Chapter 53 53
ARIELLE'S POV
Panic, sharp and electric, shot through me. This wasn’t a breakup spat anymore. This was an attack. I tried to kick, but he wedged a knee between my legs, holding me firm against the tree. His free hand groped, trying to find skin.
Adrenaline and terror mixed into a single, focused impulse. I bucked, twisting my hips, and managed to bring my knee up—not with much force, but with enough surprise and sharpness.
It connected with his groin.
He let out a choked, pained gasp, his grip loosening for a split second. It was all I needed. I shoved him back with every ounce of strength I had left and didn’t run for the open road. He’d catch me in seconds out there.
I darted into the woods between the trees, plunging into the dim, tangled undergrowth. It had to be better than any path.
“ARIELLE!” His roar of pure, furious betrayal echoed through the trees. I didn’t look back. I ran. Branches whipped at my face and arms, tearing at my clothes. My lungs burned, and my legs, already jellied from the little morning’s training, screamed in protest. I sprinted past thick trunks and thorny shrubs, not caring where I was going, only caring about putting distance between us.
Then I heard his laugh, cold and mocking, followed by the sound of him moving through the brush—swift, effortless, whooshes as he leaped over fallen logs. “You can’t run away from me!” he yelled, his voice closer than it should have been. “Just give up! This is embarrassing!”
I didn’t stop. But my body was betraying me. I wasn’t a supernatural being. Being wolfless, I was a human girl with human limits, and I’d already hit mine. My breath came in ragged, tearing sobs. My vision started to tunnel as trees blurred in my edges. I risked a glance over my shoulder.
He was there. Not running, but walking purposefully through the trees about fifty yards back, a cruel grin on his face. He was enjoying this. The hunt.
I pushed forward, my foot catching on a hidden root. I stumbled, my arms flying out to catch myself, and went down hard, crashing onto the damp, leafy forest floor. The impact knocked the last of the wind from me.
I looked up, gasping. He’d stopped, maybe twenty feet away now, hands on his hips, grinning down at me like I was an amusing instinct.
“You were so stupid to trust those weak little legs,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “The audacity of my wolf’s girlfriend, thinking she could outrun me. It’s almost cute.”
I ignored him, pushing myself up onto my hands and knees. I started to crawl forward, my movements clumsy and slow, driven by pure instinct.
He took a slow, deliberate step closer. “Come on, Arielle. Let’s just... reconcile. We can just have a good sex now. The ambiance is nice, don’t you think? The woods are quiet. Private. We can have much good memories with collided bodies. You might even like it once you stop fighting.” His voice was a disturbing parody of seduction.
He took another step. I scrambled back, back hitting another tree. I looked around wildly, but the woods seemed to just close in deeper here, a green prison with no exit.
He was only ten feet away now, still advancing slowly, savoring my fear. “That’s it. Just relax.”
Five feet. I could see the intent in his eyes, the victory. He leaned down, reaching for me.
Then, like a flash of shadow detaching from the deeper gloom, someone stepped into the clearing a few feet from Logan’s left.
Logan jerked his head toward the movement, halting mid-reach.
The newcomer was just a silhouette against the dappled light, but his voice cut through the woods, low, calm, and dripping with a blood-chilling promise.
“Take a step closer to her,” the voice stated, “and you’re dead.”
My gaze snapped to the person who’d spoken. I couldn’t make out their face at all. They were standing sideways, obscured by the deep shadow of the trees, wearing a dark hoodie that was pulled so far forward it swallowed their entire head, hiding any hint of features. They looked like a shadow given shape.
Logan straightened up, his possessive sneer melting into irritation as he turned to face the newcomer. “Who the heck are you?” he demanded, puffing out his chest.
The figure didn’t answer. They just took a slow, deliberate step forward, closing the distance between them without any hint of fear.
“Get lost and mind your business, wanderer,” Logan grunted, his voice low and threatening.
The hooded person didn’t budge. They didn’t even seem to react.
Seeing the distraction, I made my move. I took a sharp step back, then turned to run.
“Stay right there—!” Logan roared, trailing off as he tried to dash towards me and grab me.
I gasped, my eyes darting back in time to see the hooded person move. It was a blur of efficient motion. A hand shot out, grabbed the front of Logan’s shirt, and with a shocking, effortless strength, they spun and tossed him sideways. Logan crashed into the thick trunk of the oak tree with a sickening thud and crumpled to the ground with a pained groan, curling in on himself.
“Fuck!” Logan spat.
For a second, there was only the sound of his ragged breathing. Then, with a snarl of pure fury, he scrambled to his feet. His eyes were no longer human—they glowed with a feral amber light. His fingers elongated into sharp claws, and the bones in his face began to shift and crack.
“You motherfucking bastard!” he growled, the words distorted by the beginning of his change. He didn’t wait. He just launched himself at the hooded figure, a blur of fury and claws.