Chapter 3
"Omg! You did it and you didn't even tell us! You naughty girl."
I march up to Zoren who is still recovering and hold out my hand. "No hard feelings?"
He smirks. "No hard feelings." He grabs my hand and twists it behind my back and I yelp in shock and pain. He holds my arm tight and towers over me as our bodies press against each other.
"Stop! What are you doing?" His mouth is dangerously close to my neck and I try to struggle but it hurts my arm more and I'm too tired to push him off me. He's too strong. "Please Zoren." I cry. "Stop."
I feel the pain after his fangs have pierced the soft skin in the dent of my collar bone and just as quickly, he removes them, letting me go. I let out a blood curling scream as I collapse to the floor. I put my hand to the wound and it comes away, coated in blood.
"You're mine, Aurora."
The crowd have gone silent. Tension hangs in the air like a chandelier on it's last string. Mick and Claire are at my sides in seconds, helping me up and fussing over my wound.
"What have you done?"
He stands there, looking at me in concern. Tears sting in my eyes. "I said, what have you done? You f-cking bastard. What have you done to me?"
"Aurora, it's okay. We'll sort it out." Claire whispers, pulling me away.
"No, no, it's not okay."
"Aurora."
"Don't you Aurora me!" I scream at Zoren, snapping and crumbling under the embarrassment and anger. "You cheated. You can't do that. I made it. I am not yours. I was safe."
The pain is agonising and I press my hand to it hard as first aids runs over, starting to bandage my wound carefully as Mick holds my hand away from my wound.
"Aurora, you gave me no choice."
"And you gave me no choice." I sob. "I hate you. You dirty f-cking cheater. I hate you."
Zoren looks stricken at my words in panic and guilt.
Paul comes striding over. "You're making a scene. Stoped it now. He marked you. It's too late."
"You have to punish him. It was against my will."
Thunder fogs his eyes and Zoren takes a step forward. "You cheated too. You tried to throw me off you're scent Aurora. You are just as much as cheater as me."
"Cheat? How did she cheat?" Paul seems amused by this, enjoying my torture.
"She threw me off her scent by hiding clothing items of hers, leading me on a wild goose chase so she could escape."
"It say's nothing against that in the rules."
"Silence." Paul sneers. "It seems that you did not play fair Aurora. And this is your punishment."
"No."
"Ah-ha!" Zoren smirks and reaches out for me.
"I hate you!" I whisper again, shaking off the hands of the first aid and step back. "Stay away from me! Stay away." I turn and run. No one follows me so I guess Claire and Mick stopped Zoren from following me. I bite my lip to try and contain the pain burning from my mark. I can't believe him. I can't believe him.
I run out of the clearing, away from the stands of people. They are all sitting in silence. Something is still going on but I don't care. I press my hand to the bandage and it comes away soaked in blood. The bandage isn't working. I gasp in panic. It stings like a million needles repeatedly stabbed in you. It hurts. It kills. I need to get back to my room and sort it out. I can't show anyone else how bad it hurts. No one can know. It will ruin my image if what happened hasn't already.
The marks burns and I double over in agony. I need to get back, now. I start hobbling away from the stands towards towards the orchards and back to the house.
I hate him. I really do.
***
"Aurora." I freeze when I hear this nervous voice. Turning to look at Zoren, I give him my best hard stare. "Can I talk to you outside for a second?"
"How about no?" I turn back and look at Tam rolling my eyes. She doesn't share my annoyance, she looks sick with worry, still wiping the back of her hand on her trouser leg.
Zoren places a firm grip on my shoulder to turn me around. Agony grips though me as I gasp with shock, crumpling under Zoren's iron grasp. Tears burn my eyes and I wipe them away angrily.
He lets go almost instantly, grabbing his own collar bone in shock. His face becomes hard with worry, turning my chair around to face him. Crouching down, he looks at my face, searching.
"Aurora." He murmurs. "We need to get that looked at. I can feel it too. I know it must hurt you 10 times more, let's go and see a doctor."
"No? What pain?" Denying his true accusation, I stand up, swaying and black spots momentarily cloud my vision. I feel lightheaded like I'm about to pass out and I struggle to breath briefly. My hand grabs the chair automatically and I place one hand on his shoulder to steady myself. "I'm fine, just fine. I just need sleep." Quickly I removed my hand from his shoulder and placed it on my hip.
Zoren stands up, nodding. "Allow me to take you-"
"No! No, I'm fine. Thank you." I turn to my family, concern glued to their faces. "Goodnight guys, I'm feeling a bit knackered from the run so I'm going up." I squeeze John's hand and ruffle Claire's hair before I sweep out the nearest door.
When I hear the banging on my door, it's dark although a bright strip of moonlight shines on to my bed, but I'm too tired to open my eyes properly and everything is a hazy daze. My mark still burns and aches but I'm too tired to move. I feel parched and I notice how sweaty damp my bed is although I feel cold and stiff. I can't remember dreaming but it must have been bad for me to be that scared that I was sweat that much. Everything is so wet and it clings to my body. The room smells metallic like fresh blood.
There's a bang on my door again and I whimper at the loud sound. "Yes?" my voice is little more than a whisper and I doubt that I even made a sound.
"Aurora!" Zoren barks outside my door. "There's an urgent Wolf Council meeting that's been called. There's been another attacked." My heart rate picks up in panic and my stomach drops. Oh Gosh I have to help them. What if it's White Star? Is everyone safe?
"Aurora? What's going on? Answer me." I open my eyes again. I must have passed out.
"Zoren? What's going on?" I croak, my throat is sore and I can taste something in my mouth with a twinge of iron.
"Have you been listening to me? We have to go?"
"Go where?"
"The Wolf Council meeting."
"There's a meeting?" I splutter. It hurts to talk. It even hurts to think. I want it to stop.
"Aurora what's going on?"
I don't answer. I can't.
"Let me in now Aurora." he growls.
I nod gently although I'm not sure if I've moved at all. Trying to lift my head makes me feel dizzy and I start to wretch. This leads me to coughing and choking and my body rattles. Some liquid flies out my mouth and lands on my hand. It looks kind of red but I'm guess I'm just too tired to see properly. I think I'm dying. I'm scared.