3. Into the Woods

For a second, no one moved.

Then the crowd surged forward all at once. Bodies slammed into each other, tripping over anything in the way.

I grabbed Sam’s hand with my right and Teagan’s with my left and pulled them along as tight as I could. My bad leg was already throbbing like someone was stabbing it with every step, but I kept going. I would drag it behind me the whole night if I had to.

​I didn't look back at the soldier. I didn't look back at the hall. I focused on the dark wall of trees ahead.

In ten minutes, the monsters would be coming. Men with the strength of ten and the noses of bloodhounds would be tracking our scent, hungry for the "merchandise" they'd been promised. We needed to move fast.

I had spent my whole life being the girl that didn't matter, the girl who was too sick to be a wolf, the girl who was broken and left to rot. ​But I was still here. And I wasn't going to let some asshole King or a hunter take what was left of me.

"Stay close," I hissed as we hit the tree line. Branches slapped at my arms and face. "Whatever you do, don’t head for any open paths or markers. We need to stay deep in the thick parts where it’s harder to see."

I didn’t bother checking if Mirabel was running with us. The three of us had each other and right now, that felt like enough.

The woods swallowed us whole. It was so dark under the trees that I could barely see my own hands in front of me. Thick branches blocked out most of the sky, and the few patches of moonlight that slipped through looked weak and far away.

I wished the full moon was out tonight. At least then I might have had a chance to see where I was stepping. But I was wolfless, so I had to rely on my weak human eyes, my slow legs, and my useless nose.

Normal wolves could run faster, see in almost total darkness and heal from broken bones in hours. I was the opposite of all that. That was what made this hunt so terrifying.

We were being chased by alphas whose senses were a thousand times sharper than regular wolves. They could pick up our scent on the wind, hear our footsteps from far off, and track us like we were leaving bright red arrows behind.

​We couldn't smell them coming. We wouldn't hear them until their breath was on our necks. All we had was the desperate hope that we could run long enough to disappear.

We pushed deeper into the trees, trying to stay away from the main path where most of the girls were running.

The sounds around us were terrifying.

I could hear branches snapping and heavy footsteps crashing through the undergrowth. Girls were screaming as they ran, some falling hard, others getting caught in thorns and crying out in pain.

Every sound made my chest tighten.

We weren’t safe anywhere.

​"Addie," Teagan panted. Her voice was thick with tears. "I can’t... I can’t run anymore. My legs... they’re already shaking. I'm going to fall."

I squeezed her hand tighter and slowed us down just a little. My own leg screamed with every step, but I tried not to show it.

​"We’ll go slowly for now," I whispered, pulling her closer to me and Sam. "We just need to get out of the open. We’ll find a place to hide together. A hollow log, a cave... anything."

"Hide?" 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 would recognize that sneering tone anywhere.

"That’s your big plan, Adeline?" She chuckled and stepped closer. "You three really think hiding like scared rabbits is going to save you? If you had a single wolf between the three of you, maybe you’d have a real chance at surviving the night. But no, you’ll probably just trip over each other in the first five minutes and serve yourselves up on a silver platter."

​I felt the heat rise to my face. I wanted to scream at her, to tell her that not everyone had the luxury of a working body and a wolf. But I didn't have the breath to waste on her. My chest hurt too much to speak.

"Hey," Sam snapped suddenly. "Why don’t you shut the hell up and run your own race?"

​It was the first time she’d spoken since we were brought here from our pack. She was finally starting to come out of the shock she’d been in.

"Leave us the fuck alone," she added. "And stop worrying about what we’re doing. We’re not your problem."

There was a pause. Then Mirabel let out a short, dry laugh.

"You’re right," she said. "You’re not."

​"Run for yourself," Sam spat, her eyes narrowed at the dark shape of the other girl. "Stop worrying about scum like us and go find a hole to crawl into. Or better yet, keep running until your legs fall off. Just get away from us."

"Fine. Die here then. It makes no difference to me."

I could hear hundreds of footsteps crashing through the woods all around us. The monsters were already in the trees. I caught the terrified screams from somewhere off to the left followed by deep, triumphant howls that made my skin crawl. The alphas were enjoying this.

​"We have to move," Sam whispered. "They're coming."

"My leg," I groaned, leaning heavily against a tree. "I just... I need a minute. Maybe if we hide for a second, I can re-energize. I can't keep this pace, Sam. I'll slow you both down and then they'll catch all of us."

​I didn't want to be the reason they ended up prizes to those twisted monsters. If I could just sit for five minutes, maybe the throbbing would dull enough for me to make a real break for it.

"Where will we hide?" Sam asked.

"Over here," I said quietly, tugging them toward a thick clump of bushes and low-hanging branches. "We can crouch down for a bit, just long enough to catch our breath. Then we keep going."

​"Addie, we can't stay here," Teagan whispered, though she looked just as exhausted as I felt.

​"She's right for once," Mirabel said. She hadn't left yet; she was just hovering around like the vulture she was. "Stop misleading your friends, Adeline. Waiting here is just waiting to be killed. Or worse. The further away we get from that hall, the better our odds. Even for a gimp like you."

Sam stopped so fast I almost ran into her. She turned toward Mirabel.

"What’s your genius plan then, huh?" She hissed. "Since you clearly know everything and the rest of us are just stupid."

There was a short pause. I could hear Mirabel breathing steadily like she wasn’t even tired. Of course she wasn’t. She had a wolf. She could probably run all night without breaking a sweat.

She stepped forward and looked toward a ridge where the trees seemed even thicker.

​"The Alphas will follow the easiest scent trails first," She said in a low voice. "They’ll go for the girls running in straight lines toward the markers. They want a chase, but they’re also lazy. There’s an old creek bed about half a mile that way. The water will mask our scent and the terrain is too rough for them to run at full speed in their wolf forms. If you want to live, come with me. Or stay here and wait to be picked up like a discarded toy. I don't care either way."

​I looked at Sam, then at Teagan. I didn't trust Mirabel as far as I could throw her, but she was right about the scent. My lack of a wolf meant I couldn't smell them, but I knew they could smell the salt of our sweat and the iron of my blood from miles away.

Teagan's hand tightened in mine. She was trembling. "Addie… what do we do?"

I hesitated. Part of me still wanted to tell Mirabel to get lost. But another part knew we were already at a disadvantage. We weren’t built for this the way Mirabel was.

"Why would you help us? You’ve never given a damn about any of us before tonight." Sam spoke before I could.