Chapter 2

“No” I gape at him. This can not be happening. The heavens wouldn’t be this cruel, would they?

This ass just tried to kill Athena and I have not forgotten that. He growls, standing up straight as I blink at him in shock. The beast of a man seems to go on forever as he grows to his full height. Holy shit, he is massive, and it’s not the fear I have of him that makes him appear so.

My captor’s body is ridiculously toned but covered in strange black markings that wind around his body, looking almost as if he has been chained. As he leans closer to me, his broad shoulders block out the moon that hangs above us and I swallow the lump in my throat, the one suppressing my screams. He is not just a massive man, but also a completely stark naked man. 

“What is your name?” His voice seems to rumble through the earth and I clear my throat, looking away, my cheeks heated in embarrassment as he moves closer. 

“Does it matter? You are going to just kill me, anyway.” I mutter, and he laughs. I can’t help but look back at him again, his muscles moving with each chuckle. 

“Maybe” He shrugs, smirking. Is he seriously trying to smile at me?

I look over my shoulder; the tension leaving my body, when I see a small opening between two rocks. This is it, my chance to run while the bond distracts him. It’s not or waiting for death. I bet he would take sick pleasure in the bond breaking the moment my soul leaves my body.

The thought of never finding Jude or that maybe he landed the same fate drives my movement as I spin onto my hands and knees. I shoot toward the opening like a snake striking at its prey, and a sense of victory washes over me as I make it halfway into the rocks. I am almost free until I find I can no longer move. 

Tears dot my eyes as I feel his warm hand on my uninjured ankle, and I resign myself to my fate. There is no fighting him. Not a chance in hell I can outrun him with my ankle. I failed. Lasted less than ten minutes out in the free world.

“Why do you insist on running?” He growls, sounding annoyed, like I’m the one inconveniencing him. Then he drags me out and spinning me onto my back. He straddles my waist, leaning forward over me as I wince and look away from him, tears breaking free.

“Are you crying?” he asks, sounding shocked. 

I nod my head. “Yes…”

“I’m not going to fucking eat you, for fuck’s sake,” he hisses angrily. I peek up at him and he watches me close. 

“You tried to kill Athena…” I whimper. And he scoffs, sitting back on his haunches. I try to ignore the nakedness of his upper half and the scent that is weaving its way into my soul, urging my wolf to come out and claim him.

“I didn’t touch anyone but you,” he says pointedly. “You are wearing white, therefore you are mine.”

“Then who..?”

“The rogues only honor the rule of leaving my offerings alone. Anyone else is fair game.” he looks at me like I’m an idiot and maybe I am. Because none of this makes any sense. What rogues? I mean, I know they are out here, but we’ve always been told they are far away…

He snaps his fingers in my face, drawing my attention, and my heart stops looking at how ruggedly handsome he is. The damn mate bond is intense and grows stronger by the minute. 

“What is your name?” he asks again, agitated. He stands and walks to a tree. I watch as he grabs a bag from behind it, pulling a pair of shorts from it and sliding them on. He stares at me expectantly and then sighs. “Are you dumb? Is that why they sent you for the offering?”

“No!” I hiss, standing and wincing as my ankle wobbles under my meager weight.

“Then you don’t know your name?” He asks, and I scowl at him.

“Gemini,” I grit out, wincing when I move my ankle. “My name is Gemini.”

He watches me thoughtfully, taking a step closer, once more invading my space and making me uncomfortable as I hug myself with my arms. His eyes run the length of my body, assessing me, judging me, and I frown.

“You are kind of small.” He says, reaching out to measure my height with his hand. “A little scrawny, too.” His meaty palms move to my waist and he pinches my skin. I yelp and stumble a few steps away, which only amuses him as he laughs.

“Don’t touch me,” I hiss at him, though my anger is more pain related than me being upset about his insult. I’m well aware of how I look. It’s the curse of having no control over my healing abilities. My wolf is always healing, always using our strength for others. It doesn’t leave much left for my body.  

“Scurry away all you like, little mouse. You won’t make it very far out here.” He watches me amused and the way he speaks grates me, like he is looking down on me. I’m weak as heck from healing Athena. My wolf may be happy we have found our mate, but she is hurting beneath her glee and I’m stuck feeling the brunt of it.

“You are letting me go?” I ask. 

“If you have a death wish, be my guest.” He teases, the corner of his lips raised in a cocky smile. The bastard is making fun of me. I clamp my mouth shut, refusing to speak more in order to avoid getting myself killed before I can escape him. He watches me curiously, moving around the little open space as if he is familiar with it.  

“What now?” I ask after too long of an awkward silence. He slides a glance my way and sighs. 

“Well, Gemini, first I am going to have to hurt you, then you will answer some questions.”

My eyes grow wide and my heart beat skyrockets at the thought of what he might do to me, and why.

“I will answer whatever you want, you don’t have to hu–” I protest as he turns to focus all his attention on me.

“I, Roscoe, of the Lake Horn Lycan’s, reject you, Gemini of the shit hole known as Hidden Rock.”

My eyes widen in shock as pain rips through my chest, a whimper tumbling from my agape lips as I clutch at my clothes and struggle to breathe through it. I look up and watch as he experiences his rejection pain with an air of grace.

Not once does he whimper or wince. No, like always, I feel all the pain. Even out here, my ‘gift’ still plagues me. He waits with me, looking around as if searching for something, someone, before the pain settles and I feel my heart rate returning to its usual beat. 

I whine, refusing to look at him, hating that even if I know he would have been awful for me that my soul will never truly be whole again. That even after rejection, we will always be tethered together. 

Then snapping branches echo through the woods behind me and I snap my head in the direction, a fresh fear gripping me when I see the lead warrior from my pack creeping in.

“If blood makes you queasy, probably best if you look away.” Roscoe murmurs, his chest pressing into my back as my eyes flutter wide at his sudden closeness. I don’t have a second to overthink his actions as Asher, the head warrior, leaps out of his hiding spot.

Roscoe sidesteps him and watches with a frown as he tumbles to the ground. Three other warriors rush him at once and I hear him actually sigh in annoyance as he reaches out and grabs one by the throat. Pain immediately hits me, my legs growing weak and I realize how terrible of a position I am in.

Blood I can handle, but healing everyone he injures with no control over how I do it? That…that may actually kill me. I struggle to stay on my feet as pain swirls around me like a whirlpool, sucking me under, my breathing already labored as he throws a warrior into a nearby tree.

The shattering of bones echoes louder than the snarling and bile rises in my throat as I stumble, trying to put distance between me and the fighting, the noise…the pain. 

“Gemini, come with me,” I hear a familiar warrior’s voice calling after me, his voice echoing around me as more pain takes over.

Someone grabs my arm and I can’t even muster the energy to fight them off as I am dragged away. I have to fight them. I have to escape their clutches. This is my only chance to get away, my last chance to find Jude.

I claw at the hand holding me and the man cries out, cursing myself as their pain leeches into me and my hand throbs in a pain mirroring his. Every part of me wants to just curl up and cry. Suddenly I am released and I drag myself to a tree, clinging to its trunk as I draw in a shuddering breath, gagging on the air. I try to crawl, hoping to put distance between me and the fight where there is too much pain for my wolf to handle. 

The ache leaves my bones. My lungs no longer feel like they are under the wheel of a semi truck as I finally break free of the hold over my abilities. Each stride putting distance between me and the people fighting for their lives and failing. I spin for a moment, watching with curiosity as Roscoe grabs a wolf midair with his clawed hand and uses his body as a weapon against the others. 

They crack against the limp animal as it shifts back into human form, becoming useless. He then releases it, not even paying the flying body as it lands grossly at the base of a large rock. I’ve never seen anyone fight like him before. There is not an ounce of remorse in him as he effortlessly tears through the warriors, feebly trying to reclaim me.

After a short time, the woods fall silent, not a sound other than the sway of the trees in the gentle breeze and my labored breathing as I try to hold on to my consciousness, forcing myself to stand and move faster.

Roscoe looks around, his eyes searching until they land on me and I swear I can see the tension in his shoulders relax as he turns toward me and I spin off the tree, rushing away further into the woods. I know I won’t make it far. How the hell can I when I just inadvertently healed warriors on their deathbed? 

“Gemini,” Roscoe calls out from behind me.

I ignore him, pressing my lips into a flattened line of determination as I try like hell to force myself to move faster. He is gaining on me with each measured step, and I know it, but I can’t stop. No, I won’t, not even if he thinks this is all amusing or that it’s all some sick game or joke to him. His hands grab hold of my wrist, whipping me around to face him. 

“You said you would let me go,” I squeal, struggling to get out of his hold and fighting with everything I have. 

“Are you injured?” He asks. 

“No, I’m not.” I hiss, trying to tug free of him. Roscoe pauses, his grip loosening, as he reaches out and pulls my shirt up at the hem to look at my skin. What the hell is he doing? I shove his hands off and he growls in my face like a feral monster.

“Show me your injuries.” He demands.

“I don’t have ant.” I say weakly, and he narrows his eyes. 

“I can’t deliver you to the pack injured, so just show me,” he demands.

“If you are looking for an injury, you could check my ankle, where you gnawed on me,” I hiss, giving him a weak shove at his chest. He doesn’t budge as his eyes bore into mine, his jaw clenching.

“Then why were you screaming like you were dying?” He asks adamantly.

I sigh and place my hands on my head, exhaustion overwhelming me. “I’m a healer.”

His eyes widen in shock. “So they are chasing you, not me?” he asks, and I nod. 

“Yes.”

He blows out a puff of air, “So why the hell did they dress you in a white shirt and place you outside the gates for me?”

“They didn’t…” I furrow my brow and look down at the white shirt Athena gave me and my stomach drops. Was this her plan all along?