"Don't be coy with me." I choke back a growl.
"Darling, he's competition. That's all, plain and simple. You have feelings for him and if you're to be mine after tonight, then he can't live." Giving up his dominating tactics, he looks away.
"I will be yours, that's why I'm here," I say, fighting back my wolf's urges.
"But for how long? I need reassurance. The little time I spent with that Alpha, Caiden, I could tell he had feelings for you too," Felix says, sticking his tongue out of his mouth as if he tasted something sour.
"You're going to kill him because you're jealous?" I say under my breath.
"I can assure you I've done much worse," he says, flashing a devious grin.
"I won't let you do this," I say in a low voice; anger boils in my stomach, moving down to my legs and up into my arms. My hands shake with rage.
"Of course not, my dear, so please forgive me for this," he says, and two guards approach me from behind. "Tie her up and chain her to the pole."
Four strong arms grab my shoulders, pulling me back.
"What? No!" I yell.
I kick my legs as I'm pulled backward, punching my arms in the air as I struggled to break free. Just as I'm about to shift into my wolf, a chain tightens around my neck, making it impossible for me to fully shift. Looking over my shoulder I see Cody holding the other end of the chain. Pieces of my already shattered heart fall again, breaking into more fragmented pieces that will never again be fully whole.
"Lucinda," Cody whispers, "don't fight it, you'll only make it worse."
"You're worried about this situation getting worse?" I ask.
"Yes, it could be much worse," he says.
A low, wicked laugh escapes through my lips.
"Is something funny my dear?" Felix asks.
"Oh no, nothing at all," I say, flashing a sweet and innocent smile.
"Take her away then, and Brutus, get your men ready to go." He waves his hand in the air to dismiss us all.
"Damn straight it could get worse," I say to Cody through the mindlink. "Just wait until I get free."
Cody ties me to the pole, leaving the ropes around my wrists and ankles loose and the chain around my neck unlocked.
"These should hold you," he says with a wink and he walks back into Felix's tent.
I watch Brutus walk across the campsite and talk to a small group of men that sit around sloshing mugs of ale.
Being tied to this pole isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, everyone stares as they walk by or watches me from where they sit from afar, but from my seat, I can see everything and everyone in the camp.
A group of young warriors plea with Brutus to tag along on his mission tonight. Other men take their leave of the mission, wanting nothing to do with the beast. And women throw themselves at the brave warriors that have accepted the mission. My eyes roll in disgust.
Shrills of laughter catch my attention and I turn toward the back of the camp where the non-warriors live. For a moment I smile, watching a group of young kids run around chasing each other with a ball, and laughing as they tumble on the ground when the ball hits them.
A young warrior—one Brutus denied earlier—interrupts the children's play. A snarl replaces my smile as the warrior takes the children's ball between his hands and flattens it. The warrior returns to his group of friends and deep bellows of laugh fill the air, and several rounds of hoots and hollers followed by pats on the back continue. I spit in the dirt next to me. Watching them makes my stomach ill.
Leaning my head back against the pole, I close my eyes to think. A kick to my thigh wakes me from my thoughts.
"You got a message you want delivered? Any last words to be said to the beast?" Brutus asks.
"I'll tell him myself," I say with a dazzling smile.
"You do realize it'll only be a head on a stake that I bring back, right?" he says with a loud bellow.
"You sure about that?" I grin wickedly and try to muffle a laugh. Brutus growls and walks away.
"What was that about?" Cody asks as he sits on the ground next to me.
"Just a few words of encouragement." I shrug. Cody eyes me carefully and shakes his head.
I watch Brutus and his small group of men get ready to leave on their suicide mission. They down a few more pints of ale, sharpen their teeth and claws on a sharpening stone, and do one last hurrah around the campfire. They are arrogant SOBs heading into their hunt for Caiden's head. I pity them.
Instead of focusing on Caiden and the impending attack, I focus on Felix—planning my next move, and waiting for the right moment.
Felix steps out of his tent, taking a long glance in my direction, and gives one last order to Brutus through the mindlink for all to hear, including me.
He's changed his mind, he wants Caiden alive—so he and I can kill him together as part of the ceremony, sealing our fate to one another for all of time. How romantic. A nauseous sensation stirs in my stomach.
As I listen to Felix's voice, a fire rages deep inside my soul. Vomit threatens to coat my throat, but I choke it down.
As soon as Brutus and his pack of wild dogs run off, I stand from my seated position and lean against the pole.
"FELIX!" I yell across the campsite, my growl ringing in everyone’s ears.
"Ah my dear," he says with a smile, talking while he walks to me, "I trust they've been taking good care of you."
"I will kill you before this night is through." I whisper my threat seconds prior to dropping the ropes and chain that bound me. I leap through the air, shifting into my wolf and pin Felix onto his back with an audible thud heard on impact.
"Oh, so is that how you like foreplay?" Felix grins.
I snarl with bared teeth and drool drips onto his face.
Men run to Felix's aid, forming a circle around us. A few of them have spears pointed at me, trying to poke and prod my wolf. I bite and snap my heavy jaw at the spear tips that come close. Is it really a good idea to agitate an already agitated wolf? I ask them through the mindlink. A few falter in their stance, while others continue to step closer.
"Stand down," Cody says to the men. "She's challenged the Alpha, she deserves a fair fight."
Looking to Cody I nod, showing a small sign of appreciation. Felix uses this small distraction to push me from his chest and shift into his wolf. Rolling onto my back, I quickly get back on my feet.
Felix and I face off, circling each other, and I snarl with bared teeth as any aggressive predator would do. My heart beats at a rapid pace, and I need to steady it because I know Felix can hear it. He can't know I'm nervous or he'll use it against me.
My tail thrashes and I see my opening. Felix leaps for me, all four paws leaving the air. Twisting my body at the last moment, I dodge his attack and sink my teeth into his hind leg before it touches the ground.
I caught him by surprise because a yelp escapes him. Turning to look at me, his eyes fully dilate, turning jet black, and his razor-sharp canines drip with saliva.
The crowd surrounding us has grown considerably. The entire camp has formed a large circle around us, watching as spectators would watch gladiators fight in the arena.
My heart pounds and I see Felix rush toward me, only this time I'm not quick enough. His teeth find my shoulder, sinking through my fur, piercing my skin. He clamps down hard, giving a slight jerk of his head, successfully tearing more skin before I'm able to throw him off me.
Limping around to face him again, I flash my incisors and growl. He charges me. I leap, meeting him in midair. We're dancing, both standing on our hind legs, and trying for a bite.
Felix raises a paw and knocks me to the ground. Before I roll out of the way, he's on top of me, sharp fangs in my face.
He's trying to have me submit to him. Funny. He's worried about dominance and I'm trying to kill him.
Struggling against his strong hold, I knock him onto his side and roll with him, sinking my teeth into his neck,
just under his muzzle.
Whispers travel through the crowd of spectators and they begin to take steps forward, making our circle even smaller. I bite harder, sinking my canines even deeper into Felix's soft flesh, and then the wind is knocked out of me as I'm pummeled to the ground. I roll a couple times before stopping, and I look up to see the face of a young warrior standing over me. He's holding a wooden baseball bat and is soon accompanied by five more warriors all carrying similar bats.
"Lucinda, get out of there," Cody sends through the mindlink. Looking for Cody in the crowd, I see him being pinned down by several other men.
The warriors have circled around me, taunting me with smiles, whistles, and laughter. They're in their human form, while I remain as my wolf.
Saliva drips from my muzzle as I growl at the warriors. The first one to swing a bat at me gets a face full of teeth. I feel his warm blood dripping in my mouth as he tries to scream. And then a hardass wooden baseball bat smashes into my back and I crash to the ground. The remaining four warriors hover over me, swinging their bats, ensuring each swing finds a spot somewhere on my body.
Trying to roll over on my paws, my only chance is to stand; but the onslaught of attacks keep me pinned to the ground. Crawling close to the ground, as I would if I were stalking prey, my back takes the brunt of the attack. I see Cody still struggling against his captives, and Felix remains on the ground in the same spot I left him.
Lifting my head, I let a deep howl vibrate up my chest before it's extinguished by a bat striking me hard across the face. The last thing I hear before darkness takes me is a lone howl in the distance.
Chapter 36
Lucinda
A warm breath blows on my neck and I whimper. A muzzle brushes against my fur, nuzzling just under my ear, I twitch at the physical contact.
"Leave her alone!" a woman's voice says. "Oh!"
The cool, moist earth brushes against my cheek. Flexing my palms, my fingertips scratch into the ground. Flickering my eyes open, I see there is movement in the shadows cast by the raging fire in front of me. I have to squint because of the bright flames, as the fire rages out of control and travels through the campsite, burning everything and anyone in its path.
Pulling myself into a sitting position, my chin drops to my chest as I wince. Rolling my eyes, an audible groan slips through my lips. I've shifted. Something is draped over my shoulders. Looking up, I see the young woman that Brutus molested earlier.
"Come on my lady, we need to go," she whispers.
I try to stand and fall.
"Now my lady," she says, "before he returns."
"Before who returns?" I ask, trying to stand again.
"That—" she whispers, "the white wolf."
I start to fall back to the ground but catch myself on my knees just as two of Felix's men take notice and charge toward us.
Standing on wobbly legs, I take one last look back at the shadows and my heart flutters. The white wolf jumps through the fire, landing on the two men—ripping a chunk out of each of their necks and spitting the flesh to the ground. Caiden! My heart flutters.
"We need to go," the woman says, tugging at my arm.
Reaching my right arm out to Caiden, I take a step toward him and fall to my knees. He stands, his paws cemented in place as he watches me struggle to walk.
A wolf jumps through the fire that blazes behind Caiden to flank him—it’s Dylan.
Once more struggling to stand, my legs crumble under my weight.
"Lux, are you okay?" Dylan's voice cracks as he runs up to me, shifting from his wolf form.
"I'm fine," I say. "What are you doing here?"
My feet wobble and give out on me once more as I try to stand, but Dylan catches me before I fall.
"Thanks," I flash a small smile.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks, arching his eyebrow.
"Yes, I'll be fine." I stumble again and his strong arms steady me, tightening their grip around my waist. "I just need time to recover, I guess I took more of a beating than I thought."
A warmth rushes through my body as little sparks ignite on my skin and then I smell it, the strong scent of bergamot, and my breath catches in my throat.
Caiden has shifted from his wolf form and walks closer to where we stand, eyeing me up and down. Streaks of black snake through his eyes and he scowls.
Stopping a few feet from us, his eyes look deep into mine, which burns a fire in my soul. His eyes remain black and his face expressionless. My lips begin to throb, and all I want is to run to him and to be secure in his embrace. Looking away, he speaks to Dylan.
"You should get her back," he says to Dylan in a formal tone.
My heart sinks as I watch him turn to leave.
"Caiden," I call after him.
He does not turn to face me. Instead, he turns his head just enough to the side so I know he is listening.
"Yes," he says.
"Where's Felix?" My eyes flitter over to the last place I saw him, and his body is gone.
"I don't know," Caiden says, with a low growl.
"Have you seen my friend Cody?" I ask.
"No." He once again turns to leave.
"What will happen to the non-warriors? You won't kill them, will you?" I call after him, my shaky voice betraying my emotions.
"No," is all he says.
"He's granted them a temporary pack membership to try it out and see how they like the pack. Those who don't want to take the offer are free to go elsewhere," Dylan adds, and Caiden nods.
A smile finds its way to my lips and I see Caiden return a small grin before shifting during his leap in midair without looking back.
"Come on, let's get going," Dylan says. I take a few steps and collapse even with his support.
"She's too injured to walk," the woman says. I blush because I forgot she was still here.
"I'm sorry, we haven't actually met before. I'm Lucinda," I say reaching out my hand. "And you are?"
"Grace," she says with a shy smile.
"This is Dylan," I say. Losing her smile, her eyes look to him and quickly find the ground.
"You don't have to be afraid of him, he won't hurt you," I say. She nods but still will not look at him.
"Maybe you should cover up?" I whisper after taking in his naked body. Dylan and I were naked together for much of our childhood as we were first discovering our wolf forms. But not everyone feels the same way.
"With what?" he asks, laughing.
Grace turns and pulls another robe from her bag and tosses it to him.
"Thank you," he says and she nods.
"I...don't think I can walk," I whisper. Dylan's expression changes, his eyes dim and grow wide.
"I suppose not. I didn't want to say it, but you look awful," he says. "Someone really did a number on you."
"Gee thanks."
"Come on, let's get you home," Dylan smiles and wraps his strong arms around me, picking me up with little effort. My heart warms at the word home. I didn't realize how much I missed the feeling of having one. I turn to Grace and she backs away, shaking her head.
"Grace, it's okay. You can come with us, you'll be safe," I say.
"Safe? That's what Felix said when I joined this pack," she says.
"Yeah, well, Caiden isn't Felix and his pack isn't this group of idiots," I say. "Come with us, you'll see."
"You'll be fine," Dylan says, "No one will harm you and if they try, they'll have to answer to me."
She nods and takes a slow step forward.
Carrying me, Dylan guides Grace through the darkness that's befallen the area away from the burning campsite. Turning to take one last look back, I see Caiden still fighting the last few of Felix's men that haven't turned to run away, and I see Sammy for the first time. He's leading a group of non-warriors away from the campsite. A warmth spreads through my heart to see such a large group of people willing to trust Caiden and his offer for temporary p
ack membership.
"What are you smiling about?" Dylan asks.
"Nothing," I say. Dylan follows my gaze.
"Whatever." He continues walking again.
I didn't realize it, but I found Caiden again and our eyes lock for a split second before he turns away. My heart twists and I blink back tears.
Dylan, Grace, and I walk in silence across the blood-stained field on the other side of the hill. I catch glimpses of Caiden a few more times, and each time his expression is the same, his forehead pulled tight with a scowl. The fighting has stopped, so he has joined Sammy and the group of survivors. Sammy and Caiden have shifted into their human form and wear a robe similar to the one given to Dylan.
"Is Caiden okay?" I ask.
"He'll be fine," Dylan says.
"He looks like he's in pain," I say.
"He has a lot going on right now, but he'll get through it."
"I've only been gone a day. What did I miss?" I ask.
"Nothing really, don't worry about it," Dylan says.
"Just tell me," I demand. Looking at me with curious eyes, he sighs.
"Fine. Sabrina waltzed into the Pack House with her cousins again. Only this time they threatened to challenge Caiden for the title of Alpha."
"What?!"
"She claimed if he went after you, then he wasn't putting the safety of his pack first, so he should forfeit his claim of Alpha. If he didn't forfeit then they would formally challenge him in front of the pack."
The movement of my chest stops, all of the air in my lungs freezes and I stop breathing. He came after me.
"What has he done?" I whisper in a strained voice.
"Well, we didn't exactly decide to come after you. Caiden knew he couldn't rescue you and still keep the pack's approval, but the longer you were gone I could tell—" Dylan's trails off.
"Tell what?" I ask.
"Caiden needs you. Something has happened with his curse. Ever since the beast struck you—" Dylan stumbles over his words. "He's bonded with the beast."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah, it's weird. But he's fighting through it." Dylan shrugs like it's no big deal.
"But Sabrina, damn it! What has he done? I left so nothing would happen to his pack, and he's just gone and—"
The Rogue's Fate Page 19
