Chapter 2: Border of No Return

Pov: Asha

“She can’t shift, but I gave her wolfsbane mist just to be safe,” a voice echoed through the haze in my mind.

“I don't mind, you did a fine job with her,” another voice echoed.

Light from the crescent moon stabbed my eyes as I opened them. Several pairs of legs surrounded me.

My gaze shifted to the bulky figure now blocking out the moon.

“I was definitely right to agree to her being the collateral,” the man chuckled. He reached out and patted the figure I recognized as my father next to him. “You can head back home now, consider the slate clean.”

“Thank you, Marrok.” My father's voice was cold, but I could sense the excitement underneath. “I’ll take my leave now.”

A sharp ache split my head as the memories slammed back into me. 

The contract. The argument. The syringe.

My own parents sedated me like a beast to hand over to a creditor.

I searched for the warm presence of Rylie reflexively.

Nothing.

Rylie! I pushed deeper, screaming into the void of my own mind. 

There was only silence still.

A cold sweat broke out across my forehead, more terrifying than the way my legs felt like lead.

I rolled onto my side. Clutching my belly, I dragged myself through the grass. 

I have to get away. I have to—

“Where do you think you're going?”

A hand tangled in my hair and yanked back. I screamed as I was lifted up from the grass, my scalp burning.

My face was raised till my eyes met amber ones.

Wrinkles lined Marrok’s scarred face, nothing about him looked weak. Especially his eyes devoid of mercy.

“Le—Let me go.”

“Stop thrashing aroun—”

He let out a loud groan as my fingers found a patch of bare skin on his forearm and dug my nails in with every strength I had.

“You little bitch!” He hissed.

The grip on my hair tightened until I thought my scalp would tear. 

Before I could dwell on the pain, he backhanded me. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I hit the ground hard.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Marrok growled as he loomed over me, his eyes looking dangerously predatory. “Your father handed you over to settle his tab. You belong to me now.”

I tried to crawl away, but my limbs felt numb. 

“Take her,” he ordered the man standing nearby.

“Please, no, no.”

The man picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Still, I continued fighting as we moved until exhaustion stole what little strength I had left. 

We got to an opening in the side of a hill, and descended underground.

The temperature was much colder. Low distant wails that made my insides shudder in fear echoed through the damp air.

We reached a small circular room lit by a single bulb at the center, the walls made of weeping stones, and I was immediately tossed to the floor.

“Now, let's see what I bought,” Marrok said, stepping into my space as the other man took a step back.

In an instant, he pinned me against the cold wall. Instinctively, I wrapped my hands around my stomach.

His large, calloused hand gripped my chin and forced me to look at him.

“Rejected, wolf-less, and sold by your own blood. You're just the pathetic little thing I've always wanted, Asha Ryder, especially with this pretty face.” He chuckled darkly. “I definitely have a use for you.”

Tears gathered in my eyes. I couldn’t believe I had survived nineteen years of hatred only to end up in a hole in the ground.

“Look at me!” Marrok barked.

His hand moved away from my chin to my throat and squeezed. 

Air vanished from my lungs instantly.

I clawed at his wrist as white spots began to dance in front of my eyes.

This is it… this is how we're both going to die.

Darkness crept into the edges of my vision. Right when I was sure to pass out, the pressure suddenly disappeared.

I slumped against the wall, coughing and drawing in desperate gulps of air. A few seconds later, I realized the distant wails had stopped.

“What…” Marrok breathed. His hand was no longer reaching for me, instead, it was trembling at his side. “Why is that out here?”

Suddenly, the air in the room changed. An aura so heavy and suffocating that it stole the very breath I had just struggled to get back.

I looked past Marrok’s shoulder, squinting towards the dark corridor we had just come from.

A figure stood at the center of the dark doorway. 

The room was extremely silent as the figure moved forward.

A woman stepped into the light. 

She looked to be near her mid-twenties, dressed in a black singlet and black tactical pants. Dark markings lined the center of her exposed upper arm. 

Her piercing blue eyes were entirely fixed on Marrok.

“What do you think you're doing, Marrok?” She asked in a calm but sharp tone with a blank expression.

I saw Marrok's hand tighten into a fist.

“Do I have to explain my business to you, Hera?” He spat through gritted teeth, though his voice lacked its earlier confidence.

The atmosphere in the room shifted from cold to freezing, thick with the scent of the woods after rain.

I looked back at the woman, Hera, to see her expression looking pitiful. My gaze drifted behind her as a low, floor vibrating growl erupted from the doorway.

It was so powerful it shook the wall behind me.

Then, a man stepped into the light.

My eyes trailed the same dark swirling markings on his exposed chest and arms up to his eyes that froze the blood in my veins.

His red eyes locked onto mine, and everything else disappeared.

His nostrils flared as his lips parted, a single word slipping out with a growl. 

“Mate.”