Chapter 16: Too slow
Liam POV
The beast hit me first.
Not a warning.
Not a test.
It came straight for my throat — fast, heavy, violent — trees breaking behind it as it charged through the forest.
I shifted before I finished moving.
Bones snapped and reset. The world sharpened. Sounds narrowed. My vision went red as my wolf took control.
Black fur spread across my skin. Claws dug into the ground. My white paws hit the earth hard enough to crack it.
The beast slammed into me.
We didn't push each other.
We exploded.
The ground split. Leaves shot into the air. Birds fled. A snarl ripped out of my chest, deep and loud, shaking the forest.
It was bigger than I expected.
Stronger than I expected.
Its body wasn't made for the forest. Too heavy. Too much muscle. Dark fur that swallowed light. Its eyes weren't wolf eyes.
They were old.
And hungry.
Its breath burned hot against my fur. It smelled like iron and rot. Not natural. Not right.
I slashed its side.
My claws should have cut deep.
They didn't.
They scraped. Pain shot back up my legs from the force. The beast twisted and hit me with its shoulder. My body smashed into a huge tree.
The tree cracked.
My ribs burned.
I hit the ground, slid, stopped myself with my claws, and stood again. Pain faded into the background. My wolf bared his teeth.
The beast stepped forward.
Calm.
Confident.
It didn't see me as prey.
It saw me as something in its way.
It didn't rush now. It didn't need to. It moved like something that had never lost a fight in its life.
And its path led straight toward the village.
Toward her.
Mara.
My wolf went silent. Not afraid-decisive. If it reached her, then I don't deserve to breathe
The thought hit harder than any blow. Everything inside me focused. Every instinct locked to one point.
No.
It wouldn't reach her.
Not while I was alive.
If I died here, fine. If I bled out, fine. As long as she kept breathing, then it was a good death
The beast lunged again.
I met it head-on.
Our bodies collided. Bone slammed against bone. Pain flashed white. My jaws closed around its neck. The flesh resisted like stone. My teeth sank in slowly until blood finally hit my tongue.
It didn't scream.
It didn't panic.
It lifted me.
My body slammed into another tree. Bark burst. Pain rang through my bones.
I landed. I didn't fall.
Not with her in danger.
We circled each other.
Left.
Right.
Hunter and hunter.
I watched its shoulders. Its paws. The way its weight shifted. It wasn't wild. It wasn't mindless.
It was choosing.
It was measuring me.
A deep sound rumbled from its chest. The forest seemed to go quiet around it. Even the wind stopped moving.
Then it looked past me.
Toward the village.
Toward her.
It hadn't come for me.
It had come for her.
The realization settled like ice in my veins, then shattered into rage.
My wolf roared.
Every instinct answered with the same word:
Mine.
I charged.
I didn't hold back.
Our bodies collided again. Claws flashed. Trees broke. Bark exploded. The ground tore apart beneath us. Dirt filled the air like smoke.
I bit down on its shoulder. It drove its claws into my side. We locked for a second — strength against strength — then blew apart again.
My lungs burned.
My vision pulsed.
But I didn't slow.
Couldn't.
Mara's face flashed in my mind.
Her laugh.
Her scent.
The way she said my name.
No.
I would not let this thing touch her.
Then something changed.
It got faster.
Not slowly.
Immediately.
One heartbeat it was strong.
The next heartbeat it was unstoppable.
It towered over me. Claws raised. The strike was clear:
Not a warning.
A kill.
The air around it felt heavy, like the world itself was getting out of its way. It moved like gravity had changed for it alone.
Too fast to dodge. Too heavy to block.
My muscles tried to answer.
Too slow.
The claw came down—
Something moved.
A blur.
Small.
Human.
Too fast.
It crossed the space between us in an instant and hit the beast's arm. The blow missed my throat and ripped into the ground instead, tearing it open.
I staggered back.
The earth in front of me was split wide, deep claw marks carved into it that should have been in my neck.
Then I saw her.
Mara.
Of course it was her. The one person I would have burned the world for... walking straight into the fire.
Standing between me and the beast.
Breathing hard. Clothes torn. Dirt on her skin. Hair stuck to her cheek.
And her eyes—
Too bright.
Too focused.
Power pulsed around her. Not glowing. Not controlled. Just there. Wild. Alive. Wrong for an omega. Too sharp. Too fast.
"What are you, Mara? Move back."
No omega should move like that.
But she had.
My heart stuttered.
She didn't look at me.
She looked at the beast.
Not crying.
Not shaking.
Just standing there.
Like she had decided something.
The beast turned toward her fully now.
Interested.
Focused.
It tilted its head slightly, like it was studying her. Like it had found what it was actually looking for.
I tried to move toward her. My ribs screamed. My side bled warm down my fur. My muscles lagged behind me.
Not fast enough.
She swayed.
The speed had cost her.
Too much.
Her fingers curled like she was trying to hold herself together, nails digging into her palms.
Her breathing was wrong. Too shallow. Too quick. Like her body was outrunning itself.
The beast raised its arm.
Slowly.
Testing.
As if it wanted to see how she would react.
I snarled, warning, desperate.
Move. Run. Get behind me.
She didn't back away.
She stepped forward.
Small step.
Quiet.
Certain.
My wolf froze for a second.
The beast struck.
She moved.
Fast again.
Too fast.
Her body blurred to its side — then stumbled. Her knees dipped. She caught herself at the last second. Pain flashed across her face like lightning.
She was burning herself to do it.
I could feel it.
Every movement took something from her.
The beast understood.
She was not prey.
Threat.
Its entire posture changed. No more testing. No curiosity. Just focus. Direct and simple.
It launched at her with full force. No restraint. No holding back. Just intent to kill.
The ground cracked under its weight.
Mara looked up.
Her body tried to move again.
I saw it in her eyes first — the decision to run, to dodge, to try. But her legs didn't answer fast enough. The power inside her lagged, late, unstable.
Too late.
Move, Liam. Faster. Break your bones if you have to. Just reach her...
The claw came down.
Not toward me.
Toward her.
The world narrowed to a single moment.
I wasn't close enough.
I knew it.
I could see the distance. I could feel the delay. My body was still in the air, still pushing forward, and it would not be enough.
She took the blow.
The sound was dull and heavy.
Her body flew back. Blood scattered through the air in small drops that caught the light and vanished again. She hit the ground and slid, leaving a deep line in the dirt.
Silence hit the forest.
My heart stopped.
She didn't get up.