Page 10 of Nightmare Island

He lunges for my hand, his meaty fingers grasping for my blade. I twist away, but his hand clamps around my wrist like an iron vise, squeezing until I fear my bones might snap.

I gasp at his aggression while tugging my arm against his hold. His blood smears across my skin, hot and slick.

The storm escalates around us, trees and the wind thrashing wildly.

With a roar of effort, he slams my arm against the tree trunk.

I scream out as fire-hot pain bursts through my wrist and hand. The blade slips from my numb fingers, dropping away into the underbrush. His grip on me loosens, just for a moment, as he glances at his wounded chest, at so much blood. It’s all the opening I need.

I drive my knee upward, catching him right between the legs. He wheezes, doubling over, and I seize my chance. I shove him with all my might, sending him staggering backward.

My feet barely touch the ground as I dash deeper into the forest. The storm rages around me, my heart racing just as fast, wishing I still had my knife.

I don’t know where I’m going, but anywhere is better than here.

The Alpha’s enraged roars fade behind me, but I don’t slow down. I can’t. On Nightmare Island, stopping means death… or worse.

Rain lashes at my face, the wind whipping through the trees with a banshee’s wail. Every sense is on high alert. The metallic tang of blood—his and mine—mingles with the earthy scent of wet soil and the storm.

It’s overwhelming, and my wolf’s pressing against my insides for release, to fight this monster, but stopping to transform leaves me vulnerable. I scramble over fallen logs and duck under low branches.

A snap of lightning illuminates a steep slope ahead. Without breaking stride, I half run, half slide down it, using the slick mud to my advantage. It’s reckless and dangerous—one wrong move and I could break my neck—but the alternative is worse.

At the bottom, I pause for a split second, straining to hear over the storm. Nothing. No sound of pursuit. But that doesn’t mean I’m safe.

I press on, my drenched clothes clinging to me like a second skin.

As I run, a hysterical laugh bubbles up in my throat. Of all the places in the world to crash-land, I end up on an island full of exiled Alphas. It’s like the universe looked at my life and thought,You know what this girl needs? More violent men with control issues!

However, I’m not the same scared girl I was when Jarl first claimed me. I’ve endured four years of hell, and I’m still standing.

The forest grows denser, the trees pressing in close. I slow my pace, forced to pick my way more carefully. My lungs burn, my legs tremble with exertion, but I push on. Somewhere in this green hell, there has to be a safe place. A cave, a hollow tree, anything.

As I move, my mind races. How many Alphas are on this island? Are there any other Omegas? Is there any way off this rock, or am I trapped here forever?

One problem at a time, Hel. First, survive. Then, escape.

A distant howl cuts through the storm’s roar, sending fresh adrenaline coursing through my veins. He’s not giving up. Of course he’s not. Fucking Alpha. To him, I’m fresh meat in a world where Omegas are scarce.

I burst out of the woods, and I can see a bit clearer now in the night. My lungs scream with each ragged breath. The clearing before me lifts upward even more, and there, in the distance, I notice what looks like cave openings in the mountainside.

I scramble up the incline, my feet slipping on the wet grass. A snarl rips through the air behind me, and I twist my head to look back.

Oh, fuck me sideways.

The Alpha is hot on my heels, blood still oozing from the gash across his chest. His eyes are wild, feral, promising a world ofpain if he catches me. Which, given how fast he’s gaining, seems increasingly likely.

“Come here, you little bitch!” he roars. “I’m going to teach you what happens to Omegas who don’t know how to behave.”

“Sorry,” I yell back, surprising myself with how steady my voice sounds. “I left my Submissive Omega rule book on the plane. You’ll have to reschedule the lesson!”

I push harder, my legs aching. Just a little further. Just a little?—

Movement catches my eye, and I nearly trip over my own twisted grass roots.

There’s another male with a flaming torch, farther up the mountain, heading in my direction. But something’s… off about him. I squint, trying to make out details through the rain.

Is that… is that a skull?

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