Page 8 of Hunting Their Omega

And I was its prey.

I jumped at the echoing snap of a branch. Chest heaving, I gulped down lungfuls of . . . rain. Rain, cinnamon, peppery patchouli, and musk.

Another snap.

I twisted, catching a glance of a black tail.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

We need an opening, my wolf hissed.

A wave of heat stoked the embers of my need, my skin burning in the presence of the males.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A prickling awareness shifted my focus, and the world around me became clearer. I whipped my head to the left and gasped when a pair of arctic blue eyes clashed with mine.

The wolf was massive—bigger than anything I’d ever seen—and I whimpered with need even as my pulse accelerated.

I ran.

My blood pounded in my ears as I fled. A howl sounded behind me, quickly followed by two others. Heavy footsteps shook the earth beneath my feet, the need for stealth forgotten in the sure capture of their conquest.

They were gaining on me. From the corner of my eye, I spotted flashes of black and chestnut fur darting in and out of the trees.

There was a dip in the terrain fifteen paces ahead, a sunken valley of unknown depth. It was risky, but it was all I had. The growls grew louder, and I could almost feel their breath on my heels.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and my nipples pebbled at the thrill of being chased. My pursuers emanated raw power, and some ingrained force urged me to submit—to let them take me in any way they pleased.

Over my dead body.

Summoning all my strength, I threw myself down the decline. My teeth rattled with the force of my limbs hitting the earth. I rolled, sliding over the merciless terrain as branches pierced my skin.

A cry escaped my lips as I skidded to a stop at the bottom of a valley. The sound of running water had me scrambling to my feet, but my knees buckled when I tried to stand.

This can’t be happening.

Bushes rustled nearby, and another wolf—this one red and menacing—stalked into the clearing. He snapped his jaws inwarning, and I snarled in return. I wouldn’t be taken, not by him, not by anyone.

His body went still, and a low, threatening growl reverberated in his chest.

He lunged, and I froze, shock rendering my body useless.

His razor-sharp incisors dripped with saliva, and I shivered as I pictured them sinking into my flesh.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable pain of a bite.

The thud of flesh and bone colliding rattled in my ears, followed by an ear-splitting whine.

When I peered at the scene before me, I found a massive white wolf snarling at the red beast. They clashed in a blur of fur and claws, pummeling each other with vicious strikes.

A black wolf appeared and prowled closer, shielding me from the fray with his body. The crazed snarl of a newcomer echoed through the forest, and a gray wolf lunged for the white one only to be intercepted by a brutal slash of claws from the chestnut wolf.

They were fighting over me.

Alarmed, I looked for an escape route, slowly scooting away from my black guardian.

There was a small break in the shrubs, large enough for me to spot the moving body of water, a river.

I bit my tongue as I shifted to a crawling position. My wounded feet throbbed, every cut, welt, and blister mangling my soles.

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