77

77


I needed to gather myself, to keep my composure. No one among these warriors could have known me in my wolf form. Even I struggled to recognize my reflection when transformed. To them, I was nothing more than a shroud wolf, an Omega—one who was supposed to be dead. There was no reason for them to find me suspicious. Yet, the cold glint of their swords, all directed at me, argued otherwise.

“Reveal your mortal form,” the nearest warrior demanded, his voice edged with authority.

Damn it. So much for staying anonymous. Suppressing the snarl that threatened to escape, I took a measured step back.

A smirk twisted his lips. “What’s wrong? Too modest to show us what you’re hiding?”

Mocking laughter erupted from the group as they moved closer. Bastards. They didn’t care who I was or what my business was near the Debris River. No, it was my vulnerable, unclothed body they wanted to see.

“Shift now, or we’ll make you,” another threatened. “No one trespasses here without the Alpha King’s permission. As warriors of Alpha Matteo, it’s within our rights to punish as we see fit.”

A fierce surge of fury coursed through my veins, half mine, half my wolf’s. Her instinct to maul them, to shred flesh from bone, screamed within me. And I might have let her, had it not been for the cursed black steel that bound us.

My gaze—our gaze—flitted between the warriors, assessing them. Their postures didn’t speak of strength; their grips on their blades were loose. They either underestimated me or weren’t trained well enough. I wasn’t fully healed. The poison left by Matteo’s claws still pulsed like embers in my back, another reminder of my battered state. But cracks and bruises had never broken me before.

The man who had first spoken advanced, his blade poised at my throat. “Didn’t you hear me, wench? Shift!”

A low growl rumbled from my chest as my eyes locked onto his. His approach halted mid-step, and I saw the shock bloom in his eyes, a reaction I knew too well. My eyes had flared crimson.

“An… Alpha?” he stammered, stepping back, and the others exchanged uneasy glances.

Now was my chance. Without hesitation, I sprang forward, sinking my teeth into his forearm. His scream echoed as the sword fell from his grasp. Blood tasted sharp and metallic on my tongue as I whipped around, my claws slashing at another who lunged at me. I felt his blood spray warm against my fur.

“Bitch!” a voice roared behind me as two more charged. I dodged the first blade, but the second grazed my ribs, igniting a sting that pulsed with poison. Pain like fire seared through me, spreading its venomous tendrils into my blood.

Not good. Another cut, and I might be too weak to fight. I had to finish this quickly. With a fierce growl, I barreled into three more warriors, sending them sprawling. Without looking back, I sprinted toward the forest encircling Eclipse Mountain. Shouts erupted behind me, and I knew some had already shifted, giving chase.

I didn’t waste time confirming. Every heartbeat and breath carried me deeper into the woods, the trees blurring in my peripheral vision. The cut along my ribs throbbed as if laced with coals. My wolf, already taxed from past battles, struggled to knit the wound closed. I shivered at the memory of how much energy she’d spent dragging us back from death.

Howls echoed, louder this time, closer. My eyes darted around, seeking a hiding place among the dense undergrowth. My white fur was a beacon under moonlight—a detail that felt like a cruel joke as my wolf’s growl simmered within me. Only one path remained: the rocky incline up Eclipse Mountain.

My heart thundered, each beat an urgent drum. More warriors appeared, blocking my route up the slope. I cursed under my breath. Surrounded, trapped between snapping jaws and the unforgiving cliff.

A steely resolve settled over me. I was stronger. I had to be. But instinct was my only guide in this form, and it demanded I defend or die.

One lunged. I pivoted, teeth bared, meeting him mid-air. My jaws clamped around his throat, crushing until he fell limp. I leaped away, catching the next attacker’s snarl with my claws across his flank. Screams filled the night, but I couldn’t afford relief or triumph. The scent of my own blood warned how close I was to failing.

Breaths came ragged, limbs sluggish. More bites scored my fur, drawing new streams of crimson. I didn’t have much left, but I pushed, tearing into two more wolves and dashing up the steep path. More growls, more claws scraping behind. Were reinforcements closing in, or was it just my weary mind playing cruel tricks?

I veered off the path, spotting a small alcove carved into the mountainside. My legs threatened to give out as I squeezed in, pressing my side to the cold stone. The yells and barks of the pursuit grew closer, but here, shadowed and still, I might just survive.

Pain throbbed, vision swam. A tear escaped, unbidden, as my thoughts drifted to him, my mate. If this was the end, our second chance would be lost to the night.

Sounds faded, overtaken by my heartbeat’s slowing drum. The final thing I heard was a roar, low and thunderous—Stefano.