Free Owned By The Alphas: Part Four by Faleena Hopkins Page A

out as they ran through the forest, returning with a glance to each other telling they’d found nothing. The icy wind thrashed through Ali’s hair and face, but she did not feel the cold. Rising up on the great wolf’s back, she scanned higher ground for any sign of them, searching her knowledge of Lorn to guess where she might go. “Lorn! Don’t let this be the last time I’ve seen you!” Ali whispered as trees zipped by them and rocks were narrowly avoided. Yosemite Park was a winter nightmare, each turn reminding how much ground they had to cover with no tracks to guide them as the snow continued to fall.
    They searched gullies, ground caves, and clusters of bushes, anywhere that could be a hiding place. Tracks of small animals were the most discouraging; the first sight of them made their hearts jump then fall. At the river, they ran along side of it, trying to find a place to cross, because there was so much land on the other side! Bloo zipped around the hedges and rocks as Tawny kept close to the water. Red looped out in greater circles since he could catch up with them, his speed always greater. When he and Ali heard loud barking, he ran back to find Tawny and Bloo waiting by the riverbank, a jagged path of rocks stretching from where they stood to the other side. The Tuolumne rapids rushed loudly around the moss-edged stones.
    Red gave her a signal to hold on, and she called down to him, “It’s alright! I trust you!”
    The she-wolves waited for Red to lead the way. He leapt from the first rock to the second without trouble. He paused, weighing the distance to the third and then the next. It wasn’t anything compared to the boulders he’d climbed carrying her when he was pissed, but the water and snow added tricky components. He tensed back and took the leap, teetering slightly as they landed on the slippery gray stone.
    Ali called over the roaring water, “That was perfect! Keep going! I’ve got a strong hold!”
    His wolf bowed, then leapt and landed squarely in the middle of the next rock, the highest of them all. Ali looked at the water rushing next to them, then behind her to see that Tawny and Bloo were close, standing on the last two rocks.
    A scream pierced the air and all four looked toward the sound. It came from the other side of the river, and from a distance. Then a terrifying howl ripped through the air.
    Ali yelled, “It’s Lorn!”
    Alarmed, Red leapt to the next rock without hesitation. Even though it was five feet wide, in his urgency, he’d gone too far. His front paws slipped on the drenched moss and Ali tumbled forward, crashing into the water and hitting her body against the rock as she grabbed onto his front leg with one hand. She yelled out in pain, reaching with her other hand to grasp onto knots in the stone. The current grabbed her legs and pulled her boots off, zipping them away and under the crashing surface. Red strained, his body angling for traction to pull her onto the rock by walking backwards, but it was no use. If he leaned forward to grab her with his teeth, he’d lose footing and they’d both go in. She screamed, “Stop moving! Oh God…I can’t hang on!”
    Tawny vaulted onto the rock, and with wobbly legs and fast reflexes, fastened her fangs into Ali’s coat, the two of them pulling her up out of the water.
    Sopping wet, Ali stared up at the she-wolf, shocked. Of all the wolves to save her, she never would have thought Tawny would be the one. With chattering teeth, she cried, “Lorn’s in trouble! Come back for me!” Tawny took off, but Red hesitated. “Please! She needs you. I’ll be okay! I’ll stay right here! Go!” He leapt into action, bounding over the remaining wet stones until he hit the snow-covered shore, and disappeared from view. Ali began to sob.

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    B loo stopped on the rock , pushing at Ali’s side with her snout, urging her to climb on. “No, Bloo! Leave me! I’m useless to you!” Tears fell, mingling with the river water. The