Page 23 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
“On my command you may shift,” Tobias calls, “and the race will begin.”
To my left Olivia is poised, one leg in front of the other, ready to pounce. Beside her, Clayton is readying himself, a smug grin on his chiseled face.
Directly to my right Todd and Simon are jostling each other, trying to put the other off.Do they ever stop?
All the other racers are staring forward, eyes on the prize.
I close my eyes, take a breath, and picture my goal. Jasper’s face rises in my mind and at once I’m focused. I want to prove to him I’m not so easily pushed aside—that he can’t control me. When I open my eyes, all I can see is the torch in front of me and the path out onto the ice.
Tobias, holding a mint-green handkerchief, lifts his hand into the air.
“Racers!” he cries. “On your mark, get set…go!”
FIRE AND ICE
We leap into action––fifty-odd wolves drop their robes, rise into the air, and shift in unison.
Bones snap. Muscles tear. Teeth become fangs. Fingers become claws.
The ice creaks as we all land, digging our nails into the surface.
I take a second to adjust to my wolf form. It’s been a while and my senses need a moment to catch up. There are already wolves clutching their torches in their jaws and tearing them from the ice. Clayton’s golden-coated wolf takes an early lead, heading out onto the lake. Fluorescent colors float around me. The scents of the other wolves and the overpowering smell of Jasper behind me spin my mind in circles. My wolf’s instinct is to turn and pounce on him. But I take command, overriding my natural impulse.
I’m already behind; the other wolves have run on ahead. Was this a mistake? The others are stronger, faster, more accustomed to shifting. My legs are quivering.
“What are you doing?” I hear Jasper call from behind and twist my muzzle so I can see him. “Run, Bonehead!”
With a snarl, I clasp my fangs around the base of my torch and tug it free. Then I’m off. It takes another moment to get my bearings on the ice. Even with my claws it’s more slippery than I anticipated. But once I’ve found a technique that works, landing on the tips of my paws and digging in, propelling myself forward, I’m off.
My wolf lungs fill with cool, frostbitten air, my nostrils flare, and I swear I can smell every atom floating by. Each wolf out on the ice has a different scent and, being at the rear of the pack, I’m battered by them all as I run.
Up ahead the first marker point erupts into brilliant yellow flames and the crowd behind me roars. The speakers blare and Tobias’s voice reverberates in my ears. “Clayton Bridgers has lit the first of the braziers!”
Not him!
Determination floods my veins and I pick up speed. My legs stretch and push as I fly forward. My superspeed kicking in. I had thought it was a blue-moon-specific trait, but it seems anytime Jasper is involved, my physical prowess increases. I make a mental note to do some research on the subject when this is over—depending on whether or not I survive—and press on.
Gradually, I begin to overtake people, the other wolves who don’t have my speedster capabilities fall behind.
Another burst of flames up ahead—this time an electric shade of blue—tells me the next brazier has been lit.
“Olivia Castillo, our beta’s daughter, has lit the second fire!”
Great! Go Olivia!She’s been weird and kind of rude lately, but I’d rather watch her mop the floor with Clayton than let him win.
We keep running straight, following the line of torches as more are lit. Olivia and Clayton are in a constant tie for first place, blue then yellow then blue again, one beating the other each time. I’m not even sure why the rest of us bothered bringing a torch along for the run—at this rate we won’t have a chance to use them!
More of my competitors fall behind me as I make up time. I catch a glimpse of Todd and Simon, their wolves noticeably familiar, up ahead. They’re matching each other’s speed but constantly barging into each other, trying to knock the other over.
There’s a howl from up ahead and I’m shocked to see the trail of wolves ahead of me diverging from the path. Clayton and Olivia are still in the lead, only now they’re running perpendicularly to the island.
What? I thought we were heading straight there and back?!And then I remember Tobias saying there would be some surprising turns along the way. Well…surprise!
The turning point comes into view but we’re all going too fast for the corner. I do my best to control my speed and slow down. Two wolves ahead of me overcompensate as they round the bend, their legs slip out from under them, and they tumble sideways, spinning across the ice before coming to a stop. One of them tries to stand and rejoin us; the other doesn’t move.
I gulp and dig in my claws as I round the corner.
There are only ten or so wolves left ahead of me, but as I try to regain my pace I notice I can only see six, then five, then… They’re disappearing up the bank of the river into the trees.
