Chapter 3 Isolde

Icy wind trailed over my exposed calves and burrowed into me until my knees ached and my teeth chattered. I thought the boarding house uniforms were bad, but I would have given anything for one of those stiff ankle length gray dresses during the Hunt. Anything was better than the threadbare tunic the Council provided. Of course, they hadn’t supplied underwear—they wanted us vulnerable.

Once I made it to the edge of the forest, I tried to shift and give myself a fighting chance, but something held me captive in my skin.

The collar.

They bound us, my wolf seethed.

Why would they bind us?

Think, girl, she growled. They wish to make us an easy target for the males.

A shiver ran down my spine. The truth was like a blade through the chest. Everything was against us. I stared at my dirty toes, remembering my last moments of freedom that morning—right before they released us like beasts.

“Remove everything,” the official said impassively.

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Are you deaf?” His lip pulled back in a snarl. “Everything goes.”

I had already removed most of my clothing, and only my underwear and socks remained, but a quick look around at the other Omegas confirmed my worst fears. My cheeks flushed with humiliation as I stripped until nothing stood between my body and the leering gazes of the supervising staff.

A rumpled cloth was shoved into my hands.

“Put it on,” the facilitator grumbled.

Doing so, I asked, “Where are the rest of my clothes?”

“That’s it,” he said as if I had inconvenienced him with my questions.

“But it’s twenty degrees out there.”

“Better run fast then,” he replied with a flippant shrug.

I opened my mouth to protest, but my eyes collided with a honey-colored pair across the room, and the Omega from orientation shook her head.

I tried to shift again, but flames licked at my mind, keeping my wolf contained. My wolf growled, and her hackles rose as she tried to push past the foreign blockage, but it was no use.

Ignoring the jagged rocks, broken twigs, and scattered pebbles abusing the soles of my feet, I worked my way up an incline. Trees arched from the ground like wayward fingers, and I utilized their thick trunks to take cover, dragging leafy branches in my wake to hide my tracks.

I hadn’t made much progress when I heard a chilling chorus of howls erupt in the distance. My heart sped in my chest, and I silently prayed to the Goddess that I was far enough away from the others to go unnoticed.

Tread carefully and use your nose to sense the forest around you, my wolf murmured.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the smells of the forest. Wet pine, dirt, and wood were most prevalent, but I pulled more air into my lungs, meticulously searching for the lingering odor of fur and male.

Move through the trees where they grow closest together; it will make it hard to chase you.

Following my wolf’s orders, I veered off the worn path and tried not to think of all the Omegas that had run the very same trail before me. The dense foliage swallowed the early morning light, and I rushed into its dark embrace, hoping it would be enough to slow my pursuers.

The dull throb in my feet sharpened as dirt seeped into my blisters. I gripped a low branch and used it as leverage to hoist myself over a muddy slope. My biceps ached, but I forged onward, pulling myself onto a rocky ledge above the trail. Branches and weeds tangled around my legs, and I let out a pained hiss as I slipped on the uneven ground. I’d be lucky if I survived the Hunt without an infection.

A growl tore through the forest, and I whirled toward the sound. Nothing. I scanned the tree line, looking for shapes or movement, but only leaves and roots caught my eye. My nerves, however, didn’t ease. Tension curled around my shoulders and slowed my every step. Quiet as a stalking cat, I crept forward, not even daring to breathe.

Listen, my wolf warned.

The forest had gone quiet. The squirrels, birds, and insects were all silent. Every living creature held its breath. Dread coiled in the pit of my stomach, and heat pooled between my thighs.

A predator was nearby.

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 in warning, 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.

I couldn’t stand or run, not like this.

My abdomen clenched, and the smell of crisp rain and spiced cloves made me whimper loud enough to draw the black wolf’s attention. Shit.

His nostrils flared, and his undeniably human eyes flashed before he turned, back rigid, toward the threats.

My wolf hummed at his protectiveness. She preened with smug satisfaction and pushed me to vie for the male’s favor.

Traitor, I admonished through the bond.

Mate. I need our mate now!

Hell no, I told my wolf. A moment ago, you wanted me to make a break for it, and now you’re ready to throw yourself at these random males.

Not random. They’re our mates. Ours, she repeated with a possessiveness I’d never heard before.

Terror at her implication set my brain into motion. I needed to get away, fast.

I edged closer to the water and kept my eyes on the black wolf as the spray of the river tickled my fingertips. It was a spectacularly stupid idea, but it was my only option.

I just had to make it into the water and allow the current to take me. Maybe it would be swift enough to lose this unit.

Holding my breath, I moved further from the wolves. My last thread of hope nudged me toward my goal, and the sound of battle became nothing more than white noise.

A spasming cramp flooded my core, intertwining pain with need. Despite the chilly temperature, I was burning from the inside out. I smelled every delicious note of the males around me.

My traitorous body grew slick between my thighs.

The black wolf turned to me, no doubt scenting the blatant sweetness of my heat. He rushed over, chuffing as he maneuvered his body between me and the river.

He pinned me with a knowing glare, all but daring me to challenge him.

There was nowhere left for me to run.

Reality clawed at my composure. I pressed a hand to the collar at my throat, foolishly attempting to hold on to my dignity.

They were going to claim me, and there was nothing I could do about it.