Our Fatal Failings (Twisted book two)

Chapter Seventeen

Jonah's POV

It takes me only a moment to process what's happened. She's running? Fuck, she's running.

Is there a plan in place to get her here and now? Do the witches know that we're here? How did Imani even get to them? I grit my teeth and spring out of the water, shifting immediately. If she can't shift, she can't get far. I'll be on her in a few moments. Of a few minutes if I'm unlucky.

I follow the scent of her. It's especially strong now; it can't be missed. I turn the trees looking for her. Maybe it's too strong. It seems to be everywhere. Something isn't right. I've been running for almost ten minutes and she's nowhere around. Is she hiding?

It seems now like her scent is everywhere like she's run all over this place. But that isn't possible. Heat. It's her heat. It's scattering her scent, confusing me. And at this moment it's working against me.

I suck my teeth as my bones break. Fur sprouts from my skin. I've done it so often it doesn't hurt as my face is contoured and broken and moved. It's a slight pinch, a little tingle and then it's over. I roll out the crick in my neck and breathe in. There we go, the scent is more concentrated now. And it's not far. I take off running.

Imani went Northwest, away from the city and deeper into the woods. She doesn't know the terrain, I'm sure of it, so this was just a desperate attempt to escape. A bad one at that.

I'm hot on her trail. She's running barefoot and she's left light imprints. She's running pretty fast. Then they stop. I stagger back. I turn all around me, looking for them. But they're just not there.

Was she picked up? The scent has ended yet. What the fuck is going on here. I look closer, bringing my head to the ground and breathing in deep. She kept on going. And this ground is still damp. I should be able to find tracks.

I run a little farther and stop. Wolf tracks? But....but...Imani can't shift. She can't shift. The wind changes direction and I catch the scent of blood. My skin prickles under my fur. Something is horribly wrong.

I follow it, all four feet slapping the ground as fast as I can. I catch a glimpse of mousy brown fur, dark in some places, lighter in others. I move faster. Imani. I don't know how she shifted, we'll get to that later, but all that matters is she ran. She ran. I leap, knocking her down in the process, then shift.

"Shift," I command. It's Alpha speak. Luna or not, she can't fight it. "Shift!"

I hear the snap and crackle of moving bones. She grits her teeth as her face comes back together, until finally, she stares up at me, skin smooth and brown again. "Get off me," she says.

I grip her wrists. "You ran away."

"Get the hell off me."

"You're not one to be commanding me right now." I squeeze tighter. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?"

"Get off me, Jonah." Her voice is eerily calm and her chest rises and lowers in erratic bursts. "Get off me."

"Don't run again." Again, it's Alpha speak. I let the power roll off my chest, I let the pheromones smother her. Her fingernails dig into me as her eyes bleed gold. "I am your Alpha, you are my Luna, I am your mate and you are mine. Repeat it."

She looks like she's in pain when she repeats my words. It's mechanical and forced, but I can't let this go. Running like that was reckless, wild and stupid. So, so, stupid. "You are my Alpha and I am your Luna. I am your mate and I am yours."

"Again. I am your Alpha."

"You are my Alpha."

"You are mine."