CHAPTER 38

CAINES POV

Pain. That was the first thing I felt when I woke up. A searing burn in my abdomen that felt like molten fire. My wolf stirred weakly, groaning against the effects of the silver bullet lodged deep in me. After a while of having a blurred vision, the walls surrounding me became clear.

“Thought you wouldn’t make it,” a voice sneered, snapping me completely into the moment. My eyes followed the sound of the voice and I found her standing by the window opposite where I was. I struggled to stand, but the metals binding my skin burned deep, frying my flesh.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she said and turned to me. It was her—-the wolf hunter. I ignored what she said and struggled again, trying to ignore the pains from the silver burn. I growled, giving up as I felt my wolf wince in my head.

“What do you want?” I rasped the taste of blood on my tongue.

“Answers. I want answers, Caine,” she replied, covering the gap between us. Her voice wavered, betraying the confidence she mustered to walk up to me. It was laced with pain…from an unhealed wound.

“I’ve told you…girl…”

“Isha,” she cut me short. “My name is Isha Montano,”

“And what am I supposed to do with that information?” I said almost immediately. It got her upset, and she started playing her fingers around the trigger of the gun she held. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the gun in her hand. I wasn’t healed completely from the first shot, another could kill me.

“You’re wasting your time, Isha,” I spat, pulling at the restraints again. The silver burned, but I didn’t care. “If you wanted me dead, you would have left me lying on that cold forest floor. But you saved me, which means you can’t kill me…at least not until you get what you want,” I said, my voice dropping at the last statement.

“You’re right, I don’t want to kill you…yet,” her jaw clenched. She dropped the gun and picked a silver knife, placed it under the sun’s ray, and directed its glint towards me. I screamed as the glint came in contact with my face, burning part of my flesh before she took it away.

“But until then…you’ll remain my pet. And if eventually, I get the answers I want from your friend…what was her name…?” she stopped to think with her index striking her forehead. “Yeah…Jasmine,”

I growled as she mentioned Jasmine, my wolf reeling in defense.

“Then I’ll give you to the rest of the hunters to decide your fate. I had no beef with werewolves. My family stayed out of the hunting game, yet…this is how your kind paid us,” she titled away immediately just before the tears brewing in her eyes dropped.

“You think all werewolves are the same?” I broke the little silence that fell in after her words. She turned a little over her shoulder, dropping the knife on the table. “Jasmine is different, I am…I am different. And I can prove that to you?”

“Don’t lie to me!” She barked. She took steps closer, took out a knife from her pocket, and placed it on my neck. “I know it was a werewolf. You see that book there,” she pointed with her other hand. My eyes trailed the book lying on the table.

“Look at it, animal!” She yelled, applying more pressure on the knife. I felt my blood oozing out as it pierced my skin. “It says everything about your kind! That death…and the person behind it…must be killed! And I’ll see to that! They are dangerous…even for your kind,” she yelled.

I didn’t know what else to do, but laughter just escaped my mouth. It threw her back a little, but I just kept going until she picked up the gun again.

“What makes you think I am not the one?” I dared, glaring at her. My wolf reeled in, almost taking over my body, but I kept him down for a while, leaving just my blue glowing eyes.

Her jaw clenched the anger in her seething through her pores as her finger traced the trigger.

“You monster!” She cursed, lifting the gun to aim. Without warning, a wolf burst through the glass window and pounced on her. They rolled down the wooden floor until Isha was flung into a wall. I recognized the wolf even before she morphed back to her human form.

“Lucy,” I breathed, relief coursing through my veins as Lucy morphed into her human form. She raced to me and started taking off the metals. “How did you know where I was?” I asked, my breath coming out ragged.

“Your scent…” she said, kissed me, and pulled me out of the chair. “This way,” she dragged me along.

Wait…wait…wait,” I pulled away from her grip and returned to the table, I grabbed the book and took a final glance at Isha who was struggling to get to her gun before racing out with Lucy.

*****

Every step was a struggle as we raced through the woods. My body kept screaming for rest, but I didn’t dare stop. Isha mentioned something about the rest of the wolf hunters, so there were still more of them out there. She might have called for backup.

“Lucy,” I gasped, my voice hoarse as I stopped to catch my breath. My eyes scanned the woods and the direction we were going. Lucy stopped and raced back to me.

“We must keep going Caine, she’s coming after us,” she grabbed my hand, but I pulled her back.

“No…no, this is the wrong path. We might have taken a wrong turn,” I breathed, attempting to pull her into a race to find the right track, but she resisted.

“No…Caine. This way leads to the stream. We’ll find shelter there until…”

“Why seek shelter when we can go straight to the pack house through this route?” I cut her short, my eyes searching hers for an answer. “Lucy, you know this path leads to the rogues and the forbidden island,” I reminded, but she only shrugged.

What can’t we handle together?” She tried to pull me again, but I resisted this time.

“Wait, Lucy. How did you find me?” I asked, my wolf stirring suspiciously in me. I turned her palms, and a memory of her pulling out the silver wares without getting burnt flashed through my mind. “And how didn’t you get burnt by the silver?” I asked under my breath.

It was then that it hit me—her scent.

Or rather, the absence of it.

“You’re not Lucy,” I said, my voice slow and dangerous.

Her lips curled in a sinister smile and her hands shot out from mine.

“Clever boy,” she snickered, her voice morphing lightly. The illusion melted away like smoke, and in its place stood an unfamiliar face. “Does this look better?” She taunted.

I turned to run, but shadows crawled out of the sand and wrapped around me, binding my arms and legs. I fought against the restraints, but they held tightly.

“I already said this before…you new gen wolves are dumb,” she muttered. Before I could respond, her form shifted again.

This time—it wore my face.

“I’ll do well to send my regards to your father,” my clone said, leaving me fighting the shadows as he walked away.

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