Eliza The Awakening Book 1

The branches and low hanging boughs skim my face, clawing my fur as I race through the forest, ducking low to avoid overhanging sticks that pull harshly as I follow Colton into the darkness. My heart's racing, blood rushing through my head and I can barely keep up with the swift pace of my mate before me. Focused intensely on the darting black slice of shadow that moves so sleekly to lead the way. The zipping noise of foliage passing my ears at speed and yet I don't slow my pace.

Colton, wait!….. I mind link him with a hint of warning in my tone.

Something internally sends the alarm bells ringing as the stealth shape of my wolf man leaps through the dense forest and disappears into a thick brush mere feet before me. Almost swallowed by the foliage so I lose sight for a second and my heart rate elevates. A tinge of panic hitting me hard in the gut as the feeling of warning begins to grow inside of me as we proceed. I just don't know what this feeling is, but I have learned of late to always listen to my gut.

I can hear the others of our pack rusting through the undergrowth in line with us, but spread apart, and yet it brings me little comfort. Instead, the increase of anxiety for my pack grows and I leap after him again without waiting for his response.

I won't leave you behind, Baby. Just stay on my tail. Stay close. Colton's reassuring voice comes through the link inside my head, his usual warm soothing huskiness and that internal feeling of unease grows stronger. Normally his words bring me calm, but not in this moment. He doesn't seem as aware as I am of this feeling, and the confident tone tells me he has no intention of relenting this hunt. The vampires are on a run and we are close at their heels after chasing them from the boundary.

No wait, there's something off! Pull back. Stop!

I link back, this time with obvious intense caution and almost run into the back of him as I clear the next brush in a leap to catch up. I see him last second and try to midair swerve with a yelp, in case I crash down on him. He's stopped dead in the track where I'm aiming and swiftly side jumps to let me land beside him without accidental collision.

What is it? His amber eyes lock on mine as I come level, panting lightly from our high—speed chase, glowing from the black fur framing them in the most sinister of ways. Out here in the dense wood in the darkness, he looks eerily devilish like this. Standing almost six feet while on all fours, he is the most impressive wolf in the pack and a born alpha who still makes me weak in the knees. Yet even as leader and master, Colton over the past months of ruling our pack together has come to trust my instincts as much as his own and he always listens to me. Ashe seems to be doing now.