Chapter 5: Please, help me.

He reaches out as i dash away. I feel his hand graze strands of my hair.

Fear shudders through me as I scramble onto the bed but it doesn’t take a minute for him to get onto me. A large hand grabs my ankle and with male strength it yanks back. I scream.

The smell of blood wafts into my nose.

My blood. 

He gets on top of me, slapping my hands to the side and pinning them above my head. With his other hand he delivers a sharp slap to the side of my face and presses the knife to the side of my cheek. The coldness of the blade seeps into my skin.

I wriggle against him, eyes stinging from tears and my heart pounding. I beg, “Please, please let me go.”

Nikolai never let me watch his warriors train but my parents used to let me watch ours. 

The assassin chuckles and smirks at me, “You are one stupid bitch.”

The moment i see his blood hungry gaze relax I yank hard. I free one of my hands and I hit his nose as hard as I can. 

As the sharp soft crack rings out he releases a grunt of pain, I hit his throat and when he chokes for that split second, I scramble off the bed and tilt the vase on the bedside table. 

The secret door built into every room in the packhouse opens and I rush into it, sprinting.

I struggle down the cold dark channel and only one thought runs through my mind. 

Nadia sent an assassin after me. 

I know she did not like me. I also wouldn’t like to see a woman who I know occupied my new husband’s bed once… but I also wouldn't try to kill her. I can’t even pose a threat to her yet she’s still trying to get rid of me.

The packhouse is empty. 

I could look for Nikolai, but he must’ve gone back by now.

Tears of fear start to run down my cheeks. This is how my life ends.

The moment I burst out into open space i make a dash for the woods. 

The woods surrounding the packhouse lead directly to the forests of the Night pack and with darkness already bearing down on me from above, these woods which seem almost magical during the daytime now bear a terrifying aura at night.

The forest lends no help to me. 

Like it too wants me expelled from the pack, thick heavy branches droop from the tall trees and block my path. Broken rocks slash the skin on my legs.

I hear the assassin laugh at me, “Run, run, little half wolf.”

He’s gaining on me. I can hear him, but unlike me he’s relaxed. He knows it as well as i that before the sun will come up, i’ll be dead. It’s only a matter of time.

My footsteps become more hurried as a new piece of information comes to my mind. Tonight is a full moon night and all the members of the pack are at the wedding ceremony, but there’s a forbidden area in these forests.

An area that no one is allowed into.

“Where are you running off to, Emery?”

My body immediately sends me an added surge of adrenaline when i hear the assassin’s voice and i take off running in the section of the restricted area. He realises what i’m doing too late.

The moment i cross the restricted area i feel it. It’s like a chill has settled on the air and an eerie cold is swept over by a thin wind.

I hobble as the weight of my injuries come bearing down on me.

The sound of cursing and grunting coming from behind me as i stumble through the forest makes my actions sloppy. More than one hard rock comes into contact with my foot and each time it sends a shot of hot pain up my spine.

I have to keep moving though. The woods here are much thicker but I have to keep moving for myself… and my baby.

I hear a sound i’ve only ever heard once before as an earsplitting scream slices through the air.

It freezes me over, rooting me to the spot and stealing the breath from my lungs. 

That sound… it’s the sound of an arrow embedding itself into flesh. 

I turn, my body shivering as the sound of pain increases. I see the assassin groaning on the floor, six arrows protruding from his back. The smell of blood reaches my nose for the second time tonight but for the first time it isn’t mine.

The sound of horses make me realise i’m not alone. Before i can think of turning i feel something sharp against my neck.

I know it’s sharp because simply having it on my neck has pain blooming from that spot, soft yet constant. His voice sends a tremor rocking through me.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to go into the woods alone?”

I feel something strange stir in me but i can’t move. The claw on my neck is still there, and i believe any sudden movement from me will have that claw ripping into my neck and pulling my throat out.

I try to speak without giving into the fear i feel, “P… please, please help me.”

The claw leaves my throat and a gentle shove sends me right to the floor. I hit the hard forest dirt with a thud and hear the crunch of strong footsteps. My heart is racing but my eyes stay glued to the floor. A pair of large boot clad feet stop in front of, and only then do i look up.

A man with an fierce look stares back at me.

There’s only one way to describe his aura. It’s dangerous.

His voice tells me he is because they rake fangs down my spine as he asks, “Why would i help someone who has obviously been destined for death?”

A million responses roll in my head as i stare into startling green eyes. Under the cover of these dark woods, his eyes remind me of green plains and fresh fields.

My head swims as i try to beg him again. I can’t die like this.

Who’s going to take care of Raven? Who… who’s going to avenge our parents? Who’s going to give me the happiness i lost all because of one night?

I’m still staring at his face as i pass out. His green eyes are the last thing imprinted into my mind before the darkness takes over.