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She was going to die because of me.

When the beast stalked toward her, she leaped at him and scratched her claws right across his face. He took one bat at her and flung her across the entire forest, her body hitting the tree so hard that it cracked.

My eyes widened. Oh my God …

Then he turned toward me, stalking closer and closer and closer. I squeezed my eyes shut and made myself as small as possible, my heart racing.

I really should’ve listened to Cade and kept my ass at home today!

I could feel his warm breath on my neck from him breathing heavily through his nostrils, a wad of his spit dripping onto my shoulder from his mouth, his sharp canines running over my skin, except I found no pleasure in them, like I had with Davix.

“Ember,” Hazel shouted through the forest at the top of her lungs. “Run!”

Another growl roared throughout the woods, and when I snapped my eyes open, a paw was swatting down right in front of me, his talons long, sharp, and deadly.

Chapter Nineteen

Ember

A black wolf stood in front of me, his eyes burning so red that they left streaks in the air as his gaze traveled from one place to another. My eyes widened, and I pressed myself far up against the tree as I could, frozen to the spot as he obliterated the beast who was about to eat me alive.

R-red eyes?

At first glance, I thought it might’ve been Davix here to save the day after hearing his sister scream. But … he didn’t have red eyes. His wolf’s eyes were golden. I gazed at the werewolf, his muscles straining underneath the sunlight.

And his wolf didn’t have streaks of silver in them.

Fur and flesh from the attacking beast flew in every direction. Bones crunched between the black-fur, red-eyed wolf’s canines. He ripped a leg off the beast and threw it to the side, continuing to tear into his flesh.

The leg landed at my feet, and I screamed.

Blood poured out of the wound onto one of my socks. I must’ve lost my sneakers somewhere on the run over here. I kicked the leg away from me and swallowed some bile that had risen in my throat.

What’s—who—how …

Tears raced down my cheeks, and I wrapped my arms around my body. Where was Hazel? Was she okay? Had that attack killed her? I could barely hear anything over the whimpers from that wolf and my own ragged breathing.

I lifted my gaze in an attempt to find her, but only saw a handful of other hungry beasts approaching, circling, surrounding the black-fur, red-eyed wolf who had saved me from being a midday snack. My eyes widened.

“There’s more!” I shouted at him. “They’re going to attack you!”

Before I could take another look, Hazel grabbed my hand and yanked me in the opposite direction of the fight. “Come on. We have to get out of here before more turn up. Davix is going to kill me for bringing you out here!”

Didn’t she see the others?! He was surrounded!

“But—”

“Come on!” she yelled.

I pumped my legs to keep up with her pace, my temple aching.

Another crunch, and then a howl of death rang out through the forest from the beast. I looked over my shoulder, but we were too far away to see anything anymore. But that wolf … that wolf had saved us, and he was now surrounded by more of those same vicious beasts.

“Hazel,” I said through raspy breaths, “I can’t run this fast for long.”

“We have a mile left. We can’t stop now.”

Tears ran down my cheeks, and I tried to push myself harder. I didn’t want to tell Hazel about my condition because I didn’t need the pity. I just needed a friend. If I told her and she told Davix and the rest of her family—pack—they’d treat me differently.