Chapter 5

*Gemini POV* 

Beta Bridger walks away from the shimmering transparent wall, leaving me with the mysterious and dangerous lycan king. I bite back the whimper of uncertainty as I glance in Roscoe’s direction, not happy to be left alone with him. Again. The man is intimidating in every form, especially as he stands, looming over me.

The number of questions I have seems to be a continually growing list. The first few being what the hell is going on? And why the hell does the lycan king suddenly want to keep me around when he was so quick to reject me and pass me off to his pack? Not to mention his total lack of control moment where the thought of someone else claiming me made his lycan surface with a full rage. 

I look at Roscoe once more, only to find him watching me. My cheeks turn pink as I clear my throat looking away and then back at him, hoping to come off nonchalant as I try to mentally plan my way out. How long does he plan to keep me around and how hard will it be to escape?

“It’s not going to happen,” he says with a grunt, and I scrunch my nose in confusion.

“What’s not going to happen?” I ask him.

“You escaping.” He says and I shrug, trying to hide my shock. It would seem I am a little more transparent than I think I am.

“You said it yourself. There are scarier beasts out there than you, and I’m not looking to meet them.”

“Mm-hmm. I may live by myself, but I can smell bullshit a mile away, and you, my pet, wreak.”

I scoff in offense. “First of all, I am not your pet. You can’t just keep me and do what you please.” 

“Can’t I?” He quirks a brow, taking one huge step closer to me as I gulp.

“No…?” I squeak out, taking a step back, and he seems pleased with my fumbling of confidence. 

Rarely am I snarky and stick to my guns, but it’s different out here. I have no allegiance to this guy. Hell, I bet he is keeping me safe so he can use me somehow. It makes sense. It’s all anyone ever wants me around for, to use me. And really, am I safer in the monster’s den rather than running from wolves?

“You are smaller than me, weaker. You have nowhere else to go, and you need protecting.”

“I don’t need protection,” I lie. And he knows it. “And I do have somewhere to go.”

“Oh? Do tell,” he says, looking amused. I want to wipe the grin off his stupid, pretty face. 

“My boyfriends,” I lie, again, crossing my arms over my chest.

He freezes and narrows his eyes. Then he steps in closer, looking over my face as I keep it as stoic as I can. We both know I don’t have a boyfriend, especially not out here in rogue territory, but I’ve committed to this lie, so I’m sticking with it. 

“Allow me to escort you to this boyfriend’s house,” he demands and my mouth falls open, eyes wide. How the hell can a request meant to sound so kind and cordial feel like a thinly veiled threat of homicide?

“I can manage to get there on my own.” I clear my throat, looking away, unable to stand his heavy, knowing gaze.

“What’s his name?” he asks, reaching out and pulling a leaf from my hair. 

“Who?” I rasp out, throat dry when our eyes lock. He grins widely and I know this asshole just won this round. 

“This boyfriend seems to be a real winner if you forget about him the second I touch you.”

“Yeah, well, fear can do that to a girl,” I growl and he grins a stupid, handsome, cocky grin.

“Fear, huh?”

“Yes, I mean you nearly chewed through my leg once before. Who is to say you won’t try to do it again?”

His demeanor changes and his eyes grow dark. 

“I didn’t almost chew through your leg,” He says, his voice dropping an octave.  

“Felt like it,” I mutter. “Still feels like it.”

His lips twitch and his eyes watch me before he backs up and sighs with displeasure. 

“We should move if we want to avoid the rogues for now.”

“I thought you said you could protect me from them?” I tease, and he blinks at me. 

“Your boyfriend can protect you.” He bites back a laugh and I glare at him.

“So I’m free to go, then?” I quip and he shakes his head. 

“Hell no. Are you always this sassy?” he exhales. 

“Actually, no. It’s kind of new.” I give him a thousand-watt smile and he frowns.

“Perhaps don’t make it a habit.” He mutters, walking away before he stops and looks at me over his shoulder. “I could carry you again, if you’d like.”

“No!” I rush out. The memory of him carrying me around like a rag doll comes to mind, and I don’t like the thought of it. “I’m coming.”

I hobble along next to him, my ankle tingling as the healing process slowly kicks in. Each step still shoots pain up my leg and into my spine, but I chose to ignore it. Pain is something I was created for, apparently. To harbor it and keep it my closest companion all my life. 

“Does it still hurt?” He asks, looking at me with an unreadable expression. 

“Only when I walk on it,” I grit out,

“I really don’t mind carrying you, like I did before…” he says, and I frown. “It would get us to where we are going much faster,”

A deranged howl rips through the forest, and I squeak in fear, freezing. I scan the trees frantically, my heart in my throat. They have to be somewhere, either the rogues or my old pack coming to take me back to that hellhole. There’s a rustling at my back, and I close my eyes, whining as I wait for the pain that I know will follow. 

“Let’s move,” Roscoe’s deep voice tickles my ear and his meaty hands wrap around mine, tugging me to him. He throws me around like a rag doll and onto his back as I sigh, annoyed. 

“I told you I don’t need to be—”

“And I told you I would protect you. Which usually would mean I will kill whomever comes close to you. But I am curious. DO you know happens to you if you are too close to someone dying and you have no control over your skills?”

Shit. He is right. I have no idea what that would do to me…would my life bleed into them and leave me with nothing?

“How long until we get there?” I ask him, looking over my shoulder to see if I can find the source of the howl.

“Not long.” He admits. “I live near the pack line.”

He walks, and I am far too aware of where his large hands cup my thighs and the way his muscles flex beneath me. I’m thinking part of my aversion to him carrying me is more because of my raw attraction to him. 

“So,” he says, clearing his throat. “Tell me about yourself.”

I scoff, a small amused chuckle breaking from me.

“Why do you want to know me?” I ask, thinking back to when he rejected me so coldly. 

“You will stay with me.” He says it is the obvious answer.

“For how long?”

“As long as I see fit.”

“Not much to know. Like you said, I am weak and scrawny. You know I’m a healer. Aside from that, I’m not worth knowing.” I shrug, even though he can’t see it.

“Do you have any family?” he asks, completely ignoring my previous response.

“I have a little brother.” I tell him.

“Back in your pack?” 

“No,” I sigh, realizing just how much I miss him now that I am finally close enough to find him. 

“No? Then where is he?” He asks, confused. 

“Out here.” I say, looking around the beautiful landscape.

I can hear the trickling of water and chirping of birds in the trees and I feel hope flooding in. Jude has to be out here. I know for a fact he isn’t dead. I would feel it, the way I felt the loss of my parents.

“So he is dead,” He says as though he is so certain.

“Jude is alive,” I scoff.

“I hate to break it to you, but only living beings out here are rogues and me. Occasionally, the packs will venture through with their warriors, but — Unless your beloved brother is a rogue, he is dead.”

“Then I’ll die trying to find him and prove you wrong.” I growl, wiggling on his back, trying to break free. His hands grip my legs tighter, trying to stop me from moving.

“Stop moving,” he grits out, stepping over a bed of wobbly rocks. The rocks are wet as he is about to enter a tiny babbling brook and I nibble my lips and decide — I’m not going back with him. 

So I throw myself to the side, making his body jolt to the right as he tries to save his footing. Then I thrash, throwing my arms back and I feel his hands slip from my legs. Roscoe drops me and I clatter onto the rocks, forcing the pain away as I scramble on my hands and knees through the small amount of water. He sighs in annoyance behind me, but I force myself to keep moving.

“Little mouse, you are going to keep me on my toes aren’t you…” He calls out to me. 

“Just let me go find my brother…Please,” I say, scrambling to the other side before I spin onto my butt and watch him from the bank. His legs are wet, but he remains where he is, hands on his hips like an upset mother.

“Will you come back after you do?” he asks, arching a knowing brow.

Of course I won’t come back. What idiot would crawl back to the lycan king who claims they are his pet? Sexy or not, I’m not an animal to be kept. Not anymore, not now that I’ve tasted freedom, no matter how short it was.

“Yep,” I lie and his lips twitch as I continue to crawl away on my back, putting more distance in between us. Then his face falls, the underlying smile wiped away, and he lurches forward, sprinting in my direction. 

“Shit,” I mutter, turning over and popping up from the ground. 

I sprint before I even have the chance to look forward and I slam into a hard surface, groaning in pain as I look at the person before me. My eyes go wide when I lock onto the necklace around their neck.

The necklace I made my baby brother, created out of our father’s favorite rock. The tiger’s eye stone dad found when he was a young boy and carried in his pocket until the day he died.

“Jude…?” I whisper, my eyes scanning up and into the wild-looking man’s face.