by Shelby Dean
I stare up into his eyes and know my wolf needs him but if I don’t pull her back, then we will end up mating. I don’t know how, but I know that this is in quite a fact.
So I fight with her for control and realizing my intuitions she relents. The change happens immediately, bones crunching and reforming back into my human form. Cillian quickly averts his eyes, and hands me a blanket.
I wrap it around my shoulders and the rest of my body before I look back up at him. He’s still looking away from me to give me privacy. That thought runs through my mind, and while he’s not looking I trace his features with my eyes. Strong almost pointed jawline, stubble lining it. Dark brown hair that falls just below his ears, and slightly into his eyes.
My eyes trace the rest of his body that I can see…. Big bulging biceps, veins popping, down to his hands. Rough calluses line his palms and fingers, veins lining up his arms to his chest.
My hand twitches and my heart skips a beat. He abruptly turns his head, his eyes catching mine causing me to suck in a sharp breath. I see the pain in his eyes again that i saw 3 weeks ago, and I realize that it wasn’t towards me. Its towards himself…
My heart aches for him, and my soul cries out. Wanting to heal him, to save him from this pain… this turmoil he seems to carry around on his shoulders and in his soul. My lips part slightly, my heart beating fast. But he stands abruptly, breaking the spell we were in.
I speak before he can. “I want to mate with you Cillian… But I just feel in my gut that right now is not the time… I can’t explain it. I just know it isn’t the right time, please understand.” I beg him. He doesn’t say anything, just clenches his hands into fists and turns around, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
A tear falls down my cheek as heartache rolls through me in waves. One tear streaks down my cheek and then plenty more follow. My body racks itself with sobs that I don’t let escape. Curling up into a ball on my bed, I grip my mothers necklace tightly in my hand closed around it.
After a while, my tears subside and I just lie there. Deep breaths in and out, my mind continuing to replay the encounter that Cillian and I just had. Taking in one last shuddering breath, my breathing evens out and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to get the replay in my mind to shut off.
“Hello little girl,” my body freezes and my blood runs cold. Before I can even make a move, im gagged from behind and i know immediately he used wolfsbane and Chloroform. My body begins to sag and my vision goes black. I don’t know anything about the bond, or if he can hear me or not, but i scream in my mind with the last of my strength. HELP ME CILLIAN!!
Chapter 7
Mayhem
Cillian
I storm out of her room before I could smash my lips against hers and prove to her that I care, that I understand. That i have since our dreams together long ago, that I have since we were little kids and chased her around like a lost puppy.
I have been searching for her for years, my father kept trying to get me to give up, to mate to his friend's daughter. But i couldn’t… Not without knowing where she was… if she was mated or not… I shake my head to clear my thoughts and I feel my father behind me.
I turned around, and looking him in the eyes, I swallow back the fear I feel of losing her. “She just needs time and care son. She’s been through quite the ordeal the past few years.” he tells me.
I nod and we both head down to the bottom floor of the house. Before we get down the next flight, pain flairs in my head and I heard her scream. HELP ME CILLIAN!! I clutch my head, and ram into the wall.
My father stares at me wide eyed and my own eyes go wide with fear. “Niamh!” I yell. I shift mid stride and race up the stairs to her room. But she’s gone, and the only thing i notice amiss is the different scent.
Male…. A deep growl rumbles in my chest, and I let it out, along with the howl of pain of her being ripped away from me. I make sure to get a good sniff of the smell to track it and barrel out of the room, my tail whipping behind me.
I chase the scent for miles but it fades after a while into nothing. My heart breaks into two, and the rage and pain overtakes me, the only thing keeping my wolf at bay is the one thought running on repeat through my mind. I have to save her.
I tear through the forest, everything blurring around me, until my hair stands on its end. Something isn’t right… The very second that thought runs through my mind, a dozen or so men surround me.
I tear into them, but they soon seem endless, another keeps coming to replace one i have torn down. Pretty soon, I am completely overwhelmed. Something sharp pricks my neck, and empty blackness over takes me.
The smell of blood wakes me, and I jerk to awareness only to find myself shackled to the wall. I hear a whimper and my eyes fly to the other side of the wall… Where I find Niamh shackled as well, her clothes covered in blood, and her skin covered in bruises.
“Niamh, Niamh love, I need you to look at me, look at me okay?” I say to her. She gives a curt shake of her head, fast enough to where only I would see it.
My pain at seeing her like this is shattered by my rage. But before I can say anything, the door unlocks and opens and in walks the Alpha of the River Maigue Pack. He doesn't acknowledge me, just shakes his head at Niamh.
“Niamh.. You know better than to respond to anyone without my permission. You are mine, my possession, mine to control…. You do understand that you are going to have to be punished don’t you?” he asks her.
She doesn’t do anything, just hangs there limply. He slaps her hard across the face and I growl at him. He finally looks over at me, and smirks.
“Well, well. So it's true then? You are one of her mates… hmm well that definitely complicates things... Unless you have not yet mated.” his smirk grows to a full blown smile as he sees the panic on my face.
“Very well,” This man turns back to Katla and runs a finger down her cheek as she stands frozen. “I’m very much going to enjoy breaking you, little pet,” he runs a finger down her and grips the hip he stab, making her cry out.
Digging his fingers in, he sneers at her. “Until next time,” he whispers to her. She shudders, but does not say anything. He leaves, and we both hear the lock slam into place.
“Niamh, listen to me right now. You are a survivor! You are a fucking warrior! You are so much more than what you think you are! Fight back!”
Chapter 8
Survival
Niamh
The fear running through my veins keeps me in a fugue state of being locked in my mind. Memories run on replay through my mind, haunting me. I hear someone trying to talk to me, and the haze tries to lift, but I don't want to leave this place.
Even though my memories haunt me, I am safe here. Someone gropes me, and as the disgust and revulsion sweep through my body, I know better than to respond.
I keep my face impassive, and my body goes rigid on its own accord. I fight my wolf to stay down, and her anger almost overwhelms me, but I know better than to let them know shes resurfaced.
Someone screaming gets through my haze, and my head pops up as I recognize the voice. My eyes meet Cillian’s, and I quickly run my eyes over the rest of his body.
They have beaten the shit out of him, he’s beaten and very bloody, but the steel in his eyes makes me realize how much of an Alpha he really is. How strong he really is…
But I then notice that he can barely hold himself up and anger rushes through my veins. The person who has been groping me, grips my chin and forces me to look at him. Helix. I growl at him, and spit at his face but he just smiles at me.
“Now now, Niamh. You know better than that. You should treat your soon to be mate with more respect,” he growls the last part. “I am NOT your mate, and I never will be,” i snarl at him. An idea comes to my mind. Crazy, but if I succeed….
Crónán, his dad walks into the room, along with a few other members of the pack; probably because of how I just treated his son. But before he can land a hit on me, I spea
k. “I challenge you for Alpha.”
Crónán growls and takes a step forward but seems to regain his composure, though he smirks at me, i see the unadulterated anger in his eyes. He wants me alive, but he cannot back down from a challenge. It would cause other members of the pack to rise up and challenge him as well, seeing him as a coward.
“Challenge accepted,” he looks over at his son, and then back at me. “The rules this time are different pet, I’m not going to kill you, if I win, you mate with my son. No fighting back, no refusal.”
I curled my hands into fists, and bit back a snarl. “If I win, I’m going to kill you. Then as a reward, I get to kill your precious son,” I snarled at him.
He didn't look scared. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was amused. Then it hit me, he doesn't expect me to win because he wants to play dirty. I smile at him, and he frowns. Laughing, I continue to smile at him. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.
“At dawn, the challenge begins.” He spits at me. He turns on his heel and storms out of the room, the rest of his lackey’s going with him.
Once the door lock slams into place, Cillian freaks out on me. “An Alpha challenge Niamh?! You are in no condition to fight!” he yells at me. I heave out a loaded breath, hoping it will disperse the negative energy I’m feeling in me.
Looking up at him, I stare directly into his eyes. “This is the only way Cillian. Either I win, or I mate to that slimebag. You have to promise me that if I lose, you’ll kill me.”
He sucks in a sharp breath. “You can’t ask that of me…” he trails off on a broken whisper. I steel my eyes and will my emotions to stay buried.
“You have to Cillian. If I lose and you don’t kill me…” i pause, shaking with the sliver of fear I feel prickling my back. “You have to,” I tell him firmly. He shakes his head.
“There’s always another way Niamh, I will not kill you.” he tells me. My hopes deflates in my chest, shriveling up until there is nothing but ash left. But I steel my spine. I have to win this, my whole future is at stake.
Chapter 9
Survive
Niamh
I took a risk last night, and slept to gain some energy. Now, the door unlocking wakes me and my senses heighten to awareness, my body and mind on alert. I straighten my spine, and raise my face to look at the door.
Helix smiles at me, and claps his hands together, rubbing them as if he’s a child getting what he asked for Christmas. “Alrighty, time to go.” he gestures to a lackey of his to unlock me from the wall but not my chains, and then gestures at another to get Cillian. My heart pounds and I growl at him.
“What are you doing with him?” I snarl at him. Helix just grins even wider if that were possible and chuckles.
“He will be watching. And after, when you fail and lose…” he pauses for dramatic effect, then claps once more. “He will be executed on sight, right in front of you as punishment for challenging our Alpha.” Helix tells me happily. I spit at him and some lands on his face. He looks at me in shock, expecting me to cower.
“That disgusting creature you call a father is not, nor will ever be my Alpha. Neither will you. I answer to no one.” I land a punch on his face before his guards can stop me. They grab ahold of me quickly and yank me back. He deftly wipes my spit off his face, and his face quickly turns red. He raises his hand but stops himself, and then smiles at me.
“You will suffer later on for that my dear,” he turns to his lackeys. “Come on, get her up there into the pit. Bring him to the sidelines to watch.” He turns around and leaves the room, leaving the guards to drag us up to the pit.
I’ve never seen the pit, but during my time here I heard about it passing some wolves on the way to get firewood for Crónán’s fireplace. It’s the fighting rink, and the place where Alpha challenges take place.
I suppress a shudder of fear and go again to steel my nerves. This plan of mine is absolutely crazy… But it’s the only one I have. I have to go through with it, there is no other way out.
They bring us up the flight of wooden stairs and out into the woods. A couple miles away, we come upon what looks like a roman amphitheater. I continue letting the guards drag me, saving my strength for the fight.
As we enter the pit, I take a look at my surroundings. The entire pack is gathered in the surrounding seats, screaming and shouting and hurling curses at me, but I let them bounce off me as I continue to look around.
It really does look like a Roman amphitheater, the seats surrounding the pit in a circle and up high. The Pack’s guards are on the ground in the pit, standing in front of the first row of seats.
Probably to make sure I don’t try to attack anyone. I chuckle at that thought, and get a glare from one of the guards. Pushing my fear back, I give him my best smile as they let go of me to unlock my chains.
Chapter 10
The Fight
Niamh
I watch and stand perfectly still as Crónán walks in from the other side of the pit. As he walks towards me, I catalogued the limp in his right leg, and the twitch in his left hand. Good attack points.
He reaches me after basking in the screaming and chanting of his name. And as he reaches me, I get the faintest shiver down my back. I’m being watched, and it’s not by his men or any of his pack. I can tell that much. I throw that thought to the wind as he takes me in before smiling at me.
“We are here today, my Pack mates. Because this wolf, refuses to mate with my son. Ran after his offer to mate, and then challenged me after bringing her back to safety!” The crowd roars its disapproval over what he has told them. His lies.
My anger boils right beneath the surface and for once my wolf and I are on the same page. This fucker has to die. I feel it deep in my bones, and in my soul.
I feel it on some other level that I can’t explain, there are things he’s done to me that I cannot remember and things I do remember. I feel it like a deep rip in my soul and for a few seconds I can feel the darkness radiating off of him. It coats my tongue and makes me want to heave.
I give him my most deranged smile, and as I crack my knuckles, I let my wolf take over. The change happens in an instant, faster than it ever has and I feel my mother’s necklace heat against my skin. I know immediately that she is here with me.
Survive. The word repeats in my mind, but instead of just surviving I’m going to fight. I’m going to fight for my life, and all the other lives he will destroy if he is left alive. I can feel it in my soul… He is Darkness and Chaos, and I am Light and Healing. It's a fact I know deep in my soul.
He growls deep and changes mid stride, leaping for me. I leap to the side out of his line of sight and lock my jaws around his back right leg. I tear through his flesh and tendon as he tries to kick me free.
We are a heaping mess of fur and blood as we go back and forth, each of us trying to get the upper hand as we grapple for leverage. The shouting of the Pack has gone quiet due to my focus and all in one split second I get my advantage.
I lunge forward and wrap my jaws around his neck. Digging my sharp canines in, I jerk my head to the side and blood spurts and coats my fur as I tear his throat out. He lands in a giant heap, no longer moving. No longer breathing.
I step back, and look for Helix. I spot him standing there with horror written all over his face, but before I can take one step further; a shot rings through the air and he drops to the ground, dead.
It’s then that I remember that they brought Cillian out here. I frantically look around for him, but everyone is rushing by screaming and yelling and howls pierce the air.
I growl and as anger overtakes my senses, warmth and power fill my every fiber. I shove it out of me with one long howl. Everyone drops to the ground, wolf and still some in their human form. Their heads bowed in submission.
I let my senses over take me as I continue to look for Cillian. I hear a loud howl in the air coming from further into the woods, and ignoring everyone still on their knees, I take off.
Chapter 11
The Chase
Niamh
Rushing through the forest, I quickly lose my way. As panic begins to creep into my bones, I howl long and loud hoping he’ll return it.
I pant in my wolf form, spinning in a circle straining my ears and praying for the sound of his howl to reach me. The panic settles deeper, and starts to take root, and as I finally hear his responding howl followed by a loud pain filled whine I take off towards the sound.
I push my wolf faster than I have ever pushed her, and off in the distance of the fading sunlight I see him. He’s tied down by a rope and there are two figures standing over him. I feel as if I lose my humanity at that point, as I reach the clearing.
Leaping into the air, I knock over them over which makes them quickly scatter backwards to ready themselves for a fight. I take a glance at Cillian. Whipping my head back towards the figures and taking a defense position over him, I’m careful not to touch the silver lining in the rope that has him pinned down.