’s wolf has hold of his neck, yanking it from side to side. True fear widens Sean’s eyes. He grabs for Nathan’s wolf’s fur, but he can’t gain purchase. “Okay, shift. Shift,” he whispers to himself, a plea that goes unanswered.

Nathan’s wolf growls, and his eyes grow dark as he shakes his head again. Blood spurts all over his muzzle. His once white teeth now covered in it.

“Shift!” Sean screams, but he doesn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if he jailed his wolf too long that he won’t come out. Or maybe his wolf is purposefully staying inside. An act of defiance, of letting Sean know where his loyalty truly stands.

Nathan’s wolf lets go and backs away into a crouch, ready to lunge forward again.

Wait! I call out.He stops, twisting his head to stare at me. His wolf. His wolf is good. It’s Sean who’s bad. His animal side never wanted any of this. He would’ve been happy accepting me as his mate.

A quick shake of the head tells me Nathan’s wolf doesn’t care. He leaps for Sean again as he sputters for breath on the ground.

The final clamp of his jaw does the job.

Sean’s eyes grow lifeless. All the breath from his lungs escapes in a final exhale that makes the air grow thick around us.

My wolf whimpers. We have no loss over Sean’s human side. None whatsoever. But knowing his wolf was trapped in there, suffering the same fate, is tragic.

For a brief moment, Nathan’s wolf and mine sit back in silence for our fallen pack member.