Page 3 of The Kill

Slipping into darkness, I whimper, knowing the torment that awaits me in my dreams. Nightmares, I should say. Memories of beatings. Jeering taunts from pack cronies. The sick, leering smile of Lee’s father enjoying my punishments. Vivid flashbacks of the injuries inflicted upon my poor body by the man who’s supposed to treasure me more than anything.

Wrapping my tail around my torso, I smile sadly.

No more.

Despite the lingering dull throb of the final assault I suffered at his hands, I’m free. Even if it’s just for one night.

And the baby growing inside me is away from that man.

When the sun finally peeks through my makeshift door, I know I’ve stayed longer than I should have. Every second I linger, he draws closer. I can feel his rage pulsing through the tattered tendrils of our bond still tying me to him. And he’s near.

Shoving through the branches, I stick my head out and scent the air. There’s no sign of anyone nearby, but I can’t be complacent. He’s a well-trained alpha and an excellent tracker, definitely better prepared than me.

Stretching out my aching limbs, I struggle to get my bearings. I’ve no idea where I am or how far I’ve run. All I know is that I’m a long way from my pack’s territory, which means I not only need to worry about my mate discovering me, but also about another pack. Wherever I am, the pack might not be pleased to find an unknown, uninvited wolf racing uninvited through their lands.

They might hand me right back to my alpha.

Or worse.

Deciding to stick with the river, following its gentle descent in the hopes that it will lead me to a town, I point my nose and take off. My broken ribs, from kicks delivered dangerously close to my stomach, have almost healed. After a couple of hours of rest and recuperation, my movements feel easier and I can take a deep breath without stabbing pains. Pushing my body further, I lengthen my strides and rejoice when there’s no pain.

If I can keep up this pace, there’s a small chance my plan will work.

But almost as soon as I think the words, the eerie silence of the forest around me registers in my tired brain. There should be birds singing and insects buzzing. There’s nothing. My slowing footsteps are the only sounds disturbing the stillness.

He’s found me.

An evil chuckle taunts me, and I pivot, unable to pinpoint where it’s coming from. My eyes scan the trees. When a twig snaps behind me, I curse. I know instantly that I wasn’t fast enough.

In a split second, Lee's overpowering scent surrounds me, clogging my throat, making me panic as defeat shuts down my fight or flight response. I freeze, cursing myself for being such a coward as he barrels into me, sending us tumbling down the embankment and into the frigid water. The shock wakes me from my stupor, and I scream at my wolf to flee.

Rolling away from him, ignoring the pain in my back from a jagged rock, I scramble to my feet and spin to face him. His eyes are wild, glowing with a sickly yellow hue. He snarls viciously, his wolf crouching low, ready to pounce. Thick brown fur matted with mud and leaves adds to his crazed look. Lee hasn’t rested. He’s running on fury and a thirst for vengeance.

With slow, deliberate footsteps, he prowls closer, and I’m overtaken by the familiar feeling of defeat. His dominant alpha aura weighs over me, making my movements sluggish, the urge to cower battling with the voice in my brain pleading with me to run.

Not even remotely afraid of my frail wolf, Lee shifts when he’s a few feet away, lifting his furious gaze to mine slowly as he stands from his crouched position in front of me. Wet hair hangs in his dark eyes, black as coal with his wolf barely held at bay.

Shuddering, I shift myself, and shield my nudity from his hard eyes and the disgusted sneer curling his lips. Lee doesn't see me as his mate, just a nuisance he has endured, allowed to stay alive, to keep him strong and on track to become alpha.

This might be the final straw.

“Did you really think you could get away? That you could reject me and I’d take it lying down?”

His mocking voice, laced with venom, makes me retreat instinctively, wrapping my arms protectively around myself. I hate how he still has the ability to make me feel so small. Despite my valiant attempt at escape yesterday, in his presence, I’m once again reduced to a quivering wreck.

“I told you, Mandy, the only way you’re leaving me is in a box. Maybe now that can be arranged.”

He tilts his head and waits for me to say something. When I edge further away, he closes the distance between us and I whimper. I don’t want him near me, but I need to keep him talking. I should have something brave and witty to say, but I don’t. His cruel, knowing grin tells me he knows the words are clogging my throat.

“Anything would be better than this,” I whisper, sweeping my arm down over my exposed flesh, riddled with old mottled bruises at various stages of healing; scars from the times he deprived me of the rest and nutrition my wolf needed to heal me. “I’ll keep running away. Embarrassing you. Why not just let me go? You don’t want me. Just accept the rejection and move on. Find a wolf good enough to be your luna.”

The longer I speak, the redder his face becomes.

Spitting the words, laced with venom, “Because you’re mine, little mate. I’ll never accept your rejection.”

Lee steps into my personal space. I wince as he grabs a fistful of my hair and drags me forward, my face close to his, forcing me to look him in the eye. “I hate you, but I’m not letting you go.” The last words are barely a whisper, but they feel like a dagger to the heart. I know he’s speaking the truth. Lee won’t let me leave. This will never end. And I’m not strong enough to keep fighting.

“Then kill me. Your father thinks you’re too soft. Show him exactly what a big man you are.”

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