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"Violet!" Ivy called out with relief the moment she appeared, and yanked her into a tight hug. Thank the gods she was safe!

She had been scared out of her mind when Violet had gone up against the Alphas, convinced they’d harm her. But time and time again, her friend had proved she could take care of herself.

Violet barely returned the embrace before pulling back. "How much time is left?" she demanded.

Ivy swallowed hard. "A minute."

"Fuck!" Violet cursed, her pulse kicking into overdrive. There was no time. She had to move now.

Without hesitation, she sprinted toward Daisy, her boots splashing mud as she dropped to a crouch beneath the suspended girl. Then she pulled out the blade she’d stolen from Asher, the polished steel gleaming wickedly from the light’s reflection.

"You better brace yourself," she warned.

Daisy let out a nervous squeak. "Oh God. Am I going to land on my face? Maybe you should cut it slowly—wait, no, we don’t have time! Should I hold onto the net? Or maybe...."

The girl was still blabbering from fear when Violet sliced through the snare in one swift motion. The rope snapped.

"Shit—!"

Daisy dropped like a stone.

"I got you!" Ivy made a valiant attempt to play rescuer, but in a tragic twist of fate, she lost her footing just as Daisy crashed into her and they hit the ground in a tangled heap.

"Ugh," Ivy groaned, winded. "I think my kidney just moved."

Violet didn’t have the time to ask them if they were okay because Lila was still trapped, the snare now cutting deeper into her ankle.

With rain-slicked fingers, Violet adjusted her grip on the blade and began sawing through the thick rope. It was slippery and stubborn, but she refused to give up. With a final grunt, the fibers gave way.

Lila dropped, but unlike Daisy, she was better prepared. Twisting midair, she landed gracefully in a crouch before rising with a triumphant grin.

"Did you see that? That was so cool, wasn’t it?" she beamed.

Although her nerves stretched thin, Violet ignored Lila’s annoying enthusiasm and pulled her into a brief hug.

"Thank you," Lila murmured. "You could’ve left me behind, but you didn’t."

Violet pulled back. "What kind of ruler abandons her people?" she shot back.

But that moment of happiness did not last. A horn blared in the distance and everyone froze.

They all knew what it meant. The wolves were coming.

"It’s time to go!" Daisy cried, already tensed to run.

Ivy reached for Violet’s wrist, but she shook her head. "No. I can’t go with you. I’ll only slow you down."

Ivy’s eyes widened. "No, Violet, you can’t —"

"I’ll draw them away. Go!"

Right about that moment, what sounded like a thousand excited howls rent through the air and sent chills down their spine. The wolves were enjoying this chase. Not to mention, they were closing in. Fast.

"Go, go, go!" Violet urged.

Lila snapped into action. "I will get them out! Follow me!"

No one questioned it. They bolted, running blindly through the trees, while hoping they wouldn’t stumble into another trap else it was over.

Violet watched her friends disappear before exhaling sharply. She then slid the knife back into her pocket, after all, who knew what else Asher had in store for her? She needed protection, especially now the wolves were getting closer.

Violet could hear them now. The deep thud of their paws pounding against the rain-slicked ground, their massive body rustling the trees and fallen leaves. They moved relentlessly, like death itself was hunting her down.

Violet turned and bolted in the opposite direction. She wasn’t just running to escape. No, she was running to buy time for her friends knowing Asher and his pack would focus on her.

The forest blurred around her, the cold night air stinging her lungs as she pushed herself harder, faster, than she ever did in her life.

The intensity of the chase sharpened Violet’s senses to a razor’s edge that every distant growl, every subtle crunch of a leaf registered in her mind, adrenaline coursing through her veins like wildfire.

Violet didn’t follow the main path that was illuminated by streetlights. That was a death trap as it made her an easy target. Instead, she veered deeper into the forest, using the dim reflection of the lights to guide her just enough so she wasn’t running blind.

The wolves howled again but unlike the first one that was filled with cruel amusement as they revelled in the thrill of the hunt. The tone had shifted.

They were communicating.

Shit. They’d found her.

Violet risked a glance over her shoulder and what she saw made her heart stutter violently in her chest.

A pack of werewolves was tearing through the trees behind her, their eyes burning like molten gold in the darkness. They were closing in fast, their powerful bodies a blur of fur and muscle. It looked like a brutal game of Fangball, except this time, she was the unfortunate Lunar Orb.

And if they caught her, there would be no second round.

The sight sent a jolt of panic through her, and in that split second of distraction, her foot caught on a root and she went down hard.

Her body slammed into the wet earth, but the ground beneath her was uneven. Before Violet could stop herself, she was tumbling forward, rolling down the dirt and gravel.

Above her, a massive wolf lunged towards her but before it could land, another wolf slammed into it mid-air. They hit the ground with a bone-rattling thud, their snarls ripping through the night as they clashed just inches from where she landed.

Violet scrambled to her feet, her pulse hammering in her ears. She barely had time to react before the first wolf somehow got free and lunged at her again, its jaws snapping viciously near her.

But the second wolf intercepted again, knocking it back before they tumbled into another brutal scuffle.

Violet didn’t wait to see who won. She ran.

But her living nightmare didn’t end there.

Another wolf burst from the trees, cutting off her path. She braced herself, but before it could strike, another wolf crashed into it, sending them both sprawling.

This happened again. And again.

Every time a wolf emerged from the darkness, ready to capture her, another one would intercept, forcing it back, their battle intense.

Thanks to that, Violet was driven deeper into the forest, her lungs burning and her body screaming in protest.

Violet couldn’t tell who was helping her. The wolves all looked the same in the dark, but she knew without a doubt that some of them were fighting for her. Was it Alaric’s or Griffin’s people? She couldn’t tell.

But there was a wolf she hadn’t seen yet. One that terrified her more than the others.

Asher.

The black wolf was nowhere in sight. And that meant only one thing.

Asher was waiting.

Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Waiting for her to let her guard down.

Waiting for her to fall right into his trap.