The woods were a fog around him, passing by so quickly he couldn 't even feel the branches and underbrush scratching at his clothes. 'When something snagged on his shirt he barely noticed, shedding the torn rag without missing a step. 'His throat vibrated with the constant thrum of a growl, and if he 'd been in his right mind, he would 've tried to quiet the noise in order to conceal his approach.

But Eren 's right mind was far, far away, and there was no finding his way back to it.

Not yet.

So the handful of guards posted outside the entrance to the compound were peering into the trees as Eren drew near, heads cocked, listening to the feral sounds of his snarling grow louder and louder. 'A couple of them unholstered their weapons, barrels pointed at nothing in particular, staring out into the dark of the forest surrounding them. 'Even with an Alpha 's vision, they could not see what was coming.