Page 12 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
I pack a small bag, instructing Jarrod to do the same. “Wear your sturdiest shoes and your good pants, shirt, and jacket,” I order. “Like we’re going on a really long mountain hike, okay?”
“But wherearewe going?” Jarrod asks, trying to cover the fear in his voice.
“Up the mountain,” I answer, not wanting to admit that I don’t know. “We’re going to have a little adventure as wolves, okay?”
Jarrod nods, looking down at his pack uncertainly. “How long will we be gone? I don’t really know what to bring.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I reply. “We’re going to stash our supplies, then go a fair distance in our wolf shapes. I’ll come back for the bags when we need them.”
“Okay,” he answers, still looking confused.
I don’t blame him—I am, too.
“Are you ready?” I ask, trying not to sound impatient.
“Sure,” Jarrod answers, putting on his backpack. “This sounds like a fun adventure.”
I hope so.
“Good, let’s go!”
I take his hand as we go out the back door. My little cottage—passed down to me from my mother—is on the edge ofthe woods, and almost immediately, we’re at the edge of thick scrub. The area is challenging to move through, but at least the climate isn’t too hostile.
We’ll just head south past the mountain. If we get to a human city, we might be able to blend in and hide our scent.
Jarrod hurries ahead, eventually letting go of my hand so he can push up the slope. Even as his breath starts to heave, he keeps going and doesn’t ask for a rest.
Then I hear baying from behind us, and my heart pounds so hard, black waves flow across my vision.
“They’re after us!” I gasp. “We have to move, Jarrod, now!”
“Who’s after us?” he cries. “Do they want to hurt us?”
“Yes,” I answer, throwing my backpack to the ground and gesturing for him to do the same. “I’m so sorry, but it’s your uncle and the pack elders. They want me to marry someone in Rose Hollow, and if I refuse, they’re going to hurt us.”
“What?” he shrieks.
I shake my head, shoving him in front of me. “I thought I could get us away before I had to explain. It doesn’t matter now, just shift. Shift and run!”
Jarrod leaps ahead, shifting into his wolf shape in one quick jump. He darts ahead of me, gaining ground, and I hang back a little to make sure his retreat is covered.
Behind me, the panting of the warrior wolves gets louder as they close in. I can hear their claws ticking against rocks as they pick up speed, and I know they’re moving faster than us.
There’s no hope!
I put on another burst of speed, shoving Jarrod ahead of me. If we can get to the crest of the next hill, maybe we can lose them on the downslope.
We are almost at the rise when a massive wolf leaps out of the bushes ahead of me and crashes into Jarrod. They roll away down the hill, biting and snarling at each other. A scream bursts through my throat as I turn to chase them, not giving a single thought to my own safety.
I hear all the other warriors turn tail to follow, but all I can see is Jarrod tangling with the other wolf as they twist and wrestle with each other. When they roll straight off a rocky outcrop, I hear a terrible howl of pain from the other side.
The shock hits me so hard, I lose my footing and slide through the rocks and gravel, finally coming to a stop on the other side of the rocks. As I lay there, trying to get my breath back, I heard the other wolves surrounding me.
Jarrod screams, and I struggle to my feet. He’s shifted back to his human shape and is being held by two thugs I don’t recognize. One of them glares at me, squeezing Jarrod’s arm and giving him a shake.
Quickly, I shift back to my human shape, holding out my hands.
“Okay, okay!” I shout. “You got us. I’ll stop fighting. You can take us in. Just please, don’t hurt him!”
