Page 12 of Ruthless Reign

Well, I figure now is as good a time as any to put my plan into action. I said I wanted to annoy them. This will either end in my death or… actually, I'm not sure there's another option. But if the only other alternative is walking back with him to those dark cells, I'd rather go out fighting.

Pushing to my feet, I glare at him defiantly, before turning around and sprinting off into the direction I was heading.

Immediately, I hear the sound of footsteps giving chase, and my heart beats dangerously fast as I wait for the inevitable snap and grab of razor-sharp teeth. There's something horrible about anticipating pain—like your mind and body go into survivalmode. If you think the odds are against you, everything screams to stop and do something to prevent it. But I'm not going to bow down and let him hurt me—not without fighting for my life.

When the sound of him giving chase continues, I realize he's fucking with me. I've always been fast, but even I can't outrun a wolf. Yet… he seems to be letting me—probably waiting to see how long it takes for me to lose steam so that I'm unable to fight back when the moment comes.

But I keep running, the trees and bushes getting thicker as we delve deeper into the woods. Here, the moonlight starts to fade, blocked by tall canopies, but my eyes have adjusted. I jump over fallen trunks and branches, stepping on vines. I no longer have to worry about the ragged sounds of my breathing since I don't have to hide.

I get so caught up in my movements and powering ahead that I stop paying attention to the noises behind me. But slowly, I realize I can't hear him anymore.

There's no way I'm going to stop and turn around to investigate. It's never that easy. They wouldn't go to all this trouble just to let me get away.

No… he's up to something.

Even though I don't look behind, I do scan the trees to my left and right, expecting more wolves to appear as he summons his pack for assistance. But that's eerily quiet too.

As I continue pushing ahead, legs screaming, they finally give out when someone steps out from behind a large tree in front of me.

This was unexpected…

I only have a few seconds to react. Do I stop and try to change direction? Or do I keep going?

I can see his blue eyes watching me curiously even through the dark, and the lack of brutality in them—like I'm in some sick game of cat and mouse—pisses me off. So, instead of stopping,I power on. There's no time to change direction, and I decide enough is enough. I'll face this man and go toe-to-toe. I'm not a coward and I'm not going to beg and scream for my life.

His eyes widen in surprise as he realizes what's coming. And we collide—hard.

Theoofthat he lets out as we fly through the air gives me a sickening sense of pride, like he didn't see this coming. But then it's my turn to let out a guttural groan when we land heavily on the hard ground, tumbling with momentum.

All the pain returns in an instant, the adrenaline from the running easing off as I slide along the dirt with a thud before I finally stop. When I lift my head with a silent whine, I notice that we're only about two feet apart, and I realize that he's completely naked post-shift.

I should try to castrate him. That would slow him down.

But instead, I'm left staring at his sprawled out, muscular body. Not because it looks good—even though I won't admit that it does—but because he'slaughing.

The asshole actually has the audacity to laugh at this very moment.

"What is wrong with you?" I snap, curling my legs toward me as I push up on my side.

He glances over, amusement splashed across his face. "Youarea good runner."

The cold reminder that they have been watching me this entire time sends a whole new wave of anger through me, and before I can stop it, I've leapt off the ground, jumping on top of him.

My fists take aim at his face, and I think I manage to get a few punches in before he grabs my wrists tightly, shoving them back into my own body.

Jerking around as I try to break free, I growl at him in frustration. "Let me go, you piece of shit! Fuck—"

The words are cut off as he forcefully pushes my arms by my side, rolling us so my back is pressed firmly into the dirt again. I let out a gasp when his chest pushes into mine and I can feel said non-castrated thing pressing against my thigh—a large one at that.

"Stop telling me to fuck off," he growls, and it's the angriest I've heard him. I don't even dwell on the idea that he's more annoyed atthatthan the fact I just punched him.

I laugh dryly, trying to throw him off. He doesn't budge though, his large body easily covering mine. "Really? Does it hurt your feelings? Well, I'm sorry for not being more polite before you rape or kill me."

My eyes close—not tightly, but enough to block him out—as I wait for the inevitable pain that's about to start.

Breathe, Nyx. Don't scream. We're not going to scream and let him get off on the sound of your pain.

Seconds pass by, my heart thumping fast in my chest. I know he can feel it against his skin, but there's nothing I can do to stop it.

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