Blood and Pain

(TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS HARASSMENT, STRONG LANGUAGE, BLOOD,VIOLENCE ETC READERS DISCRETION ADVISED  )

The room was cold. It was a nice, tiny room with just a bed. I couldn’t change here, not when I felt unsafe and unfamiliar. Plus seeing the Alpha like this I felt even more anxious. He was hurt and it was my job to protect him. I failed.

I sat on the edge of the bed, with my boots still on. I felt uneasy for some reason. Maybe I should go out and walk? It was almost two in the night, the sky was pitch black. Without a second thought I decided to go out. The Mansion was quiet and this helped me slip away easily. 

The Alpha was probably asleep by now. The woman was probably taking care of the Alpha. That was good, he could relax. I walked silently crushing the dirt below my feet, hands tucked into my jacket. It wasn’t cold, but the night air was cool. The guards around the Mansion said nothing when I crossed the gates and I continued with confidence.

Maybe they were okay with their guests going for a walk at night.

As I walked a few miles away from the Mansion the lights around me started to dim, and a thick line of forest surrounded me. I kept my head up and walked straight. I was playing the role of a man and the monsters didn’t come to get the men. It had only been a few minutes since I was enjoying the night air when I heard a scream. 

I froze, but then quickly regained my composure and followed the noise. Another scream made me reach for the knife in my waist. I gripped it tight and followed silently through the forest floor. The trees around me had begun to thicken as I followed the voices. Now I could hear a man’s  muffled voice, I could tell I was close.

“...Shut up, you bitch!” 

I hid behind a tree a few feet away to see what was happening. I craned my neck and saw a woman pinned to the trunk of the tree, the top of her dress was ripped and her collar bones and the dip of her chest was bare. A man stood over her, and my blood boiled when I saw his face.

The same man from before. The man who beat up that young boy– Revon.

The grip on my knife tightened, if I were to attack I’d have to make sure he wouldn’t know, otherwise he might as well shift and rip me in half. Oh how I wished I had my bow and arrow on me, I would’ve killed him in a second. I hoped my heartbeat wasn’t loud enough for him to hear it. Slowly, I swapped to another tree with a thick trunk.

The woman whimpered, she had tears streaming down her face. The man ran a hand across her waist and she trembled in fear.

“P–Please sir, let me go,” 

He laughed, “I will, after I’m done with you,”

I was now only two trees away. Two things were possible at this moment.

He would catch my scent and attack me.

He is so blinded by lust, he wouldn’t notice me coming up behind him.

The second option would give me an amazing opportunity to stab him, and weaken him until he healed. He looked about my height, so I could knock him out with the combat training I had. With that confidence I lunged before he could do anything to the woman. 

My knife went under his skin, and blood soaked his green shirt. The woman stared at me with horror in her eyes, but she looked relieved. The man slowly turned around with his eyes full of anger. 

“Leave the woman alone, you pervert!”

I removed my knife and then pushed my feet under him and like I had predicted, he fell to the ground. The woman grabbed her skirts and took off running out of the woods. 

“You!” the man shouted. “I’ll kill you!” 

I took two stances back. I couldn’t run, it would trigger him to shift and eventually kill me. So I stood on my ground and waited for him to attack, I was sure I could take him. He quickly got on his feet and came at me with a force I didn’t expect. I was taken aback by the blow to my abdomen; I recovered quickly and dogged another one of his punches.

“You dare interrupt me, you filthy servant!” 

I took out another one of my pocket knives and aimed at him, ready to pierce his heart if he made another move. 

“You can’t touch women without their consent!” I shouted.

He laughed– a sinister laugh. 

“I ask no one. And I don’t have to answer to anyone you piece of shit. I am the General of this town. I can do whatever I want.”

“Your power means nothing if you cannot respect a woman,” I answered, the knife still aimed at him.

The man looked like he was about to burst with anger any moment.

“Respect my ass,” he spat on the ground, “They have no other purpose than to please men and bear our children.” 

“And you have no other purpose than being an idiot!” 

I was playing a very dangerous game. I had disrespected a werewolf and if he shifted he wouldn’t even let me take another breath. But his stupid and vulgar words towards a woman made me lose my mind. I couldn’t keep silent for long. 

And it happened. He suddenly grabbed my knife with one hand and my neck with the other pushing me violently on the tree trunk. The knife sliced his hand and the blood dripped down, but he paid no attention to it. 

He clenched his teeth together, “You have a lot of guts as a human, I’ll give you that… but this is what will cause your end,” 

I struggled to breathe, I tried to get out of his grip with my left hand but it seemed next to impossible. He then twisted the knife out of my grip, and slowly sliced the skin around my waist. I shrieked in pain as the blade cut through the two layers of my clothes and my skin. 

“You have a tiny waist for a man…” he grinned. 

I felt dizzy, but I couldn’t let him hurt me like that. So with all my strength I kicked my knee and even though he anticipated that move, it still hurt him near his groin. 

He loosened the grip on my neck just for a second and that was the opportunity I grabbed as I kicked him in the chest and he stumbled backwards but he didn’t fall. 

My whole body hurt, but I couldn’t let that show now. I took a few more steps and punched him straight in the jaw twice. My hand stung, but I continued to punch and kick him. 

He deflected well, but he also got hurt in some places. After a few minutes, I was bleeding at several places, and I was sure I was bruised around the chest and the abdomen area. 

When I finally knocked him to the ground, I relaxed a little only for him to pull me down by my ankle. I fell on the ground and he got on top of me instantly and a sadistic grin spread on his face. He ripped my mask off. 

“Pretty boy, I’m going to cut you for even talking to a General.” 

I was exhausted and I was hurt. I would fight back instantly if it wasn’t for the fact that he held my own knife against my throat. 

“Stay still now, make any wrong move and this knife will be the end of you,” 

He then cut a straight line on my stomach again, 

“Stop!” I shouted this time. And he just laughed. 

“I’m marking you… hold on I need to —”

He then pointed the knife upwards and began to cut my shirt. My robe was lying somewhere on the ground and in the dim light he would know. 

He would know that I’m not a man. 

Fear creeped inside me, And I had no option but to plead. 

“Please. Stop,” 

Within a second he ripped my shirt and saw my binder. His eyes widened as big as saucers. He smiled wide with his teeth. 

“You’re a woman. Oh… this is so good,” he then licked his lips. “You fight really well by the way, but now you’re just going to be my–”

He paused mid sentence, his ears perked up. He frantically looked at the trees. I took the opportunity from his distraction and flung myself, my head hit his hard and he groaned in pain. 

“Bitch!”

I kicked him in the chest with the last of my strength before I grabbed my robe and covered myself. 

He got up, bleeding and with his bruised jaw he walked slowly towards me. 

“Come here now, I’m going to—”

I never knew what he was going to say because a huge wolf crushed him under his feet. In fear and exhaustion I collapsed on the ground. 

The wolf growled and it sent shivers down my spine. The General looked unconscious under his paw, there was a pool of blood circling under him. I sat there stunned. The dark eyes landed on me as it heard my cry of astonishment. 

It was coming for me next. 

I backed away until my back hit the tree. The wolf’s eyes were on me but it wasn’t growling anymore. From what I could see, the fur was the color of the night sky. 

Please let this be quick and less painful. 

I stared into the eyes. There was some odd familiarity about them, but I couldn’t help thinking if this was the fear talking. 

The wolf covered the distance between us and stood near my feet, and then it bowed. Its head dipped down to my boots. 

What am I supposed to do?

With my shaking hand I touched the fur of the large wolf. It was soft and warm. The wolf’s head dipped down closer to my chest now. I embraced it with my other hand. 

“Thank you,” I whispered. I had no idea if it heard me but I said it again and again until I realized I was losing consciousness. 

What’s happening? 

That was my last thought before darkness fell before my eyes. 

*** 

I still remember the warmth of the wolf. The soft fur between my fingers, I smiled as the memory replayed in my head. Suddenly it felt like the warmth was fading away, I felt cold and saw the face of the General laughing right at me. 

With a jolt I woke up, but realized that the cold feeling was a chain on my wrist. I blinked twice to see a pair of green eyes narrowed at me in suspicion. 

“Are you a spy?”  Larisa asked me. 

My throat felt dry, “No Miss, I’m doing the bodyguard’s duty because my father left us,”

I quickly sat up straight only to regret it as I flinched in pain. My body was bandaged up and my binder was in place. Panicked, I looked at the woman– she saw me.  She must've informed the Alpha and he was probably on his way to kick my family out of our home. No, I won’t let that happen I —

“Calm down cupcake, you look like you’re about to faint again,” Larisa said with a look of amusement on her face. “I haven’t told anybody… yet. I want to know everything about you and then I’ll decide what to do with you,” 

“Where‘s the Alpha?” I asked. 

“He’s in his room. And he thinks you’re still sleeping. So… shall we start with your explanation cupcake?”