"Rena, once we get through this forest, we can finally leave this hell-hole behind."

Katia slowed to catch her breath as she gently stroked the black wolf that had become her only friend.

Rena pressed tightly against her leg, its fur bristled with tension. Unlike Katia, Rena was only an ordinary wolf, not a shifter.

They had been running for their lives all night.

Katia steeled herself and pushed deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, her father's roar rang in her mind.

*Katia! You think you can run away like a coward?*

She stumbled as the mind-link lashed through her skull like a whip. Fear gripped her. They had discovered she was gone.

A howl rose in the distance.

Rena jerked her head up.

Another answered it.

The pursuers were coming for them! Among her pursuers were her brother Kaelen and Alpha Xandar, leading a dozen Snow Moon Pack warriors.

Katia broke into a sprint alongside Rena, tearing through the undergrowth. Branches whipped her face as she forced her way through the dense forest. Thorns clawed at her arms, ripping through her sleeve and exposing scars etched into her skin.

Her ankles screamed with pain as old injuries from countless beatings flared, blurring her vision at the edges.

Katia's chances of escape were slim. Yet she had to try.

Cold air scorched her lungs. Sweat soaked through her torn shirt. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth where she'd bitten through her lip.

Behind her, predatory calls drew closer.

Faster. She needed to be faster.

*You murderer! You're going to pay for killing your sister!*

Beta Glen’s mind-link slammed into her head again. She tried to shut it down, but her father was too strong.

The moon vanished behind thick clouds, plunging the forest into darkness.

Adrenaline flooded her body, dulling the agony just enough to keep her moving.

*Please… Moon Goddess… just let me escape.*

Suddenly, her backpack snagged on a low branch.

The strap jerked hard. The bag ripped open, spilling everything across the dirt—old clothes, a wallet, the money she'd saved for her getaway.

Katia didn't hesitate. She abandoned everything.

Nothing mattered except crossing that border.

Unfortunately, Katia couldn't shift yet. Most shifters didn't get their wolves until eighteen, and she was still two days from her birthday.

But she couldn't stay here another second, not when they planned to throw her into the Mad King's fighting pits.

Behind her, heavy paws thundered as growls grew closer with each passing second.

Then moonlight burst through the canopy.

Katia's breath caught.

Ahead, silver water shimmered between the trees.

The river. Freedom.

Hope surged through her chest so powerfully her knees nearly buckled.

The river marked the border between Snow Moon Pack and Blood Meadow Pack. This stretch was barely guarded, which was exactly why she had chosen it.

"Rena!" Katia gasped. Her companion surged forward beside her.

They raced toward the riverbank.

Savage snarls erupted behind them. Dark shapes burst from the tree line.

*I found you, little kinslayer.* Alpha Xandar's voice boomed in her mind, thick with cruel amusement.

Rena skidded to a halt in front of Katia, hackles raised, a low growl rumbling from her chest.

"No!" Katia reached for her. "Rena, come with me!"

Rena turned to look at her. The pursuers had caught up to them, and only one of them could make it across.

Rena lunged, fangs flashing as she slammed into the pursuers.

"Rena!" Katia’s scream tore through the night.

But she understood. Her friend was buying precious seconds.

Vision blurred with tears, she staggered into the freezing current.

The icy water shocked her body so hard she almost collapsed. Sharp rocks cut into her feet as she stumbled across the riverbed, choking on ragged breaths.

Finally, she reached the other side.

Katia fell hard onto the muddy bank, gasping for air.

She made it. She crossed the border.

A furious howl split the night behind her.

Katia turned, and her heart clenched.

Xandar and Kaelen stood at the riverbank in human form, their faces twisted with rage. They couldn't cross the border without permission. It could escalate into a conflict between the two packs.

And beneath the warriors—Rena lay motionless. Blood soaked her fur. Still, she lifted her head weakly and looked at Katia.

*Run.*

Katia saw it clearly in her eyes.

*Run.*

Her heart ached. Pain crushed her from the inside.

"Katia!" Kaelen roared. His eyes glowed red with fury. "Get back here!"

Beside him, Alpha Xandar's eyes glowed with murderous intent as he tested the water's edge, clearly calculating whether the risk was worth the prize.

Katia forced herself upright on trembling legs. She wouldn't let Rena be sacrificed for nothing.

She had to leave right now. Blood Meadow Pack's patrol would discover her as an intruder.

She took one step—

Then something slammed into her from behind.

Katia crashed face-first into the dirt. Mud filled her mouth as a heavy weight pinned her down.

Terror chilled her blood, and a cold sweat broke out on her skin.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Xandar growled against her ear, his hand clamping around her neck.

"Poor little thing... you're not going anywhere."

"You crossed the border," she choked out, unable to move.

Xandar only sneered.

"So did you." His knee dug harder into her chest.

Across the river, Katia watched her father yelling at Xandar to get back to their territory before Blood Meadow warriors found them.

"Time to face your judgment." Xandar tangled his fingers in her auburn hair and yanked her upright, fire shooting across her scalp.

He began dragging her back across the rough ground, ignoring her struggles. Each jolt forced strangled sounds from her throat, and he seemed to savor every one.

Katia closed her eyes in despair. Even crossing the border hadn't been enough.

Her fate remained unchanged—death.

But before they could make it back, movement erupted around them.

A dozen warriors surrounded them. Their Gamma shifted back into human form.

"Alpha Xandar."

Gamma Marcus lowered his head in measured respect.

"Quite a late-night hunting party you have here. What brings Snow Moon warriors so deep into our territory?"

Marcus asked, his gaze flicking briefly to Katia in Xandar's grip.

"Apologies for the intrusion, Gamma Marcus. We had a pack member decide to take an unauthorized midnight stroll. Caught her just before she could become your problem."

Gamma Marcus tilted his head to look at Katia.

"I see. However, pack laws are quite clear about border violations. There will need to be... discussions about this."

"I know." Xandar nodded. "We can discuss it later. Let me take this mutt back to my pack."

He shook Katia slightly while smirking at Gamma Marcus. "I'll arrange a meeting with your Alpha to discuss this incident formally."

"No, please... don't take me back," Katia pleaded with the Gamma, but he paid her no mind.

Gamma Marcus pondered for a moment. Considering Xandar's status in the kingdom, he finally nodded.

"Take her away. I'll report this to Alpha Damon."

"Much appreciated."

Hearing this, Katia's heart sank.

Across the river, her father and Kaelen glared at her with fury.

Freedom had been within reach. And now Xandar was dragging her back into hell.

"Perhaps I should get you a pair of silver shackles so you won't think about running again."