Page 49 of Wild Wolves

I slowly crack my eyelids, peeking around. I’m afraid that they could’ve set me up. I wouldn’t put it past anybody to turn this into a trap of some sort. That’s what I would do.

Luckily, these guys don’t do what I would do and leave me alone. There’s a rope knotted around one of my ankles and tied to a tree. It’s the only thing keeping me here. Besides the pain, that is.

I dig my fingers into the thick knot, attempting to loosen it, but the rope is too tight. I look around the campsite and at the fire. If I can get close enough, maybe I can burn through the rope to free myself. I’m willing to risk it to break free. If I stay...I can’t stay. I have to keep trying.

I manage to make it within three feet of the flames. My hand gets within reach of the fire, but it’s not my wrists that need freeing. Burning my fingers won’t do me any good, and there is no way I can get my foot or the rope within reach.

“Come on. Think. Think, Eliana. Think.” I spot a branch next to where Miles was sitting, and I stretch as far as I can, pressing my stomach to the ground until I lock my fingers around it.

“Thank fuck,” I whisper to myself, snapping my mouth closed. It’s hard to think. It’s hard to be quiet with the pain. I want so badly to scream for Kellan. I don’t know exactly how big the island is, but I know that he’s always nearby. Even though he went to meet with another pack, he still wouldn’t have been that far. Maybe he’s already searching for me.

Do I risk it? I don’t think I should. Not until I get away from here.

Stretching out my arm again, I hang the tip of the branch over the fire, waiting for it to set ablaze. It takes longer than I expect it to, the wood just burning and smoking without any embers until finally I spot the tip smoldering.

I carefully bring the burning branch to the rope and press it against the binding, praying that it’s enough to at least fray some of the thick strands. I don’t care if I end up with a knot around my ankle. It’s better than being trapped here. I can cut it off later. I just need to break away from the tree.

“Well, look at you, pretty girl. You sure know how to fake sleep.” I recognize the voice belonging to the man named Gerry. And damn it. Faking sleep to avoid unwanted attention was supposed to be my specialty. “What do you think you’re doing? Good girls don’t disobey their superiors. Right now, you’re not even considered close to any level that we are. Why don’t you put the stick down and raise your arms?”

I don’t respond to him, taking an extra moment to burn the rope. He’ll have to rip the stick away from me.

He tries just that, rushing toward me. I take advantage of his closeness and swing the branch, smacking him in the shins. He howls in pain and swings his arm, reaching out to snatch me, but I manage to jerk the stick up between his legs. He tenses the second the hot, smoldering tip strikes his balls, and his holler turns into a high-pitched wail.

As he drops to his knees, I yank at the rope, using my strength to break it. But it’s not quite burned all the way through. I’m still trapped. And now this man is livid. I swear his face turns red from rage and not from the pain I inflicted on him. He looks ready to retaliate, shoving his palm to the ground and forcing his body to comply.

I tighten my hold on the stick and swing it again, getting him to stay at a distance. He paces back and forth for a second, swearing at me and calling me names that I’ve heard at least a dozen times over my life. I don’t care if he thinks I’m a bitch or cunt. I don’t care if he thinks I’m a slut or a piece of trash. His opinion means absolutely nothing to me.

“Just stay the hell back and leave me alone.” I grind my teeth and yank at the rope again, praying that with enough force, it’ll snap.

“Leave you alone? After what the fuck you just did? No way. You’re about to understand the consequences for your actions. The Sunrise Pointe pack doesn’t give warnings.” He fists his fingers, shaking them at me but still keeps his distance. He’s afraid of me. His hesitation proves it.

I swing the branch again, lunging closer to give myself an extra foot. I manage to whip it across his thigh. He stumbles away and trips, falling backward. I cover my mouth with my hand as he lands in the fire, burning his ass in the process.

I never heard somebody scream so loudly. And it seems I’ve heard so many people scream in pain recently.

As if the fear of his pain enhances my strength, I yank the rope hard enough to snap it. I don’t wait to find out if he manages to pull himself from the campfire. I run in the opposite direction, limping from the pain but still managing to keep a steady pace. I don’t know if it’s my adrenaline or what, but half of my body feels numb. It could be my survival instincts kicking in. I know that if I don’t hustle my ass, they’ll catch me again. If what he says is true, they’ll do something horrible to punish me.

As if this wasn’t punishment enough. The savages. The world darkens around me the farther I get away from the campsite. I peer around, taking note of every shadow that crawls through the forest.

I don’t hear the wolves. I don’t see them either. I don’t know what’s happening, but they aren’t chasing me. They either didn’t hear the man’s screams or they purposely ignored him. Maybe they’re hunting and torturing me by giving me hope. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

“Eliana, where are you? I can sense you nearby but something’s different.” Kellan’s voice comes through my mind. “Are you injured?”

I can’t stop the sob from escaping my mouth. Relief floods through me at the sound of his voice in my mind. He must be nearby. He knows that I’m missing.

“They bit me. They bit me and kidnapped me.” My voice whimpers with my thoughts, the agony too much to keep me silent.

Kellan falls quiet, not responding to me.

“Kellan?” I tremble at his sudden absence in my mind. A part of me refuses to believe that he does it on purpose. Another part of me knows better than to trust him completely. “Kellan? Please. I need help. I don’t know where I’m going.”

Silence greets me again.

Sadness pours over me. I never expected to feel so hurt by the lack of response from a man I know is partially responsible for my state. The man who claimed that we were soulmates but now suddenly vanishes.

“Kellan!” I yell, limping forward, wishing with everything in me that I had some of the damn healing potion he gave me before. “Kellan, please! You promised. You said you’d never leave me. You’d always be near.”

I trip over a tree root and fall to the ground. My arm screams in pain, and I hit my stomach to the ground. Why is this happening to me? I thought my luck was beginning to change. I realize now more than ever that I’m not a blessed chosen one. I’m cursed.

---