Terror

*Leroy POV*

I have just gotten into my chambers ready to rest after a long pack business day when Marcus calls.

“Everything okay?” I ask before he says anything. I have been on the urge since I found out that the lewd boys want to buy the girl. Diana, as predicted, jumped at the first opportunity to sell her.

“She’s gone.”

I can hear the panic in Marcus’ voice. My heart momentarily stops before I jump onto my feet.

“What do you mean she is gone?”

I was in a meeting with him just over twenty minutes ago. He told me that his driver got there on time and everything went according to the plan.

“The driver dropped her off at home, but she escaped.”

“What?”

“She jumped from the first floor, over the wall. The blood trail leads to the woods, we are in pursuit.”

“Blood trail?” I repeat his words, terror washing over me.

“Looks like she is injured, might be from the razor wires over the wall.”

Fuck! Marcus is breathless, obviously running as he talks to me and all I can think is: there are rogues out there. This was not part of the plan. Why on earth would she escape?

“I’m coming.”

Sky takes over and dashes out of the castle. The forest near Marcus’ home is beyond our pack borders and dangerous, let alone to an injured girl. I still can’t get why she would escape when she has tolerated Diana’s treatment for so long.

Her blood is the first scent I pick up. It’s so strong and infatuating. Rogues will be on her trail soon, if not already. I quickly push away that possibility and take in her scent. East, she has chosen the shortest route to the humans, but it is deadly. Many don’t know this but there is no way of crossing that waterfall without jumping in and risking plunging to death. I hope she is not stupid enough to actually jump over, but again she just escaped the safest place for her.

“Maybe she is stupid enough,” Sky links. He is really pissed.

“You don’t know her reasons,” I reprimand him.

“Still stupid.”

I don’t bother arguing with my wolf on this. He might sound cocky but we are both freaking out about her.

I have caught up and even passed Marcus and his pack of over twenty wolves. I could initially hear their hauls from a distance until I am so further away that all I hear is melody from the birds of the forest and all I smell is her blood. At least I am not picking any rogue scent, but Sky is getting agitated when the drops of fresh blood start becoming pools. She is too tiny to be loosing so much blood. I must get to her before she bleeds out.

I have just passed the cobra when I feel it. I love mother nature and all its children. It is my responsibility as the future Alpha to conserve every creature, but in the depths of my souls, it is instant hatred I feel for it. Sky is on it and severs it’s dumb spine in a split second.

“That was dangerous. It could have hurt you.”

I don’t know Sky to be so reckless. A slight miscalculation would have been decremental. The bite would not kill a wolf Sky’s size but it’s venom would definitely slow him down.

“It bit her.”

I guess that absolves him of his recklessness.

Great, can this get any worse? She is bleeding and now has a snake venom in her system.

“It might be good actually,” Sky responds.

I really worry about this wolf. “Are you hearing yourself?”

“The venom will make her body to shut down, she won’t lose anymore blood,” he explains.

Okay, that’s a good point, but then again, if her body shuts down then the venom is deadly.

“Let’s just get to her.”

Sky, nor do I want to ponder on that any further. The forest sounds are suddenly muffled by the gushing sound of the water descending down the waterfall. I can’t believe that she got this far while injured with a snake venom in her system. I can’t help but panic at the possibility that she has already jumped.

Fuck! Anger and terror washes over me. I can’t keep losing them like this. Every time a piece of me dies. I have so much power yet…

The crackling sound a meter from away snaps my rants and prompts me to turn my head. There she is!

Shivering on the floor, blood oozing from her feet and hands. She is pale like a sheet, but she is alive. Unlike others before her, I got here on time. I catch a glimpse of the golden tinge of her eyes before they shut off.

“Don’t leave me, please.”

Stupid woman. Why would I seek then leave you?

.

An hour later, I am still pacing up and down Marcus’ corridor when Doctor Linda Grey finally walks out. She is seven years older than me, smart as a whip and the only one I trust with this stuff.

“She lost a lot of blood.”

“I already know that!” I snap and immediately regret it. Everything about this girl is getting to me but Linda is just doing her job. Beyond her job, in fact.

Luckily, she is a good family friend, my older sister’s bestie and has come through a lot for me.

She ignores my tone and continues.

“The anti venom should work soon. Her healing will be slow because of her general health, but she should be fine.”

“General health?”

“She is malnourished, dehydrated and bruised.” She flinches and knits her eyebrows with every word. A typical humanitarian this friend of mine.

“That’s why she is here. I don’t have to remind you how important it is to keep this to yourself.”

She flashes me a knowing smile before reassuring me.

“Doctor patient confidently.”

I did not really need the assurance. She, Marcus and I have been through this a lot before.

“I will see you out.”

She quietly walks besides me until we reach her car.

“You care about her.”

It’s not a question but a statement I knew was coming. I have been through the same scrutinisation from Marcus already.

“She was Diana’s slave.”

“Explains a lot, poor thing, but it does not address my concerns.”

“What concerns?”

“You usually take them out of here, away from the pack. Why are you keeping her?”

“She’s the youngest, still attends school and exams are around the corner.” I bluff my way. The truth is she would be better off in another pack or the human side, but I can’t let her out of my sight just yet. I need her to turn eighteen, get her wolf and know if she is my mate or not.

“Are you sure that’s all?” Linda is not buying my story, but that’s all she is getting from me.

“Yes.”

She laughs and shakes her head.

“She’s battered but quite a beauty. She almost looks like Zenith, only prettier. The most beautiful I’ve seen yet.”

“Bye, Linda.”

Zenith is a girl I meet two years ago. Her mother had passed on and her father sent her to our pack to be raised by his sister. It was love at first sight. She completely knocked me off my feet. I was so crazy about her, I planned on making her my Luna as soon as I turned eighteen. She is one of those who disappeared into thin air. I doubt that she is still alive and I suspect Diana for her disappearance.

“So long, Your Majesty.”

I can hear Linda giggling as I head back inside. I don’t even bother looking back.

“Girls,” Sky smirks. “But she has a point,” he adds.

“You are an idiot.”

Five hours later, the girl has not woken up. Nora has gotten her cleaned up and into new comfortable pyjamas. All I can do is sit at her bedside and wait until she wakes up. It’s also time for introspection.

“Sky.”

“Mmh?”

“What’s going on with us and her?”

“Don’t know, Dude. You should be the brains here.”

“This pull and bond thing is your turf, you idiot!”

“Well, I don’t know.”

My trail of thought is disturbed by my bestie’s entrance. I already know what he has to say.

“It’s late, Nora will tend to her.”

“I am staying over.”

He studies me for a minute and sighs.

“I understand that you are worried about her, but she is in good hands.”

I don’t doubt this. Him and I have managed to rescue a lot of abused slaves, but I can’t leave her.

“I don’t doubt that, Marcus, but I can’t leave.”

“How do you think it will look if you spend a night here, with my supposedly slave?”

The answer is bad, really bad and it will raise suspicions I don’t need.

“You can see her tomorrow,” he adds, but I can’t. I promised not to leave her, and I won’t until she is awake.

“No, I’m staying.” At this point I don’t care how it looks, which is really stupid but I can’t help it.

“Fine.”

Marcus leaves the room, not impressed and I fully understand his concerns. If any of this gets out, all our rescue efforts will be destroyed.

I get myself as comfortable as I could on the couch next to the bed. Sky stirs inside right when I see her eyes open, quickly scan the room and close.

“I know that you are awake.”

She slowly flips them open again. I’ve kissed her, gotten lost in her eyes, but earlier today was the first time I really noticed this milky goldish colour of her eyes. It’s so unique and beautiful.

“Your Majesty?”

Her voice is a croaky whisper which immediately transforms my concerns to anger. Now that she is awake, I can give her a piece of my mind for being so reckless.

“You are reckless and stupid. How could you risk your life like that?”

She narrows her eyes at me and knits her forehead like I am being crazy.

“We were trying to protect you, damn it! And you try to kill yourself?”

I don’t mean to yell at her, but her facial expression does not seem to be remorseful about what she tried to do.

“What?” she asks with a ‘you must be crazy’ tone. I don’t know how she survived all these years with Diana with this attitude.

“What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I don’t want to be anyone’s sex slave. I would rather die.”

I am taken aback by her response. Not only is she raising her voice, she is also glaring at me.

“What? Why would you ….” I shake my head as her reasons for escaping hit me.

“You have girls throwing themselves at you, yet you buy a slave. You are disgusting!”

Now she is yelling at me. The nameless slave I saved is actually yelling at me. I am disgusting? I can’t believe this!

I am now pissed, so I become the disgusting guy he thinks I am.

“You did not think I was disgusting a few hours ago. In fact you enjoyed every bit of it.”

Her eyes widened, terror written all over her. She sits up and notices the new cotton pyjamas she has on before trembling.

“Did you..?”

“Did I what, Nameless girl?”

She swallows her saliva before tears roll down her cheeks. Now I feel like an asshole. How can she believe that I would touch her, worse, while unconscious?

“That’s because you are being an ass.” Trust Sky to actually affirm.

“Couldn’t you tell that she was intentionally aggravating you, trying to force you to kill her?”

Fuck! I didn’t realise that.

“And I’m the animal.” My cocky wolf smirks, but I don’t have time to tend to him. In anger I could have crushed her tiny bones for being disrespectful and completely missed her intentions.

“Do you seriously think I would do something like that?”

She nods her head, that hurts!

“You would still be feeling pain if I fucked you. You know that right?”

She swallows her saliva but my heart is breaking. I was mad at her when I inferred that something happened between us, but I thought she would know that I was bluffing when she did not feel any discomfort.

I wipe her tears with my hand and gently hold her jaw.

“Look at me. Is that what you really think of me?”

She studies me and hesitates. “Your friend bought me.”

“I asked him to, in order to keep you safe from Leon and Carl. I am sorry. We should have told you and I should not have scared you like that.”

I guess I have no right to be mad about her assumptions when she did not know our intentions. In fact, besides the two passionate kisses we have shared, she does not know me at all.

“Can I still go to school?”

Her voice is shaky, but I can see her light up. School must be very important to her.

“It depends.”

“On?”

“Are you going to continue cheerleading?”

She frantically shakes her head. That’s my girl.

“Your girl, really?”Sky asks.

“You know what I mean,” I snap at Sky. My wolf can be really annoying.

“Well, we are here refusing to leave her side. I don’t know what you mean.”

“Shut up, Sky.”

I am irritated but he has a point. It’s almost midnight and here I am with a girl I hardly know. It’s time for me to go. I have kept my promise to not leave her.

“Good. I am gonna go now. The doctor said you should recover and be back to school in a week or so.”

I’m already opening the door when I say this.

“You can’t go!” she says, stopping me on my tracks.