Chapter 4-Fate

Lauren’s POV

The torture sessions continued throughout the rest of the day. After the last round, I lay on the ground gasping. 

“Don’t let her die. She’ll be executed tomorrow, and they want her alive.” 

“Let’s go out for a drink, then,” and the two jailers laughed in unison at my impending fate. 

When they were out of sight, I tried getting up. Tonight is your last chance to escape, Lauren. It’s now or never. But my injuries were so bad, it was hard to imagine how I would be able to do so. 

Out of nowhere, the word “weakling” echoed through me. Looking around, was there another she-wolf being tortured? Glancing around the room, I saw nobody and wondered where I heard the sound coming from. Perhaps I was hallucinating from the pain, but it came again, and this time I realized it was from my body. 

But how could it be? My wolf isn’t dead? 

“Lauren, I am Alice. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you,” came the voice again and I knew who she was. 

The Wolfsbane had been underdosed, which only delayed my shift. 

Giving me all the strength I needed, by some miracle, my wolf helped me escape the cell. Catching the drunken jailers off-guard, I strangled them both, and bolted from the scene, hiding in a nearby cave. 

Someone must have noticed and notified the others because I could now hear a stream of pursuers chasing me. Knowing it was no longer safe here, I had to leave, and Alice was getting weaker by the minute. 

Unfortunately, the only place to run to was a cliff. There was no way out. 

“We’ve got you now, girl!” Shouted one of the men. “You could have lived for one more night, but now…” the pursuer shouted at me as he rushed toward me, giving me a big shove at the same time, “go to hell!” 

“Ahhhh,” I screamed out as my body fell rapidly off the edge of the cliff and through mid-air, the wind whipping hard at my face. 

Just when I needed her most, Alice awakened, giving me the last bit of strength. 

“Lauren, I really like you, but I can’t accompany you any further on this journey. From now on, you’re on your own. Stay alive,” she murmured in my heart. 

Hitting trees and rocks, my body rolled down a hill. 

“Alice…” But there was only dead silence inside my head. 

Suddenly, I heard someone approaching me. Was it to kill me? Trying to open my eyelids and muster the strength to run away, I was too weak. 

Before I could do anything, a pair of exquisitely patterned leather boots came into view. Slowly following them upwards, I saw an adult werewolf hovering over me. He looked like an Alpha. 

Strangely, the deadly attraction I felt zinging through my body as our eyes met was palpable. It was like a bolt of electricity had just struck my entire being. 

“Who are you? He asked in a deep voice, crouching down beside me and gently raising my chin, “A young she-wolf?” 

With our bodies inches away from one another, my intense feelings began to rise. 

He came up to my neck and breathed in deeply. 

“You…I did not expect that we would meet in this way,” the werewolf remarked. 

Picking up a stone next to me, I tried to attack, but he easily grasped my wrist. As soon as our skin touched, the stone fell out of my hand. 

“Don’t play with dangerous things; I won’t hurt you,” he told me, and for some reason, I believed him. 

Before I had time to think or say another word, he carefully swept me from the ground, wrapping me in his dark cape, and pressing my head to his chest. His scent was contagious, and my body suddenly pined for more. I couldn’t move, nor did I want to. 

“Hide, and whatever you do, don’t move,” he whispered. We were so close I could hear his heart beating and wondered if he could hear mine. I did as he asked, and nestled myself tightly into his torso. My head felt dizzy but in a good way. 

“Who is she?” came a voice from behind us. The Alpha quickly tightened the cape over my head, and I felt safe and secure in his gentle grip. 

“Oh, nothing. It’s just ‘a little pet’ I picked up to toy with. Let’s go!” commanded my protector. 

He held on tight, not flinching or letting me go, hiding me like I was a precious gift he didn’t want to share. 

Sensing he was different from those pursuers, my body relaxed slightly, and before I knew it, consciousness faded, and our journey began to a strange and unfamiliar place. Fate intervened.