I did my best to focus on running as I weaved my way through the trees, wanting to shake the vision of Damien's hurt expression from my mind. He knew I wanted to leave; he knew why I wanted to leave. He had no right to be hurt, no right to ask me to stay.

Damien was among the few in our pack I could call a friend, and one of the only members who listened to me when I told him of my family's abuse. He would always promise he would get his father to act, but after years of hearing those words, I knew he was as powerless as me. Perhaps if he had been Alpha already, I would have stayed, taking the chance at a better life with the pack, but he was not Alpha. I could not wait until his father decided to pass the role onto him, and I shook the thoughts from my mind as I leapt over a fallen log.

I was thankful for the sparse moonlight as I weaved my path through the trees, hoping it would take the pack a while to give chase. Likely my grandmother would send the scouts after me, barking at them to bring me back at all costs. My mother and siblings would feign worry and tears as they cried to the Alpha to bring me home safely and I growled as I considered the thought.

'They are coming,' my wolf growled, and I paused as I heard the rustling behind me. That sound... I knew that cadence of running, and I gasped as I realized that it was not the swift running of the scouts. Hunters: they had sent hunters after me! 'We need to shift to outrun them.'

"No, we're still on Grave Crest territory. We have to cross the border first," I hissed, frantically glancing around for a tree to climb. Spotting an appropriate choice, I leapt onto its trunk, quickly scampering up its branches. My clothing caught and tore as I climbed as high as the branches would allow, and I glanced down as the wolves finally came into view. My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest as I watched them pause in their run, realizing they had lost my scent. They circled the trees below me, and I knew they were communicating with each other. I couldn't understand what they were saying but I could guess. Suddenly losing my scent like that only meant one thing, and I knew soon they would shift to follow me into the trees.

I cursed as I moved along the branch, looking for another tree I could transfer to. My grandmother was serious about not losing her prize if she insisted the hunters catch me and I swallowed back the sound that wanted to escape. I needed to make sure I gave no indication of which tree I was currently in and hope I could somehow find a way to lose them. I had no doubt they were under orders to bring me back no matter what, and I took a deep breath as I stood on my perch.

I leapt to the next tree, resisting the urge to cry out as I collided with the branch. I barely managed to wrap my arms around the wood, but worse still, the awful leaves cascaded to the ground below me.

"Shit!" I cursed, scrambling to pull myself up as I ran toward the trunk. No point in trying to stay sneaky now, I needed to put distance between myself and the Hunters. I ran toward another tree, landing hard on its wider branches as I kept moving. I could hear the wolves running below me, and I had no doubt at least two of the hunters were in the process of trying to follow me through the trees.

"Kira Dunever, you-"

"No!" I screamed back, leaping to another tree as I heard the hunter behind me call my name. I kept running from branch to branch, trying to navigate a path that only required small leaps. I couldn’t risk falling; if I fell, they would catch me. I was not going to give up this chance, I would not let them take me back! I scrambled higher into another tree, searching for a solid path. "I am not going back!"

"Kira, wait!" My heart pounded as I noticed the barrier, the ropes in the trees with the pack’s crest hanging off them. All I had to do was cross it; if I could get to the other side, I could shift and be free! I closed my eyes as I ran along the branches, but I should have known better than to do something foolish like that. I quickly lost my footing and began to fall from the tree. My first instinct was to cradle my head, mentally preparing myself for the hard impact of the forest floor. I certainly had not expected to land on something firm and soft, and we both cried out as we collapsed to the ground.

"Well, it's not everyday men fall out of trees," I lifted my head to see a pair of golden eyes looking at me, confusion in the man's expression as he shook the leaves from his white-blond hair. I could still hear the hunters after me, and I gripped his shirt tightly as he started to push me off him. "Or perhaps not a man."

"Please!" I begged, trying to look as sorry as I could. Considering my ripped clothing and scratches from the trees, I probably looked pretty pathetic. "Don't let them catch me."

"And now they're asking me to play savior!" He exclaimed, but he swiftly stood, picking me up in his arms and leaping backwards. I noticed as he glided over the barrier, landing gracefully on the ground as he turned to face the wolves chasing me. I watched as they stopped on the other side, pawing the ground as they refused to cross. Their snarls and growls made my heart pound, and I could only hope the man carrying me would not toss me back over. The hunters in the trees soon landed next to the rest, glares on their faces as they snarled.

"Put him down, darkstalker, he belongs to us," one of the men hissed, and I felt my heart stop in my chest. My savior was a vampire?! The man gave a hearty laugh as I shook in his arms, but he made no effort to release me.

"I would love to, wolves, but you see, this little one asked me to help, and I am feeling generous tonight," he chuckled, and I flinched as his grip on me tightened, his nails digging into my skin. "And we are out of wolf lands, so let's not start a war over one little human, eh?"

I could see the indecision on the hunters' faces, and I chanced a glance up to my savior. His expression held dark glee as he stared at the hunters, as if he was secretly hoping they would come after him. I had only heard rumors of vampires, of how they enjoyed feeding on humans and wolves alike. They could get by on the blood of animals, but the blood of a living, intelligent being came with a power that few tried to resist.

"This isn't over, darkstalker," the hunter finally spat, jerking his head to motion the rest of the hunters to back off.

"Until then!" The vampire responded cheerfully, and I watched with surprise as the hunters turned and ran back into the dark woods. I looked back up to the man holding me as he bounced me in his arms, turning that hungry look to me.

"Now, where were we?"