5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Nyx
The weird glow that emanates from me grows brighter, evaporating the crusty brown and black colors. Then, as quickly as it starts, there's a bright flash of white light and it bursts into nothingness.
Crash.
It takes me a hot minute to realize that the chains have snapped, landing in a pile around me. My muscles and body ache from the releasing pressure, but I'm too overwhelmed by the fact that I'm free to care.
Quickly, I stand, letting out a groan and hiss as my legs shake. They feel numb, and I have to lean against the wall for a second to steady myself until the feeling comes back.
What the fuck was that?
Where did that light come from?
When I'm able to hold my weight, I cross the cell, hand reaching around for the lock. I'm stunned to find it broken too, the cracked, warped metal falling to the ground with a loud thud.
Carefully, I push open the door, cringing at the creaking sound it makes. I pause for a moment, listening out for any tell-tales signs that someone has heard the commotion. When nobody immediately opens the door at the top of the stairs, I start to slowly ascend. It takes me longer than usual, my legs still screaming in pain at being cramped up for hours as I cling to the railing for support.
I wipe my hand across my face to get rid of the fallen tears, dried blood and dirt flaking off. If anything, seeing it encourages me to push on, and when I reach the door, I slowly push it open an inch.
The white foyer is shrouded in darkness, confirming that it's night time. Unless I've been out way too long, if my calculations are correct then I've been gone one full day. Which means tonight is the full moon. There's a sharp pain in my chest, a haze in my head as I remember what I was supposed to be doing tonight. But there's no time to dwell on that. If I want any chance of actually getting to my Luna ceremony, I need to focus.
Holding my breath as I cross the room, the moonlight gets brighter as I emerge from the shadows. There's a door ahead and taking a quick peek at the stairs to make sure no sneaky James' are lurking about again, I slowly make my way over.
I'm not sure what the plan is here. I have no idea where I am—even if I did, Mira is still nowhere to be heard , so shifting is out of the question. The chances of me getting out of their territory unnoticed is slim to none. But I have to try, right?
Turning the handle, I let out a sigh of relief when it makes no noise. I step onto the front porch, realizing that porch doesn't quite cover it.
The building I just exited is huge. It would easily rival Alpha Wyatt's buildings in fashionable taste. Once again, it makes me angry and annoyed.
Glancing around, I feel a dash of hope as I spot a tree line ahead. Wherever I am, it's on the edge of their territory—or the woods, at least. I don't know how far these trees go, but it will at least give me a chance to make a break for it. I can use the trees to hide and cover me—provided there are no wolves lurking about on patrol.
The irony isn't lost on me. But the anger, well, that fuels my desire to get the fuck out of here.
I quickly check left and right to make sure there's no one around. And then I run.
It doesn't take long until I'm between trees, legs screaming violently as I pound the ground. It hurts—my whole body—but I run.
The moon is high so I'm easily able to see where I'm going, trying not to focus on the fact that I'm a visible target. Someone running through the woods is definitely a suspicious sign, but I remind myself that the further I make it, the closer I get to safety.
I could be running in the wrong direction to Shadow Creek, but maybe I'll get lucky and end up in a neighboring territory with a pack that's not a bunch of psychopaths. They could be friendly and welcoming, with lavish buildings decked out for hospitality like Alpha Wyatt and Luna Eve's town.
Or… they could be ruthless like Alpha Kingston and kill me the moment I step foot on their land.
Well, at this point, what do I have to lose? I'm dead no matter what.
My breathing starts to get heavier, panting as I sprint. Short of holding my mouth and nose and dying of suffocation, I have to take the risk.
I get more confident the deeper I go into the woods, calling out for Mira every so often. There's a small hope that eventually I'll leave whatever magic forcefield they have around here, and I'll be able to shift—and mind link someone for help.
But just when I think I'm doing well, a large black and white wolf jumps out of nowhere into my pathway. There's no time to react or slow down, and I crash right into it, my body tumbling over the top of its furry back before I land painfully on the damp ground on the other side.
Shit.
" Mira, where are you?! I really need you right now. "
Once again, I'm met with complete silence, and I crawl backwards as the wolf turns, padding toward me.
Even though I accept my looming death, I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely terrified of being ripped to pieces. The wolf snarls, growling low as it stalks toward me.
"Fuck off," I curse, picking up a stick from the ground and flinging it at its head. It bounces off the fur, not landing any kind of force—but the wolf does surprisingly halt.
Unfortunately, so do I.
My hands are covered in tiny cuts from the sticks and stones on the ground, shaking under my weight as they threaten to buckle. We enter into a stare-off, my eyes narrowing on the wolf, its piercing blue eyes watching me fiercely.
Piercing blue eyes.
You've got to be kidding me.
There's no doubt in my mind who this is—and probably why I'm currently still breathing. For now, at least.
Well, I figure now is as good a time as any to put my plan into action. I said I wanted to annoy them. This will either end in my death or… actually, I'm not sure there's another option. But if the only other alternative is walking back with him to those dark cells, I'd rather go out fighting.
Pushing to my feet, I glare at him defiantly, before turning around and sprinting off into the direction I was heading.
Immediately, I hear the sound of footsteps giving chase, and my heart beats dangerously fast as I wait for the inevitable snap and grab of razor-sharp teeth. There's something horrible about anticipating pain—like your mind and body go into survival mode. If you think the odds are against you, everything screams to stop and do something to prevent it. But I'm not going to bow down and let him hurt me—not without fighting for my life.
When the sound of him giving chase continues, I realize he's fucking with me. I've always been fast, but even I can't outrun a wolf. Yet… he seems to be letting me—probably waiting to see how long it takes for me to lose steam so that I'm unable to fight back when the moment comes.
But I keep running, the trees and bushes getting thicker as we delve deeper into the woods. Here, the moonlight starts to fade, blocked by tall canopies, but my eyes have adjusted. I jump over fallen trunks and branches, stepping on vines. I no longer have to worry about the ragged sounds of my breathing since I don't have to hide.
I get so caught up in my movements and powering ahead that I stop paying attention to the noises behind me. But slowly, I realize I can't hear him anymore.
There's no way I'm going to stop and turn around to investigate. It's never that easy. They wouldn't go to all this trouble just to let me get away.
No… he's up to something.
Even though I don't look behind, I do scan the trees to my left and right, expecting more wolves to appear as he summons his pack for assistance. But that's eerily quiet too.
As I continue pushing ahead, legs screaming, they finally give out when someone steps out from behind a large tree in front of me.
This was unexpected…
I only have a few seconds to react. Do I stop and try to change direction? Or do I keep going?
I can see his blue eyes watching me curiously even through the dark, and the lack of brutality in them—like I'm in some sick game of cat and mouse—pisses me off. So, instead of stopping, I power on. There's no time to change direction, and I decide enough is enough. I'll face this man and go toe-to-toe. I'm not a coward and I'm not going to beg and scream for my life.
His eyes widen in surprise as he realizes what's coming. And we collide—hard.
The oof that he lets out as we fly through the air gives me a sickening sense of pride, like he didn't see this coming. But then it's my turn to let out a guttural groan when we land heavily on the hard ground, tumbling with momentum.
All the pain returns in an instant, the adrenaline from the running easing off as I slide along the dirt with a thud before I finally stop. When I lift my head with a silent whine, I notice that we're only about two feet apart, and I realize that he's completely naked post-shift.
I should try to castrate him. That would slow him down.
But instead, I'm left staring at his sprawled out, muscular body. Not because it looks good—even though I won't admit that it does—but because he's laughing .
The asshole actually has the audacity to laugh at this very moment.
"What is wrong with you?" I snap, curling my legs toward me as I push up on my side.
He glances over, amusement splashed across his face. "You are a good runner."
The cold reminder that they have been watching me this entire time sends a whole new wave of anger through me, and before I can stop it, I've leapt off the ground, jumping on top of him.
My fists take aim at his face, and I think I manage to get a few punches in before he grabs my wrists tightly, shoving them back into my own body.
Jerking around as I try to break free, I growl at him in frustration. "Let me go, you piece of shit! Fuck—"
The words are cut off as he forcefully pushes my arms by my side, rolling us so my back is pressed firmly into the dirt again. I let out a gasp when his chest pushes into mine and I can feel said non-castrated thing pressing against my thigh—a large one at that.
"Stop telling me to fuck off," he growls, and it's the angriest I've heard him. I don't even dwell on the idea that he's more annoyed at that than the fact I just punched him.
I laugh dryly, trying to throw him off. He doesn't budge though, his large body easily covering mine. "Really? Does it hurt your feelings? Well, I'm sorry for not being more polite before you rape or kill me."
My eyes close—not tightly, but enough to block him out—as I wait for the inevitable pain that's about to start.
Breathe, Nyx. Don't scream. We're not going to scream and let him get off on the sound of your pain.
Seconds pass by, my heart thumping fast in my chest. I know he can feel it against his skin, but there's nothing I can do to stop it.
Slowly, I feel his weight move off me, but I keep my eyes closed expecting the blow.
When nothing comes, I finally open my eyes slowly in confusion, finding his, as he stands above me with folded arms.
"Get up," he demands, but just as I go to refuse, he turns and starts walking away. No—not away. Towards the thick of the woods… the direction I was running to escape.
I push myself to my feet, bewildered. But instead of pestering him with questions, my body moves on its own.
There's silence between us as he walks further along, until we're about thirty feet from where we fell. He turns to look at me wordlessly, and just as I open my mouth to speak, there's a flood of feeling—like I've been electrocuted.
I'm dazed for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened and if I'm physically okay, but then I feel her.
Mira.
"Is it really you?!" I yell, hearing a soft whimper in reply, confirming it.
My eyes snap up, feeling a touch of anger, but mainly… defeat. Thirty feet—that's how close I was to freedom. I was nearly there, out of the magic forcefield.
But then it quickly dawns on me that I should be able to mind link for help now. Cade must see it on my face too, his arms folding as he smirks—but he makes no attempt to stop me.
And then I realize why.
That damn scent comes back, but it's so much stronger this time. It actually feels like it's overwhelming me—and then it happens.
Click.
This time, it actually does feel like there's electricity coursing through my body. I stumble back with wide eyes, shaking my head in disbelief.
No… no… no. Why does this keep happening to me?!
Cade steps forward, amusement on his face. There's not an ounce of shock or surprise as he parts his lips, eyes locked with mine.
"Mate."