CHAPTER 20: A PREY IN THE DARK

I didn’t look back.

The hedges fell away behind me, and I burst out onto the open strip of grass, my legs pumping as I hurled myself forward.

The forest loomed ahead, its trees like dark sentinels against the sky. I didn’t hesitate. I leapt across the last stretch of open ground and vanished beneath the heavy canopy.

Branches clawed at my sleeves. Roots snagged at my slippers. The forest swallowed me whole, its damp breath wrapping around me, smelling of moss and earth and rain-soaked bark.

Every instinct in me screamed to shift, to call on the strength and speed of the wolf. My body ached for it. My bones felt like they were straining against invisible chains. Deep inside, my wolf stirred - restless, agitated, pressing against the thin barrier that kept her locked beneath my skin.

I’ll kill them all, she seemed to snarl, pacing in the cage of my chest.

But I couldn’t.

The wolfbind band clamped around my wrist like a shackle, its cold metal biting into my skin with every swing of my arm.

The cursed thing cut me off from what I was meant to be, silencing the shift no matter how hard I willed it.

I could run, yes. But not fast enough. Not strong enough. Not the way I needed to.

The sound of boots reached me, faint but steady. Not close yet, but gaining.

They weren’t ordinary guards, they were trained warriors. Even without shifting, they’d close the distance.

And me? I was only flesh and bone.

I cursed under my breath, fury bubbling through the cracks of my fear.

If I could just shift, if I could just shed this fragile body, I wouldn’t be prey. I wouldn’t be hunted like this.

My lungs burned as I pressed deeper into the trees, weaving between trunks, ducking under low-hanging branches. The darkness was thick here, shadows clinging to every surface, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to.

Don’t think. Don’t stop. Just run.

The forest floor softened underfoot, the earth damp from recent rains. My shawl snagged on a thorn bush, ripping the edge, but I didn’t slow to free it. Every second mattered.

And then I heard it.

A howl.

It cut through the night like a blade. Long, sharp, carrying from the distance but close enough that my blood ran cold.

"No..." The word slipped out, breathless, terrified.

A signal.

Someone had shifted.

My stomach clenched. A wolf was faster, sharper, thrice more attuned to every sound, every scent, every movement than any human form could ever hope to be.

They would find me.

They would outrun me.

Hopelessness bloomed in my chest like a dark, poisonous flower, spreading its roots deep. The futility of it pressed down on me, heavy as stone.

But I kept running.

The sound of rushing water filled my ears.

I burst through the last veil of trees and there it was - the river, silver under the pale moonlight.

My chest heaved with ragged breaths, my legs trembling, but I didn’t stop. If I could throw myself into that current, let it carry me, maybe I could make it to the town beyond. Maybe I could vanish before Finn’s warriors caught up.

But just as I bent my knees to leap, the forest shifted.

A shape exploded out of the darkness.

The impact of it hitting the earth shook the ground beneath my feet.

A massive brown wolf stood in front of me, blocking the riverbank. Its paws sank deep into the wet mud, its hackles bristling, breath steaming in the night air.

And then I saw the eyes.

Rich gold, glowing like twin brands in the shadows, locked on me. I didn’t need the snarl curling its lips, didn’t need the low growl that vibrated through its chest. Just the eyes alone were enough.

Finn.

My stomach lurched, a bitter twist of fear and fury.

No. Not him. Not now.

I spun, desperate, ready to throw myself into the water anyway, but pain shot through my arms as someone’s hands clamped down, yanking me back.

My body slammed against solid muscle. I thrashed, but the grip was merciless, iron on flesh. A warrior. Of course. He must have tracked me from behind while Finn circled ahead.

I should’ve known it was pointless. No one escaped him.

The wolf moved, stepping closer, each heavy paw striking the earth like a drumbeat of doom.

And then bones snapped, fur receded, form twisting with brutal grace until a man stood in its place.

Finn’s bare chest gleamed with sweat and river mist, but his body wasn’t what rooted me in place, it was his face. Cold, carved from stone, rigid with fury.

"You dare run away from me?" His voice was low, lethal. A blade in the dark.

The warrior shoved me forward until I nearly stumbled into him.

Finn’s hand shot out, seizing my chin in a grip so hard it made my jaw ache.

His thumb dug into my skin, forcing my head back so I had no choice but to look at him. His gold eyes burned down at me, not with warmth, not with anything human, only possession.

"No prisoner has ever escaped under my nose. Do you know that, Vivien?" His words were a growl, each syllable dripping with rage.

Of course I knew. Everyone knew. Finn was the Alpha no one defied. The one who hunted down every runaway, who punished every betrayal. The one who broke wolves until they bent to his will.

But I had still tried.

How could I not? After everything I had seen, after the ruthlessness that left me sick to my stomach?

I couldn’t stay, couldn’t surrender to what he wanted from me. I had dreamed of reaching the town, of slipping far south, of taking my mother’s hand and running until Finn’s shadow could never touch us again.

But the dream had shattered the moment his eyes found me.

My throat burned with unshed tears, my chest tight with fear, but I forced myself to meet his gaze.

Forced myself not to break, even as my body trembled under his hold.

"You are a cruel Alpha," I whispered, my voice rough but steady. "And I don’t want to be your breeder."

The words cut through the night air, sharp as glass. My eyes stung, glossy and bloodshot, but I didn’t look away.

"How can you force me?"