Page 35

The second guard snorted. "Yeah. True. Wait."

The men stopped.

"Do you smell that?"

"What?"

"It's blood, I think."

River's gut twisted, and her wolf prepared to move. Could she sprint past them? Even if she did, they could mow her down in an instant.

"I don't smell anything. Come on."

Their voices faded as they disappeared around the corner of the building. River stayed frozen. Ares and Apollo were close. They were looking for her.

She had to move.

More guards appeared, gathering near a side entrance to the house. Their voices carried across the quiet night.

"Extra patrols on the north perimeter," a burly man said. "We've got reports of activity in the sector. Could be nothing, could be them."

"What about the Luna?" another asked.

"Locked down tight. Titan's orders. No one goes in or out."

"And if they do find us?"

The leader's face hardened. "Then we fight. Or we run. Depends on what the Alpha commands."

The group dispersed, heading in different directions to take up their posts. River waited, calculating as the guards moved into position. There was a small but noticeable gap in their coverage on the edge of the property, where the forest grew thickest.

She would have one shot. Just one.

River gathered what strength remained, her muscles trembling with exhaustion and anticipation. Her wolf stirred, lending its fierce maternal instinct to her determination.

The moon slipped behind a cloud, casting the grounds in a dark shadow.

Now.

River burst from her hiding place, keeping low to the ground as she darted across the open space between the bushes and the tree line. Her bare feet made almost no sound on the damp earth, but her heart pounded.

Twenty yards. Fifteen. Ten.

A shout rang out behind her. "There! By the trees! Someone's out there."

River didn't look back. She pushed her weakened body harder, drawing on reserves she would quickly deplete. The forest edge loomed ahead, promising temporary sanctuary under the thick canopy of trees. Her lungs burned as she gulped the night air, each breath a desperate prayer for escape.

The crack of a rifle echoed behind her, followed by the whistle of something sailing past her head. River zigzagged, making herself a more challenging target as she plunged into the dark embrace of the woods.

Dense underbrush tore at her legs and feet as she crashed through the forest. Branches whipped across her face, leaving stinging welts, but she didn't slow. Behind her, the shouts grew louder as Titan's men gave chase, their powerful flashlight beams cutting through the darkness.

"Spread out!" someone bellowed. "Don't let them reach the perimeter!"

River rushed deeper into the trees, her bare feet finding purchase on the soft earth despite the rocks and fallen branches that threatened to trip her. The darkness was both ally and enemy, hiding her from her pursuers but concealing obstacles in her path.

Her wolf surged forward with energy she didn't know she had.

Run. Protect. Survive.

The primal commands pulsed through her with each frantic heartbeat, overriding the screaming protest of her muscles and the stabbing pain in her side.

The voices behind her grew more distant, then louder again as the pursuit organized itself. Flashlight beams swept through the trees, occasionally illuminating her path for precious seconds before plunging her back into darkness.

River's breath came in ragged gasps, her lungs burning with each inhale, and her side and shoulder ached from their damage when she'd gotten out the window.

She'd been confined too long, her body weakened by poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

Her pace slowed, and her movements became less coordinated.

Not yet. She couldn't fail now. Not when freedom was feet away.

A stitch tore through her side, forcing her to clutch at her ribs as she ran. Still, her wolf spurred her onward. The sound of pursuit grew louder; they were gaining on her.

River veered left, hoping to throw off her trackers. The underbrush grew thicker, and the trees more densely packed. She ducked under low-hanging branches, weaved between trunks, and scrambled over fallen logs.

The forest floor sloped downward, and River used the momentum to increase her speed, half-running, half-sliding down the incline. At the bottom, she paused, leaning against a thick tree to catch her breath. Her legs trembled, threatening to give out.

"I heard something! This way!"

The voice was too close. River shoved off the tree, forcing her exhausted body into motion once more. She couldn't stop. Couldn't rest. Not until she was far from Titan's reach.

The forest blurred around her as River's legs grew heavier with each step. Her lungs burned, desperate for oxygen; she couldn't seem to draw fast enough. Sweat plastered her silver hair against her head despite the cool night air.

Her wolf surged with renewed determination even as her human body faltered.

Veering left at a young tree, River stumbled through a dense thicket, branches tearing at her already tattered clothing.

Suddenly, the trees ended. River skidded to a halt, her heart plummeting as moonlight illuminated what stood before her: an enormous concrete wall stretching in both directions.

Ten feet tall at least, its top bristling with coils of gleaming razor wire that glinted in the moonlight like silver teeth.

"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. "No, no, no."

River laid her palms against the cold concrete, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. Titan had told her about the wall, but she hadn't thought it would stretch the entire property. She had to be at least half a mile from the main house.

So close. She'd been so close to freedom.

"There they are!"

The shout came from behind her, accompanied by the harsh glare of flashlights. River spun, pressing her back against the wall as three of Titan's men emerged, their weapons trained on her.

"Don't move," the leader commanded, approaching her.

River turned around, and murmurs started between the men.

"Luna?"

"It's the Luna."

River searched desperately for an escape route. Her muscles screamed from exertion. Even if she could outrun them again, where would she go?

"Please," she said. "Let me go."

The guards exchanged uncomfortable glances, but their weapons remained steady. "We can't do that," the leader said, almost apologetically. "Alpha's orders."

As they moved in, terror surged through her. Her wolf rose to the surface with a final burst of protective fury. She wouldn't go back. Couldn't go back. Not to that room, not to Titan's possession.

With a feral growl, River launched herself at the nearest man, catching him off guard. Her nails, human, not claws, raked across his face as they tumbled to the ground. Shouts sounded around her as hands grabbed at her, but she fought with the wild desperation of a cornered animal.

"Sedate her!" One of them yelled.

"Don't injure her!" the leader shouted as River thrashed wildly. "Titan will have our heads!"

River's eyes widened with sudden clarity. Of course, they couldn't harm her. Titan's precious mate, his obsession. Her wolf surged with renewed purpose, and River channeled her strength with calculated precision.

She twisted away from the man trying to restrain her, using his momentum against him.

As he stumbled forward, she brought her knee up hard into his solar plexus.

He doubled over, gasping for air, and River wasted no time.

She gripped his head and slammed it against her rising knee. The male crumpled to the ground.

"Shit!" The second wolf lunged for her, but hesitated at the last moment.

That split-second of indecision was all River needed.

She feinted left, then spun right, sweeping his legs out from under him.

As he fell, she delivered a precise strike to his temple.

His eyes rolled back as he joined his companion on the forest floor.

The leader backed away, raising his tranquilizer gun. "Luna, please. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

River circled him warily. "I am the Luna. The High Luna. Mate to Apollo and Ares Wolvenguard, and I command you to let me go."

He hesitated. "I… I can't."

Dammit. She'd exerted too much energy to make her Luna gaze work.

He fired, but River was already moving. The dart whistled past her ear as she ducked and charged forward, driving her shoulder into his midsection.

The gun flew from his hands as they both went down.

River recovered first, scrambling atop him and delivering two quick, sharp blows to his face.

His head lolled to the side, and she picked up the rifle and fired it at him.

A dart lodged between his pecs, and his eyes fluttered.

A crackle of static broke the sudden silence. "Team three, report. Have you located the intruder?" The walkie-talkie at the leader's belt came to life with an urgent voice. "Repeat, team three, what's your status? I'm sending reinforcements."

River snatched the device and hurled it against the wall, where it shattered into pieces. She had seconds before more came to investigate. She shot the other two men with darts and then tossed the gun away.

Her gaze traveled up the concrete barrier looming above her. Ten feet of smooth surface, topped with cruel coils of razor wire. Impossible for a human to scale.

But not for a wolf.

River reached for the last reserves of her strength.

I need you. We need you.

Her wolf answered, surging forward with ferocity. The shift rippled through her, painful after so long suppressed, but desperately welcome.

Bones cracked and reformed. Muscles stretched and contorted. River cried out as she stood still, human.

Please, goddess, please help me.

River tried again, and this time her vision sharpened and her sense of smell grew stronger as her body transformed into her sleek silver wolf.