Man, the whole forest was absolutely humming—those rogues weren't far at all. Their howls, loud and nasty, bounced around like some twisted game of Marco Polo, except, you know, actually dangerous.
He gripped her hand, tighter this time, practically yanking her forward. She tripped on a root—because of course she did—and he caught her, arm locked around her waist. For a split second, they were face to face. His scent hit her—not just smoke and pine, but something heavier, almost wild. Made her dizzy.
"You're shaking," he muttered, voice all gravel.
"I'm fine," she shot back, which was a total lie. Her knees were basically jelly.
He just stared at her, eyes burning straight through her. "Nah. You're not."
Before she could say anything smart, a growl ripped through the trees—way too close. He yanked her down behind a fallen tree, basically crushing her into the dirt to keep her hidden.
The rogues stalked past—big, hulking shadows, eyes glowing like someone left the night light on. One of them stopped, nose twitching. She almost stopped breathing.
He pressed his hand over her mouth, not rough, just firm, his other arm holding her tight. She could feel his heart racing, beating just as wild as hers. He was so close she could practically count his eyelashes, not that she was about to in that moment.
That rogue? Hung around, snarled—real drama queen—then finally moved on.
They didn't dare move an inch until everything went quiet again.
He let go of her mouth, but his arm? Still glued there. His face was right there, lips parted like he wanted to say something but got stuck.
She swallowed, voice barely a whisper. "We can't keep doing this forever."
He nodded, never breaking eye contact. "Yeah. But if I'm with you… you'll make it."
And wow, the way he said it, it wasn't just a knight-in-shining-armor thing. It was bigger than that—something he wasn't about to spell out.
Then, bam, another howl—closer this time. He muttered a curse, dragged her up.
"We move. Together. Don't let go."
Like she even could.
And as they ran, weaving through the shadows, it finally hit her—this wasn't just about staying alive. Not anymore.