Page 20 of Claimed By the Alpha Wolves

“Thanks for taking one for the team.” I laugh, rolling my eyes.

When Addilyn bends down to touch her toes, my gaze wanders over to the alphas again. Kurt is there, right at the front of the pack, his eyes locked on me.Why are his eyes locked on me?Then, he points at me, an awful smile curling his lips.

I struggle to swallow, my breath catching in my throat. My heartbeat picks up.Ican’thave a panic attack here. I need to calm down. I need to think about something else.

Closing my eyes, I picture my grandma, rubbing my back, holding fresh lavender under my nose. My grandmother wasn’t a kind woman, or a patient woman, but she and my grandfather took us in when our parents passed away, killed by a rival pack. They made sure we had clothes on our backs and food in our bellies, even if they resented having to raise children all over again. And as much as I knew we weren’t wanted by them, there were small moments, like when she used the lavender to calm me, that I knew some part of her cared about me.

“Think calming thoughts,” she would say.

So I try to. I try to picture something that makes me feel calm and safe. And to my surprise, I picture the man from the hallwaylast night, and how he comforted me, sending that servant away and making sure I got back to my room okay. That was the most taken care of I’ve felt in years.

When I open my eyes, the ultimas are still in the center of the field, but Lance is holding a gun over his head. My palms grow sweaty, and I filter out the giggling of the other omegas. To them, this is a game. To me, this is a nightmare.I can’t handle a meal with Kurt. I’ll come apart, and people will start to ask questions. He won’t like it if they do.

“Best of luck to you!” Lance shouts, with far too much joy, before pulling the trigger and sending the omegas scattering into the woods.

And me… running for my life.

TEN

Faye

For as much as people like to joke about omegas running away from everything, I don’t feel like I’m any good at it. The second we broke the line of the trees, I went down, tripping on a root, and Addilyn had to haul me to my feet.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at me and the way I wobbled on my feet a bit. Yes, I’m weak. I know that. From the day I was born, they’d told my parents that I was one of the weakest omegas they’d ever seen.But I should be able to run, right? Running isn’t even that hard, so what’s wrong with me?

“What do I do?” I plead. “I can’t let him catch me.”

“Justgo,” she says, pushing me a bit. “Run as fast as you can and don’t look back.”

She’s right. That’s all I can do. Run fast, and be smart.

I take off through the trees, this time making sure to alternate between looking where I’m going and looking down at my feet. Vaguely, I can sense that I’m passing the other omegas, who aren’t really trying to get away, just trying to run far enough that the alphas can have some fun finding them. But I don’t care. Even if I reach the edge of the property, I might just keep running if it means I can avoid Kurt.

Except, how long can I keep running like this?

Deciding to focus on being smarter and not just faster, I start to lay a false trail, purposely leaving my scent on everything I can in one direction, then moving a different direction, while doing everything in my power not to leave my scent. I avoid touching trees and bushes, the longer patches of grass, and move carefully rather than just fast. Then I look for the areas where the forest seems to be the thickest, and wind my way toward them, knowing I’ll be harder to find.

My lungs are screaming, and my heart is positively trying to pound right out of my chest. But I don’t stop. I push my burning muscles past the point of breaking, force my body to keep moving even as my sore neck and ankle scream in pain.Anything if it takes me away from Kurt.

Faintly, somewhere behind me in the woods, I hear squeals and laughter.The alphas are here. Has ten minutes passed already?

Fuck.

From the sound of it, I’m not as far away from the other omegas as I’d like. But if the alphas are out here, there’s no way I can outrun them. I’ll just be more tired when I’m caught.What am I supposed to do? How do I get out of this?

I continue to run, because what else can I do? I leave behind the sounds of the alphas and omegas and leap over a fallen tree. After, I slow, feeling breathless and exhausted.How much longer? How much longer can I go like this?

I stop, heart pounding, and try to find a solution. It’s clear I can’t outrun Kurt as a strong alpha, so what can I do? I mean, I canhopehe went after another omega. Or that my false trail tricked him. But I have to err on the side of caution, assuming he’s coming after me, and be smart.

Then I look up.

Hiding. The other way omegas survive.Before I can even calm my breathing, I’m hauling myself up onto the first tree branch I can reach. I’ve nearly managed to pull myself on top of it when hands settle on my waist, pulling me back down to the ground.

I let out a blood-curdling scream, kicking my feet as hard as I can as my mind goes into panic mode.It’s Kurt. We’re far out in the middle of the woods. Nobody is going to be able to help me. Even if the ultimas said not to try anything, Kurt will do what he wants, and nobody will believe me.

“Let me go!” I scream, but the words come out broken and terrified.

The hands come off of me, and I hit the ground, scrambling backward through the leaves. My head stays down, but out of the corner of my eye, I spot the man reaching out for me. His hand closes around mine, and I know… I know I’m trapped.

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