Layla was dying.
She could feel her chest heaving as she struggled to draw in air. Oh God no, she cried within. Please don't let me die! His grip tightened and Layla's sight began to blur. Black dots appeared at the edges of her vision and her body turned limp.
Her attacker pulled her up and pushed her into the wall. She could perceive the foul breath from his mouth as he pushed his face closer to hers. His eyes were burning with hate.
"You won't die so easily bitch",he growled at her. "I'll make you feel pain like you've never felt. Bloody Alpha, flaunting you in the presence of everyone"
His grip around her throat loosened and Layla heaved, greedily drawing in deep breaths. Her vision cleared and she tried to scream but her throat clogged. A hot ball of fear lodged in her throat and all she could do was let out a short whimper. Tears filled her eyes when she felt his hands moved towards her breast and she tried to push his hands away. Her attacker viciously pulled both her hands above her head with one hand while the other hand fondled her breast.
Layla struggled in his arms, hating what he was doing to her. Her tears spilled down silently and she struggled to scream through the ball of fright lodged in her throat. She wasn't used to this. Apart from Riven, she didn't like another person touching her. She tried to cry out again but no sound was heard. She wished her powers would unleash itself and help her in this situation, but nothing happened. Her arms strained, trying to push her attacker away. But it was like pushing through a thick wall.
The man suddenly went wild. He forgot his intention of hurting Layla and began to fondle her body. The sound of fabric ripping was heard as he tore Layla's shirt. His hands closed over her exposed breast and he fondled the soft flesh in his palms.
"I'll screw you before I kill you",he growled angrily and yanked Layla's body towards his. His hands landed on her bum and squeezed it.
The disgust and terror Layla felt intensified, adding to the pain of his rough handling and it pushed up the ball wedged in her throat in a loud scream.
"RIVEN!!!"
...
"The creature's appearance in the mansion isn't pure coincidence",Ren said. She was seated with the other Ancient Shifters in the temple with Riven. Riven was currently in a rotten mood and it showed in the way he fisted his hands and ground his teeth. His eyes were cold pools of gold, glaring at nothing in particular.
"Words have reached every creature about your mate being a powerful Sorceress",Ren continued. "And as the word spreads from mouth to mouth, it goes farther. The damned creatures of Tartarus are still bent on escaping, and they hold a terrible hateful grudge against you Riven, for trapping them centuries ago. Now that they know about your mate, they will want to use her against you because they know she's your weakness"
The round oak table in the middle of the temple cracked as Riven brought his fist down on it. The shifters in the temple all stared at him, unsurprised at his fury. Every creature knew about the terrible wrath of the Supreme Alpha.
Cade and Caleb exchanged worried looks. Riven would certainly lose himself to his beast if he continued like that. And if he went feral, it would be a disaster.
[Alpha please calm your beast],Cade said through the mind link.
Riven struggled to regain control of himself. His eyes flickered from gold to red. Golden fur sprouted from his arms and his canines elongated.
"Riven!",Zeke called in a warning tone.
"Control yourself Riven. You will unleash your beast!",Xerxes said in alarm as Riven's claws emerged. The shifters in the temple became uneasy as Riven still didn't show signs of controlling his beast.
[Alpha think of Layla. You can't unleash your beast. She will get hurt]
Caleb's next mind link reached the enraged Alpha's ears and Riven closed his eyes. Layla had only seen his wolf form. She hadn't seen his beast and no matter what anyone said, it wasn't a pleasant sight. Losing control now would only make Layla see him differently and she would fear him. He couldn't stand to see her fear him. It would break him.
So with great restraint, he held in his beast and subdued it until he was in control again. When he opened his eyes, they were back to honey brown.
"The veil separating Tartarus and this realm is still intact",he said coldly. "How did that creature manage to escape?"
"The veil is getting weak",Xerxes said. "The last Sorceress placed the veil over a thousand years ago. It needs to be renewed"
"And right now, your mate is the only Sorceress left alive",Ren said. "If the veil gets torn, more of those creatures will pour in and this realm will be endangered"
Riven ground his teeth in annoyance. Why did all this have to happen now? Layla wasn't strong enough to begin using her powers. And the veil could be torn anytime soon. Will there be enough time to train Layla so she could repair the veil?
As they sat there contemplating the issue, a lycan warrior arrived in a rush at the temple and bowed.
Riven sat up on his seat, suddenly alert. He left Layla all alone in the room and he hoped to return before she woke up.
"What's the problem?",he asked harshly, hoping Layla wasn't in danger.
"Supreme Alpha",the warrior said. "We went on our rounds this morning and we discovered a hole in one of the cells. It seems one of Dave's pack members dug through the ground and escaped"
"Launch a search immediately",Riven said and got up from his seat.
"Already being done Alpha",the warrior said.
"Ancient ones, let us reschedule this meeting",Riven said to the Ancient Shifters. "I must attend to this matter immediately"
"Very well Riven",Ren said and the meeting was adjourned.
Riven left the temple with Cade and Caleb behind him, hurrying towards the dungeons.
"Secure the perimeters! Make sure he doesn't escape",Riven said in a hard voice.
"Yes Alpha",the warrior said and hurried away.
Riven was close to the dungeons when Layla's terrified scream reached his ears. It sounded faraway but her voice was so full of pain and terror and it roused the beast within him.
Riven's eyes bled red and his rage took hold of him.
He shifted instantly.
His beast took over
...
The man pushed Layla on the ground and forced his knee between her legs. She tried to fight him but she was too weak. She was crying openly now and she wondered why no one came to her rescue.
"Weak! You're pathetic and weak, and you shouldn't be alive",the man growled in a fit of anger and lust. He grabbed hold of her jeans and tugged at it and Layla screamed, trying to push his hands away from her.
A terrible roar shook the mansion and Layla flinched with fear. Her attacker also went still, head cocked to one side.
Suddenly he was shoved away from Layla and his eyes widened when he saw the terrible beast towering before him. A piercing scream escaped him and he tried to escape the terror of the beast.
Layla covered her body with the remaining part of her tattered shirt and skidded over the ground, moving away from the man and the enormous beast. There were loud roars and frightful screams and she placed her hands on her ears, trying to block out the sound.
She watched as the beast ripped through her attacker with its massive claws. Blood spluttered everywhere, and the man's scream turned animalistic. She was frozen with fear, unable to tear her eyes away from the horrific sight.
And before her terrified eyes, the beast grabbed the almost lifeless form of the man and smashed his head with its paws. Blood splashed everywhere, bathing the beast, staining the ground, splattering on her face and body, and the headless body of the man dropped to the ground.
The beast raised its head and let out an earth shattering roar, and Layla tightened her hands over her ears, trembling violently.
The beast then looked towards his mate and walked slowly towards her, wanting to make sure she was okay. He stretched a furry arm that was covered in blood and tried to touch her.
But Layla cowered away, greatly terrified of the beast. He tried to touch her again but she pushed his hands away, moving further away from the beast covered in blood.
The beast stopped, realization dawning on him. His mate was terrified of him. And it hurt him greatly. It broke him.
He raised his head.
And let out a mournful howl.