my blood suddenly on fire from the mental proclamation. I’m going to die on this fucking table. In this fucking room. By my fucking self.
A growl threatened my raw throat at the injustice of it all.
I had worked so hard for my position in this world. To be relegated to the breeding camp was a big slap in the face. That these animals had pummeled me into a pile of raw meat only grated on my nerves more.
No.
I was not going to die like this.
Not here.
I would at least see the sun one more time. Because screw the lycans. Screw all of this.
A scream caught in my throat as I forced myself to roll off the table onto my feet, but my knees locked, holding me up.
The bruises on my thighs throbbed with each step toward the door, just as a sticky substance ran down my legs. Blood. My blood.
“Move,” I breathed to myself. “Don’t think. Just run.” I barely recognized my voice. It was a rasp of sound, one the lycans probably heard. Only, the hallway was empty.
I didn’t recognize this part of the compound. It had bare walls, more exam rooms, and very little else.
It reminded me of a hospital ward.
However, the one I’d visited at the university after an accident had a lot more movement. Silas had prodded me during a sparring exercise, his knife swiping too close to my ribs and creating a harsh gash. He’d felt horrible afterward, but I’d healed.
I glanced down. Not sure I’ll be healing from this.
My palm was red, my fingers more inside me than out. The claw marks across my skin resembled grooves of hideous intent. I couldn’t remember how they appeared, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
No one stopped me as I reached the exit.
Alarms didn’t sound as I pushed outside, where I was met by the moon and not the sun. I shivered, taking in the size. Please don’t be full. If they’d released me just to chase me… Oh, Goddess, no. I’d fight them. I’d go down screaming. I no longer cared. I refused to be raped and used again. To be bred.
Fuck!
I started to move, adrenaline coursing through my system and sending me tumbling—
Down, down, down to the riverbank.
The world shifted as I rolled violently into the chilly water below. I wasn’t even sure how I’d gotten this far, my memory of the last few minutes skipping through my mind.
This is death.
The final moments.
No. Keep. Running.
The stench reminded me of hell. Murky. Gross. Thick.
I cradled my stomach, the mud mingling with my wounds.
Maybe it would deter the lycans from eating me later.
Run. Run. Run.
Everything was spinning. The world. My life. So much blood. I whirled around, startled by the light above, only to realize it was still the moon. Hysteria blinked into my mind, fracturing my thoughts for too brief a moment.
And still I ran.
Unsure of where to go.
Just run, run, run.
The warm air kept me alive, the water and mud a cocoon of disgrace coating my skin. This world was a nightmare. What had I done to deserve this fate? I’d studied hard. “I shouldn’t be here,” I mumbled to myself, again glancing around and finding nothing but trees, endless sky, and river.
My feet were numb.
Cut up.
Bruised.
All of me a twisted mess of tormented fate.
But the chant repeated. Run. Run. Run.
I couldn’t give up. I just had no idea what I was running toward.
Until a voice echoed from above. I froze, the darkness in that tone sending a chill of foreboding down my spine. The lycans. The moon chase. They’re here. They’ve found me. They’re going to eat me!
I started to run, only to have my arm caught by an assailant. I swung with all my might, my training kicking in as a last resort.
Run, run, run, became, Fight, fight, fight.
I slammed my knee into his groin, his “Oomph” of surprise music to my ears. Then another tried to grab me from behind. I reacted, doubling down on my instincts, kicking, biting, snarling, screaming, and making myself the most unattractive prey imaginable. I’d make them kill me before I subjected myself to any more of this delirious torment.
Only, an elbow to the side of my head had me stumbling backward.
A masculine curse graced the air.
Followed by a series of stars dancing before my eyes.
As down, down, down I went.
This time into the muddy bank, not the water.
I hope they just let me drown, I thought as my world began to spin. Just let me