We started to dig, scooping handfuls of soft earth away. It came up easily, too easily. Whoever had buried this person hadn’t packed it down properly, like they had been in a hurry.
We were maybe a foot down when I heard the sound of a twig snapping in the forest behind us.
I froze with my hands still buried in the dirt. My mother’s head whipped around at the same moment. We locked eyes, and she pressed a dirt–covered finger to her lips.
“Who’s there?” a voice called out. A male, deep and authoritative. A warrior.
Stormhollow warriors.
“Run,” my mother hissed.
She didn’t need to tell me twice. We shifted in an instant and took off. I heard shouts behind us as we sprinted through the forest, branches whipping past my fur. The shouts grew louder, gaining on us.
My mother veered left, and I followed without thinking. We crashed through the underbrush, leaping over fallen logs and dodging between trees. My lungs burned, my legs pumping as fast as they could.
But there were more of them now. I could hear them calling to each other, coordinating, trying to cut us <b>off</b>. They knew these woods better than we did. This was their territory.
Suddenly, a massive gray wolf burst from the trees ahead of us, blocking our path. My mother skidded to a halt, and I nearly crashed into her. We spun around, but two more warriors had closed in from behind. We were
surrounded.
My mother shifted back into her human form and held her hands up. I remained in wolf form<b>, </b>snarling, curling my body around her.
“We don’t want any trouble,” my mother said. “We were just-
“You were trespassing.” The gray wolf shifted back into a warrior that I vaguely recognized from Stormhollow.” The Alpha forbade you froming here. You’re both under arrest. Get them.”
Before I could react, one of the other warriors lunged forward suddenly, going straight for my mother. I lunged at him, but he was too fast. He mmed into me, sending me skidding across the clearing. Thest I saw of my mother was her dropping to her knees, still holding her hands up, before hisrge body blocked my view of her.
“Take me!” she cried out. “Take me, and let my daughter go! It was my idea!”
I shifted back, gasping. “Mom, no-”
More warriors were arriving now. I could hear them crashing through the forest, at least a dozen by the sound of it. We couldn’t fight them all. We couldn’t even fight the three we had now.
“Take me,” she repeated. “Take me. I know I’m the one who Richard really wants. So take me.
<b>“</b><b>1 </b>
The warriors looked at each other. The gray wolf hesitated, considering. Another male walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. He considered for another moment, then nodded. Two more warriors in human form advanced on my mother and grabbed her by her arms, hauling her to her feet.
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“No,” I whispered. “Don’t-”
“Run, E<b>!</b>” my mother said. “Go, before they change their minds!”
“I can’t leave you-”
“GO!”
“Listen to your mother,” the gray wolf chortled as my mother was dragged away. “Otherwise, we’ll make this a lot more difficult for both of you. Especially her.”
My throat bobbed. I took a trembling step toward my mother, but it was toote. The rest of the warriors emerged, blocking me from her view.
“We’ll give you thirty seconds to run,” the gray wolf hissed, sneering. “And if you don’t run by then, the olddy will pay for it.”
I had no choice. No choice but to run and let them take my mother. I cursed under my breath and shifted, turning tail and running.
Tears blurred my vision as I crashed through the forest, putting distance between myself and the warriors. They weren’t following me anymore. They had what they wanted.
They had my mother.
And I had abandoned her to save myself.
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<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.