Chasing back his Rejected Mate

I had no idea how far I had gone. The wind tore at my flesh like unseen claws, and the trees blurred about me, their shadows engulfing me. My lungs burned, and my legs hurt, yet I wasn't able to stop. No, I wouldn't. Not following their actions. Not after his previous actions.

The Alpha who once stood by my side is now the one who had damned me to this misery. Exiled. I was free of him, no longer a member of the Crescent Moon pack. However, that didn't lessen the intensity of the agony or the oppressive feeling of betrayal.

I almost went face-first into the earth after tripping over a root. The sounds of the surrounding woodland were overpowered by the pounding of my heart in my ears. I was driven to keep moving despite having no plan or objective. The weight of everything would collapse if I stopped, and I wasn't sure whether I would make it. My nose was filled with the smell of damp dirt, which helped to settle me in here and now, but I was unable to stop my mind from racing. How could things have turned out so badly? I was part of something, part of him, only a few days ago. I was nothing at all now. An outlaw. Outlaws were effectively extinct in our society.

I refused to allow the tears in my eyes to fall as I continued forward despite this pain. I would not succumb to weakness, neither now nor here. I shoved through a dense canopy of trees and stopped suddenly. A tiny clearing with the lovely glow of the moon in front of me. I stood for a minute, allowing the strange silence to envelop me like a veil. Even though the silence was uncomfortable, the place was lovely in its solitude.

I spun around when I heard leaves rustling behind me. My senses were overwhelmed, and my heart was racing. I was being observed by someone. I sensed their gaze, concealed in the shadows, poised, evaluating. Naturally, my hand went to my side, where my dagger typically lay, but naturally, it was missing.

When I had run from the pack, I had taken everything with me. "Who is present?" I made a demand while attempting to control my shaking voice. However, silence reigned. With my eyes narrowing and my muscles tensing up for a fight, I examined the trees. If they believed I would be easily defeated, they were mistaken. Even though I wasn't myself, I wasn't powerless. I'd endured worse than this before.

Then a man moved forward out of the darkness. Tall and shrouded in shadow, the scent of wolves was unmistakable.

An outlaw? Another exiled spirit similar to mine? Or even worse, one of Zane's goons dispatched to find me?

"What is it that you want?" With a roar, I bared my teeth. "I have no fear of you." The silhouette moved in closer, his severe facial features highlighted by the moonlight. Something deadly glinted in his gaze, something that chilled my blood. Even though I didn't recognize him, I could tell everything I needed to know by the sly smile that was on his lips.

"With a low, rumbling voice, he whispered, "You should be afraid." "No one survives alone out here."

"I've succeeded thus far," I shot back, balling my fingers into fists. "I'm fine without help."

His smile spread and I felt a shiver run down my spine. "Well, I didn't intend to assist."

As our tension increased, I could feel my wolf's familiar tug beneath the surface, pushing me to fight, change, or take action. However, I restrained her. Not quite yet. With careful motions, he walked slowly around me, seemingly assessing me and planning his next move. I obeyed him at every step, not displaying the slightest sign of weakness. I was unable to afford it.

"Are you Nixie, please? His question was softly spoken but had a sinister air. "The exiled individual?"

The word hit me like a slap in the face, and I winced. Exiled. I wouldn't let him realize how terrible and raw it still was.

"That's not your concern," I growled and retreated a step. "Avoid getting in my way."

"Or what?"

In the moonlight, his eyes glimmered, and for an instant, I thought I caught a glimpse of humour. "You're gonna kill me too? Similar to what you did, Lila?

My heart felt icy. How was Lila known to him? Had word of her passing gotten out this far already?

I gritted my teeth, barely controlling my rage as my fists shook. With a low, menacing voice, I bit out, "I didn't kill her."

"You do not know at all." He came to a standstill, his face taking on an incomprehensible expression. "Don't I?" he said, lowering his voice to a whisper.

My gut told me there was a serious problem, so I squinted my eyes at him. But before I could respond, he attacked me with the swiftness of a raptor, his fingers encircling my throat and pinning me to the closest tree.

I sucked in a breath as his hold tightened, and I gasped. I felt a rush of panic, my inner wolf howling, but I was immobile. Not with his hand on my windpipe squeezing it.

"Nixie, you're not the only one with secrets," he growled, his lips brushing against mine and his breath scorching my flesh. "And secrets can kill you out here."

I fought against his grip, feeling more pressure build up in my throat as my eyesight became blurry. My body struggled to cling on and remain conscious, but I could feel the blackness becoming closer.

Then, as abruptly as he'd attacked, he let go of me and stepped aside, grinning icily. Gasping for air, I fell to the ground, my body quivering with anger and shock.

"Keep this in mind," he stated in a teasing, silky voice. "You are no longer the hunter. You are the prey out here.

With a fiery rage in my chest, I looked up at him. "You're not sure who you're interacting with," I growled, my tone barely audible over a hushe. With a low, evil laugh, he turned to walk away, vanishing once more into the shadows. But he issued one last warning over his shoulder before vanishing entirely.

With a menacing purr, he said, "Watch your back, little wolf." "You might not spend a lot of time alone."

His words hung over me like a storm cloud, and then he was gone, leaving me by myself in the clearing. Despite my legs being weak, my mind was racing as I attempted to stand. What on earth had just transpired? Who was this guy? More importantly, why did I sense as though someone much more sinister than a lone wolf was watching me?

The trees seemed to be whispering secrets to me as the woodland seemed to shut in around me. I felt very vulnerable for the first time since I'd been cast out, and my skin prickled with uneasiness.

With every muscle in my body taut for whatever lay ahead, I looked around the trees. I realized that this was only the beginning because the darkness was teeming with hidden threats. However, I was ignorant of the fact that the true threat was not found in the forest.

I already had it within me.