Page 33 of Resisting Fate

My wolf had to feel loss so strongly to be able to pass the barrier.

He gives a mournful howl that can only be heard inside of the forest.

I let my own devastation take over me as we wander the forest aimlessly. Now that Hailey can’t chase us anymore, my wolf walks around sluggishly, barely alert.

Which is why I don’t see the other wolf coming until it’s too late.

The wolf crashes us onto our side to take us down, and we growl and snap at whomever it is trying to hurt us.

The scent is familiar; it’s the same wolf that had attacked me before.

This wolf is out to kill me. I spend too long defending myself before I’m able to knock them against a tree and run away.

This place is big enough. I hope to lose whomever that was.

Wolves are territorial in here, but that attack felt different. Personal.

I don’t know of anyone that has come into the forest, so I can’t think of who would know me in here.

I feel like I’m being hunted, and I know it’s the same wolf from months ago stalking us throughout the forest.

They jump us out of nowhere again and, when I catch a look at their eyes, I’m shocked to see that there isn’t a trace of a feral wolf looking at me. This wolf looks like they know what they are doing.

My wolf is currently on the attack. I can’t get him to shift back for anything.

The other wolf rips at my leg. I feel the pierce of pain. If I could scream out, I would. My wolf lets out a whimper.

“What the fuck? Who the fuck are you?” I yell at the wolf after I shift quickly back to my human form. My wolf doesn’t seem to know what to do with this attack and cowardly retreats.

They shift like it’s nothing, but my focus is on her eyes that look at me with such furiousness. She looks at me like she wants to tear me apart.

“I’m not surprised you don’t know anything about me. But again, that doesn’t shock me given who your father is,” the woman growls out angrily.

“I have no idea what you are talking about. How do you know my father?” I ask, dread filling me.

She lets out a sigh. “He’s my mother’s ex-fuck or whatever. He trapped me in here years ago after I saw him kill her. She told him she was pregnant, but he was obviously cheating on your mom and didn’t want her to find out. He was chasing me through the forest. He said he was going to enjoy me before getting rid of me so I couldn’t turn him in for killing her. I felt so fucking devastated at losing my mother. She was my rock, my world. He chased me all around and, next thing I know, I was trapped in here. I’ve been in here for a couple years now.”

“My father is dead. He died a couple months ago. He got taken out in a rogue attack, and no one was sorry to see him go as he betrayed the pack. How did you know he was my father?” I ask, looking at her curiously.

She scoffs at my question. “You look just fucking like him. I would be an idiot not to see that.”

Yeah, I do look like the asshole. It’s one of the things I hate about myself.

“It’s definitely not a secret anymore what kind of an asshole he is. The new alpha is still figuring out how deep the corruption ran. Can’t say that I’m sad to see the asshole you know as my father is gone.”

She seems to look at me with a different expression on her face; like she wasn’t expecting me to hate him too.

“Is there a way to get out of here?” she asks.

I shake my head. “You know, I’m not really sure. My wolf is on the edge of turning feral which is how I think I was able to get in, but your attack made him retreat back.”

“Did you lose a mate?” she asks, looking at me with sympathy.

I shake my head, but watch as she grabs some clothes. She laughs at the look of confusion on my face.

“Well, some of you come in here and shift but stay shifted, so clothes are left behind. I gather them up and place them around random parts of the forest,” she says with a shrug.

“That works. What’s your name, by the way? I don’t want to call you ‘that wolf who has attacked me twice.’ I will help you find your way out,” I say with a wince.