The Girl He Marked

Chapter 24

Book 1 Chapter 24

When I arrive at work the next morning, Alpha Damien calls me into his office and runs through all the

details for the chase. I can wear whatever I want, which will probably be warm gym clothes, apparently

it used to be a rule that the women go barefoot, fuck that.

I have more confidence today; I feel well–rested, and I make a sudden decision to go for it and not Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

think about it too much. On my lunch break, I swap my heels for trainers and trek into the forest. I have

one hour to wander around, eating my sandwiches and rubbing against trees. I brush my free hand on

every thing whilst I eat, making sure I leave footprints in the ground and foliage.

I double back on myself a lot and take sporadic, directionless routes, making sure my paths will be visi

ble but haphazard. After half an hour, I am deep in the forest and I‘ve finished my lunch, so I stretch my

arms out to brush against the trunks of the trees. I pause, ready to turn around and go back, when a

flash catches my eye. I step between some thick trees and a large lake reveals itself, the sunlight

flashes across the surface.

I try to commit my general route to memory and use my phone to find my way back. No one suspects

anything when I slip back into work, hands freshly washed, shoes swapped.

At five o‘clock, I finish my shift and return home, we are meeting at seven, when the sunsets. I decide

to have a huge dinner, knowing that all this exercise is going to make me hungry. I quickly clean my

teeth after and change into my trainers, a warm top and some leggings, perfect for an evening jog. I

check my make–up and drive back to work.

When I pull up, I‘m pleased to see Jayce waiting for me.

‘You look beautiful, he compliments me, brushing his knuckles across my cheek, the simple action

twists my stomach in nervous but happy knots. Jayce takes my hand and leads me around the pack

hall to the green, a lawn used for training. We walk across it to the forest‘s edge, Damien is standing at

the edge, my nerves start to bubble up again.

‘Usually the whole pack is present, but I thought that you would be calmer if it were just us,’ he tells me,

and I am touched at how thoughtful he is.

‘Thank you, I really appreciate that,‘ I reply, letting out a shaky breath.

‘Are you nervous about tomorrow?‘ Jayce asks and before I can ask what he means, Damien calls us

over.

We stand in front of Damien, sort of similar to how the bride and groom stand at the altar. Damien re

cites some traditional speech, but I can barely listen because the sun is low in the sky, casting every

shade of orange across it, and I know I have only thirty minutes to outrun him.

A part of me wonders why run at all? But I know that this excites him, and in a weird way, I don‘t want

him to catch me, I want to outwit him.

‘You have thirty minutes Myra, time starts when you enter the forest, Alpha Damien informs me and I

nod, turning my attention back to Jayce.

I‘m scared of the dark, I whisper, unable to stop the smile on my face because I sound like a child. He

smirks and leans in close to me, so I can feel his minty breath on my face.

‘Don‘t worry Myra, you won‘t be alone for long, he replies huskily, his words send a shiver down my

spine, and I know I have to do this now before I chicken out.

‘See you soon baby,‘ he taunts, and my competitive side makes an appearance.

‘Good luck, you‘re going to need it,‘ I grin at him savoring his confused look. Turning on my heel, I

sprint into the woods.

I dodge in and out of the trees, I need to make the most of the sunlight whilst I have it, because soon I‘ll

be running in the dark, and that‘s just asking for an accident. I push myself harder and pick up the

pace, telling myself that I can rest later.

I trace one of my earlier routes, backtrack on it and then go off in another direction. I reach a small

stream i‘d noted this afternoon, I hurriedly take off my trainers and socks and wade across it. The icy

cold water quickly cools my body and I‘m relieved when I step onto the other side. I pull my socks and

trainers back on, already feeling my socks drying my feet.

Time passes much too quickly; the light starts to fade, and I begin squinting to get a clearer view of

low–hanging branches in my way. All of sudden, a bone–chilling howl resounds across the forest,

echoing off the trees.

He‘s coming

******©

©C+++

Myra‘s POV

He howls again, and I mentally curse him, he‘s taunting me, I know what that howl means; I‘m coming

to get you.

I sprint as fast as I can, stumbling over uneven ground, my lungs burn but I keep pushing myself. A fi

nal howl sounds out, and I can tell from his tone he is frustrated, he knows that I‘ve tricked him by

spread ing my scent, and he‘s mad. The fear of him catching me pumps adrenaline through my body

and I‘m able to run faster.

An indescribable feeling of relief washes over me when I see the lake, I skirt around it, sticking to the

bank. I continually check back over my shoulder, paranoid that he is behind me. Only pitch–black

greets me, but I‘m relieved there are no glowing eyes in the darkness.

By the time I‘ve reached the other side, the moon has risen and provided some light. I find a clearing

with soft grass instead of hard ground, and I decide that I‘ve run enough, I‘m exhausted. I sit down and

lean back against a tree, getting my breath back as I keep my eyes firmly fixed on space across the

lake, directly opposite me, where I know he will trace my scent to.

My eyes feel tired, but I force myself to stay awake and keep concentrating on that space, I‘m surprised

at how long it has taken him. I thought he‘d find me faster, and I bet he thought he would too, so he‘s

bound to be pissed off.

I jump as his dark form leaps into the space, his eyes scan the lake and land on me. A shiver runs

through me, and I swallow hard, I can‘t look away from his luminous blue eyes across the water. He lifts

his head and howls loudly, a warning that this is nearly over.

Fear spikes in me as he bolts off to the side, I know it‘ll take him only a few minutes to reach me, so I

panic and begin climbing up the tree I‘m leaned against. I can‘t go far, only a few meters, but I feel a bit

safer.

I suddenly regret saying yes to this, this is terrifying, the adrenaline alone is making my heartbeat un

healthily fast. Even though I know he‘ll never hurt me, my brain is not cooperating right now, and I feel

so vulnerable, I‘m the prey..

His footsteps thud into the clearing and I hold my breath as I hear the bones crack as he changes back

to human form. He sniffs the air and then growls; I squeeze my eyes shut and pray to be back in my

bed.

Come down, now,‘ he snarls, and I have to clap my hand over my mouth, so I don‘t scream in fear.

I just want this to be over with.