16. Mine
Mine
MURDOCH
P ain is nothin’. Not anymore.
“PLEASE ST— ACKKK!”
I tear free o’ the last Alpha, crunchin’ on ’is bones an’ tossin’ ’im aside wit’ a ragged snarl, blood streamin’ from me open wounds. Me breath comes in ’arsh, broken gulps as I stagger past the hundreds o’ dead foes, lookin’, feenin’ fer me next kill.
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
Me bones creak an’ crack as I walk aimlessly t’rough the forest, searchin’ mindlessly fer sumtin’ tu sink me teeth intu.
Yet… a primal thin’ beyond words… a longin’, a need feathers in me mind. An ancient instinct older than reason. A faint, flickerin’ o’ sumt’in deep inside me fightin’ like a risin’ wildfire.
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
A roar rips from me t’roat, shakin’ the trees. The few alphas t’at ’ave been foolish enough tu block me path are already dead… but sum’tin’ nags in me brain… piercin’ me ’ead an’ me ’eart, causin’ me tu feel immeasurable pain… the only pain I can fathom in t’is dark space…
“AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO” I howl from the deep crevices o’ me chest. Me vision narrows, tunnelin’ red. The wolf in me… the beast , shakin’ wit’ unstoppable hunger fer blood. Fer vengeance… but vengeance fer wat?
T’ere are no words left, no memories. Jus’ an endless, gnawin’ need tu destroy.
I move t’rough the forest like a shadow, a walkin’ nightmare. Limbs slick wit’ blood, jaws stained wit’ flesh still clingin’ tu it, claws draggin’ t’rough earth an’ broken bodies. Anyt’in’ that moved, dead.
Maddened, I run t’rough aimlessly, eyes bloodshot an’ crazed, lookin’ fer sumth’in, but fer wat? The forest floor is bathed in blood an’ dead, decayin’ bodies… wat am I searchin’ fer… who… why?
I dinna know wat I want. I jus’ want it…
I burst t’rough the last line o’ trees, breathin’ raged, eyes catchin’ any sign o’ t’at t’in’ t’at’s naggin’ me. I stumble tu a stop in a clearin’, body shakin’, wen sumt’in wafts ova me…
A scent.
Like the beast I am, I lift me nose in the air, takin’ a long, deep wift o’ the sweet, sharp, wild, an’ earthy aroma t’at wraps around the deepest parts o’ me like a warm embrace. Me head snaps up. Me pupils dilate befer slinkin’ tu slits. Me chest heaves as instinct surges.
MATE.
A feral, guttural growl rips from me t’roat.
“AAAAWWWWWOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Me body lunges forward befer t’ought can follow, tearin’ t’rough brush an’ stone, followin’ the trail like a starved predator.
Every step sends fresh agony t’rough me soul, but I canna stop. In fact, the further I run, the stronger the scent becomes, pullin’ me deeper intu madness, deeper intu obsession.
I need that scent.
NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED!
NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED!
NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED! NEED!
T’at scent floods me brain like a drug, deeper t’an any poison I could eva take in. It fills evera broken part o’ me mind.
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE !
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
I break t’rough a boulder, growlin’, foam on me lips, breath wheezin’. I can almost see ’er in the ’aze now…a shadow in me mind, golden, deep brown skin, fierce green eyes, dark curls tangled in me claws… no, me arms…
I shake me ’ead, ’owlin’ as I ’it me head on the broken boulder, not understandin’ the deep searin’ pain in me chest.
“AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO UUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
Another strangled roar bursts from me t’roat raw as I charge forward, a maddened, blood-soaked t’in’ wit’ only one t’ough’ left:
Find it! Or die tr— No! Dyin’ is’na an option!
Sumt’in’ flickers in me mind… a smile… a moan… a whisper o’ passion, an’ profound sadness ovacomes me. FIND IT! FIND IT!
From the corner o’ me eye, a flicker o’ movement ahead. Befer I can even see wat it is, I know it’s wat I’m searchin’ fer. I lock eyes on ’er… the bein’ t’at consumed me, causin’ ’er tu go still with sh ock.
Murdoch!
I hear in the deep recesses o’ me mind, but not clearly… I jus’ step forward, wantin’ ’er…
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
“AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” I howl, takin’ another step forward, but sumt’in’ steps in between me an’ me obsession… me mate… everat’in’ I NEED.
I blink t’rough ’azy red eyes, cockin’ me ’ead tu the side.
“Brother! I see yu’ve finally lost tu the madness! Look at yu! Yer a pure beast!” the t’in’ laughs, gratin’ me ears. “But it’s too late… brother,” ’e grunts, ’and around ’er t’roat. “She’s mine, now! ’ow du yu feel? Yer about tu lose everat’in… again, ” the t’in’ cackles…
I meet ’is gaze, teeth bared in a snarl, seein’ its ’and on wat is mine…
an’ I feel me blood boil, mind shatterin’ as sumt’in screams inside me.
A rage, severe possession, the desperate need tu take wat is mine.
Me body trembles, teeth snappin’, eyes glowin’ bright red. I turn feral, claws sharpenin’.
No one will take wat is mine from me!
No one.
I lunge as me eyes widen, crazed, na stoppin’ even wen he t’rows ’er at me. I jus’ growl, swattin’ ’er out the way, eyes only on the fecker t’at dared keep me from wat I want!
“N-NO! W-WAIT! brOTHER, W-WAIT!” I size ’im by the t’roat, liftin’ ’im from the ground like a rag doll, claws sinkin’ deep intu his flesh. My grip tightens until ’is gasps turn tu chokin’ gurgles. “PU-PLE-PLEA— ACKKK… brO ? —”
I screech, slammin’ ’im intu the ground wit’ a force that rattles the earth itself. Me fist connects wit’ ’is jaw in a sickenin’ crunch. He fights, but t’ere’s no point as a snarl tears from me t’roat. Me teeth find ’is shoulder an’ I bite, tearin’, rippin’ it apart .
“MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!
MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!”
I roar, crazed, the word possessive, echoin’ in the clearin’, an’ wit’ one final surge o’ raw, animalistic strength , I rip ’is head from ’is shoulders, blood rainin’ down, spatterin’ the earth, ’is body twitchin’ once befer it stills.
“AWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” I howl like a bullhorn in the forest.
I barely register the crowd o’ alphas, betas, an’ hunters frozen at the edges o’ sum line, eyes wide with horror as blood spatters the ground. Their cheers ’ave died to a stunned silence as t’ey watch me. I’ll kill ’em next… but first…
I take a step toward me prize, lickin’ me lip as she scooches toward me, strugglin’ tu break free o’ chains
Murdoch! Snap out of it! It’s me!
I growl, ’eavy footsteps inchin’ closer tu ’er… hungry….
’er green eyes burn, fixed on me.
Murdoch, she whispers. Murdoch… look at me. But the beast would’na relent. I take a step toward ’er, breath ragged, body tremblin’ under the weight o’ bloodlust. The crowd around us deathly still. No one dares move tu intervene, afraid o’ me wrath fallin’ upon ’em.