“Geminie, are you okay in there?” Ariven’s voice calls out but I stay silent. Sitting on the floor in the bath tub I allow the warm water to fall onto my shivering body from the shower above. I feel cold, not from the warm air but from the fear still coursing through me. All I can think about is my fourteenth birthday, a day that killed the innocence inside me. The water stops and strong arms lift me from my siting position wrapping me in a large soft and fluffy towel and Ariven’s scent fills me.
“It’s okay darling. No one can hurt you.” He whispers, his hands slowly rubbing my back. We sit on the bathroom floor, my body shaking while clinging to his now damp shirt, fighting back the tears threatening to spill. Ice blue eyes hunt my mind, eyes that help pleasure and greed inside them.
“No one can hurt you Geminie, not with me here.” Ariven reassures, tucking my head under his chin not caring for my dripping hair. Finally the tears spill and I sob into his shoulder, Ariven holding me tighter and humming a lullaby while the fear inside me runs it’s course.
“Talk to me baby. I can’t help if you stay silent love.” He pleads, the worry and hurt evident in his voice. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, the secret that only five people know about.
“I’m not pure.” I choke out, more tears flowing from my eyes.
“Bastian set me up and…and I was raped.” This comes out as a whisper, Ariven’s body going stiff before he pulls me tighter to him, his arms keeping me in a protective cocoon while I delve into what happened.
…
“Excuse me Beta but where are we going?” I ask turning from looking at the trees passing by us to look at the man beside me. I thought that today would be just like the usual. Wake up, get dressed, do chores, go to bed. Instead, I was surprised when I opened my bedroom door in the attic to see Beta Bastian in front of me, the father that disowned me holding a pink gift bag in hand as he gives me a small smile. Hope of being his daughter and a Beta once more fills me when he handed me the bag and told me to change into the gift inside. After agreeing and opening the bag I found a beautiful baby blue sundress that fit me perfectly, my slowly maturing body being accentuated by the soft cotton and lace. From there I left with the Beta and have been driving to the “surprise” he mentioned earlier this morning.
The car turns down a side road, slowing down as trees become sparse and a field of wild flowers come into view. Worry creeps into me, this being neutral territory and Rogues are around meaning an attack is possible. But the view of the flowers reassure me that no one else is here. So what were we doing here?
“Geminie.” Beta Bastian calls out putting the car in park and giving me a smile, one that sends shivers down my spine.
“You are here to pay off a debt I owe to a Rogue.” My seat belt is unbuckled as he talks, the uneasy feeling creeping inside me once more.
“He asked for a play thing, a female play thing. All you have to do is make it to the pack house. If you make it there before he catches you the debt is paid. If he catches you, the debt is still paid but he can spend the rest of the day doing what ever he wants with you.” Realization hits at what Bastian has done. That he is using me to satisfy some depraved Rogue’s desires in order to escape a debt owed to said Rogue. I am just a means to an end.
“Oh, and happy birthday bitch.” Beta Bastian finishes, the door being opened and my body being pushed out of the Jeep and sprawling onto the floor. I don’t even have time to get up and beg to be let back in before Beta Bastian shifts into gear and rushes off, the tires leaving a deep groove in the wild flower field.
“Yeah, happy birthday to me.” I mutter out sarcastically, standing and dusting out the dress I am wearing. It all makes sense why I would receive and brand new dress when normally Omegas receive hand me downs of charity clothes from the human churches. None of us had received anything new since the Blakes took control as they wait for Mika to become of age. Deciding not to dwell on the negative and stay in the same spot, I retrieve my phone from the only pocket of the dress, grateful that Alex pays in secret for the bill, and google search the pack house. With a groan I learn I have a four hour walk ahead of me.
“Better get to walking.” I grumble out, heading west towards the direction of the pack. The forest is filled with the chitter of birds and rustling of leaves, the noise calming me down as I try not to think of the possibility of Rogues and Soulless in the area waiting in ambush for easy prey. Happy that I had worn a pair of white sneakers and not heels as the trek is rough with many roots above the ground. Every so often I will check my phone, making sure I am heading in the right direction and seeing just how much time has passed. By now I am tired and thirsty, in need of an ice cold glass of water. With only one and a half hours left to go, I power through intending to make it to the safety of the pack lines before I rest.
Snap
The sound of twigs breaking behind me stops me mid step. The forest is silent as I had not registered the change being too focused with returning to Hidden Claws. The wind blows from behind carrying the stench of wolf mixed with decay. A Rogue that has yet to turn into a Soulless.
“Hello little prey.” A voice calls out from the trees echoing around me making it hard to pin point where the Rogue is.
“Beta Bastian says you are to pay the debt owed to me any way I see fit if I can catch you.” He chuckles out manically. Fear wraps a tight grip around me knowing now that what the Beta said was the truth. He owed a debt and I would be the payment one way or another. I shudder, trying not to think what can happen to me if I am caught. Without hesitation I bolt, running towards the direction of the pack lines weaving through trees and running through stream in hope to lose the wolf behind me. I try every trick Alex taught me in how to mask my scent, even running through a patch of flowers and rubbing the petals on my skin in order to do my best to run away undetected.
A hum of energy calls to me after time has passed, my legs sore from the exertion and body weak from lack of food and water. I am close to my so called home. Only a few feet left and I will be safe. A shadow jumps into my path, forcing me to stop with a large grey wolf with ice blue eyes stare back at me. The wolf soon shifts, a naked man in his twenties sends me a repulsive smile, his eyes roving over my body. Licking his lips the man slowly stalks towards me, his blood humming with power indicating he is, or was, an Alpha.
“Thanks for the chase lovely prey, but now I am ready to get what is owed to me.” His voice is full of charm but all I feel is fear. My tired, sore legs refuse to move but even if I could run I realise that this wolf has always been watching me since Beta Bastian dropped me off. I never once lost him.
Before I know it I am thrown to the ground, the naked wolf above me ripping my new dress to shreds while his lips kiss every inch of skin. As promised by the Beta, I paid a debt that day and had so much stolen by the Rogue wolf.
…
“Mika found me that night curled in a ball sobbing. He was on patrol that day and smelt the Rogue, his scent everywhere including on and inside me.” I mumble out, exhaustion taking over my body. Soft kisses are placed on my temple and I register the fact I am curled in bed with Ariven wrapped around me, a soft blanket covering us.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that Geminie.” My friend whispers out, wiping away stray tears from my face. The fear has faded, finally able to talk to someone I trust about this night and why I hate my birthday so much.
“He carried me to the pack doctor, getting a rape test done and my statement about what happened. It was the first time I seen him furious with Bastian.” I add, thinking back to the nights I spent in the hospitals. The times a nurse would wake me from a nightmare and hold me while I sobbed and the pain I felt for days on end. I never want to go through that pain again.
“I hate to ask this but do you think that this Rogue has anything to do with the Soulless?” I pause to think about Ariven’s question but the answer is obvious, so obvious that I am mad I did not think about it myself.
“If Lupus is here, then it is safe to say he is the Leader of the Soulless and the enemy we have to worry about.”