Chapter Thirty
Halley
Spindly branches leave painful scratches on my bare skin, the bark has scraped it raw, and my feet throb from stepping on pine cones. The pain is worth it, because I’ve almost reached the peak. I’m going to win.
It’s been two hours since I washed in the stream, stripping the smell of my pheromones and sweat from my skin. I coated myself in the mud, smearing it over my bra and panties, smothering any lingering scent with the earthy aroma of the forest.
I strategically laid deceptive trails, hanging items of clothing on low branches, then retraced my steps to vanish into the undergrowth.
I jog along an animal-made path, mud squishing between my toes.
Without my boots, my tracks are harder to spot, but I’m forced to pay attention to where I place my feet. I’ve avoided being caught so far thanks to my careful and deliberate pace.
There have been a few signs of the team’s presence in the forest. A burst of birds startled from a tree. The prickle of awareness at the base of my spine, telling me a predator is on my tail.
A few minutes ago, there was the distinct sounds of a fight. Grunts echoing through the silence of the forest. I couldn’t tell who won the tussle. I’m not even sure what happens to the loser. How hard do they fight? Do they injure each other?
I try not to think about it, because the thought of them engaging in hand-to-hand combat is turning me on.
I’ve been aroused since this started. My panties are damp and clinging to my swollen nether lips.
I know there is a trail leading down my mud-covered legs, but I don’t have the luxury of dealing with it.
The camp is close.
Just a little longer and I’ll have my victory.
Proof that I’m tough and capable.
I creep through the trees, crouching low and using my hands to steady my weight as I strain my hearing for any unnatural sounds. I hear nothing. No more grunts or groans.
I pause behind a thick tree, its trunk wider than my arms can stretch. My fingers twitch. My heart is racing. I’m so close, I can feel it.
I take a deep breath and peek around the tree.
There’s no movement and only the smell of damp wood and earth.
I dart for the next tree.
My thighs are burning, and my lungs are on fire as I ascend the incline.
I’ve pushed myself hard today, and it’s only a matter of time before my adrenaline runs out.
I suck in lungfuls of air and wipe the sweat off my brow.
The mud is melting off me, my scent seeping through its disguise.
I might have been able to evade them so far, but I doubt I’ll be able to for much longer.
The camp is just beyond the next row of trees. I can see the sunlight from the camp clearing spilling into the forest shadows.
The sight of it fills me with relief. I did it. I made it back. I almost giggle in excitement, but a sound stops me dead in my tracks.
Crack.
A branch snapping behind me. Far too close.
My skin erupts into a full-body shiver. The fine hairs on the back of my neck raise.
The sound of heavy footsteps approaching sends a zing of desire through my core. My nipples tighten.
My hunter has found me.
I hear him inhale as he approaches me. I’m sure he can smell my arousal now, the evidence leaking down my thighs.
He hasn’t spotted me hidden in the undergrowth yet, but it’s only a matter of time. My arousal will give me away.
I have to act now. Staying hidden isn’t an option. I won’t stand a chance if he finds me. I can’t outrun him, either. The element of surprise is my last option, and also the riskiest.
I squeeze my eyes tight and summon my courage.
Just as the heavy footfalls pass my hiding place, I act.
I burst from the bushes and rush my hunter.
I catch him off guard and knock him onto his back with a grunt. He lands with a heavy thud, like an ancient tree falling in the depths of the woods, and I quickly pin him down, straddling his chest.
My triumphant grin slips off my face.
It’s Viper.
His hands grip my hips, and any thoughts of the chase fade into memories of the last time my thighs stretched around him.
My mouth goes dry as I stare down at him. He’s massive. His body is so large that I must weigh nothing to him. His hands easily wrap around my waist.
Black strands fall across his forehead, and I have the urge to push them back so I can see his eyes.
Green orbs blazing with heated desire.
He doesn’t look like a man who has been defeated. No, it’s something far more primal. He’s the perfect picture of a predator about to catch his prey.
My wavering internal strength roars back to life.
No.
Not yet.
“Let me go!” I holler, and strangely, he releases me.
I scramble off his body and break into a clumsy sprint.
I don’t look back, but I hear his grunt as he jumps to his feet. Those precious delayed moments are my only chance of beating him to camp.
I pump my tired legs, pushing explosive power into my thighs and driving myself up the incline.
I vault over a fallen tree and count how many seconds pass before the heavy thud of his boots echo behind me.
One, two, three, four, five.
It’s not long, but it will be enough.
The forest lightens as sunlight streams through the tree line.
So close.
Something heavy lands on my back, and my knees buckle. I brace for impact, but it doesn’t come. Instead, thick arms swiftly spin me and I land on a hot, muscular torso.
“Ah!” I gasp, shock rippling through me.
Before I can react, I’m flipped onto my stomach, and the heavy body lands on top of mine, pinning me firmly into the damp soil.
A thick, hard length presses into my ass, and I tense. Is that a…?
“Stay down, Omega,” Viper growls into my ear, his hot breath making me shiver. There is a possessive undertone, a weighty assertion of control.
It’s not an Alpha Command, not yet, but I respond to its call.
My body reacts, and I lift my hips and push my rear upwards, the thick heat pressing between the cleft of my ass.
I’m rewarded with a deep grunt.
Oh, that felt good. I do it again, a small arch and slow grind.
His hand desperately drags deep grooves in the dirt beside my face as he wrestles with his desire. He lifts from my back and presses a hand between my shoulder blades, holding me down in the submissive position.
A whine slips past my lips with a gush of slick between my thighs.
‘Yes, yes. This is right. Pin me down and mount me, Alpha,’ my inner Omega croons. I indulge in the drifting pull of my inner Omega, her languid delight spilling into my veins like a drug.
All of my determination and fight leaves me. I should be running, but instead I lay here, pliant and wet, desperate for my Alpha to take me.
There is a pause, and I hold my breath.
I squeak as an arm bands under my hips and drags me to my knees. I try to rise to my hands, but the hand between my shoulder blades holds me down.
For a moment, the haze of my Omega instincts clear and alarm sweeps through me. Is he going to mount me? Am I about to be fucked in the dirt on the forest floor? I thought Shade said things wouldn’t get out of hand.
“Present for your Alpha,” Viper snarls an Alpha Command, and just like that, I’m swept back under his spell.
I arch my back, wiggling my ass enticingly.
Viper moans and kneads my ass cheeks with his hands. I sigh with pleasure.
A thick finger trails down over my panties and stops over my wet slit.
“Yes,” I hiss and try to spread my legs wider. “Touch me, touch me, touch me.”
And he does.
“You’re soaked.” Viper groans.
His finger circles my swollen clit and I moan in satisfaction.
“More,” I demand, and he obeys.
My skin is so sensitive that when his finger dips down and presses against my opening through my panties, I gasp.
“Yes!” I cry out, lifting my hips higher and widening my knees.
I don’t care that we’re in the middle of the forest. I don’t care where we are, as long as my Alpha mounts me right now.
“Please, please,” I beg in soft, breathy moans.
There is a distant sound, heavy footfalls and a shout. I ignore it. All I care about is my Alpha doing what I asked without hesitation.
“Get off her, LT,” I distantly hear a voice say, but I’m preoccupied with the cock throbbing in the cleft of my ass.
His fingers dig into my flesh and my body jerks in anticipation. I’m seconds away from being stuffed full. I can feel the heavy weight of his cock behind me, its length pressing into the curve of my ass.
There’s movement in my peripheral vision, and boots appear beside me. I turn away from the disturbance and press my cheek into the damp leaf-litter.
And then his touch is gone.
I whine, missing the heat of his body. My body aches with emptiness.
I pant against the forest floor, inhaling the sweet scent of decaying plant matter.
I’m struck by a sudden swell of frustration and anger.
My Alpha has disobeyed my wishes, my explicit command to touch me.
It feels like I’ve been betrayed, like a tether between us has been broken, and the emotion confuses me.
“Alpha. Come back!” I scream, anger rushing through me, a desperate need to be heard and obeyed.
An answering bellow of rage breaks through my warring emotions and the sound of a fight washes over me.
“Omega!”
A body hits the soft ground, and it shivers beneath my cheek. I focus on that sensation and curiosity eventually blooms.
Questions appear like little bubbles bursting in my mind.
Where am I?
It takes a moment, but the haze fades and realization settles.
O-space. Fracking O-space sucked me under.
I scramble to my feet and turn to see Viper and Shade in a vicious fight.
I’m frightened for Shade; he’s a Beta and Viper is… well, he’s the biggest Alpha I’ve ever seen. Yet, it looks like an even match.
Fueled by his instincts, Viper’s desperate need to return to his Omega takes over, allowing Shade to exploit his distraction.