Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 92

I want to reach out and comfort him, to let him know that everything will be alright, but I also need to protect him from the danger I pose. My heart aches with the need to reassure him, yet my mind screams for him to leave before it’s too late.

“Get out!” It comes out harsher than I intend, but he needs to understand the danger. “You can’t be here, Max. It’s not safe.”

I fumble in my pocket for my phone, the device feeling alien and clumsy in my hands. I need Soren; he needs to come get his son. He needs to get Max out safely before I shift. But the screen stays blank, with no reassuring ring or vibration. I hit redial again, desperation clawing at my throat–still nothing-

no answer.

“Please, Max. You have to go. Now.”

His bottom lip juts out in the stubborn way I have come to expect. “No,” he says quietly, with more conviction than a boy his age should possess. “You’re scared. I can’t… I can’t leave you here alone.”

His words sting like a blow to the gut, overwhelmed by his innocence. How can I make him understand? He’s just a kid; he shouldn’t see me like this, much less be near me. I force a smile.

to erase any signs of my distress, not wanting him

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Chapter 92

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dying light. I mentally try to work out the distance and time I have left. If I stick to the shadows, I should be fine. The moon’s touch will force the initial shift. I shudder at the thought of trying to deny the moon. I glance at Max. He can’t stay here; I pick up his scent, which I will now

of confusion and hurt, but there’s no time to explain, no moment to spare. Every second he remains is a second closer to

I grab Max’s hand and pull him out of the cellar. There’s an urgency in my step

move fast. I need to

the moon, but it is the quickest way back to the castle. Already, I can feel the itching beneath my skin, the impending betrayal of my own body as it prepares for the inevitable. The moon, that cursed silver disc in the sky, peeks through the branches, almost mocking me as it rises higher and howls break out. The wolves‘ howls aren’t just a threat; they’re a reminder

stumbles over a root, and I have to pull him upright,

Chapter 92

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