ShaneThat night my dreams were filled with desperation, sadness, and flashes of a life, lives together that ended painfully. I don’t know what it meant, I couldn’t piece what I remembered together. The more I tried to grasp onto it, the more it became more and more vague. I know know how long I slept, I woke up with sweat all over my body. I groan and forced my eyes open. I’d felt like I had lived a thousand lives from the time I had closed my eyes and opened them. I was unsure of where I was, who I was, and what I was supposed to be doing.A cave.The rushing water was the first thing I heard and saw. I was in the cave, I’d run away with my sister, and left her behind. I still lay on my stomach, my arms below me to hold up my head. I pulled myself to a sitting position and the walls of the cave swayed. I gasped out in pain as I felt everything all at once. It was the first time I’d felt the physical pain since that night.It was crippling.I took a deep breath to try and steady myse
ShaneWiser?I couldn’t help but laugh. The hole in my heart grew by the second, but my sister could always move me. Mave glared at me and I know had I not been injured she would have attempted to give me a thump on the head. Instead, she crossed her arms and pouted. Her actions reminded me of a younger version of her. I’d had my fun.“Okay okay, oh wise one. What did you eat? I don’t see you living off of fruits. You love your meat,” I said. I thought back to all of the times I had brought leftovers from work that I had been permitted to take home. Mave loved food with substance.“I had to for awhile. It was terrible,” she said. I laughed. “It took some time to get tools ready for hunting,” she said.“Hunting? You?” I asked.“Yes, me,” she said sarcastically.“What have you been doing then? It’s been a week,” I said.“I’ve surveyed the surrounding area for the last week. I haven’t noted any suspicious behavior and it seems safe,” she said.“Mave,” I started.“That wasn’t safe! I thin
ShaneWas she eating?Was she warm?Was he…I couldn’t bring myself to say, nor think the words. I closed my eyes and my breaths came out haggard. I couldn’t do this right now. If I thought about what she was doing, what she could be going through right now, I don’t think I could stop myself from turning around and back for her. I couldn’t do that right now. The reasoning for what I was doing was enough to keep me grounded. I was weak. I knew it, my sister knew it, my wolf knew it. There was nothing I could do for her right now, not as I am. I needed more, I needed power, I needed numbers if I wanted to take her back. Still, it wrecked me, it tore me up. How could I continue on like normal when I had no idea what she was going through? Despite the smell that wafted through the air and teased me, my stomach churned. How could I eat when I didn’t know if she was?“You must eat brother,” Mave said.I lifted my chin, my eyes setting on my sister as she stared back at me. My little sister
ShaneSilence fills the air and my sister holds her breath as we stare at each other. Her words marinate and sink into my bones, but all that does is drive the beast within me mad. My wolf rattles against the cage that my weakness, my injuries have put him in.“It matters not what he’s done to her, whether he claims her, parades her around for the other Alphas to see, or… or marks her. She is mine and will always be mine. Her soul is intertwined with mine,” I said.“What if she doesn’t want you anymore?” Mave asked.“That isn’t even a possibility,” I said.“Are you sure? You left her knowing full well what would happen if you left. If I were in her place I wouldn’t be able to. I doubt I would be able to even stomach looking at you. And what? You’re fine with her being marked? You can’t change that. That’s written into the stars, it’s written into our bones. We cannot go against the mark, Shane,” Mave said.“She won’t have to,” I murmured.“What are you going to do?” Mave asked.“Did y
ShaneThe next two weeks went by the same way. I woke up weak and my sister fed me. I tried to stay up to converse with her, but would go back under. I would sleep for two, maybe three days before I awake again. Mave tended to my back and made sure that they were cleaned and changed to stop infection from spreading.I wanted desperately to believe that when I woke up I would be ready to leave this place and head towards the place we’d once called home. Healing was unbelievably slow and I could feel Max chomping at the bits. Whatever the whips had been soaked in had slowed our recovery time by a lot. My wounds had begun to heal, they itched at this point, and I knew that was a good sign. The cage around Max had weakened and I knew he was ready to be free, ready to run, and ready to take back what was ours.A little more than three weeks had passed since we’d left. I growled as I paced back and forth in the cave. It was time for us to leave, but Mave insisted that I needed a few more da
ShaneI only had three days, three days until I could make my next move. It was only three days, but why did it feel like an eternity? The days were long and the nights dragged on and on. The cage that had kept Max trapped had been lifted and my body had fully recovered. The raised scars were the only proof of what had happened. Three more days and I would be able to challenge him. My sister saw to it that I had three to four meals a day and I made sure to work it off. This is the only time I had left, as much as I wanted it to fly by in a flash, I made full use of it.On the third night, I was more than ready. My health restored, healthy food in my veins, and the only way forward in front of me I was ready. One last night and we would be off. As soon as the sun rose, we would be on our way. Mave was quiet as she cleaned up and made it look like no one had been in here. She was determined to make sure it look as if no one had been here. The only things that were left in the cave were
ShaneI couldn’t stop thinking about her as we took off. The sun rose over the horizon and I chased it as if she would disappear if I didn’t keep up. I clung to her scent in my memory and smiled at the memory of how her hair was almost translucent under the morning sun. The ghost of her presence haunted my every waking second, her memory a vibrant reminder of what I wanted, who I wanted. No matter what I did, Adealine was on my mind.Maximus’ powerful paws pushed off the ground and propelled us forward. We were running through the forests in the direction we knew was home. It was only a few hours away now and I knew we would get there before noon. If we kept this pace, it was a guarantee. Mave’s legs squeezed tight around me, her fingers gripped my hair tightly as a strong gust of wind pushed against us.The three days that had felt like an eternity had gone by quickly. It was unusual not being apart of a pack. My sister and I were rogues as we rushed back to where we’d been born. The
Shane“Where have you been all this time?” The Warrior repeated. “Ever since m—… ever since the incident with the Alpha’s previous Beta, the two of you disappeared.”“Am I obligated to answer your every question?” I spat.“No, I suppose not. Is the Alpha expecting you?” He asked.“Of course not,” I answered.“I cannot permit you entrance. It is our duty to protect the pack members. I can’t let you loose—”“Trent…” Mave said from behind me.Trent’s blue eyes darted to my sister and I saw a softness there for her, reserved only for her. I didn’t have to look at her to know that the look was reflected in her own. I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone either of us knew. We had been young when we left and before then, we had never been permitted to leave the castle often.Only ranked members were allowed near us and on rare occasion, their children. I had so much hate in my heart that being back and so close to where everything had happened had me on edge. Flashes of my father’s morning “lesso