30. Cherry
Cherry
When I was fourteen, I used to pride myself on my speed. I knew I’d be faster than my sisters in a few years. I never got to find out if I would have been quicker than them, but I channel my love for them into me as I run faster than I’ve ever gone before.
Trees and bushes pass me in a blur, and I barely feel the ground beneath my feet. As I weave and dodge around fallen trees and boulders, all I think about is moving faster, letting instinct guide my movements.
I start to worry the guys got overwhelmed with all the rogues, but suddenly I hear them through the bond, sending a huge sense of relief through me, driving me to move even quicker.
“We’re coming!” Hunter tells me.
“We’re right behind you,” Maddox adds.
“Keep moving, angel,” Bain says, his deep voice encouraging me.
“Don’t stop,” Gage instructs as I weave around another tree.
“I’m coming, baby girl,” Chase adds.
I can hear the pounding of Blaze’s feet behind me, and I question how he’s able to run this fast in his human form. It doesn’t seem possible.
After I move past a particularly large bush, I have to skid to a stop to avoid the giant cliff wall that feels as if it’s come out of nowhere. I glance around, but it extends in both directions.
I spin, planning to move back into the trees, but Blaze suddenly steps through them, panting heavily with a pleased grin on his stupid face.
“Stop running from me, Three.” He takes a step closer, his arms wide as if he’s ready to tackle me if I try to move. My eyes roam around the forest, trying to find a way through, but when he speaks again, my eyes fly back to meet his. “Are you ready to come with me?”
This guy is nuts. But then again, if he’s not going to hurt me, I just have to wait for my mates to catch up to us, which should be any moment now. Even if Blaze gets a hold of me, he won’t be able to escape this forest without them finding us.
That eases something inside of me.
Everything’s going to be okay.
Blaze lunges for me, and I let out a surprised yelp before running in the opposite direction, keeping the rock wall on my right as I move through the forest looking for a place to turn, so I can head back toward my mates.
Branches whip against my sides as I push harder, my paws digging into the uneven ground as I race along the base of the cliff.
The wall looms beside me, jagged and unyielding, forcing me into a narrow path that twists through thick brush and low-hanging limbs.
I can hear him behind me, crashing through the forest without any care for stealth, his breaths ragged but relentless.
He’s slower than me… barely. But he doesn’t need to be faster if he can corner me.
The ground dips suddenly, the packed dirt giving way to loose stones that slide under my paws.
I scramble to keep my footing, claws scraping against rock as I bound down the small decline.
A shallow stream cuts across my path at the bottom, water rushing over smooth stones.
I leap over it in one motion, landing hard on the other side before continuing forward without slowing.
The scent of water helps dull my trail, but it won’t be enough. Not with him this close.
A snarl builds in my chest, frustration and fear mixing into something sharp and hot. I can feel my heartbeat in every step, in every breath, in the tight coil of burning energy that refuses to settle inside of me.
I need space. I need an opening.
The forest thickens ahead, the underbrush growing dense enough that I have to lower my body to push through it. Leaves scrape along my back, branches tug at my fur, trying to slow me down. I force my way through, ignoring the sting as something sharp catches against my side.
Behind me, Blaze curses, his pace faltering for a fraction of a second as the terrain fights him.
Good.
I surge forward, putting as much distance between us as I can. The cliff finally begins to curve inward, the wall no longer a straight barrier but something that juts out in uneven ridges. My eyes scan quickly, searching for anything I can use. A break. A path. Anything.
I see a narrow gap between two massive rock outcroppings, partially hidden by a fallen tree. It’s tight, barely wide enough for me to squeeze through in my wolf form, but it leads away from the open stretch I’ve been trapped in.
I veer toward it without hesitation.
The fallen tree forces me to duck low, my belly brushing the ground as I slide beneath the trunk. Bark scrapes along my back, and for a split second I’m trapped, caught between wood and stone. Panic spikes, sharp and suffocating.
But I keep moving, keep wiggling my body, and finally, I’m through.
I scramble to my feet and keep running, the terrain shifting again as the ground rises into a steep incline. My muscles burn as I climb, each step heavier than the last, but I don’t slow.
The sounds behind me change.
No longer just crashing and breathing. He’s closer again.
How?
A flicker of unease cuts through me, but I shove it down and focus on the path ahead. The incline levels out into a narrow ridge, the forest thinning just enough that the sunlight filters through the canopy above. Shadows stretch across the ground, shifting with every movement.
I risk a glance over my shoulder.
He’s right there.
Closer than he should be, his expression wild, eyes locked on me like I’m the only thing in the world that exists. There’s something wrong in the way he moves, in the way he doesn’t seem to tire the same way a human should.
My chest tightens.
This isn’t right. This isn’t normal. But then again, nothing about Blaze is normal.
A low growl rumbles from me as I push myself harder, my legs straining as I sprint along the ridge. The drop on the other side is steep, not as steep as the cliff I ran from, but enough that one wrong step would send me tumbling down through rock and brush.
I angle slightly left, trying to put more distance between me and the edge, but the path narrows again, forcing me closer than I’d like.
Behind me, his footsteps quicken.
“Keep running, Three,” Blaze calls, his voice hoarse but filled with something twisted and pleased. “I like the chase.”
Rage flares, bright and sudden, cutting through the fear.
My ears flatten as I push forward, lungs burning, heart pounding, the forest blurring around me as I search for anything, any advantage, any way to turn this in my favor.
I just need a little more time.
They’re close. I can feel it.
I just have to keep moving.