Chapter 6

  

  We kept running, our paws pounding against the damp earth of the Neutral Zone even though every muscle in our bodies screamed for rest. I didn’t know how far we had made it from the Bloodmoon Pack, but the distance felt staggering.

  

  “Lillian, something is wrong. How are we moving this fast? I asked my wolf, bewildered by the sudden burst of speed cutting through my exhaustion. We have never ran this fast before. We were running as though something was adding additional strength to us.

  

  “I don’t know, “Lillian’s voice echoed in my mind, laced with an unfamiliar, sharp anxiety.” I feel strange, Fiona. I’m faster, stronger... and there’s another feeling clawing at the edges of my mind that I can't shake, I feel like something is waiting for us at the front.”

  

  "Fiona.” Can we stop and rest for a while? I’m tired and I'm thirsty," Toby whimpered, his wolf form stumbling as he nearly dropped the ragged bundle he was carrying. He collapsed onto his side, his chest heaving. "Fiona, please. I need water."

  

  “Hold on, Toby. There’s a stream not far from here. I can hear the rushing water, “Lillian urged.”

  We’ll reach it in no time.”

  

  Pushing through the fatigue, we pressed on until the thick trees gave way to a small, glistening stream. We collapsed by the bank, lapping up the freezing water and desperately trying to catch our breath. But the silence of the Neutral Zone was suffocating.

  

  “We need to move,”I told Lillian, my eyes scanning the shadows. “If rogue wolves or bounty hunters catch us here, we’re dead.”

  

  “You're right,* Lillian agreed, forcing our wolf form up onto all fours. I nudged Toby gently, encouraging him to stand, and we began our journey once more. We had no map, no destination, simply running blindly beneath the silver glow of the moon.

  

  As the night deepened, the cold settled into our bones. I cast a worried glance at Toby. He was so young, his body brittle from years of abuse in the Bloodmoon Pack, and he had never endured anything like this. When we finally spotted a small, secluded clearing hidden beneath a canopy of ancient trees, Lillian suddenly stopped.

  

  “We have to spend the night here,” she said heavily. “We’re going to collapse from exhaustion if  we take another step.”

  

  We dropped our meager belongings, too exhausted to even bother shifting back into our human forms. Rolling onto the dirt beneath a massive oak tree, we curled tightly around each other for warmth. We were just on the verge of drifting into a fitful sleep when the sudden, sharp rustling of bushes shattered the silence. Instantly, I felt Lillian spike with a bizarre, terrifying wave of excitement.

  

  “Calm down, Lillian!” I growled internally, every instinct screaming danger.

  

  The rustling grew louder, accompanied by the heavy thud of paws. Six massive Lycans burst from the thicket, surrounding the clearing. One look at their perfect formation and scarred, imposing frames told me everything I needed to know. these weren't desperate rogues. These were highly trained, lethal Lycan warriors, and they were staring at us with murderous fury.

  

  “Shit! We crossed into the Lycan territory unknowingly. I said in a low voice. Toby already wet his pants with fear.

  

  “What do we do now?”I asked Lillian. I panicked, backing up to press Toby against the trunk of the tree, trying to shield his injured body with my own.

  

  The Lycan  warriors snarled, snapping their jaws as they closed the circle. But just as I braced for the lethal strike, a scent sliced through the coppery smell of fear. It was intoxicating. Heavenly. A rich, unique aroma of deep pinecones, a sharp winter breeze, and a soothing hint of lavender. It filled my senses, making my head spin.

  

  Before the warriors could attack us, a colossal black wolf plummeted from the shadows, landing with an earth-shattering thud directly between us and the attackers. He was easily the largest, most majestic creature I had ever seen. His midnight-black fur gleamed like obsidian beneath the moonlight, radiating a suffocating, lethal aura.

  

  Slowly, the massive Lycan turned his head. When his gleaming, midnight eyes locked onto mine, the entire world ground to a sudden halt. The air turned to ice. Then, Lillian let out a breathless howl in my mind, uttering the one word I never, ever expected to hear.

  

  “Mate!”

  

   “What?” I asked, staring at the terrifying black Lycan as his rich scent washed over me.

  

  “Mate!” Lillian's tail wagged in an uncontrollable burst of pure joy. Before I could stop her, she broke away from the tree and dashed toward him.

  

  “Lillian, no! Stop! You are going to get us killed.”I screamed internally, but it was too late.

  

  She reached him, looking minuscule against his massive, towering frame. Driven by pure instinct, she leaned in, nuzzling the thick fur of his neck. The moment our fur brushed, an explosion of electric sparks erupted across my skin, a wave of intense, beautiful heat that made Lillian purr in absolute pleasure. But the bliss was brutally cut short. The massive Lycan tensed, his muscles turning to stone, and a low, thunderous vibration rattled his chest.

  

  "Back down, wolf!" his voice boomed, a  thunderous dominant command so fierce it physically threw us back.

  

  Lillian whimpered in deep shock, withdrawing instantly as her tail tucked between her legs. “What is going on? He’s our mate!” she sobbed in despair. “Why does he hate us? Fiona, what is happening?”

  

  “I don’t know,” I whispered back, my heart shattering as I watched his dark eyes blaze with an intense, terrifying anger.

  

  He snarled—a sound so vicious it made Lillian jump back again. Slowly, menacingly, the Lycan King began to pace toward us. The sheer, suffocating pressure of his power pinned us to the ground. He cornered us against the tree, his massive jaws inches from my face. I could feel the violent conflict raging within him, his eyes tearing through my soul.

  

  "Shift, wolf!" he growled.

  

  Confused and hurt, Lillian growled back, her stubborn pride refusing to bow to the agonizing rejection, even against his overwhelming aura.

  

  “What are you doing?!”I panicked, fighting Lillian for control. “You fool! Are you trying to challenge him? He will kill us!” I knew the terrifying extent of a Lycan's power, defying him right now was a death sentence.

  

  "I said, “shift!” he roared.

  

  I forcefully suppressed Lillian, seizing control of our body and shifting back into my human form. The cool night air hit my bare skin, and I instantly curled into a ball, hiding my face in my knees and using my hands to shield my nudity. The massive black Lycan shifted his body slightly, using his colossal frame to block me from the view of the other warriors standing guard.

  

  "Your face," he growled, the vibration of his voice sending shivers down my spine. "I want to see it."

  

  Trembling, I slowly lifted my head, my hands dropping coyly as I forced myself to look at him. His midnight eyes raked over my entire form, taking in every bruise, every raw scar, and the horrific marks left behind by the Bloodmoon Pack. I felt utterly small, exposed, and ugly under his intense gaze.

  

  “He doesn't want us, just like our former mate doesn’t want us” Lillian howled in agonizing pain inside my mind. “No one wants us.”

  

  “No one, Lillian,” I whispered back, a cold numbness settling over my heart. “No one ever will because we are ugly.”

  

  “Shift back," the Lycan King barked suddenly, harshly turning his face away from me as if the mere sight of me was too much to bear.

  

  Tears stinging my eyes, I welcomed the darkness, shifting back into my wolf form. The agonizing sting of his rejection burned deeper than any whip Alpha Victor and the Bloomoon pack members had ever used on me and as I curled back into the dirt, I finally understood we had escaped one hell, only to walk right into another.