Page 15 of The Alpha's Envy

The body of his enforcer topples out the door and lands at his feet, and he growls as blood drips from the side of the seat into the dirt.

My wolf is unrepentant, and his command rolls off her like water. His alpha orders carry no weight with a wolf destined to be a luna. I’m his equal in the pack hierarchy wolves adhere to, but he doesn’t seem to see it like that.

He reaches for her, trying to grab her by the scruff of the neck, but she snaps, ready to rip his fingers off if he’s stupid enough to try that again.

Behind me, the driver opens the other back door, and his hand grabs at my tail.

My wolf spins, snarling and baring her teeth at him. She doesn't want to be touched by any male other than her mate.

“Get her out of the fucking car,” Graham shouts, looking disgusted at the red dripping from my fur and coating my muzzle. Well, tough. He’s the one who caused this. I have no guilt about what I need to do to keep myself safe.

Because there’s no way I’m safe with this man. If he’s willing to kidnap and mate me, knowing I’ve got a fated mate, he’s capable of anything. I’ve no intention of finding out just how depraved he can be.

As Graham’s driver dives through the door to tackle me, I hop into the front seat and out the open door, my paws hitting the door feeling like freedom.

“You idiot.” Graham hisses when he realises I’m no longer confined to the vehicle.

I hear the crack of bones snapping and know it won’t be long until I have an extremely pissed off alpha hot on my heels. I may be big for a female, but I’m still no match for an alpha as impressive as Graham. He’ll catch me quickly. I need to make the most of this head start and pray for a miracle.

Putting one paw in front of the other, I don’t look back. I don’t have a second to waste. Instead, I keep my head down and sprint away from them, plunging into the dense forest at the sideof the road, hoping the thick undergrowth will be easier for me to duck and dive through than the larger wolves on my trail.

The noise of them crashing through branches and leaves has the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I slide under a fallen tree and bound up over a rock formation, leaping over a thicket of thorns with ease, before taking off again at top speed.

I feel Jonathan getting nearer. I swear, I can hear his voice in my head.

Relief washes over me as I hear a howl in the distance, from the opposite direction of Graham’s pack. I can practically smell Grey Ridge territory within my grasp.

Except the snap of teeth right on my tail makes me yelp and veer off to the side, forced to change course by the two wolves in pursuit, attempting to steer me away from the bridge.

So, with no choice, I let them, hoping an idea will come to me as I run. The most important thing for now is just staying out of their grasp.

The sound of running water gets louder and louder as they close their trap, and my wolf dumps more adrenaline into my system, pushing me to go faster, to hold on just a little longer as I race on burning legs.

Up ahead, the bridge comes into view, but immediately, I know I won’t make it across before they catch up to me. There’s only option is.

Behind me, I can feel the smug energy coming from Graham who believes he’s victorious already. He thinks I have no way out and eases off. But he doesn’t know me, not well enough, and he’s misjudged me once again.

With one final burst, I jump, launching myself into the air, using my hind legs on the railing to propel myself as far as I can, out over the churning water.

The cold water takes the air from my lungs. Stabbing pain sears my flesh, and my brain feels like it’s being crushed in a viceas the rushing water tosses me around, refusing to let me back to the surface to feed my screaming lungs. As I thrash and fight my way toward the light piercing through the water, knowing I’d be able to swim better in human form but be more vulnerable to the cold and injury.

It may be my only hope.

As I fight against the current, I curse Graham Reynolds. Praying I can find my way out of this, for Jonathan’s sake as much as my own, I keep fighting. But as the dark spots appear in the corner of my eyes, and my animal’s chest heaves with the need to breathe, I realise this might not have been the masterplan I thought it was.

10

JONATHAN

Blood.

Carrying to my sensitive nose on the breeze is lots and lots of blood. Not Marie’s, thankfully, but it points to something bad happening nearby.

I’m about to charge straight into Silver Creek territory, not caring one bit about what kind of trouble I’ll find myself in for trespassing when my wolf’s focus switches from the blood bath happening deep in Graham’s territory to the bank at the side of the road.

Coughing and wheezing, an exhausted and soaked she-wolf drags herself up the steep incline, head hanging low like she’s too tired to even hold it up fully.

Marie.

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