I held her a beat longer, long enough to sear the message into her brain, then released her with a shove.
She staggered forward, coughing, clutching her throat.
Behind me, Judy muttered, “Damn.”
Talia’s face had gone pale as parchment. Finn’s gaze flicked to me, unreadable.
Roxy hunched, wheezing, but the fury hadn’t left her. It blazed hot in her eyes, even more than before.
“You’ll regret that,” she rasped, voice raw. Then she spat at the ground and turned sharply, storming into the fog.
“I don’t need this sorry excuse of a team,” she snarled over her shoulder. “I’ll find the shards myself.”
Her figure dissolved into the haze until nothing remained but the echo of her footsteps and the weight of her words hanging between us.
Silence followed, heavy and uneasy.
Talia wrung her hands, glancing at me. “Should we-should we go after her?”
Finn shifted, his expression tight. “She could jeopardize us if she runs into another team.”
I drew a slow breath, forcing calm into my coiled muscles. “Let her go.”
Both their heads snapped toward me.
“What?” Talia whispered.
“She needs space to cool off,” I said firmly. “Chasing her now will only make it worse. Besides,”-I gestured to the fog around us, the endless trees-“we’re all looking for the same shards. Our paths will cross again.”
Judy studied me, brow furrowed, but her mouth twitched like she wanted to grin. “Well, damn, Sera. Remind me never to piss you off.”
I ignored her, though the smallest smirk tugged at my lips before I could stop it.
Still, as we pressed on, the echo of Roxy’s insults gnawed at me like a wolf at bone. Replacement. Pathetic.
Whore.
I set my jaw and pushed forward,
We had a mission to fulfill.
And I’d be damned before I let her-or anyone else-decide what I was worth.
SERAPHINA’S POV
The fog thickened as we pressed deeper into the Misty Woods, clinging to my hair and saturating my clothes until every step felt heavier than the last.
My lungs drew in air that should have burned or muddied my senses, but the fog slid past me like it didn’t quite know what to do with someone who was half-empty. No wolf to drown, no heightened senses to dull- just me, raw and bare.
Take that, fate.
Unfortunately, the others weren’t so lucky.
As harmless as it had been at first, the longer we stayed in the fog, the more it affected my Omega teammates.
Judy’s eyes kept flicking almost erratically, straining to pierce the haze, while Talia stumbled on roots hidden under the gray carpet of air.
Finn’s voice wavered as he spoke lowly. Still, surprisingly, he led us, occasionally pointing to faint imprints on the ground, guiding us with the sharpness of someone obviously used to watching and paying attention when others rushed ahead.
And Roxy was still gone.
For now, I told myself not to think about her. She was a distraction best left to stew.
We had our mission-three shards, a finish line, and a ticking clock-and like I’d told the rest of the team, I was sure we would find her again.
We broke into a clearing where the ground sloped into a marsh, stagnant pools reflecting what little light filtered through the fog.
“There it is,” Finn said, pointing ahead.
I followed his line of sight, and sure enough, a glow pulsed faintly between the trees. Hope surged through
“Let’s-” we
But before we could move, we heard it: thrashing.
“Help! Get me out of here!”
Roxy.
Never thought I’d hate being right.
I rushed forward, skidding to a halt at the water’s edge. The smell hit me first-rot and damp earth-and I might have laughed at the sight before me if it was anything but funny.
Little Miss I’m-the-strongest-here was waist-deep in muck, one arm hooked desperately around a protruding root.
Every time she thrashed, the swamp pulled harder, dragging her down with greedy hands.
“Gods,” Judy muttered, rolling her eyes. “Of course.”
Talia’s face paled. “I-if she sinks any lower, she won’t be able to breathe.”
Finn scanned the area, his voice calm but strained. “The mud’s thick-if anyone goes in, they’ll get trapped too.”
Lovely.
Before I could form a plan, a metallic crackle cut through the fog, and a voice boomed across the woods, carried by invisible speakers.
“Attention competitors. Six teams have successfully completed the challenge. Three advancement slots remain.”
The words hit like ice shards on my skin. Six teams had finished. That left us competing for scraps.
“Shit,” Judy echoed my thoughts, spinning toward me. “We haven’t even found the second shard; we don’t have time for this”
I looked at Roxy, then back to my team.
I knew what they were thinking: leave her, cut our losses, push ahead before it was too late. Logical. Efficient.
Survival at its most ruthless.
But dammit, I wasn’t built that way.
I crouched low, eyes locked on Roxy’s panicked face. “You’re a bitch,” I said. “But you’re not dying here. Hold still.”
Her teeth snapped together in what was probably more embarrassment than pride. “Don’t-don’t act like you care. You’ll only slow down your precious team if you waste time on me.”
But beneath her abrasive words, I caught the flicker of terror she couldn’t hide. She didn’t want to be left alone. No one ever did.
“Finn,” I barked, pulling a coil of rope from our supplies, “find me a sturdy trunk”-I tossed one end of the rope at him-“and secure a knot. Talia, Judy, stay ready-if she slips, you help me pull.”
They hesitated, and I snapped, “I would do the same for any of you. We’re a team!” My tone left no room for debate as I glared at each one of them, making it clear I expected them to act. Now.
Judy muttered a curse but grudgingly obeyed, stomping over to stand beside Talia. Finn’s hands steadily tied a loop, his fingers moving with quick precision.
“On three.” I called, tossing the rope toward Roxy. “One. Two. Three!”
She lunged, fingers scraping over the wet coil. For a sickening second, it slid through her grasp. Then she clamped down, knuckles white, body jerking against the marsh’s greedy suction.
“Pull!”
The rest of the team joined in as the rope strained, biting into my palms as the swamp tried to claim Roxy.
Judy’s muscles bulged, Talia whimpered but dug in her heels, Finn angled the rope around the trunk for leverage.
My heart pounded, my arms screaming with effort, until at last Roxy’s body broke free with a wet, sucking sound.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply