by Jenna Aileen
“He’s here,” Vladimir laughed. “He’s finally here.”
“Who’s here? What’s going on?” I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, feeling very cold, and exposed. But all of that was forgotten when I heard my father’s voice.
“Vladimir!” dad screamed. I stood on my tiptoes to see him marching down the street towards us, followed by a small group of men.
“Long time no see,” Vladimir called out to him. “You’re daughter has done a wonderful job of keeping me company, haven’t you, love?”
He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer. I felt his hot breath on my neck, and he slowly kissed me. My face grew warm with humiliation as hot tears streamed down my cheeks.
The embarrassment only worsened when I saw Abel’s face in the crowd. Our eyes met, and it felt as if someone was stabbing me heart.
“Let her go, Vladimir! Your fight is not with her!” dad growled, pulling out a gun.
“Come and get her,” Vladimir challenged.
And then, the fighting began. Gunshots pierced the air followed by the unforgettable screams of the dying. The sound of bones cracking and breaking and grown men shouting in pain will haunt my ears forever.
Confusion clouded my mind as I was being dragged away from it all.. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? To fight and kill my father?
“Let me go! Let me go!” I shrieked, pounding my fists on his chest. One swift swipe across my back and he added four more marks, not as deep as the others but still painful as hell.
“I can’t have you getting in my way,” he said, yanking me to my feet and shoving me down the street.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked hoarsely. “Aren’t you going to fight my dad?”
“Eventually, yes,” he shouted in reply, pulling me into a random building. “But right now I want to get you somewhere safe.”
“Safe? Why do you care if I’m safe? You’ve got what you wanted—” Vladimir whipped around and roughly pressed his lips to mine.
“Because you’re mine. And I don’t want them taking you from me.”
“I’m not yours,” I stated coldly. “I will never be yours!”
He just smirked, dark eyes gleaming and continued to drag me along.
“I’m not anybody’s. I am my own person. I belong to no one.”
“Whatever you say, darling,” Vladimir chuckled, dragging me down into a dark basement.
“What are you—”
He shoved me roughly to the ground, and I heard the clanking sound of chains. “Wait!” I cried. But it was no use. He had already chained me to the wall.
“Let me go, Vladimir! You can’t do this, PLEASE!” I begged, probing around in the dark.
“Don’t worry, you won’t get too lonely. It will all be over soon, and I will have you all to myself.”
“No! Vladimir come back! No! You can’t kill him! Please, please! Vladimir…Vladimir don’t do this…please,” I sobbed. The stone floor was damp, adding to the overall chill. I was shaking so hard I was practically convulsing. The pain from the fresh wounds on my back and stomach were almost unbearable.
“No! Vladimir, no! Please, please don’t do this! You can’t kill him, please, Vladimir!” I screamed his name until my throat was sore and my voice was pretty much gone. I was left gasping for air, hot blood trickling down my arms from the chains wearing away the skin on my wrists.
“This can’t be happening,” I said to myself. I tried to keep the tears at bay, but it was no use. They escaped and ran down my cheeks. Vladimir’s threats still hung in the air, weighing down on my chest. This could not be happening. If my dad got captured, I knew that Vladimir would not hesitate to kill him— and all of the other men that were with him, including my Abel.
Be strong, Kathryn, be strong. I tried to tell myself. I am not strong. I can’t do this alone.
“Please help me,” I called out softly, though I knew that no one was there to hear me. “Please…I can’t do this alone. Somebody please help!” Sobs racked my body and I curled up on the cold stone floor, ignoring the burning pain from the gashes in my stomach. “Please…just let me die.”
I heard the door to the basement open and curled up tighter. This couldn’t be happening.
This can’t be real.
Suddenly, I felt a rough, callused hand touch my shoulder and I pulled back, pressing myself up against the wall.
“Please no! Please don’t please, please!” I cried, my voice cracking and sounding scratchy from all of the screaming.
“Shh, it’s alright, Kathryn, it’s me.”
“Conan?” I wanted to sob with relief.
“We have to get you out of here,” he said, pulling away.
“Where are the keys?” I asked sniffing and rubbing my runny nose.
“I’m a werewolf, sweetheart, we don’t need keys.”
I shuddered as he used Vladimir’s pet name for me.
“Please don’t call me that,” I asked with a shudder.
“Alright, I’m sorry.” I couldn’t see Conan’s expression, but I could tell by his soft tone of voice that he understood why.
“Aren’t these chains silver though?”
“No, not these ones,” he said through grit teeth, breaking the shackle around my left wrist open. It fell to the floor with a ‘clink’ and I winced as it brushed against the tender, bleeding skin.
“You okay?” he asked, grabbing my other wrist and breaking off the other shackle. “Oh, that’s not good.”
“What?”
“The skin around your wrist is worn away and you’re bleeding.”
“How can you tell that?”
“I can see in the dark. It’s a werewolf thing.”
“Oh, right.” I nodded my head and stood up on shaky legs. My knees buckled, and I had to grab on to Conan for support.
“It’s alright, I got you.” He wrapped his arm around me and lifted me up, carrying me bridal style up the stairs.
“We need to get you a coat…and a shirt would probably be good too.” My face grew warm with embarrassment when I remembered that my shirt was lying in shreds on Vladimir’s floor.
Conan sprinted all the way out of the prison where Vladimir had locked me up, and all the way to Vladimir’s house.
He carried me into the bedroom and gently set me down before rummaging through Vladimir’s belongings. While he was busy looking for a coat, I picked up one of the flannel shirts that he had tossed on the floor and gingerly pulled it over my head.
“Here, I think your brother has a coat for you but here are some shoes. Oh, you found a shirt. You’re going to need socks,” Conan babbled, randomly opening drawers. He handed me a pair of white socks and I pulled them on. He laced up one boot while I attempted to lace up the other.
My fingers were too shaky and blood kept running onto my hands, making them sticky and slippery. Conan quickly tied the other shoelace and then disappeared into the bathroom. I heard a crashing and some swearing, but he soon came back with a roll of the white gauze wrap that Valko used to wrap my wounds in and a wet washcloth.
He gently dabbed the blood off of my wrists, then wrapped the wounds tightly. I was still amazed at how gentle he could be. Things had changed so much since the night I had been taken by the super tall, crazy-strong werewolf with an everpresent scowl on his face.
“Alright, come on—let’s go.” He helped me to my feet and protectively wrapped his arm around me, leading me back downstairs. We weaved in and out of the battling werewolves and hunters.
Conan shielded my face from the gore surrounding us. Just hearing it was enough to make my stomach churn.
“There’s one last thing that we have to do,” he told me as he carried me into a huge concrete building.
“And what’s that?” I asked sheepishly.
“Free Valko,” he replied with a wink, setting me down.
“Is this your pack’s prison?”
“Sort of, yeah. I’ll be right back, okay?” he said reassuringly before da
shing off.
“Yeah…that’s fine,” I sighed, feeling worn out. My head was spinning, and I had to lean against the wall to stay on my feet. Thankfully Conan didn’t take too long.
“Hey, Kathryn,” Valko said, limping toward me. His eyes was black and almost completely swollen shut, and his clothes were torn, revealing scratches and bruises.
“Oh my gosh…” I whispered.
“I’m fine, really. It’ll heal quickly.” He laughed when he saw the look on my face.
“Go get your stuff and meet us out in the woods.” Conan told him, grabbing my arm and leading me out the door.
“Where are we going?” I asked, still clinging to Conan.
“Your brother is waiting for us back here in the woods. He’s going to take you back to the base.” I nodded my head and concentrated on making it through the knee deep snow. After only a few steps, my legs were already burning and aching, reminding me of just how weak I had become.
“Do you need me to—”
“No, I can walk,” I panted, sweat beading on my forehead despite the freezing air. After about ten minutes, I heard Ryan call out my name.
“Kathryn!”
He came running to me and I left Conan’s side to hug my older brother who I hadn’t seen in almost three years.
“Ryan!” I cried, hugging him tightly as if I didn’t he’d just dissolve or float away.
“Oh, Kathryn, I’m so sorry this happened.”
“It’s okay, Ry.” I pulled back and wiped the tears off of my face.
“We should probably go,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me towards the snowmobile. I turned to see Conan start to walk away.
“Wait, Conan, you’re not coming with us?”
He turned and gave me a sad look, shaking his head. “No.”
“But you can’t go back, they’ll kill you!”
“I have to go help your dad now Kathryn.”
“Wait, what?” He sighed and came back over to me.
“Your dad is fighting with Vladimir right now; I need to take his place and hold Vladimir off while you guys retreat.”
“No! Conan, you can’t do that. He’ll kill you!”
“I'm the only one strong enough to fight him long enough for you to get away. You never know love, I might pull through.” He smiled at me, but I could tell he was just trying to make me feel better.
“Conan, no, please.” I threw my arms around him and held him as tightly as I could. “You can’t do this. I…I can’t lose you again. I really care…I love—”
“That’s why I have to go,” he whispered back, holding me tightly.
“But—”
I was interrupted by something I least expected. Conan put a finger on my lip and kissed my forehead—softly and quickly and sweetly. He pulled back and gave me a sad smile.
“It's going to be okay,” he whispered. Then he was gone. My hands started shaking and I fell to my knees. Ryan rushed to my side and pulled me up to my feet.
“Come on Kathryn, we have to go.”
“But wait…no, Conan.”
“It’ll all work out fine Kathryn, come on.” He pulled me over to the snowmobile and helped me on. Valko came running up just then and had to jump behind a tree as Ryan pulled out his gun and shot at him.
“No don’t! He’s a friend!” I shouted, hitting his gun down. “It’s alright, Valko, I won’t let him kill you!” I shouted. After a few seconds, Valko slowly peeked out from behind the tree.
“Who is this?” Ryan asked, still holding his gun tightly. I could tell by the way his shoulders were all tense and his lips were tight that he wasn’t a fan of this.
“This is Valko, he’s a doctor. A werewolf doctor—”
Ryan raised his gun and I stepped in front of him, shoving his arm away “But he helped me.”
Ryan’s nostrils flared as he slowly exhaled and holstered his gun. “Dad’s not going to be too happy—”
“I’ll deal with dad, Ry,” I said with a sigh. Valko slowly walked over and handed me his coat.
“Here, I’m going to transform; we can’t fit three on a snowmobile.”
I pulled the coat on and zipped it up, then turned to face where Conan had run off. I wanted to go after him and stop him.
“Kathryn, come on—let’s go.” Ryan said, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the snowmobile. “It’ll be fine, Kathy, now come on.”
He picked me up and sat me on the snowmobile, then got on behind me.
“But—Conan!” The motor roared and we sped off. “Ryan, we can’t leave Conan!” I screamed over the motor.
“We have to, Kathryn! It’s the only way!” he shouted back.
Chapter Thirty-Four, Conan
“Ah well, if it isn’t Conan, the pack’s traitor,” Vladimir said with a smirk as I jumped between him and Aidan. “Get out of my way,” he growled, charging at me. I dropped to the ground, and tripped him.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the hunters retreating and couldn’t help but smile.
“Where are you going, you cowards?” Vladimir called, standing up and beginning to chase after Aidan. I ran after him, and tackled him to the ground.
“He got what he came here for,” I told Vladimir coldly. Realization crossed his face, and he went absolutely crazy.
“You let him take her?” He shoved me off, and let out a string of curses. “He can’t have her. She’s mine!”
Vladimir once again tried to run after them, but they were long gone. He let out a cry of anger then turned to me, his eyes almost black.
“She’s not yours, Vladimir. She doesn’t deserve to be here with a monster like you,”
“Well, listen to the pot calling the kettle black. Tell me again how many innocent people you killed when you first transformed into your wolf? Oh, and where were you again when your wife was dying?”
“That’s got nothing to do with this,” I said through gritted teeth.
“It’s got everything to do with it! Do you think that helping reunite her with her father is going to somehow cover what you did? You are no different than the rest of us, Conan.”
“You’re right, I’m not. But I’m trying to be.”
“You make me sick,” Vladimir spat, glaring at me.
“The feeling is mutual,” I retorted, just before he shifted into his wolf and pounced on me. I jumped out of the way just in time and quickly shifted, fighting to keep the animal at bay. It was hard, because I needed his strength to fight Vladimir; but I also had to stay in control. I wasn’t trying to stay alive; I was just buying time.
We were evenly matched in strength, but I tired more quickly than Vladimir did, and he took full advantage of that. There were a few close calls. He’d pin me to the ground and right as he was about to tear my throat out, I’d somehow muster up the strength to push back. The fight didn’t last long. I was lying there in the bloody snow, feeling my life slipping away, praying that I had given Aidan enough time to get away.
In the end, he never gave the death blow, but I was pretty sure that my wounds were enough to kill me. I just lie there, my blood slowly trickling out of my wounds and leaving me lying in a pool of dark red. I felt myself grow weaker. *~*~*
I was lying alone in the middle of the woods, completely naked, my clothes lying torn and tattered in a heap next to me. My whole body throbbed, and the early morning sunlight hurt my eyes. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. What on earth was going on? What happened last night? My right forearm burned, and I looked down to see the circular bite mark that was
almost glowing white. I shook my head and pulled on my pants that had been almost completely torn to shreds.
Then I remembered it all. The events of the previous night came back to me in a flash. Oh no! Selene! I stood up and took off running.
My senses were heightened and clearer than they had ever been before, and I felt almost as if there was a foreign presence in my mind. It wasn’t long before I reached the site where Selene and I had our pic
nic yesterday. The blanket was all torn apart—the leftover food scattered everywhere. The turf around me was trampled and I saw large wolf prints. The scent of another wolf was still in the air. Then, I saw her. There was a pool of blood on her stomach and chest, staining her dress dark red.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as I ran over to her. Her skin was pale and cold. I knelt beside her body and brushed her dark hair out of her face. I touched her wounds and my hands were stained red with her blood.
“Selene,” I whispered in her ear, picking her up and cradling her in my arms. “Selene!” I screamed, but she couldn’t hear me. “NO!” I cried, clutching her cold, lifeless body.
My head started spinning and my vision blurred. There was a fire in my chest that I had never felt before. It felt as if my heart was going to explode. My limbs were suddenly very weak, and Selene slipped out of my arms.
I fell on all fours and a feral growl escaped my throat before the whole world turned black.
Chapter Thirty-Five, Kathryn
It was like the world was moving in slow motion. I was confused at first, then realized that I was being carried by my brother, Ryan. We were in some sort of strange place. I moaned, trying to let him know I was awake.
“Shhh. You’re alright, Kathryn,” he said comfortingly. “You fainted and hit your when we got here. Everything’s okay now.”
I took a deep breath and blinked, still trying to figure out where I was. My eyes closed again and I tried to relax.
He laid me down somewhere, and I immediately missed the comfort of my brother’s arms.
Suddenly, a hand touched my stomach and someone started to pull my shirt off.
I bolted up and scrambled away from them, falling off of whatever I had been laid on. Memories of Vladimir came back and I drew my knees to my chest, trying to steady my breathing as the nightmarish visions flashed before my mind’s eye. I was shaking like a leaf and felt as if I was going to throw up. They faded as quickly as they had come, and I slowly raised my head to see Ryan and some other guy looking very concerned.
“It’s alright, Kathryn,” Ryan said, reaching out and touching my trembling body. I flinched away, and he and the other guy looked at each other. “Kathy, sweetheart—”