chapter 16

Tali's POV

I have no idea where I'm going.

The second I heard Dayne's office door close behind him and his beta, I was tiptoeing down the steps and slipping out of the front door.

Even though it can't be later than six in the evening it's already pretty dark which is perfect. Less chance of being seen from the house that way. I hope so.

Luckily for me, considering this looks to be an old farmhouse, someone has kept the hinges well-oiled.

Before I crept out, I heard the conversation drifting from what must be the kitchen at the end of the hallway, as well as Dayne and his beta talking in low voices from a room behind a closed door. Possibly his office. I should've been able to hear them clearly, but I didn't hear much of anything. It's as if Dayne's had the office soundproofed.

But I don't stop to consider the possibility for too long. I sprint down the front porch steps in Dayne's sweatpants, which are still too big, even after I've rolled the legs up as best I can, and plunge into the thick forests.

I should have headed for the same path Dayne drove down, at least, then I'd eventually end up back in Hardin. No matter how small the town is, maybe I could've hitchhiked or found some other way to escape. But desperation has made me careless, and instead of thinking things through, I aim my body at the forest and hope for the best.

When the skies open up and rain soaks me in a matter of seconds, I swear under my breath. I'm not even surprised. Shit like that always happens to me.

At the sharp sound of a branch snapping to my right, I pause, straining to hear over the rain hitting the leaves and trees all around me.

It could be nothing, but it could also be Dayne coming after me. Should I keep running, or should I go back and try to think up some excuse as to why I'm running out on my mate the first night I joined his pack?

Torn between staying and going, I consider all the damage a half-crazed wolf could do to a submissive wolf like Jenna.

Doubt falls away in an instant, and I continue.

This time I'm angling away from the sound, hoping it was nothing more than a rabbit or some poor creature seeking sanctuary from the rain. But in case it isn't, in case it is Dayne, I pick up my pace.

I can't stay. It's too dangerous, not only for me but for everyone else.

At the sound of another branch snapping, I nearly run into a tree as I spin around in a wild arc to see which direction it came from. But again, there's nothing there.

By now the rain has fully soaked through my sweatpants, plastered my hair to my head and my bare feet are sinking into the wet soil, turned muddy from the sudden downpour.

I keep going, at this point not even caring where I end up. But as long as I'm heading away from the pack land, that's all that matters.

I jerk to a halt.

Because there, right in front of me, is a wolf with silver eyes glinting in the night, staring at me.

I don't move. It's impossible to tell the color of the wolf as the rain continues to lash down on us, soaking through its fur as thoroughly as it has my hair.

All I know is the wolf is male, and the look in its eyes warns me he's not about to let me venture any further than I have already.

As if he's heard my mental thoughts, the wolf takes a step forward, his mouth opening wide in a toothy grin to reveal sharp white teeth.

At the sight, my heart constricts hard enough to hurt, and then pounds in a harsh drumbeat the wolf can't fail to hear, even over the sounds of the rain and the forest.

My mind is empty of everything except the need to escape.

Although the wolf hasn't snarled or tensed as if about to spring at me, I feel the overwhelming sense of being hunted, that I'm prey, and all I can think to do is run.

Spinning around, I manage about three steps. There's no warning.

None.

One minute I'm on my feet, being forced back in the direction of the farmhouse, trying not to trip and fall because I know if I go down, that's it. Game over.

The next moment I'm on the ground, a solid weight on my back, pinning me down.

For a second I lay stunned, water soaking into my pants and top, my face an inch away from lying mired in the wet earth. So, I feel the grass brushing against my cheek. And I start struggling. But by then it's too late.

A hand slips around my neck, and though it doesn't squeeze, the threat is implicit enough to make me stop.

"You should know better," Dayne whispers into my ear, "than to run from wolves."

Yes, I should know better since he's not the first wolf to chase me down.

"Can I get up?" I ask, still not moving. I'm not feeling brave enough to try.

"No." His answer is immediate. Firm. There is no give in his voice at all.

Uh, okay.

I have no idea what he's going to do to me, and even though I'm cold, wet and a sharp rock is digging painfully into my hipbone, I don't move an inch. Which is when I notice something I should have picked up on sooner.

Dayne isn't naked, but he should be.

I feel the distinctive press of jeans on the back of my thighs, and I think he's wearing a t-shirt as well.

Which means he couldn't have been the wolf I saw, because there's no way he'd have had enough time to shift back to human, dress, and tackle me if he were.

It must have been the beta then. Luka. Which means they not only heard me leave the house, they must have come after me the second I slipped out for them to have caught up to me as soon as they did.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, shaking. Aware now of how much trouble I'm in how much I'm at his mercy at this moment. "I didn't "

"Shhh," he murmurs against the back of my head.