I don't know what else to do aside from to keep running. But eventually I have to slow. Eventually I have to figure out what exactly I should do next.The trees call to me as I find a stream. The thick layers of green absorb my cries. They promise to protect me. They promise that I’ll be okay. I know I'll never be okay again though.I'm lost without a mate. I'm lost without a pack.I don't know where to go. There is nowhere for me to go. I'm lost and I'll never feel whole again.So, I shift back into my human form to forget the memories my wolf form had to witness. But in my human form, this all feels worse. My human form is much more vulnerable, so I can’t easily face this in it.My heart feels like it's being ripped apart. I can physically feel the pain within me. And it's the worst agony. All I want to do is escape it, but I know I can't.Barefoot, I walk into the water. It's cold against my skin. It wakes my senses. And I don't want them to be woken. I don't want to feel an

I'm running and the feeling is incredible. Adrenaline floods through my body as I try to get away.I am getting away. Or at least, I think I am. I look back and he's gaining ground, but the river is up ahead. And I know I can leap across it. I know I can get away.I move faster, feeling this strength in my muscles. I know that if he gets ahold of me, I won't get away. He's stronger, but maybe I'm faster.Adrenaline is my upper hand. He's just fighting to catch someone he can sell. I'm fighting for my life. And that motivation makes me faster. That motivation gives me strength like I've never had before.I reach the river but I don't slow down. Instead, I propel myself forward, hoping to get across the water. If I can get across the water, I can get away from him.If I fall though, I'm within his grasp. He’ll be able to do whatever he wants to me. And I don't even want to think about what will happen if the wrong person gets ahold of me.I leap. My feet leave the ground and I hope

The more Brian and I talk, the more convinced I am that he's my mate. As I listen to him tell me about life in the forest, I start to understand why he loves it so much. It sounds so peaceful. It sounds like the kind of life I'd like to live.Maybe I will live that life now. If I don’t get sold of course.I don’t have a pack to go to now. I need to figure out a new way to live my life. And maybe I won't rejoin the pack. Maybe this kind of life is for me.I'm starting to think that any life with Brian is the life for me. I've never been like this before. I wasn't even like this with Rafael. But this is different. I know this man is my mate.“Do you...” I'm scared to say it. I'm scared because what if his reaction is bad? But I need to know. “Do you feel a strange connection to me? I think I feel a connection to you. I know it's strange but...”“I... I feel it too,” he whispers. “It is strange. I don't understand it. But I can't deny that I feel it too.”I can't believe it. It's al

“I trust you,” I say.I’m not sure if I trust this rope, but I do trust Brian. And Brian seems to think that this will work. Plus, I'd rather die from a fall and have my death be quick than fall into the hands of someone who would torture me. I’d die either way anyway.“Then jump,” he says. And that’s that. Brian is running. I have no choice but to run with him. So, I take a leap of faith and I run. Together, we run to the edge of the gorge, and then we leap.It's the most terrifying thing I've ever done. It feels like leaping to my death. It feels like the worst thing imaginable. I reach out for the rope and hope that I can grab it. And I do.I grab the rope and I swing. I use my momentum to get over the gorge, and then I jump. I jump and I land on the ground.We grab a hold of the ropes before they can fall back and cut them so our pursuers can't take the same path. Then, we drop the ropes into the gorge and we walk away together.He's my mate and I'm his mate. And so

Hours go by and still Brian doesn't talk to me. At first, I try to engage in conversation with him. But eventually, I give up. I can't make him want to talk to me. And I don't want too. I want him to want to be with me. But he clearly doesn't. So, we continue the journey in silence. My heart breaks. Not only does my mate not want me, but soon will be separated forever. This is horrible and I don't know what to do. I can't stop it. I can't make him want to be with me. I can't believe he doesn't want to be with me.“Samantha,” he finally says. And it sounds so nice to hear him say my name. I wonder if he changed his mind. Or at least maybe now we don't have to go through this in silence.“Be careful at this river,” he says as we approach a river. He looks cautiously across it.I can't really understand why. The water seems rough, but nothing we can't get through. Sure, our paws might get wet. But in the heat of the sunny day, our paws and fur will dry out quickly.Maybe it's