AT THE SAME TIME
MICHAEL
Their footsteps drew closer, each one heavier than the last. The air thickened until it was like drowning in honey and smoke. My wolf whimpered inside me, pressing against my ribs, claws dragging at my skin.
"Run. Run now. Too much. Too close."My wolf whimpered.
I staggered back a step, air scraping out of my throat in shallow, ragged pants. My palms were slick with sweat. I could feel the brush of heat, the graze of fingers too near, the teasing words curling closer. Adrian's voice was velvet and flame.
"You'll break before we even touch you."Adrian grinned.
Xavier chuckled, his shoulder brushing mine as he circled.
"Beg a little louder, little wolf. We like it when you're honest."He said.
Terrence's voice rumbled like thunder.
"Every tremor makes you more ours."Terrence teased as I pushed his hand away.
And Zavier's whisper cut the deepest, silver eyes glittering.
"There's no storm to run from, Michael. You're already inside it."He grinned.
My chest heaved. My wolf yelped inside me, tail tucked, whining.
"Please, please, too much, can't breathe."My wolf begged.
I snapped. My body moved before thought could catch. I shoved past them, bolting through the open doorway, lungs burning. Down the hall, out the door, into the night. The garden swallowed me whole, cool air slapping my face. I stumbled beneath a tree, sliding to the ground with my back against the trunk. My whole body shook, breaths ragged and uneven, sweat clinging to my skin. I pressed my forehead to my knees, trying to steady the pounding in my chest.
"I can't, I can't." My voice broke, shaking as much as my hands.
Inside me, my wolf whined and whimpered, small and panicked.
"They're too strong… too close… can't fight them, can't fight the pull."My wolf whined.
Tears stung my eyes as I dug my fingers into the grass, grounding myself.
"I don't want this." I whispered, though my body betrayed me with the way it still trembled, still craved. "I don't I can't-"
My wolf answered weakly, a low, broken whine in my chest.
"But you do. That's what scares you."He said.
"I'm not the saint." I gasped, voice raw. "I'm not him… Charlie's the real one. He's the one who's supposed to carry their heir. He ran. He's gone. And they'll… they'll tear me apart pretending I'm what he was."I whispered. "I saw his painting, he is perfect."
My wolf whined deep inside, restless, afraid, pressing against me like it wanted to crawl away from my skin. I curled forward, muttering through shallow breaths.
"Find Charlie… if he's alive, if he's hiding… maybe he'll come back. Maybe they'll take him instead. Maybe they'll see I'm, I'm nothing."I whispered.
But the thought cracked, hollow. Charlie was gone. And all I had left was another name on my tongue.
"Rose." I whispered, clutching at the grass. "The saintess… she could help. She has to. She knows the rites, the truths. If I can reach her if I can convince her I can get out. She'll know a way. She has to know a way."I sniffed.
The night air pressed heavy. I bit back another gasp, rocking forward, whispering broken plans to myself.
"West gate at dawn. Find the river. Ask for Rose. Find her temple, her people. She won't she won't let me be a lie in their hands."I muttered.
My wolf whimpered again, a keening sound in the back of my mind.
"They'll catch you. They'll never let you reach her. You're already trapped."My wolf whimpered.
I pressed my head against the tree, shoving the thought down, whispering faster, desperate.
"Rose will save me. She has to."I muttered.
"Rose?"I heard female voice.
My blood froze. Selene's voice drifted through the dark, smooth and knowing. When I looked up, she was already there, silver eyes glinting in the moonlight.
"Oh, little wolf." She purred, stepping into the shadow of the oak. "Dreaming of saints and saviors? Whispering to ghosts under trees?" Her laugh was soft, but cruel. "Do you really think Charlie will crawl back for you? That Rose will throw herself against fate for a boy who isn't even chosen?"
I flinched back against the trunk, panting.
"She'll help me. She will-"I argued.
Selene crouched low, gaze sharp.
"No, Michael. Rose won't save you. Charlie won't save you. The moment they see you, the moment they breathe you in…" She leaned close, smile cutting. "…They'll know. And you'll stop running. You'll stop pretending. And you'll beg them to claim you."
I shook my head, panting harder, whispering Rose's name like a charm, like a shield. Selene's laughter lingered in the air as she rose and drifted away, leaving me trembling, clutching at hope I barely believed in.
I pressed my palms into the cool grass, forcing myself to rise. My legs wobbled like they were made of water, but my chest heaved with stubborn defiance. Even with Selene's shadow slipping away, the words she'd whispered curled in my ears, prickling under my skin. A low, guttural growl built in my throat, not entirely human, a sound that startled even me. My wolf inside roared in agreement, claws scraping against the earth beneath, muscles coiling, ready to strike if needed.
"Stay… back." I hissed at the lingering darkness where Selene had been, voice raw and fierce.
The air seemed to shiver around me. My hands flexed, nails digging into dirt, heart hammering like a drum. Determined, I staggered toward the west gate, every step shaking but forward-moving. Relief glimmered faintly at the thought of escape. But it died the moment I rounded the corner. All four of them were there. Adrian, Xavier, Terrence, Zavier, their presence blocking the narrow path like a wall of shadow and heat. Their eyes glinted under the moonlight, each of them radiating danger, dominance, amusement… and an unspoken claim.
"Going somewhere, little wolf?" Adrian's voice dripped silk and venom.
He stepped forward, grin sharp as a blade, and I felt the magnetic pull of power drawing me back before I could flee. Xavier's laugh rolled like distant thunder.
"Thought you could sneak out on us? No such luck." He leaned just enough that I could feel his scent brush against me, testing, teasing.
Terrence's gaze was heavy, warning, but warm, like a storm ready to break.
"Every escape route ends here, Michael." His tone was calm, but I knew the threat buried underneath.
Zavier's grin was slow, deliberate, sharp.
"You can't run from what wants you. You're ours, little wolf. Every breath, every beat ours."Zavier teased.
I swallowed hard, growling low, wolf and human vibrating in tandem. My muscles tensed, claws digging into the earth, instincts screaming to fight, but logic, shaky and desperate, whispered that brute force wouldn't cut it.
"You… won't take me." I spat, voice quivering with anger and fear. My tail twitched behind me, ears low, body taut. "I'm not yours!"
Adrian chuckled, stepping closer.
"Oh, you are. And every growl, every trembling step, proves it."He grinned.
I bared my teeth, wolf and human combined in a flash of defiance, my breath ragged, eyes burning with wild energy.
"I'll find a way. I won't stay trapped!"I shouted.
Xavier leaned in, grin widening.
"We'll see, little wolf. We will see."He smirked.
Terrence shifted, blocking one side, Zavier the other. Adrian moved closer, circling, testing, teasing. I realized if I tried to push through, it would be brutal, dangerous. But I couldn't stop. I had to at least try. I flexed my claws, tail flicking, heart pounding like a war drum. The west gate was just beyond them, the first hint of moonlight spilling through the iron bars. My wolf whimpered and growled, desperate, echoing my own frantic heartbeat.
"Not… today." I muttered through gritted teeth.
And with a surge of strength I didn't know I had, I braced myself, ready to dash, whatever it took.