Run With Me

Chapter Thirty Two

Terri leaned into the wind, deliberately leaving her scent behind her as she ran. She couldn't hear Darren over the roar of the wind, but the sky was starting to lighten. For most wolves, this would put them at a disadvantage in the snow and wind, but for her, it was an ally. Her lighter coat would blend in and the filtered morning light would be deceptive to her pursuer. She knew that if Darren caught her, she was in for a world of hurt. Maybe even death. She had deliberately enraged him, challenged him, and leaping over his head was the ultimate insult in his eyes. So Terri found her stride and pushed herself faster. There was no point in looking over her shoulder, just run as far and as fast as she could for as long as possible.

Terri knew enough about wolf physiology to know that the cross training in her human form would carry over into her four legged counterpart. So she ignored the burning in her lungs, the tenderness in her paws and proceeded to race towards the cliff's edge. Her senses were heightened in this form but she didn't have the luxury of enjoying the new sights and smells. As she rounded a corner, she caught a hint of Darren on her heels when the wind shifted. He was an alpha and had alpha power and stamina. This was going to be a marathon. One she needed to sprint for. She wondered how long he was going to last at this speed, but she wasn't about to tempt fate any more than she already had, catching her paws on a slightly harder pack of snow and pushing herself even faster.

Her wolf luxuriated in the wind and cold, the snow catching on her fur and eyelashes, using her other senses to drive herself towards the cliff's edge, turning sharply and racing along the edge as closely as she dared. She heard the yelp of surprise as Darren just about barreled over the cliff, but kept running at an all out sprint. The moment caused her pursuer to slow down and put some more distance between them. Terri took that moment to adjust her pace a fraction slower, wanting to conserve what little energy she could. This sprint was going to take hours. And she had to win this race.

And hour later Terri doubled back to run along the base of the cliffs, picking up speed long enough to gain a few extra feet of distance. That extra moment granted her the opportunity to stop directly below the cave where she had known she had fallen. Turning back, she marked the spot, waiting for Darren to come into view. He didn't disappoint, but it did take longer than Terri expected. He was getting tired. But his stubborn pride wouldn't allow him to stop. So she turned from the spot and began to sprint into the woods running along the base of the cliff, parallel to the pack house and the paths she had grown up running on.

***

"How much longer do you think it's going to be?" Kayla had grown restless by the end of the third hour and began to cook. The rest of the alphas had come upstairs, most with their mates, and sat around the table and lounging in the kitchen while Kayla dealt with her stress. Her mate, as much as he had screwed up in her eyes, was still her mate and the father to her child. Collin was napping with Michael and Zoe, the excitement of the morning being too much for the small boy.

"Well, Terri and I ran a half marathon course last week, so maybe another hour?" Kirk stirred the batter that Kayla had handed him, helping out with feeding the large number of people still residing in the pack house. Anna had been banished to the basement with the others, Kayla having snapped out of her shock long enough to resume her duties as Luna.

"Really?" Kayla sounded surprised "I knew she enjoyed running, but I didn't figure her for a marathon runner." Kirk frowned. Kayla and Michael were the closest people to Terri and yet neither seemed to realize Terri's greatest accomplishments or passions.