Chapter 4

Korren

The forest was dense and lush. Wild blooms peppered the greenery with varying shades of yellow, pink, and coral. Thousands of paws had worn tracks through the flora, creating crisscrossed trails with no sure direction.

She's close,Valor said through the bond as his wolf forged ahead.

Is it weird that I can feel her?I asked.

Ezra's dark gray wolf kept pace with mine. What do you feel?

Her signature is almost physical. The closer we get, the more it scrapes against my skin. My wolf's hair is standing on end, and he's agitated.

Is something working with her? Ezra asked, his wolf weaving around a thick, twisted root. My wolf is getting anxious to get to her.

No, but she's determined. Angry. I can feel her need to escape—to get away.

You're worried. Valor's words flashed down our bond.

My chest clenched. The sentimental part of me warred with the primal call driving my wolf. If she didn't want to be caught, how would she react when we found her?

Would she hate us?

Would she fight our claim?

Our mate will want us, my wolf said with a confident growl.

I wished I could believe him.

The scent of other units nipped at our senses, and my wolf's anger surged like a violent storm. Possessiveness clouded my vision as thoughts of our mate being claimed by competing units added fuel to the fire.

A howl broke through the trees.

They're following us, Ezra said.

His wolf slowed, positioning himself at the rear, ready to intercept an oncoming attack.

Guess they're the smart ones,Valor stated. They're trying to follow us to the Omega.

Our sure steps must have drawn their attention. While other units sniffed in confusion or dispersed completely, we had taken off in the direction of the coveted Omega without hesitation or delay. They must have realized that our unit could track her.

His white, black, and gray wolf rounded my other side, placing me squarely in the center.

Ezra's wolf let out a warning growl. Two, possibly three units at most.

Three,I confirmed. Ten wolves altogether.

We can't risk them ganging up on us. Valor's wolf growled and scraped the earth with his paws, goading them to reveal themselves.

No one came.

Why aren't they coming?

The air grew thick with tension as we waited for signs of confrontation. Ezra's wolf audibly sniffed, and his lips pulled back, exposing deadly fangs.

They need us,he said matter-of-factly. Ren, do you smell that?

I sniffed the air, paused, and inhaled again, searching for our Omega's essence among the fog of the other units.

Nothing.

She was masking her scent.

Let's move, Ezra said, setting off down the path.

What's going on?Valor asked, still facing the line of trees.

Ezra's wolf yipped, making a show of dismissing the other units.

I'll explain on the way, Ezra growled. Now stop posturing before we lose more time.

Slow as death, Valor's wolf turned and finally joined us.

Every step veered moderately off course, inconspicuously taking us further from our Omega.

We hadn't noticed the absence of her scent until now. With Valor's acute senses leading the way, Ezra and I had focused on detecting threats, not verifying her scent. If the other units hadn't followed us, we might have missed that small detail.

The information we received from the Council shuffled through my mind, creating a clearer picture. That was how she managed to evade the units for two Hunts—she masked her scent. No other shifter but Valor would have been able to track her.

Care to fill me in? Valor asked thinly.

The Omega's scent is gone. She's masking it somehow, I replied.

And I'm the only one who can track her, Valor said, piecing it together.

Exactly, Ezra confirmed. They won't attack us until they have a visual on her, so we need to make them think we're still tracking her before we lose them. Lucky for us, they're not sure who has the ability.

Ezra guided us through a copse of trees, his wolf sniffing the air as mine monitored the location of the other units.

Any ideas on how to shake them? Valor asked.

My ears twitched toward the faint trickle of running water ahead.

I have one, but you're not going to like it, Ezra replied.

How likely is it to work? I asked, knowing the Omega would use every second to her advantage.

My wolf was getting surly. Every step away from our Omega was a challenge in self-control.

Ezra's voice was absolute. Ninety-five percent.

Valor's wolf growled a warning when the lurking units got too close. What do the remaining five depend on?

How well you can lose them once they're chasing you.Ezra's wolf picked up speed as we approached a roaring river.

We didn't have time for this. We needed to ditch the tails, and fast.

We're going to split up on the count of three, Ezra said. The sudden separation should confuse them, and they'll have to choose who to follow. Lose them, then circle back to the clearing where we first sensed them.

Fuck. I don't like this, Valor growled.

I know, but it's the only chance we have. If we find the Omega with them on our heels . . .

Ezra didn't have to say the rest. We were outnumbered, and facing off with the others would only put us—and our fated mate—in danger.

Silent acknowledgment passed through our bond. My wolf's muscles bunched, ready to shoot forward at the signal.

Whatever it takes, my wolf snarled.

Whatever it takes, I repeated in agreement.

Now, Ezra commanded.

My wolf burst through the trees as Ezra and Valor did the same. We ran in opposing directions, disgruntled snarls and howls erupting at our backs.

The heavy pounding of paws followed me as I raced through the woods. Using my gift, I extended my senses, determining their proximity and breaking down their bodily capabilities. As I locked in on the information I needed, I let out a pleased growl, reveling in the challenge they presented.

There were three, spread out in a V formation in an attempt to surround me.

They thought to cut me off, block my escape routes, and once they had me cornered, they would try and out-muscle me.

My wolf snorted.

Typical.

It would have been a sound attack if I hadn't spent my life outthinking shifters who used their size like a battering ram. That was the one detail shifters like them always seemed to miss. Bigger didn't equate to better.

White hot adrenaline poured through me, laying waste to my doubts. My wolf used his smaller size to his advantage, ducking and tunneling through narrow openings in the tangled foliage.

My pulse thundered in my throat with every inch we covered. The ground's texture shifted beneath our paws. The cool, soft dirt hardened, losing all its moisture and giving way to craggy pits of chipped bark and eroded rock.

A cliff appeared ahead.

Perfect.

I slowed my speed, feigning a loss of stamina, and as predicted, the unit descended like vultures.

They closed in, and I felt their breath on my wolf's tail. Their perceived victory was like an oil slick on my wolf's fur. It spurred us on, and a sadistic sense of relief and glee bobbed in our hearts.

By the time they realized how significantly they'd failed, it would be too late.

Gunning for the ledge, my wolf jumped. The others followed, too occupied with the chase to take note of their surroundings. It was a stupid idea, but if I could pull it off, I would get rid of all three pursuers at once. I twisted at the last possible second and shifted into my human skin. In wolf form, I couldn't stop my descent to the bottom of the canyon, but the dexterity of my human form provided the best chance of survival.

If I could dig my claws into the wall in time, of course.

The unit's yelps faded, their bodies jerking and tumbling over the hard decline as they fell.

I dropped into the chasm with my claws extended, flailing for purchase. My nails finally dug into the uneven rock, and my body slammed forward as gravity pulled me toward the pit. I hit the wall so hard that my teeth rattled. I would feel that in the morning.

"Fuck!" I shouted. I took a few shallow breaths, then used my claws to climb the short distance to the top.

The fall wouldn't have killed my pursuers, but it sure as hell would have knocked them out.

With no time to waste, I shifted into my wolf form and reached for our bond. Ignoring my aching muscles, I called out to Ezra and Valor.

Status update?

I'm a free wolf, Valor replied.

Just tossed mine into the river, Ezra said smugly.

I mentally roll my eyes.

Bonded units, like mated units, could speak to each other via their bonds. It was a physical pull—a knowing that struck deep within our bones—and this call only intensified when a bond unit was mated.

It didn't take long to find Valor in his human form beside the massive trunk of a sequoia, a smug look on his face. Ezra's wolf emerged from the trees as I shifted.

"You seem pleased with yourself," I said, ignoring Valor's questioning look as he noticed my bruised body.

His attention heated my skin, and a frown tugged at his lips.

Thankfully, Ezra saved me from further interrogation when he jutted his chin at the tree and asked, "Care to share with the class?"

Valor glanced up, and his voice was so low I wondered if I imagined the words that tumbled from his lips.

"She's in the tree."