My body swayed in time with the motion of the car, the wolf driving it was driving more recklessly than anyone I had ever come across in my life. The risk of dying in a car accident with him was bigger than the risk of the arrow killing me, which had been quite large.

“Don’t you think it would be wise to slow down, pup?”

The question slipped out at the same time that I was lifted off the seat, the bump in the road sending me crashing against the roof of the car, my head starting to throb in protest. The longer I sat here, the more I started doubting the driving skills of this child. I was starting to wonder whether or not he even has a license.

“Well, you and I both know I can’t do that. The Alpha said that you need to be taken back to the pack as fast as possible, which obviously means I can’t stop.”

“I didn’t ask you to stop, idiot, I asked you to slow down.”

He seemed unaffected by my sarcastic attitude, the urge to roll my eyes becoming so great that I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from doing so. I turned sideways with the intention of looking out of the window, but instead my eyes focused on the arrow that was still embedded in the headrest beside my head.

I reached up with tentative fingers, my hand wrapping around it slowly. Part of me was expecting it to somehow bite me. I knew I was being silly, but I blamed it on the experience.

I pulled it out, causing pieces of the yellowish sponge to fall out. I rolled the base between my thumb and forefinger, my eyes assessing the craftsmanship as this was definitely not a manufactured arrow.

I ran my fingertip over the arrowhead, clenching my jaw when the car jerked, causing my finger to prick on the edge. I sent a glare towards the pup, fighting down the urge to embed the arrow in his chest.

I returned my attention to the arrowhead, my eyes focusing on the markings running along it. I felt the corners of my mouth turn upwards as I realized that this was no ordinary arrowhead, the crest carved into the base as familiar to me as my own face.

This arrow belonged to my pack, which meant that the attack had been launched by one of my pack members. What I had presumed as luck, slowly dissipated as I realized I hadn’t been the target at all, but that it had indeed been the headrest.

My mind was drawing up its own conclusions, and I came to realize that I hadn’t given my pack any indication to show that Isaac had been my mate.

It all started to make sense now. As far as they were concerned, he was the Alpha who had gone as far as kidnapping theirs, and now he was making matters worse by kidnapping the heir to the title. Logically thinking, they were bound to retaliate. Their urge to protect the Alpha bloodline was as strong as my urge to protect them.

Despite the flaws in their plan, it was pure genius. For a pack to make a move like this without the guidance of an Alpha was pure brilliance. I was dying to know who had come up with the idea.

My eyes shifted to the pup who was driving once more. I judged that he was no older than me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t shifted even shifted yet. If that were the case, it would explain why he had been tasked with the responsibility of taking me back to their pack.

I could practically feel the color draining form my face as I started imagining what Isaac would do to my pack if he were able to track them down. I had studied our borders enough to know that we hadn’t passed them, which meant that my pack would not come across as rogues.

But even despite this small consolation, I knew that it still did not guarantee their safety.

I made a split second decision, knowing that I would start second guessing myself if I tried to think things through first. I opened the car door and unbuckled my seatbelt in a single movement, my heartbeat starting to thud against my chest.

I pushed my body out of the door, and for a moment it felt as if I was in a different dimension. One where time moved much slower. It would explain why it felt like I was taking forever to reach the ground.

I must have jinxed myself, as my body collided harshly with the hard ground only moments after that. The breath was knocked out of my lungs, causing me to gasp, the dirt that I had kicked up in the tumble entering my mouth as I did so.

My senses were overwhelmed by the dirt. It was all I could smell, all I could feel, all I could taste.

My limps were screaming at me, scolding me for choosing to do what I had just done. My body felt as tight as a coil, my arms wobbling as I pushed myself upright. I was vaguely aware of the car skidding to a halt, reminding me that I needed to get moving if I wanted to have any type of head start.

I didn’t even bother dusting myself off before I took off sprinting in the direction that we had travelled from. My calves felt as if they were tearing, my chest feeling like it was being compressed by a grave weight.

I knew that finding my way back to the location of the attack wasn’t going to be difficult. We had been traveling on a straight road, after all. I’d just have to keep an eye out for the shattered glass on the ground.

But finding my pack before Isaac was able to get to them?

That right there was the real difficulty.