Page 80 of Alpha Queen
The second guard snorted. "Yeah. True. Wait."
The men stopped.
"Do you smell that?"
"What?"
"It's blood, I think."
River's gut twisted, and her wolf prepared to move. Could she sprint past them? Even if she did, they could mow her down in an instant.
"I don't smell anything. Come on."
Their voices faded as they disappeared around the corner of the building. River stayed frozen. Ares and Apollo were close. They were looking for her.
She had to move.
More guards appeared, gathering near a side entrance to the house. Their voices carried across the quiet night.
"Extra patrols on the north perimeter," a burly man said. "We've got reports of activity in the sector. Could be nothing, could be them."
"What about the Luna?" another asked.
"Locked down tight. Titan's orders. No one goes in or out."
"And if they do find us?"
The leader's face hardened. "Then we fight. Or we run. Depends on what the Alpha commands."
The group dispersed, heading in different directions to take up their posts. River waited, calculating as the guards moved into position. There was a small but noticeable gap in their coverage on the edge of the property, where the forest grew thickest.
She would have one shot. Just one.
River gathered what strength remained, her muscles trembling with exhaustion and anticipation. Her wolf stirred, lending its fierce maternal instinct to her determination.
The moon slipped behind a cloud, casting the grounds in a dark shadow.
Now.
River burst from her hiding place, keeping low to the ground as she darted across the open space between the bushes and the tree line. Her bare feet made almost no sound on the damp earth, but her heart pounded.
Twenty yards. Fifteen. Ten.
A shout rang out behind her. "There! By the trees! Someone's out there."
River didn't look back. She pushed her weakened body harder, drawing on reserves she would quickly deplete. The forest edge loomed ahead, promising temporary sanctuary under the thick canopy of trees. Her lungs burned as she gulped the night air, each breath a desperate prayer for escape.
The crack of a rifle echoed behind her, followed by the whistle of something sailing past her head. River zigzagged, making herself a more challenging target as she plunged into the dark embrace of the woods.
Dense underbrush tore at her legs and feet as she crashed through the forest. Branches whipped across her face, leaving stinging welts, but she didn't slow. Behind her, the shouts grew louder as Titan's men gave chase, their powerful flashlight beams cutting through the darkness.
"Spread out!" someone bellowed. "Don't let them reach the perimeter!"
River rushed deeper into the trees, her bare feet finding purchase on the soft earth despite the rocks and fallen branches that threatened to trip her. The darkness was both ally and enemy, hiding her from her pursuers but concealing obstacles in her path.
Her wolf surged forward with energy she didn't know she had.
Run. Protect. Survive.
