Chapter 4

I look around, confused. Panic is building in my chest. People around us are finding their mates, smiling and laughing, but something seems off. The guys close to us put their noses in the air, then look toward Liam and I. There is an odd look on everyone’s faces as they hone in on me.

“Mate,” Mark says from next to me. I turn and look at him, confused. He is looking at me with a mix of desire, anger, and confusion at his confession.

“Mark, what are you talking about, babe? You’re my mate. Not Zara’s,” Sylvie tries to get his attention off of me, but he is staring me down, making me feel very self-conscious. I try to hide myself behind Liam.

Next to Mark, several other guys look at us the same way. 

“Mate,” they murmur when they see me. All of them. The meadow grows quiet except for the sound of the male werewolves calling me their mate. I look beyond Liam and see that even Alpha Williams is calling me his mate.

I shake my head, “No. What’s wrong with all of you?”

Sylvie is trying to pull Mark back to her, but he pushes her off and steps forward. She immediately looks irritated at his actions. When she realizes he is coming after me, she redirects her glare to me.

“Liam?” My breath gets heavy as the entire crowd around us turns their attention toward me. When he puts his arm around me protectively, it feels like his skin is ice. I shrink back and realize it’s not him that’s cold. I’m so hot that my skin is turning red like I have sunburn. 

“Hand her over, Liam,” Mark says to his best friend with a snarl.

“Who the Hell do you think you are, Mark?” Another guy growls, shoving Mark roughly, “She’s mine. I’m going to mate with her.”

Liam seems to forget that I’m there and steps between the two, still clamping down on my hand.

Soon, all the male wolves are arguing and shoving each other. Some even have their claws and fangs extended. Alpha Williams is pushing his way through the crowd. His eyes are black, but I can see he is trying to get to me. 

The noise from the crowd becomes more intense as the guys feud over who is going to mate with me. I look around frantically, trying to find someone to help me, when my arm gets yanked hard and someone drags me away from Liam.

“Zara, what the fuck did you do?” Sylvie snarls in my face. Her eyes are solid black and her claws are digging into the inside of my arm. I’ve never seen her look so irate. Especially not directed at me. “Why are you trying to take our mates away from us?”

“Sylvie, no. I- I don’t know what’s happening…” Tears are blinding my vision. “I’m not trying-”

Before I can finish, someone grabs my hair from behind and throws me to the ground. I look up and try to call for Liam, but he’s fighting his friends who all want to mate with me.

“Run, Zara. You need to run!” Lavender’s voice echoes in my mind.

“I can’t!” I cry, trying to crawl across the ground to get out from under everyone’s feet, but they are kicking and stepping on me.

Sylvie and a couple of other girls lift me up by my armpits, yelling and burying their claws into my skin. One girl punches me in the face, making the metallic taste of blood fill my mouth while the others claw at my dress, leaving deep scratches on my skin. There’s a hard yank and my new necklace falls away from my neck.

“LIAM! HELP ME!” I yell over the crowd. 

“Let her go.” Alpha Williams growls in his Alpha tone, pushing Liam out of the way. “She’s mine.”

The girls holding me drop me and bow their heads to Alpha Williams. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I feel like my mind is being yanked back and I’m suddenly running faster than I ever have before towards a wooded area in the direction of the main gate. I don’t dare look back, but can sense a large crowd behind me, chasing as quick as they can.

“I’ll try to get us out of here.” Lavender voice is urgent as she leads my body through the underbrush. “Don’t worry, Zara. Try to stay calm.”

“Lavender, they are all so much bigger. We can’t outrun them!” I try to talk sense into her.

“You’re smaller. That gives us an advantage. If we stay low, it will make it more difficult for them to find us. We need to find a place to hide.” She explains as she runs recklessly through the woods toward the main gate of the pack territory. She doesn’t seem to care that branches and thorns are cutting up my face and getting stuck in my hair. In front of us, the guard is trying to close the gate to prevent me from escaping, but Lavender navigates us between the openings of the two gate doors moments before it closes completely with a dull thud.

“That should give us three or four minutes head start, but they will probably shift to wolf form. Do you know how to shift, Zara? Did anyone explain it to you yet?” She asks, sprinting down the deserted street.

“N-no. The Alpha and Luna were going to explain it before everyone lost their minds.” I feel very disoriented and out of breath.

“Okay, well, now isn’t the time to learn.” I feel her shaking her head in disappointment.

“I-I’m sorry you got stuck with a weakling like me, Lavender.” My voice wavers when I speak to her.

“Oh, sweet girl. None of this is your fault. The Moon Goddess paired us because we need each other.” She reassures me. “We are going to be okay.”

“Maybe we would be safe at the cafe, Lavender?” I suggest, after trying to pick a place to hide. “It’s closer than going home and open twenty-four hours. Humans go there too. There’s no way someone would try to attack me in front of humans. Right?”

“There’s no guarantee, but that sounds good to me. Is there cold storage there?”

“There’s a walk-in fridge. Is that what you mean?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. We need to get you cooled down.” Lavender confirms. “I’ve been asleep for eighteen years. Tell me how to get there.”

We don’t hear the sounds of the pack chasing us anymore. We slow down a little, trudging our way through the underbrush. I can feel tears still streaming down my face, but I’m not able to wipe them away with Lavender in control of my body. 

“Lavender, I need a break. I’ve never run this far before… or so fast.” I beg for a reprieve from our sprint.

“Okay, but just for a minute.” She leans against a tree, letting me take control of my body again, and catch my breath. 

I hear a twig snap and the scent of a male wolf. I bolt upright with a gasp, but it’s too late. The wolf comes barreling out of the bushes and catches me by my forearm. He carelessly tumbles forward, taking me with him. He tries to drag me away, but the blood on my arm makes it too slick for him to hold on to, so it slows him down.

I pull as hard as I can and fall flat on my back just as another wolf comes from behind us and attacks the first wolf. I scoot backwards until I hit a tree, watching them growl loudly and snap at each other. The second wolf lunges at the first, grabbing him by the neck. The first wolf yelps as blood squirts everywhere.

“We have to go, Zara! Hurry before they realize you’re gone!” Lavender screeches. Her voice sounds panicked, which doesn’t make me feel any better. I scramble to my feet and she takes over, running at full speed again.

My lungs and legs burn, guiding her through the woods until we come to a street where we can see the neon sign that says “Cozy Up Cafe”.