Chapter Six
Jenna's POV
“There she is. Get her!”
I pick up pace, fear propelling my legs faster and faster as I continue to run, ignoring the pounding of feet behind me.
For a moment, I regret this decision. I regret leaving the pack, leaving my friend behind, and thinking it was a wise idea to leave the safety that Jack had afforded.
I should have stayed. I should have sucked up the rejection and tried to court one of the eligible bachelors in the pack who were looking to find their mate.
I should have remained there. I should have learnt to disengage. But I had allowed emotions to overrule logic, and now I was nearly at the mercy of strange neanderthals.
Cold, callous hands clamp on my shoulders and reel me backwards, flinging me against a tree stump. My ribs connect with the hardness of wood, and I let out a scream as I land on solid ground.
There's sudden silence as I lay on the ground, my head reeling from the acute pain that shoots from my side.
I put my hands on my burning ribs, making a failed attempt to massage the pain away.
“No one escapes from us, little girl.” One of the men snarls. “Nobody outruns us. It was a foolish attempt to try.”
The strange cam advances towards me, the stale smell of bodily sweat and sour meat hits my nostrils, and I struggle with sudden nausea.
The man moves closer to me, each step pushing a sense of dread through me and causing my heart to beat faster and faster.
“She is a lovely one.” The man mutters, his horrible breath washing over my face.
Close enough, I am able to make out the strange man's features. His reddened face looks like something I have only ever seen in my nightmares.
Large claw marks mar his right cheek, his left eye appears to have been so badly punched it left a permanent bruise, or was it just a messy tattoo?
His only good eye gleams with a certain darkness that sends shivers down my spine. I am completely helpless and hopelessly outnumbered. I don't stand a chance against these burly men.
“Get away from me.” I growl, my eyes flashing.
“Ah... She's a feisty one.” The marked man mutters, looking more impressed than scared. He turns to his partner and grins manically.
“Lucas would love this one.”
The other man, this one with more scars than I can count, grins back and nods enthusiastically.
“We've scored big. Now let's get away from here before we get ambushed.”
As both men start towards me, I push backwards, panick seizing my throat at what is really about to happen.
“If you don't stay away from me, I will cause permanent damage to what's left of your sight.”
Both men pause, turn to each other, and bark out laughter. A second later, dirt-caked hands gripped my arms and hurl me up.
I begin to kick and scream, trying my hardest to wriggle out of their strong grip. I cannot believe this is how it's all going to end. However, I refuse to surrender without a fight.
“Stay calm, lady, or I'll punch your face in.” One of the men grunt.
I do not heed their instruction but rather turn wildly to sink my teeth into the closest flesh. There's a loud howl, and I'm suddenly dropped to the ground.
“Why the hell did you drop her?”
“The son of a dog bit me!” The second man screams.
With satisfaction, I spit out the tangy taste of blood that has clung to my teeth and meet the eyes of my now furious abductors.
“It will appear, Little Wench, that we underestimated you.” The unbitten one says, hands balled in a fist as he advances again towards me.
I frantically scan my surroundings, and upon spotting a small opening for escape, decide to seize it. I hurriedly crawl between the legs of Scarred face, breaking into a sudden run.
“The bitch!”
I hear one of them scream behind me, running after me to try to catch up.
My heart beats fast, and my breath comes out in short spurts as I continue to run, praying to the gods for protection.
But my prayers go unanswered because hands hurl me back once more, and this time, a punch is delivered to my upper jaw that knocks the wind right out of me.
I land on the forest ground with a thud, groaning from the pain that burns my face.
“We can't let her escape again. Let's bind her hands this time, little bitch is a fighter.”
I struggle to get up once more. But something heavy lands on my chest, and it takes a few seconds to realise that it's the tattered boots of Scarred face.
“Not so fast, little wolf.” He grins.
“You're fucking going to kill me,” I growl, when it becomes impossible to breathe. But Scarred face pays me no mind, and I realise with growing panic that I am getting out of breath and could literally pass out any second from his heavy boots restricting breathing.
“Of what use would I be to you if I died?” I ground out. “You and your stupid friend would get nothing for trying to sell a dead girl. Get your stupid boots off my chest so I can stay alive for your devilish plans.”
I can't believe that I am this brave. I can't believe that I am speaking up for myself right now. But this is what facing life and death would do to you, isn't it?
Scarred face moves his legs from my chest, and I greedily take in lungfuls of air.
Scarred face drops to the ground so that he's eye level with me. His only good eye shines with loathing as he speaks.
“Try to escape again, and I will keep my legs on your chest and watch you take your last breath.”
I shiver at the look in his eyes that tells me that he wouldn't hesitate to carry out his threat this time.
“Now,” he continues, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Get up slowly and keep your hands out.”
I swallow and begin to get up, deciding to do what Scarred face says in order to stay alive, but a voice in the dark stops me in tracks.
“Let the girl go, and maybe I'll spare your lives.”
Chapter SevenJack's POVWe search the entire cave without any signs of Jenna. We don't find her in her trunda either. Guilt eats at me as my guards and I continue the search, hoping that we find her before sunrise.This would not have happened if I had not denied Jenna as my mate. She would still be here, she would not have fled. This is all my fault, isn't it? “Alpha,” Sav murmurs several hours later. “I don't think we would find the girl.”I pause and then turn to my head-guard. We are now at the perimeter of the pack, the large land that divides our pack from the forest where the rogues and shapeshifters roam. Jenna understands what crossing this border means. After several hours of our futile search, I have begun to hope that she hadn't done the unthinkable. We have rules guiding our packs. And one of those rules, which is older than time itself, has always been to never cross the borders without the consent of the alpha. The only time anyone's ever been required to leave th
Chapter EightJenna's POV“Show your face, dimwit!” Scarred face yells, his breathing loud and harsh.The forest is deadly quiet as we wait for who might possibly be my saviour to emerge.“We should have gotten out of here sooner.” The second abductor says, his words laced with what can only be described as fear.“Shut the hell up.” Scarred face snaps. And then, turning towards me, eyes filled with nothing but hatred and contempt say. “You stupid shit, if you didn't try to escape, we would have been halfway out of here. I'll kill you myself before the vagabond gets the chance to.”Scarred face pulls a wooden dagger from his boots and aims it at me. I shut my eyes and await the sharp plunge I know will knock me completely out. This is it. Here is where it all ends. This is how my days have been fated to end. I won't even try to fight this inevitability. There's a loud grunt and a loud scream of pain that causes me to open my eyes. What I witness is a blur of movements. Scarred face
Chapter NineJenna's POV“Don't you touch me!” I scream.The two women look at me, their expression registering fear.“I'm sorry. We only want to help you out of your dress.”“I'm not a child. And I'm not sick either.” I inform them. I wasn't an invalid who needed extra care, nor was I a child who could not take off their clothes by themselves. “We know that. But our duty is to follow the instructions of our alpha.” One of the women, one who is much closer to my age, says.“Well, the instructions of your alpha affect my person, and it makes me uncomfortable. I will undress and take a bath by myself, okay?”The women look confusedly at each other and then, after a few seconds, nod.I breathe out a sigh of relief and then begin to pull off my dress. But noting that the women are still very much in the room, I suddenly grow self-conscious and hold the dress against my naked body. “Are you all going to watch me bathe?” “We will remain here should you need our assistance.”“I won't need
Chapter TenJack's POVI toss and turn for the remainder of the morning, consumed by thoughts of Jenna. My heart thrums with fear at the thought of any potential harm coming to her before I get the chance to save her. I would never forgive myself for causing Jenna harm. How would I live with the guilt of knowing that it had happened because of my actions? When the first sun rays hit my open window, I rouse from the bed and make my way to the connecting room to carry out my morning business.Even while I scrub my body clean, Jenna does not leave my mind; I see her in my mind's eyes, those wide innocent eyes that had bore into mine.I regret that I had not gotten to know Jenna better before rejecting her as my mate. I would have given her a chance to prove herself.Now, I was stuck with someone whom I felt no sort of bond with. Great friendship with Violet did not translate to a wonderful union.I should have known that. But if I could bring Jenna back, I was going to train her. I was
Chapter ElevenJenna's POV“Here. This is for you.”The older woman stretches a beautiful cream-coloured gown towards me.“Thank you.” I mutter.“You're welcome,” she replies, looking pleased with herself.I slip into the beautiful dress, the soft fabric comforting against my skin. I look down at myself, a bit shocked at how different I look in the dress.My arms are exposed, and the short dress stops a little above my thighs, leaving the rest of my legs exposed. It also tightens around specific places, like my midriff, making me acutely aware of each breath I take in.“I have never worn anything like this.” I confess quietly.“You look amazing in this. And I'm sure the alpha would think so too.” One of the women, a younger one this time, winks.“This dress leaves my skin vulnerable to pest bites.” I argue, pulling at the dress's hem, as if doing so would make it longer.I mean, wouldn't it?“Where are you from?” She mocks. “You look wonderful in that, and I don't think you should rem
Chapter TwelveZephyr's POV“Why did you save me?”I look up at the young woman in front of me, studying her luscious waves of natural brown hair and her perfectly bowed lips.I have never quite met anyone like her. A woman who could be brave yet so fearful. Who could match me stare for stare, even though her eyes showed nothing but fright. “I saved you because you needed saving.” I answer her question with a smile. The young woman looks down, her hands moving over the hem of her dress, as if she's unsure whether to cover her exposed thighs. “I know that.” She whispers. “But why did you bring me to your pack?” She looks up then, her glassy green eyes locking on mine, those arresting greens stirring a familiar longing in my groin that causes me to part my legs to make room for my growing shaft. “You have no idea who I am. For all you know, I could be a spy. You brought me here and had your women tend to me.”“But you're not a spy.” I tell her confidently.“And you know that how?”
Chapter Thirteen Jenna's POV “Everything? Do you have all day?” I joke. “For you, yes.” He drawls. And I look up to find his eyes on my exposed thighs, filled with nothing but desire. Self-consciously, I tug at the hem of the dress, trying to make it more modest. Where I came from, women were never found dressed like this. I had just grown up in an environment where everyone was always modestly covered. While men could shift whenever they wanted, women not so.There were no stringent rules about these things, it was just that, growing to find that not one single woman did it, I had begun to consider it wrong to do so too. And right now, it felt wrong to wear a dress that exposed my body like this. I felt uneasy about the way the alpha was eyeing my exposed skin, and it made me understand why modesty had been the order of the day where I'd come from. “The dress doesn't go further than that.” The alpha comments. I look up to find his eyes on mine this time, and I give a slow sha
Chapter FourteenJenna's POV“So, you and the others killed humans to appease him?”“The very humans who had cut down the tree. After being shown what the men looked like on a crystal ball, we set out to hunt them down.”“It was the very first time we journeyed to actual towns and cities.”“The humans, what did they do when they saw you and the others?”“They called us forest men. And took pictures of us; some even drew us.” The alpha explains, nodding towards the paintings on the wall.“When the humans who had committed this sacrilege were found, the other humans refused to allow us to take them.”“A mini-war broke out in their towns, and they used a pistol to gun down some of us. We fought back and eventually overpowered them, taking the men with us and doing what was required to restore sanity to the world. The second those humans gave up the ghost, the curse eased, and we welcomed the cold bites of winter rain for the first time.”“Wow. That's the very first time I have heard that