“THERE SHE IS”

I heard the loud voice from where I hid, and I knew it was game over. I had to run.

“Get her!"

I kicked against the door as hard as I could, bolting through it almost immediately. They were behind me, all four of them. I didn't stop running.

The sound of grasses and twigs being trampled upon by our feets echoed through the night. My hands gripped the object in my hand tighter, as I kept running.

“Stop!" One of them yelled. "Stop now, and we will let you go freely."

Lies!

I'm not a fool, and they're all liars. If their Alpha is a liar, then they are too.

My heart ached as I thought about the situation that led me here. I had my doubts, but he overrode them, and made me fall in love with him, only to be rejected at the last minute when it actually mattered.

Love sucks, but Alpha Thane sucks even more.

A harsh voice pulled me out from my little “That book belongs to the pack, you can't take it. You theif!"

I held unto it tighter. I'm not a thief!

I ignored them as best as I could, putting all my energy into getting away from them. The night air reeked of smoke and pain. My heart was pounding in my chest, as I tore through the woods.

A blur of black fur lunged at me from the darkness. I twisted, barely dodging the razor-sharp claws that sliced through the air where my head had been just moments before. That was close.

I fell roughly to the ground, a low growl escaping my lips. However, I barely had time to nurse the pain. Rolling to my feet, I met the golden eyes of my attacker—Derek, Thane’s right hand man.

He never liked me from the start!

My fingers tightened around the leather-bound tome I had taken—secrets of the old world pressed between its brittle pages. Secrets that could change everything. Secrets that no one could read or comprehend, no one but me!

“Give it to us, Mira. Now!” he snarled, his eyes flickering to a deeper shade. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

The other three men had caught up, they stood behind me, baring their fangs at me.

I refused to be intimidated. I wasn’t the same quiet librarian they thought I was. The one they played with like some tool. “Neither do you.”

The leader lunged at me at this point. I almost didn't see it coming, but I dodged right in time. I fell to the ground, grabbing as much sand as I could. I threw it in his eyes, dashing past him without wasting another second.

I felt my legs begin to weaken beneath me, but I didn't stop. A deafening howl split the night—a warning. Reinforcements were coming.

Ugh! Give up already, Thane!

Pain was all I felt. That type that threatened to tear your heart apart, and shook your entire being. Yes, that kind of pain!

What do you do when your secret mate announces to the entire pack that he had found his mate, and it isn't you?

As for me, I was in denial. He couldn't possibly do that to me, could he?

Until it dawned on me. He rejected me, tossed me aside like a used tissue paper. He caused this, and everything else that's coming for him.

If the last thing I do is take my revenge, then I will, or die trying.

My thoughts distracted me, and I didn't realize that my company had all shifted into their wolves. “Shit!" I cursed.

Desperately, I attempted to reach my wolf all over again. I couldn't. I don't know what they did to me, I felt so human at that point.

How am I supposed to get past them without my wolf?

The sound of snapping jaws filled the air as the first wolf lunged. I ducked, barely avoiding the gleaming fangs that snapped shut just inches from my face. My heart pounded in my ears, my legs burning from the relentless chase.

Another wolf — sleek and black with eyes like molten gold — circled around to cut off my path. Derek!

“Mira,” he growled, voice thick even in his wolf form. “There’s nowhere left to run.”

But I wasn’t done yet.

I spun, hurling a jagged branch I’d snatched off the forest floor at the closest wolf. It wasn’t much—barely a distraction—but it gave me a sliver of space to bolt deeper into the trees. Branches tore at my skin, and my breath came in sharp, panicked gasps.

They were faster. Stronger. And I still couldn’t reach my wolf.

Claws raked across my calf, white-hot pain exploding down my leg. I stumbled, crying out as I hit the ground hard. Leaves and dirt pressed into my palms as I clawed forward, desperate to keep the book safe, desperate to stay ahead of them.

Another set of claws hooked into the back of my shirt, dragging me back as I screamed. My nails tore at the earth, kicking wildly, but they were relentless — a pack trained to hunt, and I was their prey.

“Hold her down!” Darek’s voice barked through the chaos.

I twisted, and for a brief second, I locked eyes with him. There was no mercy there. Not even triumph. Just cold, dutiful purpose.

With the last bit of energy I had left, I reached for a large stone beside me, hurling it at the wolf above me. He dodged it, but I also escaped. It felt futile, they are still going to catch up with me.

What do I do?

A hand clamped over my mouth, yanking me backward into the thick shadows of the forest.

I thrashed wildly, kicking and clawing, but the grip was ironclad. My vision swam with panic as the snarling wolves burst into the clearing, their glowing eyes sweeping the trees—searching for me.

But whoever had me knew how to disappear.

The hand shifted, pressing two fingers to the side of my neck. A sharp sting bloomed where they touched, and then—nothing. My body went limp, and the world tilted sideways. I hit the ground, my fingers still curled around the book, even as darkness swallowed me whole.