Brooks:
I stormed out of the combat training grounds, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. I was beyond frustrated. I’d lost my train of thought in the sparing arena, letting my emotions get the best of me. Everything—my nagging brother, my responsibilities, the pressure of taking over as Alpha, my swirling thoughts about Hattie—it was all too much. I needed to clear my head.
I barked orders to the patrolmen, sending them off in their designated directions before taking off west himself. I didn’t shift. i just ran. Ran until the burn in my legs matched the fire in my chest. Until my lungs screamed for air, and my mind was nothing but the steady rhythm of my pounding feet against the forest floor.
The woods stretched endlessly around me, the shadows cast by the rising m
