I discard my heels and run in my tights as fast as I can.
‘Get her boys!’ Zenith yells; John and James chase me in their wolf forms. I run through the trees and slip, rolling down a hill dangerously quickly.
Covered in more scrapes and dirt, my hair is messy with leaves and twigs sticking out on all sorts of angles. I continue to run.
‘Ryker!’ I scream, at the top of my lungs; I’m hazardously thrown down by someone; I kick and punch them as hard as I can. A hand covers my mouth. The weight of a body holds me down. He is completely naked now, in his human form; his member is pressed against my stomach.
‘Shh… shh,’ James whispers, stroking my face. Struggling, to free myself, my movements are futile.
‘Stop trying to fight me,’ he whispers; tears roll down my cheeks.
‘Consummating the pairing already?’ John laughs.
‘Fuck off, John,’ he says to his brother.
‘Why did you scream out for Ryker?’ James asks. He slowly removes his hand, and I spit in his face. John laughs.
‘You better put her in her place before Dad does, James! You know he won’t tolerate her treating you like that,’ John warns. James looks at me, and wipes the spit from his face with his free hand.
‘Look, if you’re going to be soft about it, I’ll put her in her place for you,’ James says.
‘Tell me, Astrid. Why did you call out for Ryker?’ He asks. I want to spit in his face again, but before I can he covers my mouth with his hand.
‘Astrid, I don’t want to hurt you, but you will leave me no choice if you don’t answer me,’ he snaps.
He removes his hand from my mouth; I look away crying. He holds my jaw in one hand, forcing me to look at him.
‘Answer me, Astrid. This is your last warning,’ he says. I look James dead in the eyes.
‘Alpha Ryker is my mate! And I’m the Luna of Shadow Crest! I suggest you take your hands off me before Ryker finds out where I am and rips you apart, limb by limb!’ I threaten. James’ shock doesn’t stop him growling.
‘You’re my mate! Not his!’ He says. ‘Why didn’t the Moon Goddess bless me with a mate like you? Why did she bless Alpha Ryker with you?’ He asks, frustrated.
‘Maybe, because, you’re a dick!’ I say, kneeing him in the balls; he grabs his crotch in pain, and I quickly wiggle myself out from under him and start running again.
‘Save the feistiness for the bedroom!’ James yells, while John chases me in his wolf form. My foot catches on something, and I fall face first into the ground. I try to get up but John presses his foot into my back, keeping me down. He sits on me, and moves my hair away from the back of my neck to inhale my scent. He emits a lustful growl.
‘Why should James have all the fun?’ He says, rolling me onto my back, and staring intently into my eyes.
‘Why are you doing this? You have your mate. You have Amelia!’ I yell.
‘You’re so beautiful, and your body looks so juicy. I can’t help myself; I need to have a bite,’ he says. His wolf fangs protrude and his face lingers near my throat.
I scream as he is about to sink his teeth into my neck; his eyes full with hunger. A flash appears out of nowhere; James pulls John off me.
‘Are you fucking crazy?’ He yells at John.
‘Not only did you almost mark my mate, you would have killed Amelia for marking another she-wolf!’ James yells.
‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. Don’t tell Amelia,’ he says.
‘I’m not going to tell her anything. It’s Astrid you need to worry about with Amelia.’
I let them discuss their issues and run again. They shift, catch me again, and James knocks me down; in human form he holds my arms behind my back.
‘Enough Astrid!’ He snaps, lifting me up with my arms still restrained so I can’t hit him. I burst into tears against his naked chest as he carries me back to the pack house.
‘About bloody time! Bring her downstairs!’ Zenith growls, walking down the staircase.
‘To the cells?’ James questions.
‘Do you really expect her to stay in her room obediently?’ He asks.
‘No, but—’ he says.
‘She’ll keep in one of the cells until she has been marked by you. She won’t be able to escape from there,’ Zenith points out. John and James follow Zenith downstairs to the basement. It’s dark and eerie, and I can hear water trickling in the walls or the drainpipes, and the squeaking sounds of mice. Our exhalations are misty in the coldness. I’m shivering; James pulls me closer to keep me warm.
Zenith unlocks a cell door, James walks in and places me on a stone bench which is also my bed. Chains with silver cuffs adorn the walls, and I’m thankful James doesn’t cuff me.
He kisses me on the forehead instead, making me shudder.
‘It’ll be okay Astrid; we have some things to sort out. The sooner you let me mark you, the sooner you can get out of this cell,’ he says, holding my face gently in his hands. I jerk my head out of his grasp.
James leaves and stands beside John. Zenith comes into the cell and strikes me aggressively across the face.
‘Try and run away again and that split lip of yours will be the least of your worries!’ He snaps. He slams the loud, creaking, metal door closed, and the sound reverberates around the basement. He locks the door with a key.
I hug my knees on the bench and cry as they walk away. It’s dirty and cold where I sit; the stone wall behind me is covered in cobwebs. The few other cells I can see are the same. It’s pitch black; not even moonlight comes in. My arms and legs sting from all the grazes, but I can’t see them.
‘Ryker, I’m scared. I’m so scared. Please save me! I want to be back in your arms!’ I cry out, but no one can hear.
At midnight, I’m still awake and freezing to death. I hear light footsteps coming downstairs. I squint toward the stairs to see who it is.
‘Astrid, it’s me, Amelia,’ she whispers. Jumping up, I run to cell door,
‘Amelia! Please Amelia! You have to help me. Please unlock the door,’ I beg.
‘Shh! I’m not supposed to be down here. I’ll get into trouble if anyone finds out,’ she whispers. She passes me my hoodie from my room.
‘I thought you’d need this; I know how cold it gets down here,’ she says.
‘Have they put you down here before?’ I ask. Amelia nods.
‘It was a long time ago. Alpha Zenith bought me from my old pack. He chose me as John’s mate. I had to stay down here until John marked me,’ she says, sadly.
‘John isn’t your fated mate?’ I ask in disbelief.
‘No. And I haven’t been able to leave the pack house since. If I did find my true mate, he wouldn’t want me now; I’m marked and mated by another,’ she sobs.
‘Oh, Amelia, I’m so sorry,’ I say, empathically.
‘I overheard James and Alpha Zenith arguing about you upstairs. James is begging him to let him chain you up in his room, instead of down here. That’s how I knew you were down here,’ she whispers. We hold hands through the bars.
‘I don’t want you to have the same fate as me, Astrid. I will do everything in my power to help you out of here,’ she says, as her eyes go glassy with tears.
‘I have to go now. I’ll come back when everyone is asleep tomorrow night. Don’t let him mark you, no matter what,’ she says, as she walks away.
