Page 10 of Wolf

I dig my heels into the concrete, refusing to move. “No! I won’t leave them.”

His eyes narrow, and he laces his fingers into my hair in a flash, wrenching my head back violently. I cry out in pain as he brings his face within an inch of mine. “You’ll do as I say, little rabbit, or I’ll make you wish you had.”

Tears sting my eyes, but I hold his gaze. Matias smirks, enjoying my resistance. He trails his fingers along my jaw, then down my neck with his free hand.

“You can’t resist forever,” he murmurs. “I’ll break you, and then you’ll obey me without question.”

My stomach twists with fear and an utterly confusing spark of desire. I hate him for the effect he has on me, for the way my body betrays my mind.

Matias gives my hair another vicious yank and then pushes me forward. “Now walk,” he snarls. “Or this will be much harder for you.”

Tears stream down my face as I take a few shaky steps into the dark maw of the tunnel. The chill envelops me immediately, raising goosebumps on my skin. My eyes strain to see more than a few feet ahead, the inky blackness stretching endlessly.

With Matias’s firm grip fisted in my hair, I’ve got no choice but to keep walking blindly into the abyss, my friends growing distant with every step.

The tunnel opens up to the night sky. I blink against the moonlight as we emerge into a small clearing surrounded by dense woods. The trees loom over us, their bare branches reaching out like gnarled claws.

Matias releases his grip on my hair, and I stumble forward, gulping in the crisp night air. I spin around to face him. “Why have you brought me here?”

He says nothing, watching me with those intense, dark eyes. I shiver under his penetrating gaze.

“Well?” I demand, struggling to keep my voice from wavering. “Are you going to kill me? Is that what you meant by setting me free?”

A slow smile spreads across his lips, and he shakes his head. “I’m not going to kill you.”

He takes a step closer, and I instinctively back away, my back hitting the rough bark of a tree. Matias continues advancing until there’s barely any space between us. He leans in, his lips brushing my ear.

“I’m setting you free,” he murmurs, his voice a deep rumble that sends tremors through me. “This forest leads outside the compound walls. You can run, and if you can make it without being caught, you’re free to leave.”

My breath catches in my throat as I process his words. He’s shown me an escape route? But why?

As if reading my thoughts, Matias pulls back slightly to meet my eyes. “Do you think you can outrun the wolf?”

Dread coils in my stomach. This is all a game to him, another way to torment and break me. I won’t play along.

“I’m not running anywhere,” I say through gritted teeth. “My friends are still back there.”

Matias tsks softly and reaches up to toy with a strand of my hair. “So loyal, so stupid. They’ll only drag you down, make you weak.”

His fingers trail down my cheek, making my skin prickle. “You’re stronger than them. If you ran, maybe you could survive.”

I knock his hand away, glaring defiantly. “I won’t abandon them. Do whatever you want with me, but I’m not leaving them behind.”

I stare defiantly into Matias’s eyes, refusing to play his twisted game. His jaw tightens with anger.

“Run, little rabbit,” he growls, his voice low and menacing. “Or I’ll make you.”

Before I can react, he whips out a wicked-looking knife from his belt. The blade glints in the moonlight as he presses the razor-sharp edge against my throat. I suck in a sharp breath, my heart pounding.

“I said run!” Matias bellows, increasing the pressure of the blade until I feel a sting as it breaks the skin. A small amount of blood trickles down my neck.

My survival instincts kick in, and I take a stumbling step away, then another. Matias advances, the knife pointed at me. He’s not bluffing—he’ll use it if I don’t obey.

“That’s it,” he taunts. “Run like the scared little bunny you are. Let’s see how far you get before I catch you.”

With a feral snarl, he lunges at me, the blade slicing through the air. I cry out and spin around, bolting into the darkness of the trees.

I can hear Matias rushing through the forest behind me, his footfalls growing closer. My heart thunders in my ears as I run mindlessly, roots and rocks threatening to trip me. The woods are alive with eerie sounds.

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