Page 16 of Banished Mates
I bit my lip as I sat up and cradled my arm to my chest with my other hand. Fortunately, my legs were okay. As much as I wanted to scream, all the noise my throat could make was a little airy whimper. I struggled to my feet, my knees buckling with my first step.
Another step and I fell face-first into the ground. Moist dirt flaked my lips and I sputtered from the taste.
I struggled to right myself as my lungs heaved. Ouch. Even my lungs worked overtime to drag in puffs of oxygen.
Moss covered the trees and surrounding rocks. And a heavy fog coated the ground, but fortunately the moonlight speared through for me to semi-see. I shivered, the thin shirt and jeans doing nothing to protect me from the elements. I was already frozen to the bone.
Fur... fur would protect me.
But if I shifted and he caught me... it would be over for me. I’d have heats and the uncontrollable need that came from that would shred any self-control I had.
Since I was on my ass, I flattened my foot on the ground and pushed up, my legs unsteady.
Limping forward, I hugged my arm to my chest. Each step worsened the throb of my broken arm. This sucked so fucking much—I didn’t ask to be born an Omega. Tears filled my eyes.
A rustle through the leaves forced me low, and I stilled myself, holding my breath. Shit. Shit. A closer crunch and I was pushing my legs forward, my chest pumping with strain. It sounded like he was nearby.
My heart thundered in my ears. He would catch me and do all that shit he’d crowed about. A snarl echoed and bounced around my ears at the closer crunch of foliage.
I had no other choice. He was going to catch me. At least if I shifted, I would have a sliver of a shot of escaping.
There was no other choice.
I exhaled raggedly, my lungs burning as I pushed ahead. According to Camden, shifting was something you pulled forward, or often your wolf, who had their own mind, would burst forward and your human mind had to allow it. But that was only when you already had your wolf.
Once I did this, there was no turning back.
I licked my lips and took a deep breath. I didn’t know what exactly I was supposed to do... I let my emotions take over, feeling for the wolf inside. The tug in my gut wrenched a gasp from my throat. The sudden feeling shocked me so much I doubled over, my palms catching me. The fact that I was severely exhausted and malnourished wouldn’t make this any easier.
My bones snapped and popped, lengthening as agony overtook my body. Heat spread through me, and I shook my head as I jerked and fell to my side.
Brown fur erupted from my skin. My vision blurred and I sucked in a breath as my jaw popped and stretched.
I lay on my side, panting as I struggled to suck air into my lungs. My sides heaved, the dirt and pebbles I lay on dug into me, but on the upside, I was no longer freezing with the layers of fur covering my body.
She was inside me. Now a part of me, so close to the surface. She wanted to run and run. Energy coursed through my body. I didn’t have time.
I pushed to my paws, and my front limb buckled, but I caught myself. My arm was no longer broken.
Elders told stories of Omegas. General information was passed down in some packs, and... I had Mom to ask questions to.
My voice would have returned if I’d shifted after the attack happened, since any recent wounds, deadly or not, were healed when an Omega first shifted. It was a gift from the Moon Goddess.
I attempted to bark, but it was no use. The only sound that came out was a breathy whine. Well, what a failure. At least in my wolf form I made some noise resembling a whine.
Far off to the left was the drop of a cliff. The gray hues were enhanced and through the spaces of the trees, mountains rolled over the expansive space—Large and ominous and covered with rolling grass that spanned the vastness.
My wolf pushed to the surface again, insistent on taking control of my body. She took off in a sprint, forcing us to run.
I wasn’t sure how long I sprinted, but my legs burned and I was at my limit.
Sides heaving, my tongue lolled out. Relentlessly running zapped my energy. My wolf bared her teeth and my ears twitched. The air felt different. Foggier and thicker. The hair on the nape of my neck lifted as my head lowered—I was no longer alone. I quickened my speed.
A sudden snap to the left spurred me on but something smashed into my side, and I went flying before skidding to a stop, my head smacking into a mossy rock, blurring my vision.
Jumping to my paws, I bared my teeth as another attack came at me full force.
I rocked back as teeth pressed into my throat and I struggled to keep my balance, but it was no use. I had no energy left.
