Chapter 3

DECLAN

I stare distrustingly at the brute smiling down at me. I could see through his hypocritical smile. Besides, he was a warrior of the dragon empire .

"Get up and mount the horse princess " the man politely drawls, a knowing smile on his face. He gestures to the black horse at his side. He frowns slightly when I ignore him and barks at one of who I assume is lesser in command to put me on the horse.

I shudder, revolting as the soldier carries me and dumps me on the horse albeit forcefully. He then secures the saddle around me. I gingerly stay still not wanting any part of my body to touch him.

I jerk a little as he barks harshly at the other soldiers who run like roaches to do his bidding. On a normal day, it would have been laughable really. But she hadn't any laughing bones in her body right now. The grief of the massacre still riding her hard.

The brute who ordered his men to put her on a horse had to be the dragon lord's son. The dragon lord himself had to be older than this man. The man's black onyx hair stood in stark contrast to his forest green eyes. His strong frame looked more frightening by the minute, I could see that he was a tall man.

Though he was still on his horse, a grim expression on his face. I vaguely wondered if he ever smiled.

They started riding past her village. I stared broken lying at the piles of what I assumed were dead bodies of my people. The piles were humongous. One pile probably contained up to 30 bodies.

I stared in shock at my once beautiful village, now in shambles. Everything was wrecked. Not a single building remained. Not to talk of the alarming silence. She looked around gingerly, crying for her lost family and her sibling she would never get to meet.

One more glance at my village, I noted with despair how empty it was. I was probably the only survivor now captured by my family's killers.

Tears stream down my face as I sob poignantly while rubbing my chest. Silent sobs turn to big one's as I mourn the loss of my parents, people and the siblings that I would never get to meet.. I mourn for all the innocent lives so brutishly cut short by these men.

The wicked brute that I now rode with got pissed and barked at one of his soldiers to ride with me instead.A little part of me relishes at how uncomfortable my crying made him so I increase the tempo of my cry which was honestly not hard at all to do as we pass a particular house where i could see burnt people inside.

When he untied his horse from mine, I felt a stab of gratitude for the space because the animosity I could feel coming off him was too suffocating to bear. He moves his horse to ride close to the other soldiers chatting amongst themselves behind us. The chattering stops abruptly as he nears them.

I'm inconsolable as we pass through my village albeit too quickly. I'm still weeping when the soldier now riding with me, having tied our horses together, gives me a brown cloth gesturing to my face. I fume still in shock as I realise what this brute was telling me to do.

How was it his business how my face looked? I knew it was bad though I could feel my mascara smeared on my face but I couldn't care less. After promising murder with my eyes, I look away surely, totally ignoring his stupid clothes and the soft smile on his stupid face. Such a hypocrite!

Tilting my body away from him. I try to fruitlessly move my horse away from him. Downcast, I remember that I was tied to him. I then turn away from him and look ahead from where I try to fall into good memories of my home. I get bored hours into the journey and glance back at the soldier tied to me.

Noting for the first time his almost pretty features. He had caramel long hair that rested on his shoulders. His eyes were a stark cerulean blue and his nose was pointed and a little crooked at one end. That was the only visible flaw Kianna could see.

He noticed her pursuing him and gave her a soft smile bringing her eyes to his full lips. I abruptly look away from his smile. How could he smile like that at her after what his pack had just done?

I look ahead perusing at the gorgeous high mountains we rode between. This place certainly had a desert feel to it but I knew it wasn't a desert because I had seen a white orchid earlier. Besides I didn't feel too hot but I was tired. The day's weary journey now catching up to my already worn out body .

Feeling the first bouts of sleep, I struggle to keep awake. I looked at the ground looking for something to keep me awake because it was definitely going to be painful if I fell off my horse not to talk of the fact that they might just leave me in the middle of nowhere.

I fell into deep thought, ignoring the guffawing of the soldiers as they chatted amongst themselves like they didn't just murder a whole pack. I think about one of my best memories of Erica being there for me. She had always been my greatest supporter.

Last year, I had woken up in a dark room that reeked of a male. It had taken her sleep fogged brain about five minutes before she had raised a panicked gasp. She couldn't see anything familiar about her environment, thinking back she could almost smell the fear she felt.

She immediately tugged on the door, but to her horror and frustration, the door was locked. Her wolf had started clamouring to be let out but she had held her in.

With agitation, she shouted 'Hello! This is your captive speaking. Open the freaking door!' Moon goddess still made her chuckle. Someone had opened the door and explained to her that he had found her passed out in the forest earlier.

He had recognised me immediately and had brought me to his house. He had raised his hand in surrender when I shot him a questioning look. I remember now I had been playing in my wolf form.

Riena was chasing a goat when she fell down a steep slope. I was grateful someone had found me just in time before I bled out…The man had bandaged my wounds and let me sleep in while he went out to hunt. Joshua had said he didn't want anyone to get in while I was sleeping as his house was in a remote location.

I chuckled at how much fun I had the day before. Later I had thanked Joshua profusely and ran home. On getting home, I continuously through small stones at my windows in hope that someone would help me up through it. I didn't want my parents to see me that's if they hadn't noticed my absence already.

Luckily, Erica was there and she opened the windows and let me in, hugging me bruising after which she gave me a thorough scolding for scaring her. Erica had winked at me later and told me she had covered for me last night, telling my parents that I was sleeping early because I had cramps.

Later on, we laughed and watched our favourite show for the rest of the day. I smile thinking about how happy we had all been then…not anymore. I sigh in despair.

All the happy memories of my pack and I flash in languid succession through my mind and I relish in the ephemeral feeling of happiness.

The Man whose name I found out is Declan, the other son of the dragon lord, shakes me abruptly and I look at him questioningly. He stares back and raises his left brow.

I realized with mortification that I had almost fallen off my horse and he had saved me. I didn't know what to think about that so I tried hard to ignore him. Only giving short, brusque answers to his questions. I knew he just wanted to keep me awake so I half-heartedly played along not wanting to fall asleep myself.

Finally, we got to a big clearing in the forest. The soldiers alighted their horses and started preparing the camps . Declan helped me off the horse as my gown was restricting me. They all had a stale meal of bread and stew which I had refused before retreating to a small corner of the camp, ignoring the eyes of the brute following me around ,his name I found out was deforest. Such a stupid name…I close my eyes and plot my escape, biding my time.

I woke up with a gasp, the camp was eerily quiet. I looked at the soldiers and they were all sleeping with only two awake as guards. Those two were now making out with each other with such fervor that I couldn't help but blush at the homosexuality so in display. I stood up gingerly, eager to escape this forsaken place.

I had already stolen a short sword from a soldier and had started walking out silently from the clearing. I was out of the camp and was contemplating which direction to follow when a strong hand clasp my mouth. I didn't hesitate to attack the assailant with my sword, managing to draw some blood before he grasped my other arm and relieved me of my weapon.

The Male spinned me to face him and I realized with alarm that it was declan. Something a little like shame washed through me but I pushed it aside and stared at the idiot who had hindered my escape so glaringly that I vaguely wondered why he didn't catch fire.

Declan had held me tightly till I stopped struggling. I was now tired, the adrenaline from earlier leaving my body. He gingerly let me go shushing my words of protest before gesturing towards the camp at the two guards I saw earlier. They were now glancing around gingerly.

Ignoring him, I glare at him. "Leave me the hell alone, isn't it enough that you have murdered my pack" I fume not minding that the guards could hear us. But I didn't have to worry they were back to sucking each other's faces off.

"You can't run away princess ki '' my heart tugs at the familiar nickname but I shrug it off immediately. "Why the hell not?" I glare. He was pretty to look at, however. I'd give him that.

"Because you can't. Where will you go? They would find you and kill you slowly " declan emphasised. I blandly stare at him tearfully.

The sternness that surrounded him like a cloud vanished in a second and regret now shone in his eyes. He offered a half smile. Small creases that formed at the edges of his eyes proved how much he smiled and it transformed his face from pretty to gorgeously handsome.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened "

"Yeah right, you were part of it" I retorted, angry that such an attractive male joined butchered my pack.

"Trust me, I regret it and you wouldn't know how much. I know sorry is useless in this situation but I still want to apologise. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything." Declan reiterated, looking so sorrowful I almost caved but then I remembered my pack.

"Get away from me! You murderer!" I half-shout annoyed with myself for sympathising with my pack's murderer. I hugged myself and was about to walk away when Declan stopped me and knelt down in front of me.

"I'm sorry. I just want you to know that I really am and I would do anything to make sure I'll be here for you in any way I can."

I stare at his eyes, dumbfounded for a moment. "I don't know what to make of this act of contraction" I realise in dismay that

Perhaps Declan was forced into this debauchery.