Page 14

Hana

I lose sight of the helicopter almost immediately. Taking off at a jog, I follow a narrow game trail, moving as fast as my exhausted legs will let me, as the throaty drone eventually fades to silence.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

They saw me.

They had to have. They are probably alerting the search party right now. They couldn’t land because the woods are too dense.

Don’t panic.

But wouldn’t the people in the helicopter give me some kind of signal that they saw me? Aren’t they supposed to tip the blades or something to show acknowledgment?

Hana…. Don’t panic.

They have radios. They could have told the others my GPS location and then circled or… or something…

Don’t fucking panic.

My mind is racing with a million different scenarios when the splitting crack of a gunshot stops me in my tracks. The sharp discharge echoes through the still forest and my heart freezes for a second before it starts pounding with worry for my wolf.

What if the search party are closer than I thought, and they ran into him? He’s a lot bigger than an average wolf, so they might shoot first and ask questions?—

Another gunshot makes me jump and my heart drops into my stomach.

Oh, no.

I start running. “Stop! Don’t shoot!” I scream. “Please…”

Forcing a quick pace over the uneven game trail, I pray it wasn’t my wolf they were shooting at.

The sun chooses that moment to break through the cloud cover, beaming directly into my eyes and blinding me as I come over a small rise where I nearly run straight into a man walking up the opposite side.

He’s older, maybe in his sixties, lean and appears to be in good shape.

He’s wearing head to toe camo, but none of it is military issue.

Amber would call him a silver fox, with his full head of salt and pepper hair and close-cut beard heavily sprinkled with gray.

But it's his gunmetal gray eyes that make me pause. Something about them comes across as… flat. Dull. Dead. Evil.

“Ah, there you are,” he says with a joyless grin that doesn’t reach those soulless eyes.

I take a step back. “Oh? Have you been looking for me?” Something, an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach, is warning me not to trust this guy.

His smile never falters. “Sure have. Your father, Colonel Jeffries sent me.”

Something about the way he says it tells me he’s lying. Or maybe it’s the way his expression never shifts. Even if he’s not lying, there is something off about this man.

“I heard gunshots.” Shifting my weight, I try not to be obvious as I scan him for weapons. He’s wearing a large backpack that could hold any manner of dangerous things, but his hands are loose at his sides, empty. “Was that you?”

The man’s smile vanishes, and his eyes practically burn with their focus on me. “There are dangerous animals in these woods.” He drops his voice to a low growl. “You should always come into the forest prepared.”

None of that was a “no.”

Run. Get away!

“What were you shooting at? I’ve been here for days and haven’t seen anything more dangerous than a rabbit.” The words spill from my lips as I take another step back, folding my arms across my chest defiantly.

O-M-G, Hana! Shut up! You’re going to get yourself killed.

“Well, then lucky you,” he drawls and reaches his hand out to me, “Come on. Let’s get you back.”

My eyes snap to where he shoves his other hand into the deep pocket of his jacket. There shouldn’t be anything threatening about his action, and yet I can’t tear my eyes away from his pocket. Does it seem bulkier than the other? Could there be more than just his hand hidden in it?

That’s where he’s got his gun. You stupid girl, he’s going to shoot you next!

The man lets out an exasperated huff when I don’t move. “Your friends are worried about you.”

“Wait. They’re here?” I can’t help perking up at the mention of my friends, because what if he’s telling the truth and I’m being paranoid? “They’re all right?”

“Yup. They’re fine and waiting for you back at the parking lot.” He motions over his shoulder with his chin. “Your parents are probably there, too. They’ve been worried.”

My stomach lurches and bile races up my throat, dispelling my hope this man is an awkward kind of guy and not dangerous at all. Now I know for fact he’s lying, because Amber wasn’t fine when I last saw her .

He’s still holding his hand out to me. His expression blank. Bored almost. Or maybe calculating. Waiting for me to go along with him so he can?—

His eyes dart to the side, as if he’s watching for something out of his peripheral. Like he’s expecting something. When he turns his attention back to me, his flat grin returns.

“Um, you haven’t seen any wolves around here. Have you?” I ask him before I can stop myself.

He cocks his head to the side. “I thought you said you haven’t seen anything but rabbits?” his grin falters and this time when I take a step back, he takes a step toward me.

“Uh, right. I thought I heard howling last night and then when I heard gunshots… You did say there were dangerous animals in here…” I take another step back.

He steps forward again. “There aren’t any wolves. Just coyotes, that must be what you heard.”

“Oh. Well, that’s a relief,” I say with a shaky sigh. My eyes dart to the trees, where I’m hoping I can lose him.

I move to step around him, but he grabs my arm hard enough to make me yelp in pain as his fingers dig into my flesh. His grip is hard enough to leave bruises, and he pulls me so my back is pressed to his chest, pressing the cold barrel of a gun into my cheek.

“Shut the fuck up,” he snaps. I turn my head in disgust at the spray of spittle hitting the side of my face.

I’m frozen in shock by how fast it happened. Unnaturally fast. Inhumanly fast.

“Now. Walk.” He squeezes my arm harder, so hard my fingertips start to tingle from the lack of circulation. Then he pushes me forward with a force that nearly takes me off my feet.

“Where? Where are you taking me?” The words are barely a whisper as they squeeze through my tight throat as I try to keep up with his long stride .

When we reach the bottom of the hill, he pulls me to a stop and spins me so I’m facing him. He looks me up and down, his dead gaze rolling over me like a slimy touch, making my skin crawl. Thin lips peel back from straight, white teeth in a sneer.

“Well, I was going to take you somewhere a bit more secluded, but I suppose here will do.”

Before I can react, he spins me again and slams my back against a tree hard enough to drive the breath from my lungs.

“You—you know you can just let me stay lost. No one would know....”

He laughs. A deep, from the belly evil muahahaha kind of laugh.

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that, my dear.” He gently strokes the cold barrel down the side of my cheek. Almost lovingly. “Your fate was sealed the moment you snuck into my preserve and caught my lycan’s attention. Now I’ve got the military and local PD making my life hell.”

Lycan? Did he just say lycan? Like a werewolf? My mouth goes dry. Oh, my lord, this dude is off-his-meds crazy. The dangerous kind.

The man gently strokes his gun down the side of my face again, and I can’t bite back the terrified whimper that squeezes through my tight throat.

“I’ve bought us some time, though. Just this morning, I sent them a file showing you leaving the park to get them off my ass for a bit. At least long enough that when they do find you, you’ll be the victim of a tragic and vicious animal attack. That should shut everyone up.”

My hopes bolster a little. If the police are involved that means Amber and Mateo made it out. At least I know they’re all right.

My breath catches when he steps closer, moving the gun from my cheek to press against my temple .

“I’ve been watching you with him but he’s mine .” He presses the gun harder, until my head is tilted, my ear almost touching my shoulder. “I went to a lot of work to bring him here and I don’t want you distracting him while I have my fun.”

My breathing goes fast and shallow, realizing he must think the wolf is some kind of monster. I’m definitely dealing with an insane person who’s apparently been stalking me this entire time. Maybe that’s what the wolf has been protecting me from. Animals can sense crazy, right?

“On your knees, bitch!” Keeping the gun pressed to my temple, he grabs me by my throat with his other hand, squeezing hard enough for the blood to start pooling behind my eyes.

With a choked sob, I grab his wrist with both hands and pull. Trying to pry his fingers from my throat, but his arm might as well be made of steel. The more I fight him, the harder he squeezes until his nails are digging into my skin as he presses down, giving me no choice but to sink to my knees.

A sob sticks in my throat as my knees hit the hard packed ground. Keeping the gun pressed to my temple, he releases his grip from my throat, and I suck in deep gulps of air.

The hand that was around my neck moves to the top of my head where he grabs a fist full of my hair. “Open my pants and take my cock out.”

When I don’t move fast enough, he slams the back of my head against the tree hard enough for me to see stars.

“Now!”

My hands are shaking when I lift them to the front of his pants and it’s all I can do not to gag at the sight of his bulge pressing against the zipper.

A rustling sound comes from my right, and I start to turn my head, but he smacks the side of my face with his gun.

“What did I tell you? ”

Blinded by the tears pouring from my eyes, a sob works its way up my throat as I work to unbutton his pants with my numb fingers. This can’t be happening. How do I get out of this?

“Fuck, you’re useless!” His grip on my hair tightens enough to make me yelp, and he uses the hand still holding his gun to rip open the front of his pants.

A deep, throaty growl vibrates the air around us.

If my attacker heard the growl, he doesn’t acknowledge it. With his pants wide open, he presses the gun to my forehead, and I can’t take my eyes off the sight of his finger resting on the trigger. My heart is beating so frantically I worry it’s going to break through my ribcage.

“Now, take my cock out and open your fucking mouth.”

Before I have a chance to move, a blur of movement catches the corner of my eye.

Everything happens fast after that.

The man swings his gun to my right and fires before I can move out of the way.

The flash from the muzzle blinds me. My ears ring painfully from the discharge, and I fall back with a scream.

Blinking my vision back, it clears just in time to watch the wolf’s teeth sink into the man’s arm as he screams like I’ve never heard a man scream before.

Run! Get the fuck out of here. Now!

Rolling to my hands and knees, I crawl as fast as I can, until I can get my feet under me. Then I run.