42

ALINA

What Alexander was saying sent a thrill of dangerous pleasure coursing through me. It sounded reckless but in the best kind of way. They always say don’t poke the bear, but what if the bear had the smoothest voice you’ve ever heard, and a scent that made your knees weak?

I was scared that if he told me to jump into fire using that voice, I would. Gladly. And I know that’s not the kind of reaction I should be having, but tell that to my body, which was ready to melt at his feet and let him do whatever he pleased with me.

“Are you ready to play?” he asked, still rubbing slow, hypnotic circles on the back of my hand. “You’ll be my little mouse.”

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even breathe properly. But he seemed to take my silence as a yes, because he let go and instantly, I missed his warmth.

“I’ll give you a one minute head start,” he said, no longer touching me except with his eyes, which stayed locked on mine like he owned me.

I glanced past his shoulder. Well, more like through the space beside him since he towered over me and spotted Lisa and the guy who’d come out to call us earlier, standing a fair distance away. Not too far, but not close enough to have heard what he just said. Even with their lycan hearing.

Lisa gave me a small, reassuring smile. But I wasn’t reassured. I was still wondering if playing this little game with Alexander was a good idea.

It didn’t matter if he gave me a week’s head start. If he wanted to catch me, he could do it in seconds. I nearly laughed at myself for ever thinking escape was a possibility.

Well… I never said I’d outrun him.

“Ready?” he asked again. I hesitated, then nodded.

He motioned for me to turn around. His hands dropped to my shoulders. He leaned in, and I could feel the heat of his body pressed to my back.

When he got closer, my knees almost gave out. The urge to just let go, to collapse into him, gripped me like a spell. As if he sensed my thoughts, his fingers gave my shoulders a firm squeeze. A silent instruction to stay alert. That forced my brain back into gear.

“Go. And don’t hold back,” he said, voice low and filled with something dark. “Run like a mouse would if a black cat was chasing it.” Another squeeze. “And you look fucking delicious in that skirt. The wind keeps flashing hints of your panties. They might slow me down or make me more ravenous. So go. Let’s see which side of me you bring out.”

He didn’t need to say it again.

The second he released me, I bolted. I forced my legs to move faster than they ever had. I pictured a monster chasing me, one with claws and hunger and a wicked grin.

I had no sense of direction, only the primal need to run, to be somewhere safe. My heart pounded in my ears, but I could feel it echoing everywhere: in my chest, my throat, my legs, between my thighs. Everywhere.

A deep, rumbling laugh echoed behind me and I screamed, pushing myself harder, faster.

Running had been the one thing I didn’t suck at back at the camp. I guess I owed that to Jamie, since he was always chasing me, always forcing me to run from him. When I told Alexander I could only run for a little, I was lying. And I was pretty sure he already knew.

But it was also half-true. I didn’t know how good he was. And knowing Alexander, he was probably good at everything. So compared to him, I was still a rookie.

A rookie he could snatch out of the air with ease if he wanted. He was enjoying this, though. I could hear his heavy, deliberate footsteps behind me. But I didn’t dare look back. I wasn’t stupid.

He wasn’t like Jamie, though. The latter just enjoyed cruelty. Alexander… well, I wasn’t saying he wasn’t cruel, but there was something else. He was playing.

I leapt over fallen trunks. Ducking under low-hanging branches. The forest got darker the farther I went, thick with towering trees. I asked myself if I should just stop and let him catch me.

But that would be stupid.

I didn’t want to be caught by the cat.

And cats, from what I knew, liked to toy with their food before tearing it apart.

I was the helpless little mouse.

And the mouse doesn’t stop just because it’s dark. It runs until it escapes or gets devoured.

I pushed harder, past my limits. Legs burning. Lungs raw. I ran like I was trying to outrun the wind. I twisted and turned, zigzagging around trees in random patterns, hoping to confuse him, throw him off.

This wasn’t just about speed, it was about outwitting him.

This was practice.

For when I left the pack for real.

There was barely any light left, and my vision wasn’t nearly as sharp as everyone else’s. I cursed my wolf for not showing up like it had for others.

Then I froze.

Something shimmered in front of me.

Curious and cautious, I glanced back. Nothing but darkness and trees.

If Alexander was near, I’d see his eyes. So maybe he wasn’t close. I prayed that one of my fake trails worked.

I took a step forward and reached out. My fingers met something icy cold and a soft gasp escaped my lips.

Water. Freezing water.

A lake?

I nearly ran straight into it.

I shivered. I couldn’t swim. If this lake was deep, this would be the end of me.

A pathetic, accidental death.

I turned, ready to find another way when I heard the sharp snap of a twig.

My heart nearly exploded in my chest.

He was close.

Two glowing eyes locked onto me. His massive shoulders looked even more imposing in the darkness.

I looked back at the lake, weighing my odds. Maybe it wasn’t that deep. Maybe I wouldn’t drown.

But maybe I would.

Still… I hadn’t come this far just to quit now.

Alexander let out a disappointed tsk behind me, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. It wouldn’t be hard to guess seeing me frozen at the lake’s edge.

He took a step forward. Just one. A warning. A tease.

I made up my mind in a breath.

I didn’t care if I drowned. I wasn’t going to let him catch me.

Without another thought, I jumped straight into the water