He put his knee on my chest, pinning me down. His face was downright psychotic as he leaned close and whispered in my ear, “I’ll make you suffer for even thinking you could be good enough for me. For believing I’d ever take a half-human mutt as my mate.”
His weight was heavy on my chest, and the words knocked out whatever breath remained in my lungs. Even though I hated him more than I'd hated anyone before, including all the bullies in my pack, the fucking mating bond still hummed inside me to the tune of mine mine mine.
I tried to shove him off, but he stood in one smooth motion and kicked me in the ribs hard enough that I saw stars. I was no stranger to beatings like this, but it felt like every other person had been holding back until now, pulling their punches and softening their blows.
Not my mate though. He wanted me to suffer.
I gasped in another breath as I tried to get away from him. I could hardly see, eyes blurred with tears as I crawled toward the woods. The forest was within reach, and it gave me the last burst of strength my exhausted body needed to move forward.
“You really think you can escape?” Jordan asked, as his foot fell again. I heard the crunch of my bones, so loud it seemed to echo around the clearing, and I let out a ragged scream. My knee felt like it was on fire. I didn’t know what exactly he’d done to it, but I suspected it wouldn’t hold my weight. Not for very long anyway.
The pain cleared my head of any remaining pull toward Jordan, and it gave me the push I need to kick out with my good leg, catching him completely off guard. It wasn’t strong enough to ground him, but it unbalanced him enough to give me a split second of extra time. That was all I needed.
With adrenaline fueling me, I pulled myself to my feet, pain lancing through my injured leg. It held me, barely, and I ground my teeth through the agony. I wasn't about to let this asshole win.
“Don't fucking touch me,” I said, low and sure. Jordan looked almost surprised by my words as if he expected me to cower before him. He was just like the other bullies, but I always got up again.
With some effort, I shifted into my wolf form. I wasn't really sure how to do it on my own, but I let my instincts take over, and they told me I'd be better off on four legs than two. Once the white fur covered me, I snapped at Jordan, but instead of staying to fight like every cell in my body was screaming at me to do, I turned tail and ran. Or rather, limped away. I couldn't take him on, not injured like this, especially with the mate bond making everything so difficult. Which meant I had to escape.
I rushed toward the forest, hoping it would provide me some cover and safety. I'd hiked through it earlier, and I bet I knew it better than Jordan did. Four legs made it easier for me to ignore my injured knee, and once I succumbed to my animal instincts I started loping along at a decent pace. I could feel the healing power trying to mend my leg, but I was so exhausted, I knew it wouldn’t be able to do much until after I’d rested. I was tapped out.
I reached the cover of the forest, but I wasn’t fast enough. Jordan was right behind me, hot on my tail. He wasn’t injured, and he would catch up to me easily. Something in my gut told me he wouldn’t let me get away this time. I’d caught him off guard, and he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
I glanced around, wolf’s eyes taking in sharper details than my human ones could. The moon was high, casting enough light that the whole forest was practically illuminated to my enhanced senses. I heard the rustle of the wind in the trees and the distant sound of the waterfall. I’d need to hide somewhere, but where?
I headed deeper into the forest, intent on finding the perfect place. My wolf nose smelled something like an old fire, and I chased after it and found a cave. I was about to head inside when I realized Jordan would be able to smell it too—and probably me as well. Fuck. There was nowhere to hide.
I had to keep running.
With panic racing through my veins, I headed deeper into the forest, with no thought for anything except escape. Behind me, the screams, snarls, and moans from the clearing faded away, and I wondered if any of my former pack was still alive.
I glanced over my shoulder as I bounded up a set of boulders, almost missing a step with my injured leg. For a moment, I thought I’d finally escaped Jordan, but then a large red wolf burst through the brush with a growl and leaped into the air behind me.
I scrambled up, trying to outrun him, but he was faster, stronger, and had the advantage. He slammed into my side, knocking me clean off the rocks and back onto the forest floor. I fell on my back, breath leaving me in a huge whuff. I was stunned enough to not move for a few moments as Jordan leaped back down to me, his sharp fangs snapping at my neck.
In his wolf form, he was much larger than me, but I rolled out of the way at the last moment, defying those powerful jaws. He might have been strong, but I was quick, even when injured. And I'd had a lot of practice escaping bullies before.
When he turned on me again, he opened his jaws and used his Leo roar to make me cower. It was like my limbs defied my brain, making me crouch down, my head lowering in submission while I whimpered. In my mind, I was fighting as hard as I could to stand tall and fight, but my body refused to listen to me.
Jordan shifted back to his human form, and his naked, muscular body gleamed under the moonlight. “You can’t even get away in your wolf form,” he said, as he loomed over me. “Pitiful. This is why we don’t breed with humans. You’re Cancer’s biggest failure, and trust me, the list is long.”
My limbs unlocked, allowing me to stand once more on four legs and shake off some of his control. I was in full panic mode, heart pounding with the need to flee, but he was really pissing me off too, the way he was laying on the half-breed talk so thick I could choke on it. It wasn’t my fault I'd been born half-human. All I’d ever wanted was a better life—and he'd taken that chance from me.
As I stepped back into a patch of moonlight, that darkness locked inside me awoke, coiling with my hatred for my mate and the entire Leo pack for what they'd done. Jordan strode toward me, his hands turning to claws as he prepared to attack me again, but I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction. A flash of cold, dark power burst through me, washing away the pain and the exhaustion, filling me to the brim before spilling out into the forest.
Then the world shifted. I blinked and found myself twenty feet away from Jordan, whose back was to me now. My pure white paws illuminated in another patch of moonlight as I glanced around, wondering how I'd gotten here. Had I blacked out? Were my injuries that bad?
Jordan looked just as confused, swiveling his head around as he searched for me. Then he caught sight of me and his face changed, growing murderous once again. He shifted back into wolf form and bounded toward me at a speed I couldn't hope to match.
Panic filled me again, and I glanced up at the moon, praying to the goddess to help me. Power burst out of me just as Jordan pounced, and then I was standing someplace else, with the moon still shining down on my white fur.
Could it be? Somehow I was jumping between patches of moonlight without moving a muscle. I had no idea how or why, but when I looked up at the moon again for guidance, the magic took me away again, carrying me deep into the forest, away from Jordan. Soon I couldn’t even smell my mate, and I realized I’d finally lost him for the first time since he’d attacked me in the clearing.
Just as quickly as it had come upon me, the strange power left in a rush. The extra strength it had provided me left me swaying on my feet, almost ready to collapse. I didn’t dare shift back to my human form.
I glanced around but didn't recognize this part of the forest. I had no clue where to go, but knew I couldn't stay here either. Jordan would keep searching for me.
I limped along, still putting as little pressure on my injured knee as I could. It ground as I walked, awful noises that set my teeth on edge. I was almost ready to collapse and call it a night, right here in the middle of the forest with my enemy still stalking me, when a faint whiff of scent caught my attention. Even t
hough I’d only smelled it once in wolf form, it was as familiar to me as my own. Mira. Thank goodness for my new wolf senses. I’d never have caught that with my human nose.
Mira was with the Pisces pack, and though they'd fled before the massacre started, they’d still be allied with Cancer. Hopefully. Going to them was a better alternative than staying here and praying that Jordan wouldn’t catch up to me. My mind made up, with grim determination the only thing driving me, I bounded toward the scent.
Chapter Nine
I ran through the forest as quickly as I could manage without the adrenaline assisting me. I knew Jordan was still out there, hunting me and tracking my scent, but he wasn’t as present of a threat as he'd been only minutes ago. Somehow I'd gotten away from him, using some power I didn't understand, but I wasn't safe yet.
Mira's scent led me to a small clearing where several vehicles were parked. Pisces shifters ran back and forth, shouting terse orders at each other and quickly packing their things into their cars.
They must really be paranoid to park this far away. Though after what I'd witnessed tonight, maybe not. Or had they known about the impending attack all along? They'd certainly disappeared the second any conflict started, but I had a hard time believing they'd turn against the Cancer pack.
The air was thick with tension, and I swore I could smell fear as I approached. As soon as I stepped into the clearing, I returned to my human form. My wolf had provided me with a little more strength, and my legs gave out the instant I was fully shifted back. I was completely naked, my clothes abandoned when I'd shifted, and covered in blood, both my own and others. My vision swam, and all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears for several moments as I battled through the pain.
When I came back to my senses, holding onto consciousness by the barest thread, Mira was holding me up. “Ayla?” she was saying over and over as if I'd passed out.
I tried to smile at her, but the best I could manage was an unconvincing twitch of my lips, and then I was crushed to Mira’s chest in a tight hug. I groaned as the motion jostled my hurt knee, looking over Mira’s shoulder. Mira’s new mate rushed over and brought me a blanket, which I gladly accepted to cover my naked body, and I saw the Pisces alpha approaching too. I felt a wave of relief rush through me. I was among allies, I reminded myself. They would help me.
“What happened?” Mira said, drawing me back and looking me over. Her eyes were wide, face ashen as she noted the odd angle of my leg. “Are you okay?"
I shook my head, unable to find the words to express how not okay I was. Now that I'd found a sliver of safety, tears filled my eyes at the thought of everything I'd seen. My father. My pack. My brother. All gone.
"What happened after we left?" Mira asked, more insistent this time. "I saw Jordan reject you and then the alphas were arguing, but then the Pisces alpha said we should go in case there was trouble. As we were running away, I heard screaming and I feared..." Her words died off like she couldn't say the rest out loud.
I wiped at my eyes and looked up at her. "Everything you feared is true. The Leos slaughtered our pack. Including my entire family."
Mira gasped, her face pale. "All of them? Even Wesley?"
I replayed the last moments I’d seen him alive, swarmed by Scorpio shifters. There was no way he could have survived that. “Dead,” I whispered, grief flooding me at the memory.
Mira’s lip wobbled. "My parents?"
My chest tightened. I'd forgotten they were there too. "I didn't see them. I'm sorry."
She covered her mouth with trembling hands as tears streamed down her face. "No, no, no. They can't be..."
We held each other, crying for everyone we had lost, but when she squeezed me too tight I yelped. She pulled back, wiped her eyes, and looked me over. "You're hurt."
"Jordan. He attacked me but I managed to escape." I pulled my leg in toward my chest, wincing at the awful crunching sound it made. “I’m pretty banged up, but I’ll survive. I just need to get away from the Leos."
"You can come with us," Mira said. She glanced up at her new mate, who rubbed the back of his neck like he wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Then she turned to the Pisces alpha, who was watching us. "She can, right?"
The Pisces alpha's face drew down into a frown and he crossed his arms as he looked at me. “I can’t help you,” he said. The words didn’t penetrate my grief-addled brain at first, and I just stared at him, unable to believe what he’d said. “We’re leaving immediately, but you can’t come with us.”
“Please,” Mira said, glancing between me and the alpha. “Can’t you see she needs our help?”
He shook his head. “She’s not our problem. We can’t afford to be at war with the Leos."
"But you were allied with the Cancers," I sputtered. "You were friends with my father!"
"And from what I hear, he and his heir are dead." His face turned grim. "I will grieve their loss, and pray to the gods for your soul, but I can't put my pack’s safety on the line for you."
It was a punch to the gut. Surely, he wouldn’t turn me away. He’d always seemed kind, whenever he came to visit. Kind and level-headed, unlike Dad. “No,” I whispered, so quiet that it hardly came out at all. “Please, you don’t understand, I have nowhere else to go.”
"That's not our problem." His words were harsh, but I could see in the alpha's eyes that this was a struggle for him. He held strong though, unwilling to waver. “We’re probably already next on the Leos’ hit list, and having you with us will make them even more eager to tear us apart. We can’t take losses like your pack can. The Pisces pack isn’t even half as large as the Cancer pack is.” He winced, and then amended, “Was.”
Mira grabbed me tight and held me to her as if she could keep me with her physically. "No! We can't just leave her here."
Her new mate grabbed her and tugged her away. “Come on. We need to go before the Leos find us. You don’t owe her your allegiance anymore.”
Mira reached out to me as he ripped us apart, sobbing. I stretched my hand out to meet her, tears running down my face as well. He shoved her into a car before we could even brush fingers, and I fell back to the ground, shaking.
The Pisces alpha looked down at me, his face hard. “I’m sorry, but I have to put my people first.”
He turned and got in his Jeep, and the rest of the shifters got in their cars too. Then they drove away, leaving me in the dust. The only people who could help me, and they’d just driven away like I didn't matter at all. Like all the years of support from the Cancer pack meant nothing anymore. The second their loyalty was questioned, they turned their backs and ran.
Leaving me here. Alone. Naked.
Packless.
I glanced down at my arm, at the spot where I should have had a Leo pack symbol. That spot remained empty, showing every shifter I was an outcast. I wasn't a Cancer anymore, and the Leos wouldn't have me either. No one would take me in, not even the Cancer pack’s closest allies. Where would I go?
Desperation drove me to my feet. I needed to get away from this place before Jordan found me. At the very least, I had to get out of this forest, and then I'd figure out my next plan. I had nothing with me except a blanket and sheer determination to not be a victim. All my belongings were back at the Cancer camp, and I certainly wasn't going there. Step one: find clothes and shoes.
I slowly headed in the direction the Pisces cars had gone, pain lancing through me with every step. Following them would get me back to civilization, where maybe I could find someone who could help me. To do what, I didn’t know, but I had a lot of walking to do and a lot of time to think about it.
Everything hurt, and I had to move so slow I knew it would take me hours longer than it should have. I was limping, unable to put much weight onto my bad leg. At some point, my new shifter healing would help me, but I had to rest to get to that point. That wasn't an option. I even tried shifting back to wolf form, but that didn't work—I was probably too exhausted.
Eve
ry step brought me closer to collapse, and I realized I hadn’t eaten or drank anything since the afternoon. As if in protest, my stomach growled. My ribs throbbed at the same time. I was pretty sure Jordan had cracked some of them when he kicked me. Every step only brought more pain to that area.
“What did I do in my past life to piss the gods off this much?” I grumbled to myself. “All I want is someone to actually want me, is that too much to ask?” Somewhere I could belong, with people who cared for me. A place where I wouldn’t live in fear of hatred or the next beating I might get. A really hot mate wouldn't have hurt either.
Actually, no. I'd gotten a hot mate, but he'd turned out to be an asshole. Thanks but no thanks.
Jordan. The mixed feelings I had for him rose up in me, making me feel nauseous. I wanted to tear his throat out, but the mate bond also made me want to rip off his clothes and throw myself at his naked body. Would it be that way for the rest of my life? Or would the longing eventually subside if I got far enough away from him?
My mind turned instead to the alpha of the Ophiuchus pack once more, as it often did since he’d appeared on my hike. He was hot, hotter than Jordan actually. And dangerous too. I wondered who would win in a fight—him or Jordan? I'd seen them both naked, and they were both pretty damn impressive...
I shook my head. I was in the middle of an abandoned forest, talking to myself, comparing the physical qualities of two male shifters who I hoped to never see again. This really was the end for me. A deranged laugh bubbled up in my throat, threatening to escape. I was probably hours away from being brutally murdered by the Leo pack, and yet here I was, fantasizing about a male who wasn’t my mate. I didn’t even know his name, and I’d probably never see him again. Shit, I must be going into shock or something. If I made it out of this with my sanity intact, it would be a miracle.
I continued limping along, trying not to collapse, and entered a thicker area of brush. A twig snapped behind me and I froze, heartbeat fluttering as I looked around, eyes wide. Three dark wolves melted out of the forest, seemingly out of nowhere. I lifted my hands, trying to show I wasn’t an enemy, but all three leaped at me in unison, knocking me over. They circled me, growling and snapping to make sure I wouldn’t try to bolt.
Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves: The Lost Pack Book 1) Page 7
