06~ Mine

Avery's Point Of View

I ran.

Every step was agony, my back screaming from the silver whip’s lashes, my legs trembling like broken reeds. The night air burned my lungs, each breath a razor’s edge of pain. Behind me, the howls of Julian’s warriors grew louder, their voices a chorus of my impending doom. My body was weak... so weak, but I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t.

The forest loomed ahead, a tangled maze of shadows and thorns. Branches tore at my skin, my clothes, but I didn’t care. The pain was nothing compared to what awaited me if I was caught. I’d rather bleed out here, alone, than return to that hell.

The howls of Julian’s warriors echoed behind me, their voices sharp with triumph as they closed in. "There she is!" one of them snarled, his voice cutting through the night like a blade. "She won’t get far, she’s just a weak omega with no wolf!"

Another laughed, cruel and mocking. "Let her run. She’ll tire herself out, and we’ll drag her back to the Alpha. Maybe he’ll let us have some fun with her first."

I glanced back.

They were gaining.

My heart hammered against my ribs, my vision blurring with tears of exhaustion and terror. I can’t go back. The thought was a scream in my mind, a raw, desperate plea. I’d rather die than face Julian again. I’d rather let the rogues tear me apart than endure another moment of his cruelty.

Then I saw it.

The abyss.

A gaping maw of darkness, whispered to be haunted by rogues and spirits. A place where even the strongest wolves dared not go. My body screamed at me to stop, to turn around, to survive. But survival in Krypta Clan wasn’t living, it was slow death.

No.

Never again.

I stumbled to the edge, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The drop was endless, the darkness below swallowing everything. My hands shook, my knees nearly giving out. But I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms until I tasted blood.

This is better than going back.

With a final, shuddering breath, I leapt.

The warriors hesitated at the edge, their voices laced with unease. "Halt!" one of them barked, his tone suddenly uncertain. "That’s rogue territory. She’s probably dead by now. Let’s head back."

I barely heard them. My fingers clawed at the crumbling edge, my body trembling as I hung there, suspended between escape and capture. Below me, there was only blackness... endless, suffocating nothingness. My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding so violently I thought it might burst. This is it. The thought was both terrifying and freeing. I can end this here. I can choose this.

Just as I gathered the last of my strength to pull myself back up, a movement caught my eye. A massive, coiled shape slithered from the shadows... a snake, its scales glinting in the dim light, its eyes locked onto me. Terror seized me, my body reacting before my mind could process what was happening. I screamed, my fingers slipping from the edge as I recoiled from the creature.

And then I was falling.

The wind roared in my ears, my stomach lurching as the world blurred around me. The fall seemed endless, the darkness absolute. I braced for the impact, my mind a storm of desperation and defiance.

Let it end here.

Let me die free.

Then... Pain.

A brutal, jarring crash as I hit the ground. The impact stole my breath, sent white-hot agony radiating through my bones. I gasped, choking on the damp, earthy scent of the abyss. My body was broken, my strength gone, but my will... my will burned brighter than ever.

I would not go back.

I would not be his victim again.

Even if it killed me.

The damp earth beneath me was cold, the scent of moss and decay thick in the air. Groaning, I pushed myself up, my muscles trembling, my breath ragged.

The silence was suffocating, broken only by the distant drip of water and the skittering of unseen creatures. My eyes strained to adjust to the dim light filtering through the canopy above, but all I saw was an endless expanse of black.I had no idea where I was. No idea where to go.

But I had to keep moving.

"Avery!"

A voice... clear, insistent, cut through the quiet. My heart leapt into my throat. I spun around, my pulse racing as I searched for the source. The air seemed to shift, the metallic tang of fear sharp in my mouth.

"Never forget who you are!" the voice echoed again, colder this time, more vivid. "Remember what you are!"

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, my fingers trembling. "You're not real," I whispered, my voice shaking. "You're not real!"

I turned and ran.

**********

"I need to live."

The words were a mantra, a desperate prayer repeating in my mind as I forced my battered body forward. Three days. Three endless days of stumbling through the abyss, my legs trembling with exhaustion, my vision blurring from hunger and blood loss. The silver whip’s lashes still burned across my back, the wounds weeping and raw, the poison seeping deeper into my flesh with every step. My throat was parched, my lips cracked and bleeding. I hadn’t eaten. I hadn’t drunk. I was running on nothing but sheer will, my body a hollow shell of pain and determination.

The abyss was a maze of shadows and decay, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and something darker... something hungry. I could feel it watching me, waiting. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Not when the alternative was Julian’s cruelty, his taunts, his hands on me again. Death was better. Anything was better.

My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps as I dragged myself forward, my fingers clawing at the rough bark of trees for support. The cuts on my arms and legs stung with every movement, the silver’s curse gnawing at my flesh, slowing my already weakened body. I could feel myself fading, my strength slipping away like sand through my fingers. But I clenched my teeth and pushed on, my mind focused on one thing: survival.

Then, I heard them.

Snarls.

Low. Guttural. Close.

My blood turned to ice. I knew that sound. I’d heard it in my nightmares—the sound of predators closing in. Rogues. I turned slowly, my body trembling, my heart pounding so violently I thought it might tear through my ribs.

Three of them.

Their forms were monstrous, twisted by years of savagery and hunger. Yellowed fangs glistened in the dim light, their eyes gleaming with a feral hunger that made my stomach twist. They circled me, their growls vibrating through the air, sending a primal terror coursing through my veins.

"Dinner," one of them rumbled, his voice a distorted growl that sent a shiver down my spine.

I backed away, my breath hitching as I tripped over a fallen tree. Pain shot through my ankle, but I ignored it, my eyes darting around for anything... I needed a weapon, anything, to defend myself. My fingers closed around a jagged rock, my knuckles white with the effort of gripping it. I swung wildly as the first rogue lunged, the stone connecting with its skull with a sickening crack. It snarled, stumbling back, but the others didn’t hesitate.

The second rogue charged.

I screamed as its jaws clamped down on my shoulder, teeth sinking deep into flesh. White-hot agony exploded through me, my vision swimming as blood poured from the wound. I swung the rock again, my arm moving sluggishly, my strength nearly gone. The rogue released me with a snarl, but the damage was done. I collapsed to my knees, my body trembling, my breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps.

"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please, no."

But they didn’t listen.

They never did.

The third rogue lunged, its massive form pinning me to the ground. I thrashed, my fingers scratching at its muzzle, my legs kicking weakly. But I was too weak. Too slow. The silver’s poison had sapped what little strength I had left, and the blood loss was making the world spin. I could feel myself slipping, my body shutting down.

"No," I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. "No, I can’t—"

The rogue’s jaws snapped inches from my face, its hot breath washing over me. I could smell the rot on its teeth, the stench of death clinging to its fur. I tried to fight, to push it away, but my arms wouldn’t obey. My body was failing me.

And then... I stopped.

My hands fell limp at my sides, my breath coming in shallow, broken gasps. The rogue snarled, its saliva dripping onto my face as it prepared to strike.

But I didn’t move.

I didn’t fight.

A strange calm washed over me, the pain and fear melting away as I looked up at the rogue, my vision blurring. I was so tired. So done. Maybe this was how it was meant to end. Maybe this was my fate all along... to die alone, in the dark, far away from the monster who had broken me.

A bitter, broken laugh escaped my lips, tears spilling freely down my cheeks. "I tried," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I really tried."

I closed my eyes, my body going limp as I accepted the inevitable.

"I’m sorry," I murmured, not to the rogues, not to anyone in particular, just to the universe that had been so cruel to me. "I’m so sorry."

The rogue’s growl was the last thing I heard before the world faded to black.

Then... a roar.

A blur of motion.

The weight on my chest vanished, replaced by the distant sounds of snarls and howls, the wet crunch of bone and flesh. I didn’t have the strength to open my eyes, didn’t have the will to care. I was drifting, my consciousness slipping away.

"Mine."

The word was a growl, deep and possessive, vibrating through my body like a shockwave. Strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me from the ground, pulling me against a warm, solid chest. I wanted to struggle, to fight, to run, but I was too weak. Too broken.

And then... Darkness.