Free Rogue Alpha: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 1) by Kimber White

out of my chest as I found the
strength to get to my feet. I grabbed my pack by the door and the shotgun.
    Then, I ran outside and didn’t dare look back.

 
    Chapter Ten
    East. I think I needed to go east. The Jeep would be
there, parked just where Mal left it. My heart beat nearly in my throat as I
ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I slung the shotgun over my shoulder and
watched the trail in front of me. I couldn’t afford to fall. Not now.
    Getting to safety. Getting far away from this cursed
forest and whatever hell lived in it. That was the only thing that mattered.
And yet, it seemed like I might be running from it for the rest of my life.
    I took a wrong turn. The forest closed in around me.
My ankles became ensnared in thick weeds. Panting, I pulled one foot out, then
the other. The trees seemed to spin around me, making me dizzy, disoriented. I
couldn’t get my bearings. This had to be the right way. I lunged forward
until I found my footing again. Blood coursed through me as I tried to put
distance between myself and the cabin. And Mal. Oh, God. Mal. With each step I
took, stabbing pain tore through my chest. I wanted to go back. I wanted to
run. It was like I didn’t know myself anymore.
    I burst into a small clearing and stopped. I put my
hands on my knees and took a deep breath, trying to quiet the clanging in my
ears. Panic would not help me now. It was broad daylight. I had a shotgun and I
knew how to use it. The Jeep and a country road were not that far away.
    Finally, my pulse started to slow and the fog lifted
from my brain. I straightened my back and looked toward the sky. The sun rose
to my left. I’d been heading the right way. I blew a breath out hard. I set the
gun down and threaded my arms through the loops of my backpack, evenly
distributing the weight of it. Then, I reached down, grabbed the gun, and took
my first sure step since fleeing the cabin.
    I never had a chance to take a second.
    The black wolf burst through the trees near my right
shoulder and stood beside me. He held his thick, black tail high and took a
slow step forward. I raised the shotgun, jamming the butt against my shoulder.
At this range, I could blow its head clean off.
    Time slowed then seemed to stop altogether as I kept
the shotgun aimed at the wolf and he stood before me, unblinking. He let out a
low, rumbling growl that seemed to move through my whole body.
    He took another step forward, his golden eyes
flashing with intelligence. Blood crusted just above his left eye where Flood’s
bullet had ricocheted. Recognition slammed into my brain and my finger trembled
over the trigger. My breath left my lungs and my blood heated.
    The black wolf raised his head just a fraction of an
inch. I knew him. Knew those eyes. He came to me in my dreams. He came to me
when I needed him most. Some rational part of my brain told me I must be going
crazy. Except I wasn’t. As we stood there in the middle of the woods in some
strange stalemate, everything I believed about the world shifted. I don’t
remember lowering the shotgun. But, all of a sudden it was on the ground beside
me and it was my turn to take a step forward. My backpack slid off my shoulders
and I let that drop too. I held out my hand, my fingers shaking as I reached
for the wolf.
    A rumbling sound came from within him. He reared up
on his hind legs while his fur rolled and his bones shifted inside of him,
stretching, pulling, his front paws drew up and reached out for me. Then, he
touched me, but his paw was gone. In its place, a strong hand with tanned flesh
and a fine dusting of dark hair trailing up his arm. The wolf was gone and Mal
stood before me, naked, strong, powerful.
    I shuddered as he threaded his fingers through my
hair, tilting my head back as he looked down at me. His golden eyes still had
more wolf in them than man. Dark desire flared deep inside me. I wasn’t afraid.
I knew this. Knew him. I belonged here, even though I knew it was