Chapter 8 · The Alpha's Trap

Ivy's lungs are burning. She can't see anything except tree trunks blurring past and the uneven ground trying to kill her ankles. Behind her that howl cuts off. The silence is worse.

She doesn't stop running. The forest swallows her whole. Branches claw at her jacket. Her boots hit mud and she nearly goes down but catches herself on a trunk. Her palm scrapes bark. Blood wells up hot against her skin.

She hears footsteps. Not hers. Heavier. Faster.

"Cain?" She tries to whisper it but her voice cracks. No answer. Just footsteps getting closer. She ducks behind a thick oak and presses her back against it. Her heart's hammering so loud she's sure whatever's out there can hear it.

The footsteps stop.

Ivy holds her breath. Counts to five. Ten. Nothing. Maybe she lost them. Maybe Cain—

A hand clamps over her mouth from behind. She tries to scream but the palm's too tight. An arm wraps around her waist and drags her backward. She kicks. Her boot connects with something solid but the grip doesn't loosen.

"Stop fighting." The voice is low. Rough. Not Cain's.

She bites down hard on the palm. Tastes blood.