"How about we go back?" Owen’s voice trembled slightly as he looked over his shoulder as if the hunter who had killed the rogue was already behind them. "We should turn around and take her back to the Stormhold Pack. Just ask Lyra to come to the border, and we’ll hand her over to her. She can take her back, right? It’ll be safer that way."
"Are you crazy, Owen?" Jace snapped, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as he sped up, disregarding the rocky terrain and letting their car jolt. "We need to get away from here as fast as we can, not turn back and walk directly into the wolf’s mouth."
Owen let out a shaky sigh, his voice rising in panic. "Then what do we do, Jace? This is going to be a disaster. We can’t just keep driving blind like this! We don’t even know who is chasing us. He killed the rogue in a matter of minutes!"
Jace didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the dark road ahead, every muscle in his body tense. "It must be someone from the Stormhold Pack following us. We just need to speed up and get to the other side of the mountain," he finally said through gritted teeth. "Once we’re there, we can use the humans as a shield and move further away. We’ll hide among them for a few days, blend in, and then circle back to our pack. The Stormhold Pack won’t violate the peace treaty. They can’t enter human territory."
Owen glanced back at the unconscious Omega in the backseat and swallowed hard. "What about this other Omega then? If we have to handle two of them while escaping and hiding, things will get out of hand. They’ll slow us down, Jace."
Jace’s jaw clenched. He looked toward Theo, who still sat frozen in silence, his expression blank and unfocused. With a frustrated sigh, Jace said, "Owen, exchange the two Omegas’ clothes. We’ll throw this one from the other pack out. Hopefully, it’ll confuse the men following us and make him slow down to make sure she is okay. That should distract him for a few minutes and buy us some time. I’ll keep driving until then."
But Theo suddenly stirred, as if waking from a trance. His eyes widened and he shook his head violently. "No... no, just throw them both out! We can escape that way. We’ll go back. We can still make it!"
Jace shot him a furious glare, disbelief flashing across his face. "Have you lost your mind, Theo? You know we can’t go back without her. Have you forgotten what Alpha Soier said? We’re this close, Theo! This close! Don’t lose your nerve now!"
Theo turned away, his breath uneven, muttering under his breath while the car sped through the darkness. He didn’t care that Alpha Soier had promised them or threatened them with. He only knew that if he were hunted by the Stormholds, then he would end up like Alec too. Alive but with no brain...He’d seen what Prince Kael and Prince Zen could do.
The only reason Theo had agreed to take part in this plan today was because Prince Zen, known as the fastest and deadliest hunter in the Stormhold Pack had supposedly left the territory. Lyra had said so herself.
She had told them Zen was gone, that this was their only chance to get the Omega out without him catching their scent. It was why he had dared to let the rogue act. If Theo had known that someone else would come after them so quickly, he would never have taken the risk.
He shuddered, gripping his knees tightly. The image of the rogue’s body, torn and lifeless within minutes, flashed in his mind again. No one should have been able to kill that rogue so easily, he’d seen the man’s skills which were quite good. And to have stopped him mid shift...
Jace’s voice broke through his thoughts. "Theo, pull yourself together! You’ll get us all killed if you keep sitting there like a ghost."
But Theo didn’t answer. His mind was filled with pictures of what had been done to Alec and to the rogue.
Meanwhile, Owen had already started moving, taking off their clothes with shivering hands.. "Jace, I’m switching their clothes now," he said quietly. "Just... just keep the car steady."
Jace didn’t reply. His eyes were locked on the road as the tires skidded across loose gravel.
Owen worked quickly, pulling at the fabric, switching the two Omegas’ cloaks and tunics. His hands trembled so much that he could barely tie the knots. "It’s done," he said after a minute, his forehead covered in sweat. "Slow down a little. I’ll throw her out here so that they’ll stop to check."
Jace cursed under his breath but pressed the brakes just enough to slow the car’s speed. The vehicle rocked violently as it hit uneven ground. Owen reached for the door handle, but just as he pushed it open, a low sound escaped from the backseat and everyone froze. Emira was waking up.
Before Owen could react, her hand shot out, gripping his arm. Her eyes opened wide and she seemed ready to escape. He caught her quickly and as she struggled to go, Owen shouted," Stay still!"
"Let me go!" she gasped, struggling against his hold.
In the chaos, the open door swung wider. The car jolted over a sharp bump, and everything happened at once—Owen lost his balance, Emira’s body lurched forward, and the unconscious Omega rolled with the force of the movement.
All three of them tumbled out of the car and hit the ground hard.
"Owen!" Jace yelled, slamming the brakes so hard the tyres screeched.
Theo, acting on instinct, threw open the door and jumped out before the car had fully stopped. He ran toward Owen, who was trying to pull Emira off the ground. "Get her back in the car!" Theo shouted, grabbing her arm.
Emira kicked and twisted, trying to break free. Her eyes were wide with fear, her voice hoarse. "Let me go!"
Theo tightened his grip. "Stop fighting, damn it!"
Then Owen froze. His gaze had shifted beyond Theo’s shoulder. His lips parted, his face drained of all color.
"Theo..." he whispered. "Don’t move."
Theo turned his head slowly and his heart stopped.
A massive, dark wolf stood at the edge of the road, its eyes gleaming like twin orbs of silver under the moonlight. Its fur was thick, darker than the shadows themselves, and even from a distance, the raw power radiating off it was suffocating.
It was watching them, silent and unmoving, but there was something in its stance, something that told them it could close the distance in seconds if it chose to.
Owen panicked. He grabbed Emira’s arm and shoved her into the car following her. "Forget them! Jace, drive! Drive!"
Theo turned to protest, but the wolf took a single step forward, and the air around them seemed to tighten.
"Drive!" Owen screamed again as he pushed Emira onto the car’s floor and scrambled for the open door. "Theo! Come in!!" But when Theo was too frightened to move, Owne slammed the door shut.
"Wait! Theo’s still—" Jace started, but Owen’s voice cut him off.
"Go! He’s done for! Lets save ourselves first instead of worrying about him!."
And with that, Jace and Owen left the Omega and their friend behind.