Ella

When I realized I was being chased, I threw off my cape and veered in another direction, hoping the wolves weren't close enough to see me. If I was lucky, maybe I could throw them off my trail, if only for a moment. I dropped the lantern. The moonlight was so bright I could see well enough, and the snow was so deep I didn't have to worry about rocks or sticks.

I gathered my skirts, running as fast as I could—faster than I'd ever run before. I saw a narrow creek to my right, a steady stream releasing steam into the air. It must be thermal, like the pools around the stone circle. I briefly considered jumping in, craving the warmth and knowing the water would mask my scent.

But what if I had to get back out into the snow? I fretted. I could die of hypothermia faster than the wolves could catch me.

"No," a voice in my head answered. "The wolves will catch you first unless you find a way to throw them off. You can't climb a tree—they can shift and climb."

"You better be right," I muttered, jumping into the stream. The water came up to my waist, and warmth quickly seeped through my dress. I dove beneath the surface, knowing I'd be faster swimming than running. I didn't pause to track my pursuers; I simply went as fast as I could, praying this crazy plan would work—praying Sinclair was coming to help me.

I hated being dependent on anyone, and I hated feeling helpless, but I knew that's exactly what I was. I was at the mercy of these wolves and Sinclair's speed, and that would have been bad enough without knowing my weakness was threatening my baby's life.

I swam until the water became too shallow, then jumped back into the snow and ran again. I heard a roar behind me, and knew I'd failed. I hadn't thrown them off at all; I'd probably only delayed them. I scanned the forest, searching for help. Belatedly, I realized I should have kept my lantern and set the wolves on fire, but hindsight is always 20/20.

Cursing myself, I spotted some boulders and a narrow crevice between them. It was my only chance. Being small might help, but only if the wolves weren't strong enough to break the rock. A month ago, I would have thought that was a given, but now I wasn't so sure.

I wedged myself into the crevice just as a huge weight crashed into the rock. Snarls and growls surrounded me, and clawed paws scraped at the opening, trying to reach me.

My only saving grace was that I didn't wet myself, but I certainly whimpered and whined like a baby. I sobbed with terror, wishing I'd never agreed to this stupid ritual.

This wasn't the first time I'd thought I was going to die, but this time it mattered so much more. This time, it wouldn't only be my life lost. I might be able to accept my own death, but I couldn't bear the thought of my baby dying before it was even born.

"Please," I prayed, knowing the Goddess probably wouldn't care about me, but hoping she'd care about my son. "Please help us."

Sinclair

She's running. My wolf howled with delight. Of course she's running. I thought amusedly. That's the whole point.

"No," my wolf clarified, loping around in my head. "She's not going to stop. Mine, she's finally mine!"

It had taken all my willpower to wait five minutes to give my mischievous human her head start. As I prepared to shift, I wondered if my wolf knew something I didn't. Surely he was getting ahead of himself. We wouldn't know what Ella decided until we caught up to her, but he seemed certain.

I'd known there was a chance Ella would disobey my instructions and run, and my inner wolf had certainly hoped she would, but I still felt anxious. I'd much rather take Ella to bed when I was in full control, and I knew that as soon as I shifted, that would be gone. At the same time, I'd warned Ella—I'd left the decision in her hands.

I knew my reluctance and worry would disappear as soon as I released my wolf, so I gave him one last order before transforming: We had to be gentle.

He snarled in reply, as if affronted I'd even suggest it. After all, his job was to catch her; everything else came after I shifted back. Even so, I knew from experience that the solstice haze left him largely in control, and I wouldn't take any risks—not with Ella.

With a sudden blur and a loud crack, I transformed, pausing only to howl before taking off. The howl was mostly for show—Ella might hear it, but she wouldn't feel it the way a she-wolf would. She wouldn't be frozen, struggling against my power, my demand for submission. She wouldn't understand that this was her chance to accept me as her mate before I even caught her.

I picked up Ella's scent and tracks instantly, a thrill of excitement pulsing through me as I thought about what I was going to do once I caught her. Would she protect herself and stop running, or would she provoke me? Did she want to be with me as badly as I wanted to be with her? Would her instincts make her surrender to lust, despite her humanity? Either way, I was going to take her home and spoil her for doing so well with Lydia tonight, but the real question was how much fun we'd have first.

With the magic in the air, I wondered why we'd been fighting this so hard. I knew all the reasons, of course, but under the moon and stars, they seemed silly. I didn't care that Ella wasn't a wolf, and I didn't care that we'd started with a lie. I just wanted her.

I howled again, but soon caught the scent of other wolves; wolves that shouldn't be anywhere near these forests, especially tonight. I recognized one, remembering his scent from the alley behind the club where Ella had been attacked. My wolf snarled at the memory, and as much as I wanted to attack, I had to figure out how many there were and where they were located.

I scented the air again, cocking my ears and scanning the trees. Fury and fear crashed over me when I realized there were at least six wolves in the woods with Ella and me. That could only mean one thing: The Prince had chosen the hunt to make his next assassination attempt, this time targeting Ella and me.

Four rogues were tracking me, but the other two were far ahead. They'd gone after Ella. They must have been waiting in the forest, and now my sweet human and my pup might pay the price for my distraction. Maybe Lydia was right—I'd been so caught up in her that I'd been sloppy.

"Or maybe Linda was part of it—she certainly helped distract you," my wolf suggested viciously.

She might be conniving, but I didn't believe it. After all, if I were dead, she couldn't be queen. And the failure would still be mine even if she was plotting against me. I'd missed threats brewing right under my nose. It was the canal attack all over again, only a thousand times worse. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to Ella and the baby—never!

I had to decide quickly. Should I dispatch the wolves nearest to me so I could pursue Ella's attackers without added risk, or go straight to Ella and face them all at once? Four was certainly easier to defeat than six, but even one wolf against Ella was too much. I had to reach her before they could harm her. If I paused to fight, they could easily kill her.

Unfortunately, the rogues seemed to understand this too. I was sprinting toward Ella when a huge red wolf barreled into me from the side.