Izzy couldn't tell you anything about the final days of the festivities for The Hunt. She walked around in a daze of fear and panic, worried that someone would find her and take advantage of her again. After two attacks, she had lost all hope that this was the end. She was walking in a daze, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
She took the time to consider what her father and Marcus had said to her when they had told the girls they had to go to Kreil. The words kept replaying over and over in her head. She didn’t understand them fully but they seemed important. 'There are repercussions to having sex with an alpha'. She wished they were more forthcoming about what they meant, though she had a suspicion.
They packed their things and loaded wagons for the long road south to Kreil, it would take five days, possibly six depending on how fast the wagons navigated the terrain. Kate and Susanna were more protective than normal of Izzy, never letting her out of their sight. Na
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Izzy slept fitfully, her dreams were filled with small children dancing around her, taunting her with their cries, calling out to her with outstretched arms as she tried to run away. She was terrified that she was carrying Cliff's child. She should have known there was a possibility that she could be pregnant, but in her grief, it hadn't crossed her mind. She woke several times that night, a gasp on her lips, but she fell back to sleep without waking Kate and Susanna. Kate instinctively curled closer to Izzy, trying to protect her from the unfairness of life even as she slept on. When Izzy woke the next morning, she once again had a headache, the pounding behind her eyes causing her to squint as she walked out of the tent. Kate and Susanna had already woken up and sat by the fire outside the tent watching Izzy as she slowly climbed out. "Are you ok, Iz?" Kate stood up and walked to her sister, her protective nature propelling her forward to fix whatever was wrong. Ka
Cliff looked at the men surrounding him. They were from a tribe that most people thought were extinct. They were Rangers. A second man walked up behind Cliff and whispered in his ear. The man was dressed in black, his hands covered in dark gloves, his body cloaked in long black sleeves and pants, covering his arms and legs. He had dark, black hair and olive skin. His face sported a beard, the scruff covering his square jaw. “They left the castle with the caravan, heading toward Kreil. They should be about to the Forest of Whitaker. We can intercept them there if we are fast,” he whispered the words and Cliff nodded. “My mate has been taken,” Cliff said, talking to the men in front of him. “She was stolen from me. I need her back. The men who stole her are taking her with them in a caravan toward Kreil. They will reach the Forest of Whitaker in a day’s time, I’m asking for help in retrieving her.” “Why can’t you go yourself?” a tall man asked, he was standing
After a short break for lunch, Izzy found herself sitting in the back of the wagon, gazing out at the scenery, book in her lap, coffee cup in hand. Since he had found out that Izzy ran on coffee, Nate had kept her stocked with her favorite beverage. The caravan was driving along the edge of the Forest of Whitaker, following it to their new home in Kreil. Kreil sat on the edge of the forest between the trees and the mountain range. It was beautiful part of the country with rolling hills, waterfalls, mountain scenery and wildlife. The forest was fabled to be magical and there were some places that did look the part with mossy grass and jewel toned pools. The caravan would follow the edge of the forest until they reached Kreil. Izzy was looking out over the flat plain to the north when she heard horses galloping toward them at high speed. She set her coffee aside and squinted in the distance behind the wagon. She could see a cluster of horses speeding toward them, dust
Amelia reached the village of Thieves in the tribe of Brumward after twilight had descended. Daisy was still in good shape, the little mare was hearty and could go long distances without much trouble. Amelia patted her neck lovingly as they trotted into the town centre. Seeing a pub, Amelia tied Daisy to the post and walked into the pub, looking for something to eat and a room for the night. She opened the door and heard the brawdy words of the men inside. She blushed at some of the songs they sang. She walked to the bar and waved at the barmaid, hoping to catch her eye. The barmaid walked toward her. “What can I get for ye?” she asked kindly. She looked Amelia up and down with a suspicious look before she set her elbows on the bar and leaned forward, waiting for her to name her needs. “I’m looking for a stable for my horse, a room for the night, and dinner?” Amelia asked, pulling out some coins and setting them on the bar. The girl’s eyes glanced at
Izzy's head pounded, her left temple throbbing from the raider's sword that she took to the head. Her eyes were blurry as she gazed around in confusion. She remembered being attacked in the caravan by raiders and she remembered being grabbed and hauled off the wagon unceremoniously, then her memory goes fuzzy. The pounding in her head was a definite indication that she was injured in the attack, but she didn't recognize anything around her as she glanced around the tent. She sat up with a start, she wasn't in a tent. She was in a room with a door. She was lying in a bed with a fire roaring in the fireplace in front of her. There was a chair sitting by the fire and a table by her bed. The room was simple, a small stone room with no window, meant for utility not luxury. Izzy looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was and how she was going to make her way back to her new tribe when the door was flung open. "Good, you're awake. We're leaving
Cliff pushed his horse harder; he was on the road north toward Castle Fairfield. He had traveled south to meet the raiders that would steal Izzy back for him before he went west to find the others in his party. An hour passed and he rode closer to the dark cabin in the woods. It was hidden on a path that few knew about. It was two stories, but it blended in with the giant evergreens surrounding it. He dismounted and put his horse in the stable next to the cabin before he walked in the door without preamble. “Are you ready?” Cliff asked the three men standing inside the room. All three men were dressed in all black, they had a wild look in their eyes. The same look Cliff sported when he watched Izzy from afar. “Do you have her?” the closest man, Mikael, asked. “She is being brought north as we speak,” Cliff said, nodding his head. “You trust the Rangers?” Rikkard asked, the skepticism in his eyes. “No, but they will do the job f
Izzy slept fitfully in the cabin, waking twice throughout the night. She screamed into the darkness, calling out for her sister and Susanna. They never came. She was far away from them and alone. They wouldn't be coming to comfort her tonight. She opened her eyes and saw the fate she had been destined for. She glanced around the room in fear, waiting for someone to jump out to attack her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, 'If they were going to attack me, they would have done it by now. They're taking me somewhere, I just don't know where.' She needed to find out where they were going, the only way to do that was to show them that she was ready and willing to cooperate with them. She could do that. She could be docile. She was Izzy, she made friends with a fence post if it would listen to her chatter. That was before the attack, yes, but she was alone now and she needed to fight this battle herself. She steeled her shoulders and gave hers
Izzy watched Cliff converge on her as she sat petrified on the bed. He was there, near her, in the flesh and she had nowhere to run. She didn't know what to do. She froze when he reached out to her and grasped her in his arms, drawing her to her feet and inhaling deeply. He ran his nose along her neck and into her hair, breathing in her scent in satisfaction. "Please, let me go," Izzy whispered. She relaxed in his arms, forcing her muscles to soften as she screamed internally. She couldn't handle the pain she had gone through the last time; she knew the more she tensed, the worse it would be. Her internal monologue had failed her, she was panicking inside. She let out small gasps of breath. She couldn’t move, she was petrified by the sight of him. "No," he murmured as he ran his lips across her shoulder and toward her chest. She took in a deep breath and in a sudden move of defense, she kneed him in the groin as hard as she possibly could. He le