“GO!” Matt yells, causing me to jump before the other women mad dash into the forest, kicking up dirt in their wake. I’m a beat behind them, my legs urging me forward as my dress twirls around my thighs. Fresh adrenaline bursts through my veins, my heart already pounding wildly as I break the tree line. The terrain is bumpy with bulky tree roots and low-hanging branches that scrape across my shins painfully.
I hiss, faltering as I crouch down to examine my wounds. Another woman backtracks towards me, grabbing my shoulders. Her brown bob is wild and sticking to her temples as she drags me up from the ground.
“You’re going to get caught! You have to keep moving!” She shouts, pulling me deeper into the forest.
“O-okay!” I stammer, running slightly behind her as she evades twigs and roots.
“I’ve done this a few times,” she smirks breathlessly over her shoulder.
“I can tell!” I gasp, sucking air into my lungs.
“You should have worn better shoes!” She calls before breaking off from me and leaving me on my path.
“Great advice,” I grumble, pushing myself further into the night. The thicket is alive around me, the sounds of bugs buzzing and frogs croaking drown out the heavy thud of my footsteps. The only light I have is the white glow of the moon and stars from above.
Surely the five minutes must almost be up. I’ve been running for forever.
My pace slows until I’m hunched over, my hands resting on my knees as I gulp in oxygen. I stand there in the opening of a field, my chest rising high with every inhale.
The sound of the alarm doesn’t blare until a goodthreeminutes later.
Fuck me. I need to work out more.
My thighs and calves sting as I trudge through the field. Tall, billowy grass tickles my knees, and I almost trip as my foot hits a hidden hole in the ground. My shoe squishes into mud, making my features pinch sourly as I yank my white sneaker out of the muck. It’s ruined, with brown splotches coating the sides of the once-pristine leather.
I curse low, bending down to dust some of the dirt away, when everything goes deathly silent. The chirps and hums seem to evaporate into thin air, and the flesh of my neck crawls uneasily.
A few distant shouts ring through the forest, along with a delighted scream, but it’s all lost on me as I slowly rise in the clearing. My heart pounds painfully, every sense attuned to the man I know is currently watching me. I tilt my chin up, sucking in a breath at the dark figure lingering across from me. Kaden is barely recognizable among the shadows, but his bulky outline is unmistakable.
He lifts a cigarette to his lips, the end of it burning red against the night curling around him. His hood is drawn up, shielding his hair, and his mask is lowered to his chin, but I can’t see his features. Not with the distance stretching between us.
The smoke billows out of his mouth, rising above the trees as a gentle breeze wafts the scent to me. I inhale it greedily, closing my eyes as the air cools my heated skin. Anticipation is on the horizon, and I’m no longer quaking with anxiety.
This was always meant to be.
I want this.
With him.
He drops the cigarette onto the Earth, snuffing it out with his boot before stalking towards me. He tugs the bottom of his mask up to his nose, those dark eyes searing into me as he croons wickedly. “Run, Melody. When I catch you, I’m going to take more than your fucking heart, pretty girl.”
I swallow, backing closer to the tree line as a smile tugs at my lips. “If you catch me…”
“When,“ he corrects.
I turn on my heel, giggling as I bolt back into the woods with newfound enthusiasm. His boots thud quickly behind me, the chase ensuing as I shove my way past trees. I finally understand what all my research on primal play was talking about—the rush, the connection to nature and biology, and the pure desire that shunts you forward. My adrenaline picks up as wanton lust grips me. I want him to catch me, but I want to make him work for it.
Another deep shout echoes through the forest, and I hear a breathless moan that follows closely behind. I know what’s going on around me, considering I was one of the only women wearing a red band. It’s a hunting ground of pleasure, and I’m being stalked by the only predator I have an interest in.
That’s what makes this so much more exciting—thrilling. Knowing that Kaden will be the one to catch me in the end. That he’ll be my first everything.
I don’t slow down for a beat. Not even when I no longer hear his steps behind me or sense him. I keep pushing, throwing a glance over my shoulder until I notice I’m no longer being trailed.
“Melody!” Dylan shouts from close by, making me wince.
I can see him push through the thicket in front of me, and I quietly dip behind a tree. My fingers curl into the bark as I wait him out. He turns around, scratching at the back of his neck before aimlessly wandering further away.
A hand clamps over my mouth from behind, and my whole body stiffens at the touch.