Chapter 4

Fiona

I kept pleading to my wolf halfway to a devastating fall but she didn’t listen to me and I couldn’t shift. The earth's gravity pulled me to my death faster than I had imagined as I fell facing the sky, the moon’s reflection dancing in my eyes and I wondered if it would be my last view. 

My back lurched with the terrifying sense of freefall before my body landed with a sickening thud into what seemed like a huge pile of dirt. Sharp pain coursed through my body like a bolt of lightning and I felt my wrist snap, my arm twisted underneath me. 

I couldn’t help myself but let an agonizing scream rip itself from my lips. For a moment, I laid there, stunned. The sky spinning above me as my ears rang in high pitch. My wrist throbbed and pulsates while I tried to gather my thoughts. 

“The mutt has escaped!” I heard someone shout from a small window up above me. The bald warrior. 

“Find her!” He yelled again before disappearing from the window. 

Now I remembered the situation I was in. I had been labeled as a liar and betrayer of the pack and I was thrown into the dungeon. But now I have escaped, which now made me look more guilty of something I was innocent of. What have I gotten myself into?

My vision blurred and I gritted my teeth as I struggled to stand. Tears stinged at the corners of my eyes as I realized the extent of my injury. My wrist was twisted at an unnatural angle, any slight twitch of my fingers sent a jolt of pain thro my arm. 

A moan escaped my lips as I cradled my broken wrist against my chest. My legs felt heavy and I started with small leaps into the thick forest, my destination unknown. 

Gradually, my leaps changed into uneven steps of jogging and in a minute, I was running with my wrist still held tight to my chest. The towering trees moved past me in a blur as I ran, dodging tree branches and tree roots. I avoided small rocks too with the gentle moonlight guiding me to the unknown. 

I ran as fast as possible but I gradually grew tired with each passing minute. I stopped to catch my breath behind a huge oak tree when I suddenly heard the dashing of wolves in the distance. Silver fang warriors. 

There was nowhere for me to run so I just stood behind the tree, hiding. The warriors had caught me or so I thought, until the angry wolves dashed past me without noticing my presence. 

I was surprised at first that they couldn’t perceive my scent but then I glanced down and saw how much stench and dirt I was covered in. The stench and dirt had overwhelmed my natural scent thus confusing the warriors. 

I immediately changed my direction, following the opposite path of where the warriors had followed. I ran aimlessly, my footsteps heavy, my heart still aching from Lucian's rejection and my wrist still broken. 

The quietness of the trees provided a small refuge from the chaos that had erupted in my life, but even here, in this secluded place, I couldn't escape the truth. Lucian had chosen the pack over me.

The further I ran , the more numb I became. The night air cooled my flushed cheeks but inside I felt like I was burning. Every step seemed pointless, as if she were sinking deeper into a void she could never escape.

Lucian's voice echoed in my mind, and the way he looked at me, cold and distant as if everything we’ve shared had meant nothing. The memory of Nadia's smug face when Lucian fucked her only twisted the knife deeper.

Still lost in my thoughts, roaming hopelessly, a snap of branches broke through my daze, pulling my attention to the present. I stopped, glancing around warily. The forest, once comforting in its quiet solitude, now seemed too quiet.

The wind had stilled, and an eerie stillness had taken its place.  Another crack, this time closer.

My pulse quickened, I strained to listen, my senses heightened by the sudden feeling of being watched.

I stopped in my tracks, turning slowly, scanning the shadows between trees. The growing darkness made it hard to see, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something, or someone was nearby.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I started running again, faster this time,  legs felt heavy, my body sluggish from exhaustion. The weight of tonight's event pressed down on me, clouding my mind with fatigue.

Then out of nowhere, a figure appeared, before I could react, a huge hand shot out and grabbed me by my broken arm, yanking me backwards. I let out a startled cry, my heart leaping into my throat as I struggled against the iron grip holding me. 

My vision blurred with panic but I caught a glimpse of my attacker, a rogue, his eyes were piss yellow, wild, and his mouth twisted into a cruel grin.

“Let me go!” I screamed, my voice breaking as I fought to free myself. But the rogue was strong, his grip tightening painfully around my broken wrist.

“Quiet!” he hissed, his breath hot against my ear. “No one is coming to save you, Luna.”

His words dripped with mockery and My stomach twisted with fear. I tried to summon my wolf, tried to snap her out of her emotional breakdown but nothing came, just silence. 

The panic in my chest swelled as I realized how helpless I was. The bond break with Lucian had left  me vulnerable, my wolf had always been weak and without the strength of the mate bond to draw from, she had nothing left to fight with.

The rogue shoved me forward, into the clearing where two patchy wolves waited, then they shifted into their human forms as soon as they noticed us. They were both men, tall and broad, their eyes shining with malice.

My pulse pounded in my ears as I took in their ragged appearances, the hunger in their eyes, I was surrounded.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” One of the rogues snarled, circling me like a predator stalking its prey. “Alpha’s little mate, alone in the woods, and forgotten.”

I tried to back away but the first rogue still had me in his grasp. “Please,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I'll go, just let me go, please.”

The rogues laughed, a cold, heartless sound that sent chills down her spine. “You're not going anywhere Luna,” the leader said, stepping closer.  “You’re worth more to us than you think”

The rogue holding me tightened his grip, and before I could protest, a heavy cloth was pulled over my head, plunging mei into darkness. 

I struggled and screamed, my breath coming in sharp, panicked gasps but the cloth was thick and it muffled my cries for help. I could feel rough hands binding my wrists, and the more I fought the tighter the ropes became.

They dragged me through the Forest, my feet stumbling over roots and rocks as we moved deeper into the wilderness. The sounds of the night were drowned out by my own heartbeat, the terror coursing through my veins made it hard to think.

How had it come to this? 

Only hours ago, I had been in the dungeon, mourning the end of my relationship with Lucian and now I was being taken by rogues. The odds were against me and I could feel my life hanging in the balance.

The journey felt endless, my body ached, my legs weak from being forced to keep pace with my captors. My mind couldn’t stop racing, trying to come up with a way out but every idea crumbled under the weight of my exhaustion, i was trapped and the rogues knew it.

Finally we stopped, I could hear murmured voices, low and tense, as the rogues argued amongst themselves. But their words were distant, overshadowed by my own fear. I didn't know where I was or what they planned to do with me, but one thing was clear, I was far away from home.

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath my feet, a low rumble that grew louder with each passing second. The voices of the rogues silenced and I could feel their tension rising, something was coming.

But before any of us could react, a deafening roar split through the air, followed by the sound of something massive crashing through the trees. My captors froze, their fear palpable. I could hear them scrambling, their panic evident as they cursed under their breath.

“What the hell is that?” One of the rogues hissed audibly.