by Rain Itika
"In your dreams." She responded with new life as she whipped her head back, smashing it into his forehead. He was surprised by her response, and as he stepped back a couple of inches to cradle the damage, she managed to take his absence and turn around. With the knife still in her hand, she slashed out and cut into him.
He stumbled back, his hand moving to his wound. She watched as a dark pool formed on his shirt, the blood flowing endlessly, but he did not react like he was just stabbed.
No, he just looked at her with pure rage in his eyes.
What she was seeing was impossible. No person could be hurt that bad and still stand. The gears were turning in her head, making her freeze on the spot. Roland noted her distraction and moving faster than light, his hand shot out and slapped the knife from her grip, disarming her. At the same time his other hand wrapped around her neck. She felt his fingers digging into her throat, pressing down and squeezing the life out of her.
"Do you know who I am?" He started, his hand still pressing harder. "I am Alpha of the Full Moon Pack, the biggest in the world, and you dare to attack me twice. Even if you are my mate, the punishment will be severe."
The words he was saying were not making sense. Alpha, mate. He sounded like a mad man. A crazy man about to kill her. Something about being in his presence made her weak, taking away all the training and experience she has gained. If this was a normal situation, she would have sliced open his neck by now and watch the life drain from his eyes, at the same time as his blood. But now she was stuck, about to get the same fate as she wanted to give him.
Finding this situation hilarious, she couldn't help but start to laugh. Even if she was about to die, she would not give him the satisfaction of begging to spare her. Her laughter sounded strained as no air was reaching her, the noise coming in waves, but he could understand what was happening.
"What is so funny?" He asked, a confused look on his face.
"I am about to be killed by a crazy man talking about alphas and shit." She managed to wheeze out. His hand was blocking the air going to her lungs as black spots began to creep into her vision. She closed her eyes and accepted the new fate. Finally, a cruel end to a harsh life.
After a couple of seconds, nothing happened. She only listened as he took deep breaths. He didn't crush her windpipe, but he also didn't let go of her.
She finally opened her eyes and looked up into his eyes. His eyes staring right into her soul, trying to pry her secrets out.
"Who said I am going to kill you. There are so many more fun things we can do." He explained, his hand leaving her, and she crumbled to her knees. She clawed at her neck, taking in deep gulps of air.
Before she could say or do anything, he hit her over the head. The sudden searing pain was replaced by complete darkness.
*****
Her picture lay on the table, shredded into pieces by a moment of rage. He was always able to control these outbreaks, but it was getting worse. The more and more he used his powers, the weaker he got. Even though he was still stronger than any human, he had lost most of his god-like abilities.
"Sir, what is the next plan of action?" The voice behind him asked, fear dripping off of him.
He turned around in his chair to look at the human who dared interrupt his thoughts.
Stop breathing.
Using his mind to take control of him, he orders him as his anger resurfaced. The man's eyes grew big as he looked around shockingly, his face pleading to the onlookers. His hands shot to his neck as he tried to remove the invisible hand choking the life from him. His face turned red, then blue as his eyes bulged from their sockets. Within seconds he was dead, his lifeless body slumping over on to the table, eyes staring into nothingness.
All eyes in the room turned back to him, too afraid to say anything lest they are next.
Looking back at her picture, he dreamed about the day he could kill her. He would make her suffer, make all of her kind suffer.
"Wait a couple of days, then activate her tracker. The alpha will take her to their pack hideout, that is when we will strike." With the final words, he turned his back on them, glaring out into the world. A push of noise came as the people rushed to leave the room and with the click of the door, his shoulders relaxed. Being alone afforded him the luxury of daydream and he sat back in the chair, his eyes closing. Scenes flashed before his eyes. Ones of him killing the creatures, ridding the world of their evil, and especially one of him holding the recent severed head of Lara in his hands.
CHAPTER 8
The flames were getting closer. Almost like they were teasing her as the heat began to get unbearable.
She was crouched in the corner, not knowing what to do. The door in her room was burning, the only way out blocked.
"Mama, papa." she screamed at the top of her lungs, but no answer was returned. Her lungs betrayed her as she was forced to take a deep breath, the smoke started to full her lungs, which made it even harder to breathe now. Her eyes teared up as she glanced around the room, searching for a way out but all she could see was the black smoke. Smoke that made its way into her mouth and down her throat, scratching sharply against her, forcing her to start coughing intensely.
The next second, the door that was on fire was kicked open, a figure standing there. Her vision was blurry and as she rubbed the tears away, she was able to see him clearly and what laid behind him. The yellow of the flames flicker behind his shadow as it burned everything in its path.
"Ruby, come to me." The man shouted from across the room. His arms outstretched for her, but she was too afraid to move, frozen by the terror of her surroundings.
The roof on the other side of the room collapsed, the pieces crashing into her abandoned bed, causing her to scream. The man could not wait any longer and ran to pick her up. He dodged around the burning dresser on the floor, barely escaping with his life when he reached her. She threw herself into his embrace as he bends to pick her up. When she was safely secured in his arms, he made a move to leave the room. All she could do was close her eyes. Not wanting to see what was happening with her childhood room filled with the toys she loved and the books that would always help her fall asleep.
Moments later, she felt the fresh air hit her lungs, and the heat slowly fading from her tender skin. The man put her on the ground while cradling her face between his big hands, "Stay here, sweetheart, I have to go find mama."
With a final kiss on her forehead, he ran back into the house on fire, searching for his wife, leaving his daughter outside coughing and crying at the same.
Moments later, the weak roof completely collapsed, flattening everything beneath it. All she could do was stare at her home, burning away, not fully understanding what was happening. The smoke spread out and engulfed her. As she was trying to avoid it, she stepped back and right into awaiting arms.
The tears still running down her face, she looked up at the new person. A man unknown to her.
"Where are mama and papa?" She innocently asked the stranger.
A wicked smile crossed his face, his voice deep and filled with sinister "They are gone now. Do not worry, I am here to take care of you." Her age made her unable to see the wicked look of the man.
He picked her up and she willingly went with him, the thought of resisting the stranger nowhere, and walked to his awaiting car. More men stood around watching the flames, but she did not notice them.
She looked over his shoulder, back at her house, and she started to feel the night's events catch up to her. She tried to fight the urge to sleep but lost. Her eyelids drooped closed with the fire the last thing she saw, not knowing this was where her life ended and nightmare beginning.
CHAPTER 9
She has never
felt so rested in her life before, even after the dream she just had. Usually, she only slept a couple of hours a day, the only way to try and stop the nightmares. This time was different. She was at peace for once.
Sitting up, she looked around at the room. It was unfamiliar. Her memories came flooding back all at once. The green-eyed demon, the hotel room, and the fight. How was he still walking after she had stabbed him?
Lara was on high alert, the last thing she remembered was him hitting her over the head and blacking out, which means he had taken her.
She got out of bed, looking down at herself. At least she was still wearing the same clothes, meaning he did not do anything bad with her. She walked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. There were no windows, so no way of telling if it was night or day or even where in the world she could be.
Only a simple bed was in the middle of the room and two doors. She opened the first to reveal a bathroom. Just a toilet and a shower but no window. With disappointment she closed the door and moved over to the other door, knowing it would be locked. Trying to turn the handle, it was confirmed, and she mentally slapped herself for getting just a bit hopefully, but now it was gone.
She looked back at the empty room, wondering why had he brought her here. He could easily have killed her but chose not to.
Why? What were his motivations?
Sitting back down on the bed, she just stared at the wall, her mind trying to think of ways to escape. The best way was to wait right by the door and when someone came in, overpower them and make a break for it. The problem was she did not know the outlay of the building. Neither did she know what the weather was like outside. She could be stuck in the middle of a snowstorm, literally freezing her ass off, for all she knew.
Sitting so still had made her dose off. Minutes or even hours past when she woke up again. All seemed the same except for a small tray of food on the bed next to her. She really must have been tired if she did not even hear them bring it in.
The smell of meat brought her closer for inspection. She leaned in, looking at the food, making her stomach ache. A reminder that she has not eaten anything in probably two days, but what if it was poisoned. Lara took the risk and dug in.
On the tray was a bowl with some meat stew. Next to it was an apple and a bottle of water. At least they gave her a plastic spoon to eat with.
She ate as fast as her mouth could chew, not even wasting time thinking about how delicious it all was. She had to get out now. She did not know how long she would be here for, and in a couple of days, she would need another shot, and if the demon did not kill her, that will.
She had an idea. Feeling the flexibility of the tray, she was able to bend it a bit, which means she could break it apart and use it as a weapon. With the end of the tray placed beneath her feet, she used her arm muscles and pressed down. It snapped in half immediately, and Lara froze to listen, the action making a bit of noise, and she did not want them to catch her unexpectedly. The other halve she shoved under the bed, with the empty plate as well. After she straightened the bed cover, she walked over to the locked door, hoping someone would come in soon the remove the dirty plates.
Standing behind the door, the broken tray in hand, she was ready. Luckily, she only had to wait mere minutes before someone came in.
Fist was the sound of a key sliding into the lock, getting turned before being pulled out. She held her breath as she watched the door handle slowly move down. The door opened and listened as feet shuffled in, their body hidden behind the open door as she pressed into the wall harder.
She finally saw his back when he moved further into the room. He was not the demon since his shoulders were not as broad, and he had black hair. She could still admire him from behind.
Walking as softly as she could to sneak up behind him, she grabbed him around the neck, the sharp part of the tray piercing into his skin. A drop of blood trickled down, revealing to him that she could do damage and not be tested.
"Do not make a move, or I will cut you open right here." She explained. He was a smart one since he lifted his hands in the air. A sign of surrender.
"I won't move. Just put down the weapon, and we can talk this thru." He tried to bargain with her.
"You think I am that gullible." She replied, poking the tray deeper into his neck.
"Was worth a try." He said, a little chuckle following.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"At the packhouse. In Shadows woods." He replied.
"You are going to take me outside and lead me far away from here. When I feel like we are far enough away, I will let you go. Try to stop me, and I will slit your throat faster than you can say 'please.'" She explained.
He remained still for a while like he was thinking about her offer. He then nodded his head and started moving. He led her out of the room and into a long corridor.
*****
Roland was sitting in his office, trying to work. Instead of focusing on the countless paperwork in front of him, his mind kept wandering back to the girl.
He had brought her back to the house, only telling his beta about her. He had been against the idea, telling him to kill her and get all this over with.
Mark did not understand the situation since he had not found his mate yet. Even if he knew she had cast a spell over him, the feelings were still there. And they were getting stronger being this close to her.
Alpha. His beta's voice started in his head, the pack link making it possible. The girl is trying to escape. She has a weapon to my throat and wants me to help her escape.
He smirked. She was a feisty one, he’d give her that. But the time for games was over. He wanted some questions.
Lead her outside into the woods, I will be waiting.
He got up and started to undress. It was time for her to see with who she was dealing with. The wolf alpha...
CHAPTER 10
The house was humungous, an endless maize. Her room had been on the third floor, and even while walking down the corridors, she could see doors left and right.
When they finally reached the first floor, the space took her breath away. On the one side was an open plan kitchen. The other a lounge area with couches big enough to fit a basketball team, but no one was in sight. She did not know if she was relieved or a bit scared.
She pushed the man to walk faster, trying to get out of this place as fast as humanly possible. They finally reached a big glass door, which beyond she could see only trees. This really was in the middle of the woods.
He opened the door, leading them outside. They kept walking until they reached the entrance into the woods, stopping all of a sudden.
"Why are you stopping." She questioned him.
"These woods go on for miles, it is easy to get lost on foot." He explained.
"Then show me how we got here. Where is the car that...." before she could finish a loud growl sounded behind her.
Turning around slowly and forgetting about the man who was her hostage, she faced whatever was making that sound and came face to face with a dog. No, not just a dog, but a wolf.
A wolf with the height the same as hers and a dark brown color. What drew her the most about it was its eyes. It was an emerald green, almost sparkling in the sunshine, a green that reminded her of him.
The wolf bared its teeth at her, making the hair at the back of her neck stand up. It growled again, bringing back instinct that she had lost looking into its eyes. She automatically dropped the weapon, bringing her hands up before her.
She backed away slowly, her hostage out of sight and mind. Slowly easing her way back into the trees, she made it merely feet away until she stepped on a branch. The cra
cking noise made the wolf step closer to her, and in a moment of weakness, she ran.
The trees were so big and tall that they cover most of the sunlight, giving the woods an eerie feeling. As she was running for her life, they scratched her up, pulling at her clothes like they wanted to keep her there.
She felt the earth beneath her feet crunch, the wet soil making it harder to move. Her legs were starting to complain, her body out of breath already. She was used to high-intensity exercise, but in the woods running from a wolf, is another story.
She repeatedly heard the wolf behind her, and when he got closer, he would nibble at her feet and back like he was teasing her, playing with its food.
When she could almost run no more, the wolf jumped into her. She was pushed into the ground, dirt going everywhere. She spun around on her ass, hands by her side, feeling for a rock or any other weapon.
The wolf stood in front of her, just staring down at her, his eyes scanning her all over. When it stepped closer, she backed away. It kept doing that until she felt a tree digging into her back.
She was trapped.
The wolf was now right in front of her, so close she could feel the heat coming off of it.
It pressed its muzzle into her neck as if smelling her. She froze at the unnatural action, squeezing her eyes shut. The wolf can just as easily choose to close his sharp teeth around her and rip her into pieces.
And just like that stopped all of a sudden. The wolf moved away from her while still looking at her. The crunch of leaves alerted her to its movement, the fact that she wasn’t dead a good sign. She took a deep breath, calming her erratic beating heart, before slowly opening her eyes again.
Her screams pierced the quiet woods. Right in front of Lara was not a wolf anymore, but a man.
A man that has been making her life hell, a man completely naked, like the day he was born.