Favoritism Kills

I desperately ran in the direction the patrol had gone in and made as much noise as possible, just to capture their attention.

Not only did my actions fail to catch their notice, but they also allowed the Rogue behind me to accurately pinpoint my location.

As a terrifying howl came from behind me, a sharp pain tore through my back, and I nearly fell.

Three deep gashes burned where his claws had raked me, and fresh blood gushed out of the wounds to soak into the leaf-strewn muddy earth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a pair of green, vertical pupils glinting in the thicket as I ran for my life.

I was being targeted, but the other party clearly didn't want to kill me outright. Instead, he was slowly toying with me like a cat playing with a mouse.

That bought me time to call for help. A beam of hope for survival surged within me, and I sent another desperate plea to Ethan through the mind-link. But no matter how many cries for help I sent, they all vanished without a trace.

That was when realization hit me—Ethan had blocked me.

In that brief second of hesitation, something clamped around my ankle and flung me into the air.

A broken scream tore from my throat as I slammed into a tree so hard it could snap the trunk in two. The tree was even thick enough to be embraced by three pairs of arms.

After hitting the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood, I barely had time to wipe the blood from my lips. Instead, I pushed myself back up and continued fleeing.

Behind me came a low, rasping chuckle. Clearly, the Rogue found this "game" very entertaining.

I continued sending help signals through the mind-link, but this time, I chose Maxim.

He was the Alpha of the Cinderhowl pack with the most skilled personal guards by his side. If he sent his guards, I could be saved.

But Maxim rejected my request. Instead, a series of cold, clipped messages followed.

"The ceremony's in progress, so stop causing trouble. Raeya has told us the truth.

"You went out early to play with the good-for-nothings from the Dawson family. When Raeya caught you, you warned her not to tell anyone, or you'd pick on her.

"You're such a disappointment, Loveta. Don't contact me again. You are no daughter of mine."

I quickly replied, "No! Raeya lied to you! I didn't make friends or pick on her!

"A Rogue is after me, so please send your guards to save me!"

But all my messages went unanswered. Maxim had clearly blocked me, too.

Despair washed over me as I listened to the sound of heavy footsteps behind me draw closer. The Rogue was getting impatient, and his attacks grew harsher and faster.

With more wounds covering my body, my movements were slowing down. I believed that I would die under the Rogue's claws in the next second.

Just as I was about to give up struggling, I spotted a small slope ahead out of the corner of my eye. Without a second thought, I threw myself down.

Below the slope was a raging river, and I hit the water with a heavy splash.

Seemingly afraid of water, the Rogue stopped short at the bank and snarled furiously. Instead of following, he threw his head back and let out a long, guttural howl that alarmed the birds in the forest.

For a while, he paced along the edge. After realizing that he couldn't get his claws on me, he let out one last unwilling growl before shifting back into his wolf and disappearing into the forest.

I'd passed out the moment I hit the water. The swift current carried me downstream before washing me up onto a rocky shore hundreds of yards away.

When I finally woke up, dusk had fallen. I was sprawled on the damp stones and could barely move a finger.

My right leg had snapped when I tumbled down the slope. The silver was still eroding my body, so the wounds from the Rogue's claws were healing extremely slowly. Blood had stained all the nearby rocks red.

I needed an antidote and a healing potion right now, or I wouldn't last long.

After a long moment of hesitation, I reached out through the mind-link to the healer of the pack, Aidan.

He was the gentlest among my dads. Whenever Raeya slandered me, he never raised his voice like the others did and would only look at me with quiet disappointment.

But that calm, distant disappointment hurt the most.

"You're too selfish, Loveta. I wish I didn't have a daughter like you.

"If you ever pick on Raeya again, I won't hesitate to make you feel exactly what you did to her."