Chapter 3: Run Asa

Asa POV

Asa tried to push himself off of the tree that he leaned on for support. His side burned, and most movements exacerbated the pain. Hours and seconds passed at the same time, confusing Asa.

He had to keep going.

He had no choice, but to keep going.

The trees already covered Asa and the run began.

Asa had no other choice but to go forward.

The rules stated you could not exit the woods where you entered.

Asa took a deep breath, steeling himself before finally pushing off from his resting spot.

He took a couple of steps, tepid breaths pushing out of his nose as he got his balance. His body hurt, but he couldn't focus on that right now.

He needed to get moving, he needed to find his mate, and if he stayed right here, something bad would happen.

Jacob would find him.

Asa didn’t know his mate yet, but he knew it couldn’t have been Jacob.

He didn’t know what in the world would possess him to do something like that.

How could he desecrate the run in this way, trying to lay a claim on him before the run even began?

The Moon Goddess would never look on Jacob favorably for such an act and Asa just knew that nothing good would come out of it. Under no circumstances would Asa let this mating happen.

Howls began to sound and Asa winced. Asa’s location, still near the beginning could only spell danger for him as the second group to begin the run.

He had to keep going. Stopping meant defeat.

'Don't stop Asa. You've got to find your mate. Your mate will save you,' Asa thought to himself.

He began to stumble blindly into the woods.

The woods seemed especially dim tonight, even though he knew that the moon had to be cresting over the woods if the second group began to run in.

Asa’s time wasted away, and he walked by this tree already.

Wait.

Was he walking in circles?

He shook his head to clear it, but that only made him more disoriented.

That stupid whiskey scent stuck to the inside of his nostrils and his head began to hurt.

He pressed his shirt into his side, trying to staunch some of the bleeding. He’d ripped off the end of his shirt, using it as a makeshift bandage, but it started to seep through.

Come on Asa, keep it together. He thought to himself before taking another step forward.

He could do this, he just needed a strategy. A strategy that involved hiding from Jacob while also finding his true mate.

If he could hide just long enough for his true mate to find him, then everything would be alright. There would be no contest and things could go back to normal, he could forget this ordeal altogether. He would try to find shelter, some kind of hiding place. In this state, even the thought of climbing a tree hurt, so he’d have to focus on some kind of drop off or clearing. He had to find an easy place to lay low.

He tried to focus on his goal, shelter, but focus came with difficulty with his scent-addled brain.

He’d try to think of a place to hide, but the whiskey scent confused.

He heard the final howl as the other shifters ran into the woods and his eyes widened.

They were too close to Asa and he hadn’t figured out a place to hide.

“Asa!” He heard Jacob call and Asa took off running, no regard for hiding at this point.

He just had to get away from Jacob.

Tree brambles and sticks were getting stuck to his clothes, scratching his skin but he didn’t take the time to do anything about it, too afraid of what may happen if he were to stop running.

He tripped over a root, falling onto his side into a small clearing. He whimpered at the contact before covering his mouth when he realized the sound.

All of the other voices and footsteps faded away in the wide expanse, leaving Asa with only the sound of his pounding heart.

He pulled his knees to his chest, resting his head and hoped that this small sanctuary hid him enough to keep him away from Jacob

“Found you,” A voice said, breaking into the clearing and Asa tried to get up with no avail.

He’d twisted his ankle and the wound on his side burned.

Jacob had found him, what was he going to do?

“You’re not my mate, this isn’t how this goes,” Asa called out, trying to talk reason into the man’s head.

“Is it not my scent stuck in your nose?” Jacob asked, a less than charming smile on his face and Asa frowned. Of course, his scent still stuck in his nose, Jacob had been pushing his pheromones all over the place.

“Yes but—

“No buts, that means your mine, and I’m going to have the best mate in the whole pack. Who would have thought I would finally be the alpha of this pack, I’m number one” He said and Asa pulled himself back from the elder man with his hands, trying to get distance.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to go, you’re not supposed to do this,” Asa begged, even though, clearly Jacob heard nothing, or cared nothing of Asa’s pleas.

“Don’t be like this, you’re mine,” The man growled, his red eyes staring down at Asa predatorily.

“Please don’t- please,” He said, hyperventilating.

His side lit up like a switchboard and the older man’s pheromones suffocated him in the clearing as if he were trying to get Asa scent drunk.

“I’m going to treat you well, and we’re going to be happy, the Moon Goddess has decreed it,” Jacob said, advancing on Asa.

His head went hazy, no longer able to focus on the scents around him and the burning in his side.

“Please,” He begged, looking over Jacob’s shoulder to see piercing auburn eyes before everything faded to black.