He read the message clear as day and his rage cracked through his composure as he launched into battle , snarling , trying to defend himself from the swarm of rogues . My gaze slid past him . Dante stood in the distance , strangely still , an unreadable look in his eyes . Something- hauntingly familiar . I had seen that same expression the day he devoured Jordan . Then he smiled at me . My heart clenched It was him . That smile . That nightmare . And then my gaze returned to Ronan Sull unmoved . Still watching . He hadn't interfered . He didn't even look like he planned to He just watched me Growls ripped through the night raw , feral unrelenting It was too late for retreat . The four Alphas had no choice now but to fight for their lives if they didn't want to be torn apart by the rogues oss the dearing , no longer running . Moonlight bathed my fur in silver as I faced them - unmoving , unafraid . I let them see the . All of the Ronan still watched . He hadn't moved as I slowly began backing away from the snarling wolf now advancing on me . I hadn't expected to see rogues here - hadn't even dreamed I'd cross their path again . But tonight , they'd become my weapons . And I knew this weapon could turn on me just as easily . Just before the rogue lunged toward me , lips curled in a deadly snarl , I made my move . Without hesitation . I dove sideways into a shallow stream that glittered like shattered glass beneath the moonlight . Splash . The cold water slammed against my body . The current grabbed hold of me , fast and unforgiving . I let it take me . Let it carry me far and fast . Away from the rogues . Away from Ronan . Away from the eyes that had begun to see too much . But before the current swallowed me whole , I looked back . Ronan was still there . Standing like a storm on the horizon . Watching me . Silent . Unmoving . He'd seen everything . And I didn't know what terrified me more - what I had just escaped … or what that look in Ronan's eyes meant for me . The current yanked me under before I could brace myself . I shifted into my human form , desperate to stay above the surface . before things got worse . Water roared around me , icy and merciless , pulling at my limbs like phantom hands . I kicked hard , trying to keep my head above water , my lungs aching . The stream wasn't deep , but it was wild - angry . It dragged me far from the growls and chaos behind Far from them . Rocks scraped my stomach . Branches whipped my cheeks . The world spun in sharp bursts of pain and rushing sound . When I finally spotted a patch of calmer water ahead , I twisted , clawing at the current with desperate strokes . My fingers scraped moss . I kicked , gasped , and heaved myself toward the edge . " Come on come on .. With one last lurch , I huuled myself onto the muddy bank and collapsed . My body hit the earth in a heap - soaked , shivering breathless . My chest heaved My vision swam . I lay still , naked and trembling , the roar of water fading behind me . The forest surrounded me again , eerily quiet . My limbs . were leadden . My thoughts raced . They saw me All of them saw me in wolf form . But I don't think they recognized me Not even Homan Panic crashed through me as I forced myself upright . My soaked hair clung to my skin , my heart thundering louder with every second I spun around . Unfamiliar trees surrounded me . No sign of the clearing . No familiar trail. No scent of the others . I was off course . Completely . The stream that had saved me had also cast me into the unknown . And the worst part ? The bison . The prey I had hunted . Wounded . Nearly killed . The final kill that would prove my worth in this cursed trial … The realization hit like a blow to the chest . Gone . I turned slowly , scanning the woods . The scent trail was faint now , fading too fast to track . Even if I found it again , I'd have to fight it , finish it , and drag its massive body all the way back to the clearing .. before sunrise . I didn't have that kind of time . Not anymore . My breath came in shallow pants . My ribs ached with each inhale . Was this it ? Was I going to lose ? The thought landed harder than any fang or claw . I lowered my eyes to the forest floor . My hands were scraped . My legs smeared with mud . My body ached , and still 1 trembled . All that effort . All the danger . The risk of discovery . The near assault . The defiance . All of it … Only to end up here . Alone Empty - handed . Lost My gaze lifted once more to the sky . Warm streaks of gold now k kissed the clouds like the first soft embers of a fire . Was thus how it ended ? Was I going to fail ?