Page 108 of Wolf's Mark

If I was lucky enough, I’d return home and hide under the covers with a pint of ice cream. Make it a half gallon. Definitely no more horror movies in my future. I was also giddy with the craziness I felt inside.

The meeting had been fascinating, mostly because of the intense testosterone in the room.

I’d thought my Wolfie boyfriend was going to kill the one dude.

Their mother? Oh, God. She really did think I was Jax’s mate. Maybe they were the nutty ones and I was perfectly sane.

Even if I’d seen Jax’s eyes and his canines?

Girl, you’re losing your grip on reality.

Yes, I was and right now, I was proud of it.

I bounded down the driveway and realized I needed to get off the road. Would he come on foot or bring his fabulous sports car to chase me down?

Or would he shift?

Decisions. Decisions.

A laugh bubbled to the surface as I lunged toward the woods, passing through the beautifully lit trees into utter blackness. It took almost a full minute before my eyes regained any focus. Atthat point, my skin was pebbled with goosebumps. I also had a shiver crawling down my spine.

I’d been impetuous leaving like I had, but I’d felt as if my mind couldn’t process another piece of information. I needed space, and my own things to try to bring me back down to earth.

The further I ran into the woods, the worse the feeling of disorientation. I was usually very good with keeping my wits about me. The only time I’d ever gotten lost had been…

When the wolf had saved me.

The big black one with the silver eyes.

I almost tripped again, slamming against a tree. The sound from stepping on a limb had been loud. Too much so. I remained where I was, catching my breath and listening to see if I was being followed.

It didn’t take long to realize I was. While Jax might be an excellent navigator of the woods, I could still detect movement myself.

He was close, but not too close.

In fact, it seemed as if he was creeping along. Maybe it was another type of animal. That was possible.

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my.

I rubbed my eyes, tears stinging them. I’d held up fairly well through everything, but this was too much, too difficult.

Too unbelievable.

With the hunt definitely on, I turned around in a full circle to ensure I was going toward the road and not back to the house. Ithought I could see a twinkle of the lights in the trees but at this point, I couldn’t be certain of anything. My senses were wacked.

I took off sprinting again, shocked the foliage was becoming even denser. The natural barrier was great unless you were trying to escape.

Getting snarled in briars, I went down. Hard. The pain was worse than when he’d spanked me and I let off a single cry. The shrillness permeated the night sky around me. After that, I sucked in my breath to keep from making another sound as I tried to assess the damage.

My knees were likely bloody, my hands pricked by thorns. And every muscle in my body ached. As soon as I tried to stand, another cracking sound assaulted my senses. He was close.

Swallowing, I remained right where I was, praying he would pass by. When I sensed the bastard had likely found me, I took off sprinting, ignoring the anguish and the fact several low limbs smacked me in the face.

I had to be close to the road. I just had to be.

The wind whistled through the trees creating an entirely different howling sound. It was unnerving, the thought of a storm brewing yanking on my heightened level of anxiety.

The single new sound was something I’d never heard before. It wasn’t the cry of a wolf or a larger animal. It was low and husky, almost like a growl but not quite. My brain was still fried, but something pulled me back to the first night and the very first victim.

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