I wake up to an awful smell and swat it away from my nose.
"What the?!" I sit up in the bed.
"Smelling salts... useful little things." He says standing up.
I am in a cell. A well furnished cell but a cell none the less. A bed and dresser. A small bathroom but bars along one side. I once considered my life a gilded cage... well that has a whole new meaning.
"Don't bother trying to link anyone.. it won't work here... walks are too thick. It's kinda like using a call phone In a cave the rocks stop the connection." The man tells me.
"I thought I should introduce myself. I am Alpha Damon and I will be becoming your mate." He grins as he tells me this.
"No." I say to him.
"But I will." He counters.
"Why?" I ask.
"Power of course! Mate you kill your father all of his power reverts to me. My pack here becomes legitimate adding a couple hundred wolves and boom! I am the most powerful Alpha in the world!" His smile is sickening.
"I won't do it!" I yell.
"You will." He says pinning me against the wall. "We will be marked and mated Lilly... accept that."
"Get off me." I say wiggling under his grip. He is strong. I can't move. He smiles at me as I stop my fruitless squirming.
"Ask nicely." He says.
"Please." I hiss with a clenched jaw.
"Use my name."
"Please Damon."
"And what is it you want?"
"Please let go of me Damon."
"I love when you say my name." He moves his head to my neck and breaths deeply. "Yes I think this could work well long term... one more thing before I let you go." I feel his teeth sink into my shoulder by my collar bone. I feel pain and pleasure at the same time.
"NO!" I yell and he let's me go.
"One day little mate. You will mark me. Oh and change out of that... you smell of a certain Alpha I'm not too fond of." I glare at him definitely. "Do it or I'll come back in there... I could have some fun without your mark." My jaw drops and I walk to the dresser. The only options are summer dresses I pull one out and head to the bathroom. "Good I like an obedient mate." I growl at him and change.
My new attire makes the mark plainly visible. I leave the small bathroom and Damon is gone.
"This is not right! He is not my mate!" I feel my wolf squirm. "What no quick wit?"
"That mark... it makes me drawn to him... I want mate but I can't help but want to finish the process... the marking feels sooo good!"
So she felt it too... "why would his mark give us pleasure? He is repulsive!"
"It is what makes you give in and complete the process... it brings joy but only for a moment... it will fade so long as we don't mark him."
"Well that should be easy! I hate him!" I feel my wolf whine then a scent hits me and it smells good. I go to the bars and look out. Damon walks back into view. My jaw drops... the scent! Its him!
"Miss me already?" He laughs at me. I turn away from and hear him leave.
"Why does he smell so good all of the sudden?" I ask.
"The mark.... it draws you to its giver." My wolf answers.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
○●○●○●○
Two days later the mark faded. Thank God. That however is when Damon returned to me.
"Ahhh little mate I see my mark has left you." He says opening the bars and entering.
"Yea so now you can let me go your plan didn't work so sorry!" I say.
"Come here." He says.
"No!" I defy him.
"COME!" It was as Alpha command clear as day. I wasn't expecting it so I stumble towards him but stop myself. He laughs and closes the distance.
"But... how?" I stammer. That is not possible.
"Alpha remember?" He says mockingly.
"That's impossible!" I say.
"Improbable yes impossible no...here I am!" He smiles spinning in front of me.
"How?" I ask.
"You want to hear my sob story Lilly? How sweet but no you don't get to know. Maybe once were mated but probably not. I just came to give you another chance." He leans in and bites me again. The same pain pleasure mix fills me but stronger. I feel my teeth elongate and I bite my tongue. He pulls away a moment later. "It won't be long now little mate." He says and leaves me.
My emotions are everywhere! I can't think straight! I will NOT mark him! My wolf is silent. This whole process is confusing her to no end.
Two days... remarked.
Two days... remarked.
Two days...
"You are holding out longer than expected Lilly... I'm actually impressed." Damon says as he enters."this will be number 5... let's see if that's our lucky number shall we?" He comes close to me.
"Wait." I say stopping him. I haven't spoken to him in 6 days so he is shocked. He gives me a curious look. "Maybe if I knew more about you I'd be more inclined to mark you."
I am stalling but he is growing impatient so it might work. He looks at me contemplating what to do.
"Hmmmm... you want to know how I am an Alpha I guess." He says.
"Sure that would be a start." I don't want to sound too eager but that is exactly what I am asking.
"I guess we could talk." He says stepping away from me and sitting on the bed. "Have a seat Lilly." I sit next to him. "I will tell you. Do not interrupt. I will not answer questions." I nod in response. He leans back with an arm behind him watching me.
"I suppose I should start with the pack I was born into. It no longer exists. My father was an Alpha and I am his only child. Naturally I would get his Alpha. One problem the day I started my first shift about half way through I was knocked unconscious. With the abrupt stop in the process I never completely shifted. In that pack a child that doesn't shift is killed. I, knowing this, ran."
My jaw dropped. He didn't shift... they were going to kill him? He is a wolf now tho. I am so confused. He laughs seeing my confused face.
"How am I a wolf?" He asks grinning. I nod at him.
"When I turned 20 I found a young Alpha to be with a short fuse. I killed his father forcing him to become Alpha. A few years later he turned 20 and I picked a fight with him busting his lip. As soon as he bit me I ran... I don't even think he knows he changed me. That busted lip gave me the blood I needed to change. It was more painful than you will ever know... But I became a wolf. I returned home to find it gone... destroyed. My father dead and pack dead or relocated... it didn't take long before I realized I was able to command other wolves. So... I created my own pack rounding up the rejected rouges into a pack 200 strong.... well that's my story Lilly... now for the reason I came here."
He stands up and pulls me to him.
"NO!" I scream trying to pull away.
"Come on Lilly... give up! it will happen eventually!" He says.
"Never!" I yell.
"Stubborn as ever!" He bites down. I feel myself drawn to him. My teeth elongate and I move toward his shoulder. I am stopped when I see a figure on the other side of the bars.
"Aaron!" I smile at him.
"What?!" Damon pulls away looking at me. "Don't you dare say his name! You are with ME!"
A growl shakes the room and Damon turns. The door is ripped from the cell and a large auburn wolf pounces on him. I collapse as soon as Damon releases me.
I can't handle this. My body is shaking. I can't stand up. I hear growling and snapping. I am too weak... I can't open my eyes. Slowly I loose consciousness.
Aaron's POV
I can't sleep. I finally kissed her... I kissed her! And tomorrow she will be in incredible danger. Why does this "Alpha" want her. No. I don't like this.
"Aaron!" A pounding on my door draws me out of my thoughts. I open the door to find EV. "Brayden is back! He just stumbled in!"
"Take me to him." I say and we run to the infirmary.
"Ari!" The boy calls when he sees me.
"Bray!" I run over to him. "Are you OK?"
"I'm fine Ari!... but Lilly! He took her! I wanted to help but..." the boy looks away. He growls his next words. "She commanded me to come here."
"It's good she did Bray." I tell him. "Do you know where he took her?" He shakes his head.
"We got ta get 'er Ari! That Dude's nuts!" He yells.
"Not so fast pup!" The doctor says "I still got to check you out."
"I'm fine!" He insists.
"You limped in here. You are dehydrated. Your shoe is soaked in blood. You say fine I say adrenaline is pumping through you and you need to be looked after." The doctor tells him.
"Sit tight Bray. Do whatever the Doc says. Don't worry. We'll get her." I say and leave the room. I head for Mason's office I'm sure he has heard and is up planning our next move.
"Alpha Aaron! Is it true?" Dalton runs up to me. Stopping me I look at him. "Is Lilly gone?"
"Yes... she traded herself for Brayden." I tell him.
"Its all my fault!" He says and looks away. I do not have time for this! I need to find her!
"Its not your fault. She made her own choice." I tell him and try to leave.
"I saw her leave, stopped her! I shouldn't have let her go!" He cries.
"You what!?" I pin him against the wall. "You could have stopped her?! Why would you let her go you mutt!?"
"She said she just needed to run... I thought she just needed to cool off you know... I mean your scent was all over her! I screwed up! It's my fault! Go ahead hit me! I deserve it!" He was crying now tears soaked his face. He must really care about her. My scent... the kiss... this is my fault... if it weren't for that he would never have let her go. I drop him.
"No... I'm not going to give you the relief of physical pain. No... pull yourself together and help or stay out of the way!" He wanted me to punish him. Free him from some of the guilt through pain. I won't do that. What he is doing to himself is worse than any punch I could throw. I leave him in the hall and continue on my way.
○●○●○●○
A week! It's been a week and we still haven't found her! We followed the scent but they got in a car ending the trail. Right now Mason and I have both sent warriors out searching every possible location he could be holding her. It is taking too long!
"Aaron?" Clay tentatively enters my office.
"What?!" I yell at him.... "sorry Clay... have you found anything?"
"Not yet... how are you holding up?" He asks.
"Just great! top of the world!" I say.
"Seriously Aaron." Clay responds.
"Seriously Clay! I'm a mess!... why can't we find her? What is he doing to her? Is she even alive?!" I yell at him. He sighs and sits down opposite me.
"We will find her Aaron." He says
"When? It's been a week! When will we..." I am cut off by a ringing phone.
"What?!" I answer it.
"Aaron... we've found her." Mason's voice comes through. "I'm on my way. We can head out tonight." I am stunned. Completely lost for words. "Aaron? Boy? Did you hear me?"
"Yea... yea Mason... You found her!? Where?! How?!" I stammer.
"We'll talk soon... we're bringing her home." He answers.
A few hours later Mason arrives at my pack house.
"Where is she?" I ask as he enters.
"Come on." Is his response as he leads me to his car. "You have your warriors ready?"
"Yea... where are we going?"
"Tell them to follow we are going to need as many wolves as we can get." I do so but am getting irritated.
"Mason an answer please? How did you find her? Where is she? What do you know?" I throw the questions at him.
"We followed a group of rogues." He begins to answer as we drive. "A few hours south.... he has an army. Over 100 wolves guarding the compound. That's why we need as many wolves as we can get."
"We found her." Despite the odds I smile. Nothing will stop me from saving her now.
"Yea boy... we found her." Mason responds.
○●○●○●○
We pull up a mile from the compound.
"We go the rest of the way on foot." Mason orders. My men look to me and I nod. I have no problem letting Mason run the show.
About half of them shift and take off in the direction Mason indicated.
"You ready to go get her Aaron?" Mason says turning to me.
"Beyond ready." I grin and take off running.
It is carnage. Wolves fighting. Bodies falling. I run past them focused on the entrance. This place is a maze and not the good kind. Where is she?
"No!" I hear a scream.
"Lilly!" I run toward the sound.
"No." I whisper... I can't believe what I am seeing. He's... he's... marking her! Is she?!
"Aaron!" She smiles at me. Her canines are pointed. She was going to do it. She was going to mark him! What the crap!?
"What?! Don't you dare say his name! You are with ME!" He yells
I can't control myself. I rip the door away growling. My wolf takes over as I leap towards him. I tackle the rouge tearing at his flesh. He pushes me off and shifts. I lunge again sinking teeth into his shoulder. I see Mason looking after Lilly out of the corner of me eye. I see the fresh mark on her skin and I snap! I rip a chunk out of his shoulder. He howls in pain.
"Aaron STOP!" Mason's voice halts my assault. I growl at him as he holds Lilly. "You're hurting her." I look down at my shaking mate, huff, and walk out leaving the rouge in a bloody heap.