Chapter 8: Rogue Wolf~

The Lycan Enforcer ~

~ANNABETH'S POV~

The snow mountain didn't care that I was human as I sprinted across it, running as fast as my legs could carry me.

Two minutes into my flight, my lungs felt like they had been shredded by glass. The air at this altitude was thin and biting, a sharp contrast to the humid warmth of the valley of Red moon pack where I had once called home.

Every step was an agony of sharp stones and frozen mud. I was tall for a human, lanky and built for a long stride, but here, in the shadow of the peaks, I felt like a toddler stumbling through a graveyard.

I came to a halt by a cluster of jagged rocks, my chest heaving so hard it made the oversized tshirt flutter. The silence of the forest was absolute, yet it felt heavy, like the indrawn breath of a predator.

I wasn't fast enough. I knew it. I was going to die.

I looked down at the silver knife I had stolen. It looked pathetic in my hands now, it was like a toy for a child’s tea party. My hands were shaking so violently I nearly dropped it. I wasn't a warrior. I was a girl who spent her days painting art on a canvas. I was a charity case who had mistaken a temporary home for a safety place.

A harsh growl reached my ears.

I spun around, my back hitting the cold stone of a tree. Standing on a flat boulder ten feet above me was the monstrous gray wolf with it's clenched canines exposed, drooling of saliva. It was patient, it wasn't attacking quickly, it was like it was enjoying the hunt of it's weak prey. Me.

"You're quite slow, aren't you?" It mused, it's voice carrying effortlessly through the thin air.

I raised the knife in my hand to it, my arm trembling. "Stay back."

It laughed.. mocking me, a sound as cold as the wind. It still didn't move toward me. It simply watched, as if observing an ant trying to climb a wall of oil. "You think that little silver splinter scares me? I’ve survived wounds that would turn your entire body into a memory, little bird."

It hopped down from the boulder, landing with a silence that made me flinch back in fear. It began to circle around me, it's sharp claws never faltering on the uneven ground.

"I wonder what your kind could possibly be doing in an area like this?" It continued, it's harsh eyes scanning my face. "You are like a butterfly here, helpless, weak and fragile. And Butterflies don't survive here in the coldness of this mountain."

"I survived seventeen years in a pack of wolves," I snapped, my voice cracking. "I'll survive you too."

"We'll see about that, human." It snarled at me and got into a stance to launch. I dropped the knife in my hand in fear, it was no use, I've never fought a wolf in their human form not to mention in their strongest wolf form. I closed my eyes, ready to welcome death.

Finally. I could be with my parents again. I thought, and not feeling bad about the situation anymore but felt a slight ease in my chest.

But then nothing came. It was suddenly too quiet. I opened one of my eyes to check and saw the wolf's head, tilted to another direction in the forest. I followed his gaze into the forest, wondering what might have caused this wildly beast to pause in it's tracks.

Suddenly no one other than the enforcer himself stepped out of the darkness of the treeline and I gasped.

He wasn't running. He didn't look breathless. He looked like a god who had just realized his favorite possession had been moved. He was still in his charcoal black suit trousers, but his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the corded muscles of his neck.

The gray wolf immediately stepped back, it's entire posture shifting from predator to loyal soldier. It bowed it's head slightly, though a smug glint remained in it's eyes.

"Enforcer," it said, it's voice smooth and devoid of the malice it had just shown me.

Kael's eyes locked to mine. He didn't move, yet the air pressure around him seemed to double. "You found her, my pet." he stated, informing the wolf.

"I didn't realize. Pardon me. She was quite far out your vicinity, Kael," it said, it's voice dripping with faux concern. "She doesn't seem to understand the dangers of these woods. Perhaps she needs a tighter leash if I might suggest." Kael simply nodded curtly and dismissed the wolf. It gave me one last look before it vanished into the forest.

Kael stood alone in the clearing for a long beat, making sure the rogue wolf was gone. Then, he turned to me.

He didn't yell. He didn't growl. He simply walked over and picked up the silver knife I had dropped. He looked at it for a moment before snapping it shut and sliding it into his pocket. Then, he reached out, his hand wrapping around my upper arm. His grip was firm, bordering on bruising, the same iron grip that had marked me in the car.

"You ran," he said, his eyes searching mine.

"I am not a PET, Mr Enforcer." I whispered, tears finally spilling over. "I am a human being. And I already have a home. I have people who...."

"You have nothing but me," he interrupted, his voice dropping to a low, possessive purr. He pulled me toward him until my chest was pressed against his. He leaned down, his nose dragging across the sensitive skin of my throat, inhaling deeply.

He pulled back, his thumb catching a tear on my cheek. "I was forced to cancel my appointment meeting today. After Armea's sudden visit to the house, i knew I couldn't leave you alone for one minute. And you just proved me right by your actions." Kael said, his grip on my arm shifting as he swept me into his arms, carrying me like a child.

He didn't go back towards the house. He turned toward the higher, more jagged peak of the mountain.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked him, panicking.

"To my very private space," he growled. "Since you've insisted on defying me so much, I’ll show you the only place on this mountain where no one, not even princess Armea, or any rogue wolf, can get to you."

He began to climb the steep path, his strength never wavering. I looked back at the forest behind us thinking.

What is my fate now that he's taking me to a place I might never return from. Will I ever truly escape from him now?

~~~