She had to reach the asphalt of the main road.
Think!
Lexi dropped the tote bag and stripped out of her white chef coat. She wore a navy tank top and black skinny jeans underneath. They would still smell her easily enough. Hell, she was probably leaving a trail of fear-scent behind her, but at least she wouldn’t be a fucking beacon in the white coat.
Behind her, the howl of a wolf rose on the wind, followed by another and another. God, if she could’ve just gotten the call into Ryder sooner, or even if it had rung once, her number would’ve flashed across his caller ID, and he would’ve known she needed something. Now, no one would know she was in trouble until it was too late. Until she was cold and lifeless in these woods.
The image of him mourning her burst against her mind. Fuck. She couldn’t’ leave him like this. He’d been hurt enough.
Don’t think like that. Just run. Fight. Live. Be strong.
Lexi pushed her legs faster as she bolted down the even ground of the dirt road that would lead her to the main turnoff. The wolves would find her easily here, but if she cut into the woods too soon, she faced the possibility of getting turned around or lost.
The knife flashed in her hand every time she pumped her arms, and it settled her fractionally. At least she wasn’t weaponless. At lease she could take one of the wolves with her.
Go for the throat, not the ribs. Cut arteries in the neck, render the esophagus helpless.
Her legs burned, and her lungs felt like they would burst. There was movement to her right in the woods. It was a lone, white wolf, keeping pace with her and cutting in gently. Shit. Had it already been two minutes? They were so fast!
Panicked, Lexi swerved into the woods on her left and cut an angle due north toward the road. The ground was uneven and harder to run on. One twisted ankle, and she would be done for. Howling came from her right, and now there were two wolves, the white one and a dark gray one. More pressure, and she was veering off course. What choice did she have? They were too close.
She skidded down a hill on her butt, hand out behind her to steady her from toppling over as she dislodged dirt and leaves on the way down. She knew where she was—the creek. If she went straight across and kept the moon on her left, she could still make it to the road.
As she reached the creek bank, pain slashed through her palm as she cut it on a rock. “Fuck,” she gasped out breathlessly, clenching her hand into a fist to staunch the immediate wet stream. If they couldn’t smell her before, they sure as hell would be drawn by the blood. Another wolf song lifted on the breeze, this time on her left. They were closing on her, and she had to move.
Lexi pushed upward and ran straight into the creek. It was flowing steadily because of the spring rains, and when she reached the middle, she sank in to her hips. Frantically dragging her legs through the current, she plunged her injured hand into the cold water and hoped it helped.
Lexi yanked her shirt over her head, then wrapped the tank around her hand and gripped it hard to hold it in place. Wincing at the pain, she clutched her knife tighter and sprinted through the woods. The terrain eased into an incline, and she huffed and puffed as she climbed higher and higher. She didn’t recognize this area anymore, but there were three wolves on her right. And to her horror, there were now three on her left loping beside her through the blue trees, snapping at each other, snarling, waiting for something Lexi didn’t understand. She was completely trapped into moving wherever they wanted her to. Seconds stretched to minutes, and it felt as if she was in a dream. One where she ran and ran and never escaped the shadows that were chasing her. Terror pushed her on, even when her body wanted to give out. Even when her legs shook and her stomach heaved. The incline evened out, but she could hear them. She could feel them right behind her. Any second the wolves would be on her. Their teeth would be shredding her flesh, and she would die on her stomach, alone.
Ryder, Ryder, Ryder.
She almost didn’t see the ledge until it was too late. Lexi locked her legs and skidded on the loose dirt. She spun and went to her hands, clawing desperately on the dirt to stop herself. Her foot slid off the side, and she grunted in panic as she scrambled back onto solid ground. A rock dislodged under her and tumbled down. She listened in horror for the rock to hit the ground below with a resounding crash. Seven seconds.
That’s when it hit her—what the wolves had done.
The road was so close, less than a quarter of a mile due north, but separated from her by this ravine. The wolves had hunted her as a pack, pushing her and maneuvering her until the road wasn’t possible to reach. Until there was no way she could win this game. She hadn’t ever really had a chance. Rage and fear boiled in her middle as a massive black wolf approached.
She moved to run to the side, but the white and gray wolf were there, teeth bared and glowing against the shadows. On the other side, there were four more wolfs, stalking closer, heads lowered, razor sharp teeth promising a painful death.
Axton lifted his chin and perked his ears like he was proud of what he was doing. Like he was proud he’d hunted her down and won. Proud murderer.
Lexi spat at him. “You’re a coward.”
Axton’s eyes narrowed to slits, and he lowered his head, eased backward on those massive paws of his like he was giving his pack a gift. The gift of flesh. The gift of killing. He and his people were mindless psychos who had convinced themselves killing was just what predators did. But she knew bigger predator shifters than them, and the Bloodrunners would never disrespect human life like this.