Ariella’s POV
My legs burned as I pushed harder, crashing through the underbrush after that backwards-running shadow.
The red eyes stayed glued to mine the whole time, never blinking, never looking away even as branches whipped past its face.
Trees blurred. My heart hammered so loud it drowned out everything else. Who…or what…was this thing? And why the hell was it playing games with me?
Hazel’s voice exploded in my head, sharp and urgent. ‘Ari, stop! We need to turn around and get the hell out of here right now!’
I didn’t slow down. “No way, Hazel. We don’t run from a fight!”
‘This isn’t a fight!’ she snapped back, her instincts screaming so loud I could feel her fur bristling inside me.’
‘You're sure that you're not just scared?’ I teased despite the tension.
‘The f**k I'm scare
