Chapter 5

Kalen dragged me out of the small building and towards another, even smaller one. He pointed to a woman. “You come here and stand here till she comes out. When she’s dressed, bring her to the bonfire.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she saw me. Distrust and wariness were easy to read in them.

“Yes, alpha,” she said, ducking her head and shoved me inside.

The door slammed shut behind me with a loud bang. The sudden sound startled me. Instantly, I turned and tried to open it again. I vigorously beat against the closed door, my voice with urgency and entreaty: “Please, let me out!” However, no one answered me.

I slipped slowly, like losing support, and I sat slumped on the ground against the door. I looked up and around the room. All sorts of clothes piled up in a mess, if one could call the scraps of cloth clothing. Looking at this, I felt a force in my heart. No way was I going to ‘entertain’ anyone. I looked around the room and saw my salvation, a window. It was small, but I was sure I could squeeze through. I found some other clothes. I put on a t-shirt and some shorts. Climbing on the shelves, I opened the window. I sucked in a breath and wiggled through it.

I crashed onto the ground. Afraid the woman heard me, I took off running. My body hurt as I ran, but I grit my teeth and forced myself to ignore it. I had to get away from there. I had to escape. Kalen wasn’t the man I remembered. He was cruel, volatile, and wanted to tear me down, just like Carl wanted.

If I died now, no one would know the truth. No one would know that Carl killed my son. I had to survive. I had to escape, find my father. He was the only one whom I knew would listen to me, let me explain everything, and be understanding at how easily those I trusted had fooled me. I had to get to my father.

That thought alone drove me as I charged through brush and past the stinging branches of the trees. Yet, before long, I felt my energy drained from me, and as much as I wanted to keep running, my chest hurt. I couldn’t breathe. Having no other choice, I slowed, gulping in air, my breath wheezing. Suddenly, a coughing fit forced me to stop.

My upper side hurt. Pain flared through me as I laid my hand on the area. Shit, that couldn’t be good. Getting my coughing under control, I stood up. A hand wrapped around my neck and jerked me back.

“Where are you going?”

I gasped as Kalen turned me to face him. His eyes were that dark color, promising violence again. I couldn’t help the meek whimper of fear that escaped me. “Leaving me so soon?” he asked, his voice a sharp bark.

I fought against my fear. Now was the time to fight. “Let go of me,” I yelled, clawing at his hand, trying to free myself from his grip.

He pulled me closer to him. “Never,” he told me, his voice low and dangerous.

“You have no right,” I argued, hitting and kicking him, but Kalen didn’t seem to notice as his eyes grew harder and darker with his anger.

A slight sound attracted my attention, and I froze as I watched my necklace slip from my neck and fall to the ground. “My necklace!” I forgot about trying to free myself from Kalen’s grip.

“I have every right,” Kalen said, then his eyes dropped to the necklace. Instantly, I knew what he meant to do, and I screamed, trying to reach the necklace before him. Yet, Kalen was like a block of stone. I couldn’t free myself or get closer to the necklace. “No,” I pleaded, as I realized I was powerless to stop him from taking it from me.

Kalen picked it up off the ground and I screamed, feeling like I was back four months ago when the pack doctor told me Caden had died. “No,” I screamed. I threw myself at Kalen so hard he took a step back.

 “No, no no, please, Kalen,” I begged him. I grabbed onto him, no longer caring about the fear of what he might do to me. No matter what, I couldn’t lose that necklace. I couldn’t lose my baby a second time. 

With tears in my eyes, I begged him, “Don’t break it, please! Oh, goddess, please, don’t do it!”

A hint of confusion broke through his anger, but quickly vanished. “You don’t want me to break it,” he said, pulling my face close to his. “Then do every damn thing I tell you, Alyssa. I promise to smash it into tiny little pieces so that it can never be fixed if you disobey me.

“No,” I screamed, tears streaming down my face. “I-I promise,” I said, still grabbing onto his shirt. “I’ll do whatever you tell me. I swear,” I said, desperation clawing through me.

“Just please don’t break it.” Goddess, let there be something of the man I remembered inside Kalen. Despite trying to reach for the necklace, Kalen kept it out of my reach.

“I know you will,” he hissed into my ear, then released my neck.

Once he released me, I collapsed onto the ground, unable to hold my weight. It was too much. Everything was too much. Why was the goddess doing this to me? What could I possibly have done to deserve this torment? Kalen grabbed me by the arm, jerking me to my feet. I cried out as pain shot through my side.

Ignoring my cries, Kalen dragged me back to the rogue’s camp. The woman from before stood, fear over her face as she saw us. Kalen threw me at her. “Get her dressed,” he yelled, then stormed off.

Again, I fell to the ground. Fear and pain mingled through me. “Come on. You heard the alpha,” she said, her voice hard and bitter.