Chapter Four

“Look,” he says. “Your new home!”

People come out from various dens to see us as I’m led in front of my new pack. Their territory is much more impressive than ours. But it doesn’t feel like home. And I can tell from the moment I step in front of them that the people in this pack already loathe me.

And I already loathe them.

“This is Katia and she’s the one I’ve chosen for myself,” Brandon says. “After conquering many packs and sifting through the best, I’ve stumbled across her; someone who’s strong, feisty, yet cares in a way that’s detrimental to her but will be beneficial to us.

“She is the one I’m looking for. She’s going to be my mate and your new Luna. I know she’ll make all of our lives better.”

There are gasps in the crowd. And it doesn’t sound like they are in support of it.

“This is stupid,” a young man says. “What are you thinking? Why would you choose someone from their pack when there are so many better choices here?”

“She’s weak,” another says. “We don’t need her. She’s not strong enough to lead us.”

“Yes, she is,” Brandon responds, clearly angry at their judgements. “She’s stronger than anyone in this whole pack. I just need to teach her how to use that strength. And I'll teach her through pure pain."

Brandon smiles and I shiver.

“We don’t need her,” a stranger says. “I say we kill her.”

“You will not kill her,” Brandon glares. “She’s mine. She’s mine to do whatever I want with.”

“And what are you going to do to her?” I hear someone ask.

“I’m going to make her into something powerful,” Brandon says. “She’ll become our Luna. And she’ll rise on the moon someday.

"But first, I'll need to break her. She's going to suffer for a long time. Then we'll have the Luna we need. That’s the kind of Luna I need. Are any of the women in this pack really read for that?

“I’ve been tormented myself. I was tortured into being the man I am today. Building strength requires starting with someone who’s powerful, yet vulnerable enough to hurt. Then, you hurt them with the flames, and they rise. It’s not a pretty process. I have chosen her and you must respect that.”

I'm sick to my stomach. Break her?

What is he going to do to me?

“She’ll be mine forever,” Brandon says.

He grins at me. I can tell he's getting off on this.

"You won't break me," I say defiantly. "I will never bow down to you."

Brandon grabs me by the neck and holds me against the trees. I can feel the water hemlock in between my clothes, pressing against my skin. I don't know if it's the poison or the pressure against my neck that makes my heart race.

“You're wrong,” he says. “You will bow down to me because I know how to break you. You will bow down to me because you can’t live without me. You will bow down to me because I will make you. “

I try to fight, but he pushes harder. It's hard to breathe against his hand. I can feel the indent of his fingers against my neck.

“It’s only a matter of time,” he says. “And then I'll have you. And you will only have me.”

He lets me go. I stumble backwards, coughing.

"It's not like you can go back to your pack anyway," he laughs. "They're all gone now."

"What do you mean?" I ask, as my stomach fills with dread.

"You know what I mean," he replies. "I don't bargain with packs that are weaker than me." He shrugs. "I got what I wanted and then I killed them all."

I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it. This is a nightmare. I feel like I’m going to be sick. My pack is gone. My family is gone. I’m going to be all alone. I turn around and run to a nearby tree. I throw up.

“No!” Lily sobs, falling to the ground.

Our strength has depleted. We were doing this for our pack, and it was all for nothing. Now we just have to stay strong for each other.

“I knew you couldn’t handle the truth,” Brandon says. “But you should have seen it coming.”

I want to cry, scream, die. But I don’t want to give him that satisfaction.

All the people I’ve ever loved are gone aside from Lily. And I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually he kills her too.

And I know I’m going to die. Brandon will keep me alive and show me what he can do and how he can hurt me. And then he will kill me.

I hate him.

I think about the water hemlock again that I took so I could end my own life. I've never wanted to die more than I do now, but something else rises up within me.

I realize I don't really want to die.

What I really want is revenge.

I want to kill Brandon. I want to kill all the people in this pack. And I want to do it myself.

It’s a huge risk. But I can do it. I can kill him.

It's a bitter-sweet thought. He's going to die. Lily and I will get revenge. But those I love won’t be brought back to life. And as a result, I’m also probably going to die. I’ll be caught and killed.

My loved ones are gone though. So as long as I’m successful, I have no regrets. I'll die fighting. I'll die killing. And maybe Lily can escape in the process. I’ll make sure that she can.

I can’t stand the idea of him ever hurting anyone else the way he hurt me. I don’t think I can live with myself if I don’t do something.

"I say we have a feast to celebrate," Brandon says, rallying up cheers from the whole pack. The forest shakes from the noise of their celebration.

I need to pull myself together.

I need a plan.

The feast will be the perfect chance to sneak the poison into his food.

I’ve been a fighter all my life.

Now it’s time.

Time for the fight of my life.