3. Into the Woods

For a second, no one moved.

Then the crowd exploded.

Everyone rushed toward the trees at once. Girls screamed and pushed past each other, tripping over their feet as they tried to get away. A girl fell in front of me, and for a second I almost stopped to help her. But the people behind me were already pushing forward, forcing me to keep moving.

I grabbed Sam's hand with my right and Teagan's with my left and pulled them after me.

We ran.

My bad leg screamed the moment I put weight on it. Pain shot up my ankle and nearly sent me to the ground. I stumbled, caught myself, and kept going before the girls behind us could crash into me.

There was no point stopping now. I could worry about the pain later.

Assuming I lived long enough to worry about it.

Ten minutes.

That was all we had.

Ten minutes before the Alphas were released.

"Stay close," I said as we reached the trees. "And don't take the easy paths. If we can follow it easily, so can they."

The moment we entered the forest, the darkness swallowed us. The moonlight disappeared behind the thick branches, leaving us stumbling through the trees. I could barely see a few feet ahead of me, which was just fantastic considering my leg was already threatening to give out.

"Just keep moving," I said, gripping Sam and Teagan's hands tighter. "Don't stop."

My foot caught on a root.

I stumbled forward with a curse, but Sam grabbed my arm before I could hit the ground.

"Thanks," I muttered, steadying myself.

She gave my arm a quick squeeze before letting go.

I hated how helpless I felt.

A normal wolf wouldn't have struggled like this. They could see through the darkness, follow a scent, and hear someone coming long before they were close enough to be seen.

I had none of that.

Neither did Sam or Teagan.

If an Alpha was somewhere in these woods, I wouldn't know until it was already too late. I couldn't smell them. I couldn't hear them coming. All I could do was run and hope they didn't find us first.

We left the main trail and pushed deeper into the thickest part of the forest. Most of the girls had gone the other way, taking the wider paths where they could run faster.

I couldn't blame them. Running was easier there. But if I were hunting a group of terrified girls, those would be the first paths I'd check.

"Addie," Teagan panted. Her voice shook with tears. "I can't... I can't run anymore. My legs are shaking. I'm going to fall."

I squeezed her hand tighter and slowed down a little. My own leg throbbed with every step, but I tried not to show it. I couldn't let her see how badly I was struggling too.

"We'll slow down a little," I whispered, pulling her closer to me and Sam. "Just for now. We need to get somewhere we can't be seen. Once we're deeper in, we'll find somewhere to hide. There has to be something around here. A hollow log, a cave... anything. We'll figure something out."

I hoped they couldn't hear how badly I was trying to convince myself of the same thing.

"Hide? That's your brilliant plan, Adeline?"

A sharp voice cut through the dark from just behind us. Even though I couldn't see her face clearly, I knew it was Mirabel. I'd recognize that sneering tone anywhere.

She stepped closer, and the moonlight caught the curl of her lip.

"Goddess, no wonder our pack is a joke." She looked between the three of us. "You honestly think hiding is going to work? Against Alphas?"

"We have to try something."

"Of course you do." She let out a quiet laugh. "What else are three wolfless girls supposed to do? You can't fight. You can't track. You can't even run properly. Hiding is probably the only thing you're capable of."

Heat crawled up my neck. Not because she was wrong, but because she was being a bitch about it.

"Hey, why don't you shut the hell up?" Sam snapped.

The venom in her voice surprised me. It was the first time she'd spoken since we'd been brought here. Maybe the shock was finally wearing off.

Mirabel laughed. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?"

"No." Sam glared at her. "You're just annoying as fuck and I'm sick of it."

Mirabel's eyebrows lifted. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You walk around like you're better than everyone because you're the Gamma's daughter. So what? Look where that got you."

The smile faded from Mirabel's face.

"You're here with the rest of us, aren't you? So maybe stop acting like you're still someone important. Your father's rank doesn't mean shit out here."

"Careful."

"Or what?" Sam shot back. "You're going to beat me to death?"

Mirabel's jaw tightened.

"Go run your own race, Mirabel. We didn't ask you to follow us. We didn't ask for your advice, and we sure as hell don't need you standing there telling us what to do."

"Fine." Mirabel took a step backward. "Get caught, then. See if I care."

She disappeared into the darkness between the trees.

A scream broke through the night.

A deep howl followed, then another answered from somewhere farther away. Then another.

My stomach dropped.

The sounds seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. We couldn't tell how far away they were or which direction they were coming from. All I knew was that we were no longer alone in the forest.

The Alphas were already in the woods.

"We have to move," Sam whispered. "They’re here."

We started running, but I barely made it a few steps before pain flared through my leg. I grabbed the nearest tree to keep myself upright.

"My leg." I leaned against the rough trunk, trying not to put any weight on it. The pain had spread all the way up to my knee, making it hard to put any weight on it at all.

"I just need a minute," I whispered. "Just give me a minute for the pain to ease up. Then I can keep going."

Sam shook her head. "We don't have a minute."

"I know." I swallowed hard. "But I can't run like this. I'll slow you and Teagan down, and then they'll catch all of us."

"Don't say that."

"I'm serious." I looked at her. "If I can't keep up, you two need to leave me."

"We're not leaving you."

Another scream echoed through the trees. This one was closer.

Teagan grabbed my arm. "Then where are we supposed to wait?"

I looked around for somewhere we could hide, but the trees were packed so tightly together that I could barely see more than a few feet ahead. I caught the sound of footsteps somewhere nearby, followed by the snap of a branch. I couldn't tell how far away they were or whether they were coming closer.

We couldn't stay here.

"We need somewhere to hide," I said. "Just for a few minutes. Somewhere they won't see us while my leg settles down."

"That's exactly what I told you was a bad idea."

Mirabel's voice came from behind us.

I turned and found her standing between the trees. She hadn't gone far after all.

"What's your genius plan, then?" Sam hissed, turning on her. "Since you know everything and the rest of us are just idiots. Go on. Enlighten us, Gamma's daughter."

Mirabel ignored her and looked at me.

"There's an old creek bed about half a mile from here," she said. "We can use it to cover our scent."

A branch snapped somewhere in the darkness.

Mirabel glanced toward the sound.

"We need to go. Now."