Fated to the Warrior Wolf (The Hunted Omegas #3)

56. Leigh

FIFTY-SIX

Leigh

M y sides were heaving, my tongue hanging out of my mouth with exhaustion, and every muscle in my wolf’s body was on fire. I had no idea how long I’d been running, but I was flagging fast, and the males on the hunt were gaining on me with every faltering stride. I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy, the omega mark, or what that made me smell tempting to them, but I knew without a doubt I wanted no part of them catching me.

But the realistic part of my brain knew that eventually, I was going to have to make a stand, no matter how worn down and outnumbered I was. Letting them catch me from behind was a fool’s errand. But where? The direct path across the woods was unfamiliar territory, but I was starting to catch hints of familiar scents. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was, but I thought I might have been close to another walking trail behind the castle.

And water. I smelled running water, which, if I could cross, might help throw them off my trail.

But not if they catch me before I can get out of sight .

Following my nose, I used every last bit of gas I had in the tank to kick my speed up a little bit more. It was amazing what desperation could do for your stamina.

A fast-moving stream came into view, sure enough next to a walking trail. It wasn’t the one I usually took, but it was heavily scented with Pack Caelestis’s scents, which meant that somehow I’d gotten back closer to the castle on my wild flight.

I plunged straight in, catching my breath as the chest-deep water enveloped my wolf. It was cold, not so cold as to be immediately deadly, but cold enough that I couldn’t stay in long, or I might get hypothermic.

My wolf swam strong and true, turning into the flow of the water and paddling with the current to carry us away from our pursuers more quickly.

But it wasn’t quick enough.

Excited yips hit me from the bank, and I counted at least six large male wolves plunging into the water after me.

We paddled harder, but the current was doing most of the work. It twisted and turned as it wound through the forest, and within a few minutes, I had to worry less about the wolves behind me and more about the large river rocks protruding from the water. I dodged as best as I could, but I caught a few of them on the shoulders or flank, trying my best to keep the brunt of the blows off my midsection.

I’m sorry, Petal. I’m doing the best I can, I thought, exhaustion making me a little delusional. I was going to have to get out soon. The cold and my exertion were turning my head fuzzy and my strokes in the water slower.

I couldn’t afford to black out. That was guaranteed death. I had to get to the bank, find something to hide behind or under. A nice big thorn bush would be great, but those didn’t seem too common in this forest. What I wouldn’t give for an oversized, razor-sharp palmetto bush like back home in Texas.

My wolf stroked hard for the bank, agreeing that we were too weak to keep swimming. But the current had picked up, the smooth river rocks I’d been dodging had turned into boulders taller than a grown man, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite make it to the edge.

And then I felt teeth, hot and razor-sharp as they sank into the meat of my shoulder. I couldn’t hold back a panicked yelp as the other wolf dragged me through the water, his much stronger strokes unerring as he dragged me carelessly over the sharp rocks in the shallows. My blood tinged the fast-flowing water as I scrabbled to try to get to my feet so I could get this dick off me.

To my surprise, he let go without a struggle, dumping me unceremoniously onto the ground. When I got to my feet, I was shaking with cold, fatigue, and blood loss.

And then I saw why he had no trouble dropping me to the bank.

I was surrounded. Six strong, hungry-looking, naked men circled me, each with terrifying expressions on their faces.

A different kind of shake hit me, and I knew I was about to lose my shift.

No, please, no, I begged my wolf, but it was fruitless. I was pregnant, exhausted, and injured. The shift might fix my shoulder, but it would also leave me vulnerable to these predatory men. I choked on a sob as I felt the change drag over me with painful slowness. And in that moment of terrified horror, I squeezed my eyes shut, and with everything in me, I cried out for Gael.