"Rowan!" Mia cried as she saw a grey wolf being attacked by three wolves, while an enormous wolf looked on. It was Grey, and he was waiting for his chance to sink his teeth into Mia's best friend. Mia looked at Kara and Brian.
"We have to help him," she commanded. Brian and Kara understood and rushed for the pile of wolves entangled in a fierce battle.
Brian knocked a heavy-weighted wolf aside from Rowan, which Mia assumed was Trent. That just left Rico and Craig, whom she picked out almost immediately. Craig was a wolf with dark-speckled fur. Mia could see Kara struggling with the both of them, and couldn’t let another Lost Shadow get hurt. Their numbers were dwindling, and she wasn’t sure how long they could keep up the fight. She turned around and ran for the blazing fire pit, grabbing a sturdy stick poking from the flames. She lifted it carefully from the rocks, admiring the glowing fire spreading from the top like a torch.
She ran back for the wolves that were attacking her new friends and Rowan.
"Back off!" She warned; her voice harsh as she held tightly to her makeshift weapon. The wolves heard her cries, but most of them seemed to ignore her, not wanting to give up their fight so easily. But Mia wouldn't give up. Swiping the fire from side to side, she could see one of them shying away from the fight. Rico.
Something clicked with Mia as she stared into Rico's scared eyes, watching his ears and his tail tuck behind him. She swished the stick closer to him as he whimpered, until she cornered him near a tree, the glowing blaze blaring between them.
The wolf was scared of fire. It was his trigger.
Mia struck Rico without hesitation. He yelped as he fell to the ground, suddenly convulsing. His head shook, almost vibrating right off his shoulders. Within moments he was a human curled on the ground, naked and afraid. Mia took a step back from him as he crawled towards her, malice in his eyes. Before he could reach for her, a black wolf latched its teeth onto his bare arm. Josiah shook him with tremendous force, almost enough to rip Rico’s arm from its socket. Rico’s screams were drowned out by Brian’s roar as he swiped Craig off of his back.
The fight was slowing down, as both packs lost stamina as well as soldiers for the battle. Mia scoured the clearing for Rowan. She caught just a glimpse of him as his body disappeared into the trees. He was going after Grey! Mia trembled, her gaze drifting from Brian and Kara to the woods where she was sure to lose Rowan again if she didn’t do something fast.
She crept back into the forest surrounding the camp. Rowan was chasing Grey, their bodies small specks now almost out of her view. Mia tried to chase them, but her knees gave out. It was the first time she had realized how exhausted she was, especially after having run so much on this night. Her body just couldn't take her any further. Every muscle was aching and burning. Her hair clung to her sweaty forehead, stinging from the cold air. She braced herself against a tree, staring into the inky blackness.
The forest seemed much more menacing now, containing haunting secrets and terrible evils lurking and hiding around her. She scanned the forest, hoping that she wouldn’t find herself face-to-face with any Feral Bloods. She had seen enough violence tonight and her body was letting her know it.
She forced her feet to take another step, even though they burned under her weight in protest. Her shivering fingers clung tightly to the trunk of a tree, as she could feel her ragged breaths struggling to take form in her lungs. How much longer would she be able to go on? Another step and she was tumbling into a cluster of sticks covered in ancient moss.
How many times had she been alone in this forest? Most of those times, there would be someone that would end up finding her, pulling her out from the darkness. It was Rowan, or Brian, or even the Lost Shadows that somehow found their way to her. But this time, she knew she was truly alone. Knowing this only made things more difficult for her.
She stared up at the moon as it glared from above, a beacon of warning, but its light wavered over her like a warm blanket. Sleep was pulling at Mia's eyelids, caressing her busy mind to a quiet hush. No, she thought, I can't. She struggled onto her hands and knees, fighting against the tugging urge to lie back down. She wandered through the trees. It seemed no matter what she did, she would always end up in the forest alone.
But she knew she didn’t have to be. A cloud of exhaustion brought her strange images, and for a moment Mia questioned her sanity. The trees were all starting to look the same, and soon they seemed to twist and form until they were the cruel claws stretching at the sky, the same she had seen when Rowan tackled her in the forest.
These memories seemed to fuel her. She had played it over and over so many times in her mind of what she could have done differently. In most of her fantasies, she would pry the wolves from Rowan and fight back against them. She couldn't count how many times she had imagined that.
She had always regretted running away that day and leaving Rowan behind. She had run from her parents, from Grey, from the fact that maybe it should have been here out in the woods instead of Rowan. Rowan had been right, they could have made it if they were together. Together…then why was Rowan trying to fight Grey on his own?
The more Mia focused on these thoughts, the more they acted as coals, added to a train’s engine. They were burning inside of her, growing bright and hot as they told her to keep running, but this time she was running for something else.
Somewhere, just a few more steps away, Rowan needed her. He was weak, after all, and who knows what kind of chance he would stand against a wolf such as Grey. Suddenly, Mia found herself inviting the nightmarish thoughts. They revived her, her own fears and regrets pushing her to keep moving until she was breaking out into a full sprint.
Rowan was always saving her, and she had gotten too comfortable that he'd always be there. But now it was her turn. Tonight, she would forget the past and shed her regrets of what could have been. As her boots thundered against the mulch and rotted earth, Mia was determined to grasp what she had long neglected…the present.
CHAPTER 20: PAST AND PRESENT
Sounds were confusing in the dark, the shadows playing tricks on Mia as she forced herself to keep moving. Little rustlings distracted her, sounding like much larger rustlings coming towards her. She didn't even stop to think of what could jump out and grab her. The forest was alive, especially in the night. As she continued, she could hear a new sound in the distance. Rushing water.
It grew louder now, like continuous thunder crashing. Mia pulled apart the tree branches to find the jagged and crooked rocks lodged in the dirt, spreading down as they met the mouth of the waterfall that Rowan had taken her to. Did Rowan bring Grey here on purpose? Mia wondered this as she navigated down the steep terrain, clutching onto the rocks the best that she could.
Her hand slipped, and she plummeted further down the ledge. Her heart caught in her throat as she stretched her arm out to grab a fallen tree branch. She kicked up the dirt around her as she looked down towards a cliff just below her. There, Mia could see one man standing over a wolf.
Mia looked up at her hand and closed her eyes. She couldn’t see who it was down there, but she had a mission regardless of which man would be waiting for her at the bottom. With a final breath, she released her grip from the tree and crept from rock to rock until she was finally on the ledge.
As soon as her foot touched the rocks, she wished she had never let go of the branch. The man had heard her and turned around. Though only the moon was out, Mia could see the grim features of Grey as he smiled at her. He had a strange air about him, one that Mia had never even seen when she was with him.
Even as a human he was still an animal with a hint of lunacy in his wide eyes. Mia's heart stopped in her chest. She thought that she had finally escaped from Grey's clutches, but it turned out that there was far more power to him than she had once believed.
"Hello Mia," Grey said. His voice was eerily casual as if they were old friends catching up on the street. To him, he hadn't been abusing Mia for the few years they had been together.
He was just here to win her back.
"Grey," Mia said, her voice firm and lacking emotion. She had wondered about this moment for a while, fearing what her first encounter would be with Grey if he had found her.
“It’s good to see you,” Grey said. “You look great, really.” Mia’s eyes fell onto a limp Rowan, bloody and battered, and just barely hanging on. He had been through so much already with his encounter with the hunters before, and Mia was worried if he even had any strength left in him.
"What did you do to him?" Mia asked. Grey looked at Rowan, nudging him slightly with a steel-toed boot. He still wore his clothes, which made Mia believe that he had far more control over his shifting than other shifters had.
"It's okay," Grey said, holding his hands out in front of him. "He's not going to be a threat to you anymore."
"Interesting to hear that from someone like you," Mia said. She wouldn't have dared say these words to him while they were together, but Grey had been one of the reasons why she and Rowan couldn't find their way back together.
"I can't believe you would say that to me," Grey said, his tone oddly friendly, although she heard a hint of the psychotic in his voice. "After all we had been through, even after what I told you the last time you ran away, you still managed to leave me."
“Why wouldn’t I?” Mia said. “It’s not like you gave me any reason to stay.” Grey seemed to falter a bit at her words; his expression flickering in the shadows from the moonlight. He took a step closer to her, and Mia took one step back. She didn’t want to be close to Grey, not until she was ready.
“I gave you everything,” Grey said. “I was alongside you through everything. Or did you forget all of that once you saw your little friend here? Your best buddy.”
The way he said it sent a shiver up Mia’s spine. He had no business talking about Rowan.
“This is what you ran away for?” He chided with a scoff as he turned, lifting his boot to kick at Rowan’s stomach. “I would have expected a lot more from you. A truly pathetic rebound if you ask me.” Rowan gave a soft yelp, and it filled Mia with an incredible fury.
“Don’t you dare touch him again,” Mia warned.
“I’m really hurt, Mia,” Grey said, holding his hand over his heart as if her words had actually pained him. “I thought you’d really be happy to see me. You didn’t even say anything when I was in town.” Mia’s jaw trembled as a cruel shadow latched onto her. It had been Grey out in the streets that day.
“You knew,” Mia said. “You knew that I was here the whole time.”
“I know we’ve never talked about this,” Grey said. “But being an alpha, I need eyes and ears everywhere. I knew you hadn’t met the trio yet. Craig, Rico, and Trent already had the perfect job. Police officers sure are trusted in this town, and I thought they’d be perfect for bringing you back to me. It wasn’t long before they caught onto your scent.” He moved closer to her, his teeth pressed together in a terrifying smile. She could almost feel his breath on her skin as he said “Your sweet, sweet scent.”
“Get away from me,” Mia sneered as she brushed him off of her. Grey seemed almost impressed with her fire. She had never dared show this kind of feistiness towards him before.
“You’ve been spending a little too much time out here in the wild,” Grey said. “It’s starting to make you a little wild yourself.”
Mia held her ground as she waited for a perfect opportunity. Her hands trailed towards her pockets. As far as she knew, she had something that Grey didn’t, a weapon. As her fingers reached into her jacket, she was horrified to discover that there was nothing there but air and pilling fabric. The silver knife was gone. She tried to conceal her panic now that Grey was so close to her. If she lost face, he would know that he had an advantage over her.
“How did you find the cabin?” Mia asked, masking the tremble in her voice by speaking through her clenched teeth.
Grey scoffed again. “I must admit, those bear markings had us fooled for a moment,” he said. He hovered closely around Mia, almost circling her now, despite the size of the rocky patch near the roaring waters. “The best part about living in a small town—and this is a rooky mistake, Mia—is that people talk. Everybody talks. I’m sure you thought you two were clever hiding out in the woods. But all it took were a couple visits from the police and pretty soon we start hearing stories about a man living alone out in a cabin.”
Mia shivered; the panic setting in that she didn't have a weapon. How on earth was she supposed to deal with Grey if she was empty-handed? The way he looked at her had chilled her to the bone. He towered over her, his thick frame obscured by shadows. Before she could step away, his hand lashed out, locking around her arm. Mia knew it would leave a bruise. It had in the past. His grip had shocked her, brought her back to a place where she cowered in their apartment. She had once stared into Grey's drug-filled eyes as he threatened to take her life.
Mia stood her ground, her gaze never leaving Grey’s no matter how much she wanted it to.
"Well, you've got me," Mia said. "Think you can keep me this time?" This seemed to anger Grey even more, and Mia found herself hurtling backward into a boulder lodged in the dirt. She tried to hide the pain as her body collided with the rough stone surface. "You're not exactly off to a good start," she said in a cruel tone. Grey bounded for her again, but Mia rushed for the nearest rock, pulling herself onto it. She only made it inches before she felt a hand grab at her ankle, ripping her from the safety of the boulder and throwing her back onto the ground.
She knew she couldn't run anymore. Grey was too fast and much stronger than she was, equipped with his incredible shifter strength. Before she could roll away from his grasp, Mia felt Grey's hand clutch around her throat.
Her eyes widened, regretting taking that extra step to talk back to him. She swallowed hard, despite the grip of Grey's fingers tightening against her windpipe.
You must think you're so clever," Grey said through his teeth. "Running away, finding another wolf pack to protect you. Well, look at you now. Back where you started, aren't you?"
Though her body struggled under Grey’s grasp, Mia’s mind had to stay busy. Without a knife, she would have to resort to another tactic to defeat Grey. It was hard to focus, though, as Grey continued to choke her. Mia lifted her legs, kicking wildly at Grey in a rough attempt to keep him from knocking her out.
His hands held firm, though, and Mia found herself staring up at the sky as her vision began to blur around her. It was getting harder to breathe as she felt herself fighting against Grey's malicious intent. Grey squeezed even harder, the look in his eye far more sinister than before. Mia choked and sputtered as Grey leaned his face closer to hers, the hairs of his thick beard brushing against her skin. It made her stomach churn. "Shouldn't I be enough for you?" He whispered harshly.
Mia was hanging on, just wavering on the edge of consciousness. As the oxygen around her grew thinner, she knew Grey was close enough for her to use the only weapon she had…words.
Whether it was physical like fire or psychological like past guilt, every shifter had a trigger. And Mia had just enough information on Grey, gathered up in her mental vault from their horrible relationship, to pinpoint what his trigger might be. With a strained breath, she managed to wheeze the words,
"Never enough…"
Grey's eyes darted back and forth across her face, and at first, Mia was unsure if he had heard her words. But she could feel his fingers just barely letting go from her neck. She seized the moment, waiting to say just what she needed to get Grey back into a wolf.
"You were never enough," Mia said to clarify.
"What the fuck did you say to me?" Grey said, more shocked than angry. Mia could already tell it was working; she just needed to wield her words carefully.
“You're tough," Mia said through chokes and sputters. "Think… you're so cool… with your wolf pack doing things for you. Just look now."
Grey eyed her with suspicion, but he appeared more surpr
ised that Mia was the one telling him these words. His palm was sweating now, slipping against the skin on Mia's neck. Mia smirked at him.
"I know what you're scared of," she said. "You've always been scared of it because you know it's true. That's why you always threatened me whenever I tried to leave."
She braced herself as Grey yelled into the night, his breath a ghostly fog as he raised Mia into the air with one arm.
"Shut up!" He demanded. "You don't know anything!" Mia clutched onto Grey's arm with both hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rowan. He had stirred, just slightly but she didn't want to call out to him. She had captured Grey's attention and wanted to keep it that way.
Mia swung her feet until she could land a kick in Grey's face. It was enough to turn away, only for her to plant another one along his cheek. He groaned in pain as the soles of her boot made contact with his skin. Grey faltered back, lowering Mia back towards the ground and allowing her another chance to breathe.
"I know something, right now," Mia said, her hands trying to tear away Grey's fingers from her throat. "That I've got you to myself out here. Your pack isn't around to have your back."
“Right. And what chance do you even have against me?” Grey asked. He seemed more panicked than earlier, and Mia felt confident her words were starting to grab hold onto his mind.
“It’s two to one now,” she said.
“Two to one?” Grey asked as he shook his head. “You think your new boyfriend here is going to do anything to me?”
“He doesn’t have to,” Mia said. “I just know that I’m not the one alone.”
She let the word hang there, and Grey seemed to take the bait. She had found his trigger. “Getting a little nervous, Grey?” She said, feeling Grey’s hands trembling against her throat. “It’s scary knowing you’re alone, isn’t it?”
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