The Hybrid

6. Breathe

A cold gust of wind chills my arms. I reach for the blanket but my fingers dig into cold soil. I open my eyes and see trees looming over me. The sky swirls with thick dark clouds. I sit up and look around.

I am in a forest. Only this is not a forest I recognize. The bark on the trees is darker and the air has a different hint of danger. I stand to my feet. I wear dark jeans and a loose top that I do not recognize. Goosebumps sprout onto my arms as another small breeze picks up.

My mind begins to race as I try to figure out how I got here. Where is Tyler?

All of the trees look the same. I am not in the SilverMoon pack. There is no landmark. There are no stars to direct me to civilization. A wave of fear washes over me as I begin to walk.

Something is watching me. Someone. My heart beats faster as I begin to run through the forest. Alarms sound in my head telling me to run faster.

I finally see a small clearing in the dense forest and turn towards it. I reach the middle of the clearing and the ground beneath my feet crumbles. I fall a few feet into a large hole. My feet fail to catch me and I roll onto my back.

I pull myself to my feet and claw at the cold dirt walls of the hole. It was a large trap probably dug out to catch bears. Or wolves.

I try to climb the dirt but my feet cannot get traction.

Alex, my wolf warns as I start to scream for help.

I claw at the soil until I wrap my fingers around a stringy root. I use it like a rope and begin to climb the wall. My heart races as I grow desperate to reach the surface of the deep hole.

I climb further up the deep hole until my hand slaps on the surface of the cold earth. I pull harder on the root and reach my other arm up. A strong hand wraps around mine and pulls me towards the surface.

Then I see his face.

His dark hair hangs in his face. His kaleidoscope green eyes bleed into mine.

"Hello again." Liam's face spreads into a wicked cheshire smile.

I let out a gasp and release my grip on both the root and his hand causing me to fall backwards back into the bear trap.

I hit the bottom hard and scrape my side on a sharp stick. I grunt in pain as I try to get back to my feet. My temples thump as I begin to feel a pain in my neck.

I dare to climb the root again. My heart pounds as I pull with all of my strength on the root. I finally claw both of my hands to the surface and hoist my body up. I roll onto the ground and look up at the trees once more.

I am gasping for air at this point as I drag my dirty body back to its feet. I look around to see a dark cloud near the trees.

My heart skips a few beats and I struggle to catch my breath. I once again begin to run, but this time the dark cloud is chasing me.

I run and run through the forest until my side begins to burn. I can't breathe. What is wrong with me? I finally slow my pace to a walk only to stop completely and fall to my knees. I wheeze as I try to suck in more oxygen.

Am I having a panic attack?

I look in front of me and see the black cloud stalking closer. I gasp another breath of air and pull myself back to my feet. I turn around and come face to face with the dark figure. The cloud slowly molds into a man. Liam.

"You don't look so good, Love." Liam tilts his head to the side with fake concern. My lungs beg for air as I shoot him a glare.

"Where am I?" I gasp out, still trying to breathe.