The blood drained from my face. My mind blanked in an instant.
Phina also shook in my mind muttering in shock whispered, ‘It hadn’t been Asher.’
My body turned cold, ‘Asher never touched me but…”
It was Reed. Hidden in the shadows. Setting me up.
And Dante knew.
Or even more likely he was the one who planned it… so that Ronan and 1…
I looked at Ronan. I really looked at him this time.
For a fraction of a second, I saw the storm in his violet eyes, the primal need to dominate, to break. To kill.
And then in a flash of silver light and cracking bones, he shifted into a massive black wolf, fur dark as midnight, fangs gleaming.
A heartbeat later, Dante shifted too into the black wolf, faster-looking,but no less deadly.
Both wolves turned their heads toward me. Both had their eyes locked on me.
They weren’t just starting the hunt.
Phina said, “They are hunting us!”
Both Alphas were after me. Without wasting another second, I spun around and dashed into the forest. My feet barely touched the ground.
They were in their wolf form and I could not shift, so in this condition I was at a disadvantage and could be easily killed
I pushed every ounce of speed from my body, sprinting through the underbrush with a wild, electric desperation.
Behind me, the crashing sounds of pursuit exploded.
Faster, faster!
Thankfully they could not pick up my scent but I still kept hiding my aura to prevent them tracking my down. Breath burning my throat, I summoned every trick I had learned…every survival skill, every hidden instinct Phina whispered into my mind.
Turning back to check once in a while, I veered sharply left at the base of a twisted pine.
Rolled under a fallen log. Splashed briefly through a shallow stream.
Anything to hide my aura or scent if it slipped. Anything to make them lose my trail.
I wasn’t just fighting to win the trial now.
I was fighting to stay alive from two crazy Alphas after me.
I sprinted through the dense trees, my heart hammering against myribs, my lungs burning with every breath. Only when I had put enough distance between myself and the clearing did I finally glance down at the crumpled chit still clenched in my fist.
One single word was scrawled there: BISON.
I stumbled slightly, disbelief punching the air from my chest. A bison?
Were they serious?
Massive, horned beasts, nearly impossible to take down alone, even for an experienced hunter.
But there was no time to curse my luck.
Behind me, the ground shook from the weight of something heavy moving through the forest. Fast and violent.
Itwisted my head and caught a glimpse through the trees. A large wolf with sleek black fur and glowing eyes tearing through the underbrush-Dante. Not Ronan.
I gritted my teeth. This Alpha…. He was the one who had fucked up my already messed up situation. Now Ronan was after me thanks to him or this hunt would have been me solely focusing on my hunt.
Dante had shifted and now he was hunting me like a true predator, not his assigned prey. And his killing intent was obvious.
Shit. Did he pick my scent? It was impossible right?
I couldn’t outrun him forever. And if Dante found me then Ronan would be here soon as well.
“Fighting against two Alphas would not be wise,” Phina stated in my mind, “Especially when we have to hunt the Bison as well.”
“You are right,” I breathed hard. “We have to avoid the fight. When they were not even my prey but actually hunting me.”If I wanted to survive the night, get my hunt and through this ridiculous trial, I needed to use my brain, not just my legs.
Quickly, I veered off the obvious trail and dove into a thick patch of berry bushes. The-wild, sour scent hit me immediately. I grabbed a handful of berries and crushed them against my clothes, smearing the strong smell over my skin to mask my scent.
My ears twitched at the faint sound of pawsteps drawing nearer.
Ducking low, I crept forward until I spotted a branch, half-broken and hanging precariously above a narrow path.
A perfect little gift from the forest gods.
Silently, I climbed the nearest tree, clinging to the trunk like a cat. My hands found the weakened branch….and with one strong jerk, I broke it toose.
The branch crashed to the ground with a deafening crack.
Below, Dante’s wolf form skidded to a halt, muscles tensing, head snapping toward the sound
Perfect.
Before he could spot me, I launched myself into the neighboring tree, keeping high and out of reach. The branches swayed, but I moved with them, keeping my body fluid and silent like a shadow.
If I could keep misleading him, keep him chasing ghosts, he’d waste precious energy and time.
“Let’s see if you’re still so eager when the tables turn, Dante.’
I swung from branch to branch, deeper into the heart of the deadly Blackmoon Forest.Hours blurred into each other but my search for a bison continued With each passing second I became desperate because i had been running out of time. At the same time Phina had been demanding to shift and make our search quick. I also wanted to do it but the risk of being exposed was like a sword at my neck.
The Blackmoon Forest was alive with chaos. Snarls, growls, and the clash of teeth and claws echoed through the trees.
I moved like a whisper through the dense undergrowth, my senses sharpened, always one breath away from danger. Twice, I slipped past dueling Alphas locked in brutal fights with their assigned prey-a huge boar thrashing a boy into the mud, an Alpha wolf desperately fending off a mountain lion with bloody claws.
I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
“Where is this bison!” I growled under my breath while glancing around once in a while to make sure no one was following me.
I climbed rocky ridges, slid through muddy valleys, and even waded through a shallow, ice-cold stream to further throw off my scent.
The night deepened around me, and time ticked dangerously away.
My muscles ached, and my stomach twisted in hollow hunger, but finally-finally-my efforts paid off.
A sharp, distinct sign.
A huge, cloven hoof print stamped deep into the damp earth.
My heart leapt.
Bison.
I crouched, tracing the wide print with my fingers, feeling the heavy pressure left behind. Nearby, I spotted broken branches at shoulderheight-far higher than any wolf or deer could reach. The beast had passed through not long ago.
“We are close,” I said to Phina.
“Yes, let’s hunt it,” Phina growled.
Excitement flared through my veins.
I could do this. I could catch up, bring it down, and win.
But just as I took off after the trail, weaving through the thickening trees, a low growl rumbled to my left.
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