LOGINPascal and Mara finally managed to drag Damon far enough from Leo that the furious wolf could no longer land another blow. Damon’s body was shaking…half from exertion, half from pure, savage rage. His chest rose and fell aggressively, nostrils flaring, eyes still glowing with murderous intent as his wolf strained against his skin, desperate to tear Leo apart.
Leo lay sprawled on the forest floor several feet away, coughing and barely conscious. His clothes were shredded, his lip split, one eye swollen shut. He looked as if something savage had torn into him…because one had. Damon’s wrath had been far beyond anything he had ever witnessed in his life, and he’d seen more than enough wolves lose control over the years.
“Damon…stop…just breathe!” Pascal urged, still gripping Damon’s arm and shoulder. Even in human form, Damon’s muscles coiled hard enough to feel like stone. His entire body
Elena had stopped counting the hours that must have gone by as she sat in that cold glass cage. She had tried shifting many more times again, but just like always, it never worked.She was still contemplating on whether to howl for help again when the door to the room suddenly hissed open. Heavy footsteps entered…several sets, but one in particular was calm, confident, and chillingly dominant. A man in his early fifties walked in, followed by a scurrying assistant, a cluster of white coated scientists, and a dozen guards dressed head to toe in VORTEX armor. The guards’ rifles pointed to the floor for now, but Elena had seen what those weapons did to wolves. She forced herself not to recoil.The man paused just inside the doorway, taking in the room carefully. He was tall, impeccably dressed, and carried himself with the certainty of someone who expected everything in the world to bow before him. His cold eyes roamed over the cages like he was
Pascal and Mara finally managed to drag Damon far enough from Leo that the furious wolf could no longer land another blow. Damon’s body was shaking…half from exertion, half from pure, savage rage. His chest rose and fell aggressively, nostrils flaring, eyes still glowing with murderous intent as his wolf strained against his skin, desperate to tear Leo apart.Leo lay sprawled on the forest floor several feet away, coughing and barely conscious. His clothes were shredded, his lip split, one eye swollen shut. He looked as if something savage had torn into him…because one had. Damon’s wrath had been far beyond anything he had ever witnessed in his life, and he’d seen more than enough wolves lose control over the years.“Damon…stop…just breathe!” Pascal urged, still gripping Damon’s arm and shoulder. Even in human form, Damon’s muscles coiled hard enough to feel like stone. His entire body
Damon and Mara stayed very low to the ground, making their way forward very slowly and carefully.“They’re close,” Damon whispered.Mara nodded, matching his stealthy movements. It was all so scary and intriguing at the same time, and she couldn't tell if she was enjoying it or dreading it now. She had been around dangerous wolves before…violent rogues, deranged loners, and power drunk alphas…but there was something uniquely unsettling about not knowing whether the voices ahead belonged to allies… or threats.A few minutes later, Damon paused suddenly and raised his hand, signaling her to stop.A small rise of uneven earth appeared before them. A ravine…narrow, but still deep enough to hide anything or anyone in its belly. Damon motioned for her to follow him to the edge. They crawled forward on their stomachs until they reached the very edge of the ravine.Two figures stood in the clearin
Damon didn’t breathe. He didn’t blink. He didn’t even think.Leo’s final words…“Elena didn’t love me anyway…” ...landed like a vicious blow to the spine, breaking through whatever restraint that had kept him silent all along. The world seemed to stop for a second, and the forest itself went silent as Damon’s heartbeat thundered like a war drum inside his head.Then everything inside him detonated. He didn’t remember moving. He didn’t remember deciding. His body simply exploded forward with all the raging force he had been holding back for hours….days.Beside him, Mara barely managed a strangled gasp.“Damon…DAMON, WAIT!”Her hand brushed his shoulder, but it was too late. The moment he launched himself from the ravine edge, Damon shifted in the air…his bones cracking, muscles bursting with power, and fur exploding across his body in a violent surg
The forest seemed endless. Or at least that was how it felt to Mara as she trailed behind Damon. The sun had risen, shifted, and begun its slow descent in the horizon, and still he hadn’t stopped…not for water, not for rest, not even when they crossed into thicker bushes that tore at their arms and legs like thorn covered hands.It was the worst kind of travel. Aimless, directionless, led only by brute desperation…But Damon never slowed down. His strides were long and furious, and his shoulders were tense as his gaze fixed straight ahead as if the world behind him didn’t exist.Every so often, Mara would see his fingers twitch at his sides…small, involuntary movements, as if he was resisting the urge to tear something apart. Or maybe resisting the pain clawing at him from the inside.They had been walking for so long that Mara no longer felt her legs. Her breaths came hard and fast, pushing through her lungs with a
Damon didn’t hear the forest anymore. He only heard her. Or rather…he felt her. It hit him like a blade of fire straight into the center of his skull…A violent, electric pull that swept through his consciousness so abruptly that he stumbled forward and fell to one knee. His hand shot up to his head as a heavy wave of pain struck him again, like something inside him was being dragged…hard.Mara stopped in shock behind him.“Damon?” she blurted out with sudden fear.He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.His teeth were gritted hard, and his vision was blurring as the sensation forced itself through again…thestronger, deeper, and stabbing into that buried part of him he spent weeks pretending didn’t exist. A fierce growl tore from his throat, unrestrained and raw, as his wolf surged forward in alarm.Another jolt.Another pull.Damon slammed his palm to the ground, gri







