36

ORCHID

The alphas' howls echo through the night forest.

The woods are mysterious and blue in the moonlight. I run through the trees. The bushes bloody my ankles and branches whip my face and sting my eyes, blinding me. I tap on the rough bark of a log. Spinning around, I stumble and fall to the ground, scraping my knees on tangled roots and rough rocks.

I struggle to get away, panting, fingers clawing at the ground, feet slipping on the carpet of dead leaves.

But it's too late.

The alphas are already here. They surrounded me.

There are four of them. Four huge silhouettes. They are around me at the four points of the compass as if preparing for a dark and primal ceremony, and I am the sacrifice. His mirrored eyes glint dimly in the moonlight. Plumes of steaming breath curl around their heads.

"Help me!" I scream.

My voice is high pitched but has no echo. The dark forest simply swallows her up, like a coin dropped into a bottomless pit.

The alphas laugh grimly as they slowly approach me