Navy's Sons: Bullied by Quadruplet Stepbrothers novel Chapter 8

Tabitha’s POV

Suddenly, their faces morph into the familiar faces of my high school bullies. I hear the laughter. Feel the heat crawling up my face. Just like back then. they’re all looking. All judging and hurling painful words at me.

Suddenly, I’m back in the same hell that I fought so hard to escape five years ago.

I can’t breathe.

I need to get out of here.

“Tabitha…”

I ignore Evren’s voice and do the only thing that I’m good at… run away.

“Tabitha!”

I rip my arm from Evren’s grasp when he tries to reach for me. I hear more people calling my name, maybe Jace, maybe my mom, but I don’t look back. I can’t look back. I need to get out of here!

I don’t stop. I just run, pushing past the stone path. My aching heels scrape the edge of the gravel as I dart straight toward the trees beyond the estate. Away from the lights. Away from them all. The familiar spread of the woods welcome me as I dart towards the towering trees. It reminds me of the last time I went there, I was also trying to run away from the bullies who were chasing me.

Nothing has changed. I can’t even keep the promise to myself not to run away again.

In the end, I just can't… I still haven’t escaped, after all.

The sharp branches claw at my arms as I dive deeper into the woods, , brambles scratching my legs as I tear through the undergrowth. I just need to breathe. Just need to be alone. But something behind me snaps, like someone just stepped on a dry branch.

What’s that?

I glance over my shoulder, just a quick look, but it's enough to throw off my balance. My foot trips over a root and I tumble forward, crashing hard onto the rough ground. Pebbles bite into my palms.

“Ouch…” I mumble while clutching my bruised knee.

My heart hammers nervously against my chest as my eyes drift to the three massive shapes emerging from the thicket.

Werewolves.

Oh shit.

Their muddy fur clings to their hulking bodies and their eyes glowing a sickly red. The look bigger than any I've seen during high school. And there’s something menacing in the way they look at me… they look bloodthirsty.

They let out a terrifying growl. Their teeth glint wet as their tongues drag over their jowls like they’ve already imagined having me for lunch.

“S-Shoo!” I scramble back and blindly grope on the ground until I find a rock and a thick fallen branch. My fingers tremble, but I hurl the rock at the one who steps closer. “Get away from me!” I scream.

The rock bounces uselessly off its flank. It doesn’t do anything but anger the werewolf closest to me. It snarls, lips peeling back, and then it lunges at me. I thrust the stick out with both hands, catching its jaws mid-snap. If it wasn’t for it, the large canines of this beast would have snapped my head directly. The werewolf clamps down on the branch, the splintering wood groaning as the wolf thrashes, frothing like it’s rabid.

“Tabi!” Jace’s voice rips through the trees.

I whip my head toward the sound. Through the blur of branches, four figures break through the woods—Jace, Luca, River, and Evren. Their expressions harden as they catch sight of me, pinned beneath a snarling wolf.

Without hesitation, they shift mid-stride. They transform into four huge werewolves—even bigger than these three who are attacking me. Their eyes sheen in intense gold, contrary to the dull silver eyes of the rogue wolves around me.

Luca’s wolf form, a storm-gray blur with streaks of charcoal down his spine, is the first to strike. He barrels into the rogue nearest me, his jaws locking around its hind leg as he drags it away from my body and slams it into the trunk of a tree.

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