Jolie Farris hissed as she sliced her palm open on what used to be a tree branch, but at some point it had fallen off, or had been broken off by roaming animals, leaving a spike for her to slice herself on.

She brought the bloody mess up to her mouth and sucked on it to ease the sting. Then she stopped, looking down at the blood that pooled in the cut.

Jolie pressed her lips together.

She could either use the blood and hope to attract her prey, or she would end up leaving a trail that Dempsey would be able to follow all too easily.

Double-edged sword. One way or another, this wasn't going to go her way, and someone was going to end up getting hurt.

Probably her, but that was what happened for not being an alpha, or even a beta.

Omegas didn't have the tough skin their counterparts did, and the sun wasn't even all the way down yet, but the heavy shade through the canopy above her made the temperature drop more and more.

She was getting cold, and hungry.

She honestly hadn't thought it would take so long to find him. Jolie had kind of hoped Liam would just be out here, waiting for her, and that after an hour of walking at the very most, she would stumble across him.

Or he would let her find him.

That didn't seem as if it would be happening now. She'd made a run from her pack four hours ago.

Jolie checked her Fit Bit.

Four and a half hours ago. She was totally screwed if that was the case. Dempsey was probably already out there, running through the woods, trying to catch up with her.

He would definitely catch up with her because he was an alpha. He didn't have his own pack, but he was definitely an alpha. Strong, thick-skulled, and didn't like taking orders from absolutely anyone.

And he wanted her to be his mate. Dempsey wanted Jolie for a mate, and Renzo had signed off on it.

Jolie pushed forward. If this took any longer, she was going to start yelling for Liam to show himself.

The way Dempsey constantly bitched about how he was always getting closer and closer to the territory, she would have thought Liam was constantly just a stone's throw away, but it turned out that wasn't the case.

He was close to the pack, but far enough away that an omega that didn't have the same skills and protections as a beta or an alpha would have trouble finding him.

She wished she'd worn a better coat for this. Thank God she'd put on her hiking boots. The only reason she didn't shift was because she needed to keep from losing her purse and wallet.

Clothes had a nasty habit of getting lost or torn up in a shift.

"Goddammit." Jolie stopped, putting her hands on her hips, and then yanking her bloody hand away when she remembered it was bloody and she'd just ruined her jeans.

Jolie clenched her teeth. Bad day. She was having a bad day, and just because this probably wasn't going to work didn't mean she was going to sit back and do nothing while Dempsey decided she was going to carry his pups.

No. She wasn't going to do that.

Jolie pressed on. One aching foot in front of the other. That was the way this worked.

Until she caught the sound of a howl off in the distance.

Goosebumps prickled up all along her arms. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up and sizzled, as though jolted by electricity.

Jolie wet her lips. Okay, think. She was going to think about this instead of panicking.

She couldn't fight them off if they tried taking her back, but she could figure out where they were.

To the south of her, coming from the pack. That much was obvious just from the direction of the sound.

The distance put them at about ten minutes away. Fifteen if she was absolutely lucky.

Jolie ran. She'd already been running in spurts, getting sweaty and out of breath before walking, then starting that process all over again.

Now was as good a time as ever to start running.

She wasn't going to let herself get caught. She was going to fight this. Even if she had to fight a bunch of betas and alphas, even if she had to fight off Renzo and Dempsey together. Even if she had to stick her claws into their eyes, she wasn't going to let them take her back, and she wasn't going to let that son-of-a-bitch mount her and put his pups inside her.

No fucking way.

The next howl was closer, and Jolie had no idea what she was running towards. She had no sign that Liam was even in the area. Jolie wasn't much of a tracker, and she just started walking in the direction she'd last heard he was spotted.

He might not be out here. He could be in a complete opposite direction. Liam might not even want to fight for her after she didn't fight for him.

After what happened to him. She had her chance to go with him then, but she hadn’t.

Another howl, and Jolie's body was getting weak from all the running she'd been doing already. Her heart slammed hot and heavy against her ribs, as though trying to break out. Her lungs were hot and dry, and so was her mouth.

She needed rest. She needed to find a place to hide, but out here there was nothing. She was bleeding and her scent was going to be stronger. Even if she did manage to find a hiding place, her scent was something much more difficult to hide, especially with the wind against her.

The courage Jolie had summoned when she'd gathered her things and made the decision to run away was gone. It was definitely gone. This was a stupid idea. She never should have done this. She never should have run into the woods. She should have taken her chances on the road. There was a chance Dempsey wouldn’t have come after her and Renzo wouldn’t have wanted to bother with her if she abandoned her pack.

But running into the woods? Running towards Liam, or where she thought Liam could be.

That must have pissed off Dempsey like no one’s business.

And Jolie was getting to a point where she no longer cared. She didn't care if it pissed off Dempsey. She didn't care if he wanted to mate with her, or what Renzo thought, she didn't care about any of that.

She wished she'd gone with him when he'd asked her to. She wished she hadn’t turned her back on him, because now that she needed him, why would he come forward and help her?

"Liam! Liam! I'm sorry!"

It was so stupid. Announce to the wolves behind her what she was doing out here. As if they didn't already know, but now she was confirming it.

It would just get her in more trouble when she didn't show up because he wasn't out here.

That wolf Dempsey had been hunting all this time was probably not even Liam. It was probably just some rogue that Dempsey had been paranoid about, and Jolie had put her hopes in it.

"Shit!" Jolie skidded to a halt, pushing herself away from a bear trap just as she saw it. She nudged it just enough that it snapped shut, its teeth grabbing out for her, but she avoided it, thank God, and kept on running.

Dempsey had gone far out with those traps, and she was going to get her foot caught in one if she didn't watch it. Dempsey might even leave her out here to bleed out. No, he wouldn't do that. He'd just watch her until she figured out how to get out of the trap herself before making her walk back home.

It would be the ultimate walk of shame.

But he had to be out here. Liam had to be out here. It had to be him this whole time. It wasn't just Dempsey who believed it, Jolie had believed it. If she found out she was wrong now...God, she couldn't do it. She couldn't think about it.

And the wolves were getting closer. She could hear them. They were right behind her. They would have her in their sights right about now. One good burst of speed and it would be enough to catch her, throw her off her feet, and put her on her back.

They would make her submit.

Jolie's mind raced. She couldn't avoid the panicked thoughts anymore. They were there and she was definitely screwed. A weapon! She needed a weapon. A stick wouldn't work. A rock? Maybe a big one.

Jolie wanted to cry out again. She opened her mouth, Liam's name on her lips, but she didn't have anymore air left to even say his name. She was done for. She was caught.

Jolie's rubber legs gave out on her, and she fell on her face as the wolves surrounded her.

To Be Continued........................

A.N: Chapter two is here! I really hope you're enjoying this so far. I think I might post until Chapter 3 tonight and then begin to schedule it :) Though if there are enough people who put this book into their libraries, I think I'll add the next chapter a bit early :)

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Mandy