Running out of Time (#Wattys2017)

Little Unsteady

31 days until May 4th and a month had never passed by so fast. I never had a moment alone anymore but I knew why. I also knew that Lance and I would be celebrating our birthday on May 3rd this year because of what would happen the next day. Today was the first day since I went to the attraction park with Clarke that I was alone. The woods were just so quiet that it gave me a good place to think. Even with the storm coming in I didn't want to go back.

I've been sitting under this tree since three in the afternoon and I spent the last three hours trying to work up the courage to do what I came out here to do. So now, at 6:10 in the evening I pull out the pen and paper I brought with me to start writing. About two weeks ago I decided to write letters for my family. Just so they have a piece of me for when I'm gone. The first letter I wrote was for my sister. Hers was easy to get through because there wasn't much to say besides I love her and impart some wisdom to her. I knew Mom was gone but I still wrote her a short letter. Hers mostly was about how I would be seeing her again soon.

I was half way through Ruby's letter when the first crack of thunder hit. See it wasn't the thunder that bothered me, but what the thunder masked. Ryan came out from the tree line. "Hey Lilly." I just picked up my stuff and threw it into my bag before I walked up to him. "Hey Ryan, what's up?" Right away I could tell something was off. He had a sweet smile but there was rage in his eyes. He stood with his hands behind his back and closed the distance between us like I was his prey and he was the hunter. I started looking for escape routes in case things went south.

"Oh nothing really, except for one small thing. I offer you a chance at life, but you go out with my Alpha? Something doesn't seem right there considering he isn't even your mate and I am." He actually laughed a bit. "I think I know what it is. You're just a pack rank climbing whore." I couldn't hold my rage anymore and slapped his face with all my might. Actually I was quite proud of that slap because his head snapped the other way. "If you knew anything you would know that nothing has ever happened. You would also know that I always stop his advances and mine. So don't you ever call me a whore because that is not me."

As I turned to walk away he grabbed my arm and pined it behind my back. "Let me go Ryan!" He twisted my arm up even more in an extremely painful way. I tried to twist out of his grip but he held on tighter. "Just accept my offer and let me try and save you Lilly." I had to let out a slight laugh. "Why? So you can still screw other girls behind my back and don't have to feel guilty about my death." With the final nail driven into my coffin he forced me to the ground. Before I could get up he flipped me around so I was staring into his eyes. The only thing I could think to do was spit in his face.

Thankfully that was enough of a distraction for me to get out from under him. As I tried to run he grabbed me around my waist and held me from behind. "Do you realize how much you have humiliated me Lilly? My reputation in the pack is going down hill." I was able to drive my elbow into him hard enough for him to let me go. As I looked at him I realized my options were limited. I was smaller, but faster than him so I could try to get some quick hits in. However, he was bigger and stronger than me so it wouldn't be all that hard for him to trap me. Before I could make a decision on what to do though Ryan literally punched me square in the face. "You bitch!"

I have to get away. So I did the one thing he might not expect me to, I shifted. As I ran from him I started shifting. I didn't mind the pain of bones breaking but I knew from the moment my paws hit the ground something was off. The shifting bought me some time, but only seconds because I could hear Ryan shifting to catch up with me. The black wolf was on my right and I pushed myself to run faster. The lightning served as a natural light to our race and the heavy rain gave our race a different texture. After a little bit I pulled ahead. It never occurred to me that he let me pull ahead.

Well, not until I felt his teeth sink into my right shoulder. Man that hurt like a bitch! Not only did the pressure I had to put on it in order to propel myself forward make it hurt, but the bite itself was starting to burn. I don't know how long I ran before I collapsed and the black wolf stood over me. If this was the end of me then so be it. I looked into his eyes because I would not shy away from the wolf who was about to kill me. The last thing he would see before he killed me would be the eyes of the person he killed.

I must have had a guardian angel though because as a wolf howled in the distance Ryan scurried off like a little whimp. As the adrenaline wore off the aches and pains started to settle in. Out of the woods a figure stepped out of the tree line. He knelt down in front of me and stroked the top of my head. "Lilly, I need you to shift back." You would expect his voice to be rough, but it wasn't. Clarke moved my wolf head into his lap. Him moving me like that made me whimper a bit. "Lilly it will be easier to get you somewhere safe if you shift back." And so I shifted back despite all the aches and pains.

As the rain fell around us and the lightning lit up the sky Clarke took off his hoodie and put it around my naked body. With such grace he picked me up in his arms and carried me in his arms. As the tears started to silently fall Clarke held me closer to him. "I've got you now Lilly. You're going to be all right."