Chapter 12 - Elena

Unsure what was more distressing—Hanson's confrontation or the lie she had just told him—Elena ran from the manor without so much as a glance behind her.

What the hell was she thinking? She had no mate. Jason was gone. He wasn't ever coming back. She had nothing. She was alone. And Hanson couldn't change that. No matter how she might feel about him, fated mates were a once in a lifetime thing. She had already had her chance, and she had snuffed it.

No, she was destined to be alone. And maybe that was exactly what she really needed. She had come to Nightstar hoping not to be alone, hoping that her brother might help to ease all that was going on, but at every turn she felt herself pushing him and everyone else away.

Maybe her being alone would be better for everybody involved. She was sure that Hanson was done with all her bullshit, and how could she blame him after the way she had treated him? Sleeping with him only to avoid him for two weeks was bad enough, but when she closed her eyes, she could still see the pain in his gaze caused by her words when she had told him she had a mate.

How could he be that hurt by the words if he wasn't…

Elena couldn't bear to think about it, and so the second she reached the tree line, she started to strip off her clothes, shifting as she went.

She needed to run. She needed, now more than ever, to be alone. Maybe she ought to remain in wolf form forever and roam the hillside alone. It would be a damn sight simpler than her life so far. And the only time she felt any relief from her heartache was when she let her wolf out to run.

It was more than a little tempting just to shift and get lost in the woods, never to be seen again. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with whatever the hell was going on between her and Hanson.

For a while, she actually let herself believe that she could do just that. She shifted and raced through the trees, catching a rabbit or two before releasing them, just because she could, and because she needed a challenge to take her mind off everything else.

It felt good to properly stretch her legs, and after the horrified look on Hanson's face, for once, her wolf didn't want to whip around and go to find him. Clearly, she was just as embarrassed by what she had said.

When she finally skidded to a halt in a clearing just inside the boundary of pack territory, she couldn't help but think, why are you such a damn fool?

Glancing at the sky, she saw the sun was riding high now. She had been out running on and off for hours, and still she felt guilty.

More than that, she felt angry. Not only at herself, but at him, too. Why did he have to push her into pushing him away? Why couldn't they have just continued to avoid each other until this thing inside her, whatever it was, went away?

Deep down, she knew why. Because it was never going away. In fact, it only seemed to be growing. And that scared her more than anything.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't hear the sound of a twig snapping behind her. In her mind it sounded distant, though it couldn't have been more than a few meters away.

Whipping around, she lifted her nose and scented the air. Growling, she wondered, who's there?

She wasn't entirely sure how she might react if Hanson came prowling out of the bushes to join her. In fact, a small thrill rushed through her at the idea.

She forced it away angrily. Why couldn't she get control of herself where he was concerned?

Rustling to her left made her glance sideways. Then another sound hit her from the direction she now had her back to.

Bile rose in her throat and her hackles raised along her back.

Fuck ! she growled to herself furiously when she heard something to her right.

She had been so lost in her thoughts of Hanson, so hooked on trying to forget everything that had happened, that somehow she had allowed herself to become surrounded.

There was a time when she might have believed it was Eddie and his men, trying to teach her a lesson about going off too far on her own after they had warned her not to. It wouldn't be the first time.

But when the sounds grew closer and she realized whoever it was, they were making no attempt to remain quiet, a sense of dread washed over her.

Remembering the last time she had been attacked and how Hanson had been the one to rescue her, her stomach twisted. She was certain she couldn't be that lucky twice.

And yet, still, she hoped.

The four wolves came on her languidly, almost as if they were playing with her, their teeth bared in grim smirks that made her feel nauseous. The stench of pig filth and death clung to their fur. It was a scent she had smelled before, one that made her skin crawl.

Still, she crouched and bared her own teeth, prepared to fight her way out of the clearing.

Why did I have to be such a damn idiot? She thought. If only she had admitted the truth to Hanson. Maybe she would be in his bed right now instead of here, about to fight for her life.

She guessed that was what she got for believing she could ever make it as a lone wolf. At least fate hadn't been cruel enough to let her believe it for too long.

Fate, she thought grimly. She had been trying to run from the damn thing for a long time now. And look where it had gotten her.

The wolves started to circle her menacingly, keeping their distance, as if wary that she might be the one to attack them. Their eyes gleamed in the dappled sunlight, dark and threatening, and she knew it would not be long before they lunged to tear her apart.

Like hell she wasn't going to take at least one of them down with her, and so she lunged for the nearest one, knocking him off balance. Landing on top of him, she wasted no time in sinking her teeth into his neck, biting down hard.

Though she had never liked the idea of killing, in a situation like this, she knew it was kill or be killed, and with four on one, she had to take the chance while she could.

Yet even as her victim startled to gasp for breath, another of the wolves barreled against her. The shoulder that jammed into her was enough to send her rolling, their air knocked right out of her as she collided with a nearby tree trunk.

Fighting for air, she tried desperately to scramble back to her feet. No way was she going to die lying down.

But her legs were wobbling so badly that it was almost impossible. It took all the strength she had in her just to sit up.

The three remaining wolves paced back and forth now, glowering at her, and again she got the terrible sense she was being played with.

Just kill me already! she thought, snapping her jaws at them even as the fourth wolf managed to return to his feet.

She had nothing left to live for. Her mate was gone, every connection to him gone with him. Eddie had his own pack now, and Hanson…

Oh, Hanson, she thought, whimpering. Why couldn't she have just told him the truth?

It was too late now. There was no opportunity to turn back and run right to him like her wolf always wanted her to.

The wolves zeroed in on her again, and though she lashed out with her claws and snapped at them with her fangs, they did not back off.

She was cornered against the tree, fighting desperately once more.

Even as the huge black paw came dangerously close to her face, she knew what was coming. It would all be over soon. And as the paw hit the side of her face, causing her head to spin, pain lanced through her skull. She hit the ground hard once more, and a sharp pain stabbed at her temple in the seconds before everything went black.