Chapter 63
Rhea
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I’m in between two states of mind right now. One part of me is telling me to run and the other part of me is telling me that this is where I belong. That I’m meant to be here. That I’m destined to be here. To be here with him. To be his. To be owned by him.
But I don’t know if that’s the truth or if I’m just lying to myself because I’m scared of him.
There are bodies scattered around the grounds of the pack house. Alpha Elias is dead. His beta is dead. There are several many more high ranking pack wolves that are dead. Some are still being hunted.
The pack house stands tall behind me, quiet in all its glory. Most people from the wedding have either fled or dead. It’s a war zone here. A massacre.
I walk toward the fountain that’s in the front, at the entrance of the pack house. I stop, looking at the water. It’s clear, blue and not moving. The wind blows and the trees rustle in the distance. My hand dips into it and I bring the water up to my face before wiping away the blood that’s on there from where Aron smeared it on me.
It stains the water red and then it disappears.
A strangled breath escapes me before I wipe away the rest. I don’t want to have it on me.
The sounds of screams are getting fainter now. Most of the people have fled, the ones who are still alive anyway. Aron has gone inside the pack house, and I’m alone out here. Alone with my thoughts, and my fears. Alone with the knowledge that I’m a part of this.
I don’t have any other choice.
“You fucking runt!”
I turn around at the sound of the voice. It’s Ezra and he’s coming toward me, his face twisted in rage. No. He’s still alive. How? I take a step back. His clothes are torn, bloody. He must’ve fought his way out. But he’s still alive. Still alive.
He’s not dead yet.
“You killed her, you did this to Catelyn, you fucking runt!” His voice is loud, his eyes are red with rage. “Now, I’m going to kill you for it. You ruined everything.”
Before he can even get close to me, I start running the other direction of the path. But he gets to me. He gets on me and I fall to the ground. He’s on top of me, his weight crushing me, his hands on my throat. My hands go up to grab his wrists but I’m not strong enough.
“You’re not going to ruin everything. You’re not going to live after today. I’m going to make sure of that.”
“I didn’t–I didn’t kill anyone, I swear,” I choke out. “Please, Ezra, I didn’t-”
“You’re the reason why Catelyn’s dead.” He growls. “And now, you’re going to die too.”
I try to breathe, but I can’t. His grip is too tight. Too strong. My vision blurs. I’m going to die here. I’m going to die like this. Ezra is going to kill me.
I fight against him, with all the strength I have left. I scratch his face, claw at him. I try to kick him between the legs and for a moment, his strength over me falters. I take my chance and quickly escape from under him. He’s gasping, hissing in pain, trying to catch his breath.
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Chapter 63
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I’m on my feet and I’m running again. Running as fast as I can. Running away from him. Running away from death. I’m not dying here. I’m not dying like this.
He grabs my feet and pulls me back to the ground, and I scream.
“I didn’t kill Catelyn, I cry out. “Ezra, stop. Stop. I didn’t kill her.”
“You did. She’s dead because of you-”
“No, no, she ran, she left.”
“You’re fucking lying.”
I’m not sure if Catelyn’s dead or not. I didn’t see what happened to her. I didn’t see her die. Maybe she did, but there was a good chance she didn’t. She knew her way out.
“Please, stop,” I beg him. “She’s probably alive. I’m sure.”
His hands are on my neck again and this time he’s squeezing even harder than before. I can see the veins in his forehead, the way his eyes are bulging. He’s not going to let me go.
He’s not going to stop until he kills me.
“Ezra, stop. Please. Stop.”
I throw my fists at his face, my nails scratching his cheeks and his jaw. But it does nothing to him. He’s not fazed.
“Die, you fucking runt.” His grip tightens on my throat and I can feel his fingers crushing my windpipe. “Or better yet I’ve something even better for you.”
His one hand moves away from my neck, and into his pocket. He pulls out something, something I can’t see in the dark. It’s cold and it’s presses against my mouth. I quickly realize what it is and I try to shake it away but his hand is already pressing it inside.
The poison, the poison he and Catelyn were going to give Alpha Elias. The one to kill his wolf. They still were going to kill him. They intended onto–tonight itself considering he had it with him.
“What is a runt without her wolf? Right, a fucking human.” He chuckles, laughing at my misery, at my fate, at what is about to happen to me. “Enjoy your life as a fucking human, bitch.”
Even with my struggles, he shoves it down my throat, making me swallow. The powder slips down and I choke, coughing. Tears spring to my eyes and I gasp for air. My throat burns, and my mouth feels dry.
No, no, please. No. This can’t be happening.
“Stop, stop, please, Ezra.”
He only grins at me. “It’s too late for that.”
He pulls away and stands up but doesn’t take his eyes off of me. I turn on the ground, on my stomach and wipe my hand over my mouth before coughing. The taste is still there in my mouth, on my tongue.
My heart pounds against my chest. I can feel it. I can feel the pain, the burn, the agony. It’s coming. It’s coming. I can’t stop
- it.
“Your wolf’s going to die and it’s going to be a painful death for her. Enjoy it.” He spits the words out at me before taking a step back. “I’m glad I’m the one doing this, Catelyn would’ve loved to do it. It’s a shame she’s gone. I’ll tell her in the afterlife.”
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Chapter 63
I see from the corner of my eyes that he shifts into his wolf form. The last thing I see of him is his black tail and legs disappearing into the night. He’s gone.
I’m on the ground, the gravel digging into my knees. I’m on my hands and knees, and I’m gasping for air.
My wolf. My wolf. My wolf. My wolf.
No.
This isn’t supposed to happen. It can’t be happening, I can’t lose her.
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She’s the only thing I have left. She’s the only thing that makes me who I am. She’s the only one that keeps me going, I can’t
lose her.
My chest aches, and I feel a pain in my heart. A stabbing, burning pain that won’t go away. My lungs constrict and I can’t
breathe. I can’t breathe.
I need her. I need my wolf. I can’t live without her. I can’t live without her.
I’m crying, sobbing, tears streaming down my face. I’m gasping for air. I’m on all fours, and I can’t move. I can’t do anything. I can’t even shift. I can’t shift.
“Rhea?” I hear a voice from behind me. “Are you hurt?”
I can’t answer. I can’t speak. I can’t do anything but cry. My wolf. My wolf. My wolf. My wolf. My wolf.
Kovas comes to me and he’s on his knees, his hands on my back, trying to help me up. But I can’t get up. My legs are weak, and I can’t stand.
“Rhea, what happened?”
“He–he forced me to take it.”
“Take what?”
There are remnants of the poison on my hand and I show it to him. I can barely talk. I can barely breathe. I can barely think.
“She’s going to die,” I whisper, my voice hoarse.
“Who?”
“My wolf, she’s going to die.”
