For now, I have no choice. I follow Brandon out of the cell and through the cave. Torches light the walls. Our footsteps echo in the most eerie way. It feels like we’re in our own world, locked away from everything else. No one can hear my screams."We can't go to the mating chamber tonight," I protest. "I just got here. It's not supposed to happen that quickly."Brandon laughs. "You’re a funny one, Katia. You're not in a position to make demands."You poisoned me. You tried to kill me. I'm not about to lose you or give you another chance to escape. We’re getting married tonight.“This is all your fault because you did it in front of my pack. You humiliated me. They'll doubt my choice of mate. So, I must do this to show them and you who's in charge."An image of Brandon and me mating fills my mind. No! No! No! I pushed the image away. "I refuse to mate with you," I said. "Don't think I will. You have nothing to hold over me anymore."Brandon laughs. "Are you sure about that
"You will be mine," Brandon says, pulling me to my feet. "We're going back into the chamber and now that you see you can't escape me, maybe you'll finally accept your fate."I won't, of course. I won't ever. "Help!" I scream, shocking myself with the sound. I hope someone in the woods will hear me, though I know the only people near us are those from his pack. They would delight in my torture."Help!" I scream again.Brandon laughs, but then I notice something he doesn't see. There's someone watching us from the shadows.He's looking at Brandon like he's trying to gauge something. Is he trying to figure out if he can take him down?Then, the stranger looks at me. Like he's trying to figure out if he can help me. If I'm worth helping."Help me!" I scream, and his eyes meet mine. There’s hope there. Like maybe he could be my hero. "Help!" I scream. "Help!""Quiet!" Brandon yells, and then I feel the knife at the back of my neck. "I told you I'm not going to kill you right now,
I’ve been traveling through the woods for a full day, yet I’m no closer to home than I was when I first started this journey. But this is the life I'm going to have to get used to. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it though. I doubt I’ll have the luxury of living like this for long anyway. Not once the rest of the pack learns about what happened to Brandon.I’m terrified of Brandon and his pack. I know they’ll find me and I don’t even want to think about what they’ll do to me once they do. I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure what direction to go in. I'm not sure how to escape them.A stranger gave up his life for me though. I’ve made it this far, so I can’t give up now. I have to at least try.The sounds of the forest become my companion as I listen carefully to any random shifts. I scan the shadows for any sign of Brandon or the rest of his pack, still unsure if he’s dead or not.And I try to figure out where to go. With my whole pack demolished, there's no home for me to
When I wake up, it's still dark but I'm alive.I'm alive. That's what's most important. They didn't find me. There's still a chance for me. I just have to find my way out of this cave.I search for another opening, but there's nothing. I can't hear anything either. I'm alone here. But I'm alive. I can escape this. I can survive.I walk around the cave until I find another passageway. And though it’s dark and a little terrifying, I don’t give up. I try to think clearly as I go through passageway after passageway until I find an opening.The sun is coming up.It's the first light I've seen in over a day. And its warmth is beautiful as the rays kiss my skin. The sun is stunning. For so long, I thought I'd never see it again.I take a deep breath. I'm alive. So, I'll try to survive.I walk through the forest, looking for food. I'm starving, so I find a small animal and kill it. I eat it raw. I don't want to waste time. I eat it quickly and then get up and move on.I don't know wh
At first, I'm scared of him. I haven’t had great luck with guys so far. But after a while, I relax. He has no intention of hurting me. And even considering everything else I’ve gone through, I already trust him to a strange degree. There's relief as we start walking away from those who want to hurt me. But I'm still afraid. What if the distance I put between us won't be enough?After walking in silence for a little while, I turn to him."Don't you want to know my name?" I ask. He shrugs."Only if you want to tell me," he says. "I don't care what your name is to be fair. I'd try to protect anyone like this. It’s just the kind of person I am."It hurts a little. I want to feel like I'm special to him. I don't know why. It’s also nice to know though. It’s sweet that he’s the kind of person who cares about other people."My name is Katia," I say. "Katia." He works over my name, despite not wanting to hear it. He seems to like the way it sounds. "I'm Kaleb."Kaleb. I like t
“I’ll keep you safe,” I say.“I know you will,” she smiles. I suspect she knows everything, though I’m trying to hide it.The first moment I met Katia, I knew I was in trouble. She's beautiful, of course. Stunning. But there's something more about her.Her soul speaks to me. It looks into my soul. It touches me.I feel her.And she feels me.So, I try to keep my distance as we talk. Yet I can't help but be fascinated by her."A butterfly," she says, as it lands on her finger. Even after all she's been through, she looks at it with such delight. As if the world is innocent and beautiful. I want to see the world through her eyes."I've never seen a butterfly this color," she says, smiling at the silver stars against its dark blue wings. "So, it can't be a regular butterfly. Maybe it's a magical butterfly.""It's a fairy," I say, surprised that something so playful has come from my mouth. “Magic.”I smile at her, and she smiles back. “Here,” she says, holding her finger up
I've enjoyed talking to Kaleb so much that I'm a little disappointed once we reach his pack.Time has simply gone by far too quickly and I want more time for just the two of us so I can get to know him better. I want to know everything about him.I know he's my mate. The way I feel about him is unlike anything I've ever felt for anyone else."I know you'll love my pack," Kaleb assures me. "And they'll love you too. You'll fit right in."I'm a little nervous, but I also feel a little silly for being nervous. I just want to fit into his world. I want a place to belong more than I’ve ever wanted anything else. "Are you ready to meet the rest of my pack?" he asks."Yes," I say. "I'm ready."He smiles at me, and I have to fight the urge to reach out and touch him. I want to run my fingers through his hair. I want to touch his face. I want to hold him in my arms.The whole pack comes out to greet Kaleb as we step onto their territory, but they all seem surprised to see me there wit
I lay on the bed and try to decompress. I'm sure Kaleb is out there, talking to the others. I wonder what he's saying about me."Hello, Katia," a voice says as footsteps enter my room.Evie walks in with a smirk. "Hello," I say, not too friendly. I know I should try to be nice, but I hate her already. I hate her for having him. She looks down at me and I know she hates me too.I wish I could tell her not to worry. I'll never try to take Kaleb from her because I know he'd never choose me."You should know that Kaleb and I are mates," she says.He has already chosen."Then I hope you have a good time together," I say. It sounds stupid but I don’t know what else to say. All rational thoughts have left my mind."We have a great time together because we're meant for each other.""I'm glad you're happy,” I reply through clenched teeth. I don’t even want to think about them having a great time together. I don’t want to even consider what they do together. I just want her to leav