Chapter 4
842 Words
I screamed until my voice gave out.
The rogue never slowed down.
Every bounce against his shoulder sent pain through my ribs as he carried me deeper into the forest. I kicked, clawed, and pounded my fists against his back, but it was useless. He was too strong.
“Put me down!” I cried, my voice cracking. “Please! My family will come for me!”
The rogue laughed.
It wasn’t a normal laugh.
It was cold.
Cruel.
“They won’t find you,” he said.
His words settled in my stomach like a stone.
I refused to believe him.
Dad would come.
Mom would come.
Aiden and Isaac would find me.
They had to.
They always did.
The forest seemed endless. The farther we ran, the darker everything became. The sounds of fighting disappeared until all I could hear were heavy footsteps, rustling leaves, and my own uneven breathing.
Eventually, the rogue slowed.
Several wolves stepped out from the trees ahead of us.
There were more of them than I could count.
Some were covered in blood.
Others carried weapons.
One dragged a wounded pack warrior behind him as though he were nothing more than discarded prey.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I didn’t want to look.
I didn’t want any of this to be real.
“We found the Alpha’s pup,” the rogue carrying me announced proudly.
Alpha’s pup.
The words made every pair of eyes turn toward me.
A tall man stepped forward.
Unlike the others, he looked almost… normal.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
Clean clothes.
If I had passed him in town, I never would have guessed he was a rogue.
But his eyes…
His eyes were empty.
He looked at me the way someone might look at an object they planned to sell.
“So,” he said quietly, “this is Erick Black’s daughter.”
I tried to make myself smaller.
He crouched until we were eye level.
“What is your name?”
I didn’t answer.
My father had taught me never to give strangers information.
Especially not enemies.
The man’s lips twitched into a smile.
“A brave one.”
His hand reached toward my face.
I jerked away immediately.
His smile disappeared.
Without warning, his hand struck my cheek.
The slap echoed through the trees.
Pain exploded across my face as I hit the ground.
Tears instantly filled my eyes, but I refused to cry.
“Answer me,” he said.
I swallowed hard.
“…Ivy.”
“There we go.”
He stood again, looking almost pleased with himself.
One of the rogues frowned.
“What do we do with her?”
The man looked at me for a long moment.
“She’s valuable.”
I didn’t understand.
Valuable?
“Lock her up,” he ordered. “We’ll decide what to do after the attack is over.”
The rogue yanked me back to my feet before dragging me through their camp.
Everywhere I looked, I saw fear.
Pack members tied to trees.
Warriors bleeding on the ground.
Children crying for parents who weren’t there.
I searched every face.
Mom.
Dad.
Isaac.
Aiden.
None of them were there.
A small wooden cage sat near the edge of camp.
The door creaked open.
“No…” I whispered.
The rogue shoved me inside.
I stumbled forward, catching myself on rough wooden boards.
The cage door slammed shut behind me.
A heavy lock clicked into place.
I rushed back to the bars, wrapping my fingers around the wood.
“Please!” I begged. “Please let me go! I want my mom!”
No one answered.
The rogues simply walked away.
I slid down against the back of the cage, pulling my knees to my chest.
Everything hurt.
My face stung.
My wrists were scraped raw.
My heart hurt most of all.
This couldn’t be happening.
Dad would come.
He was Alpha.
No one could stop him.
He’d rescue me.
He had to.
Hours passed.
Or maybe only minutes.
Time didn’t make sense anymore.
The camp slowly grew quieter as the rogues returned one by one.
Some celebrated.
Others argued.
A few carried things they had stolen from our pack.
I spotted a familiar blanket.
One of our pack banners.
Even toys.
My chest tightened.
They hadn’t just attacked us.
They had destroyed our home.
Night settled over the camp.
The temperature dropped.
I curled tighter into myself, shivering against the wooden wall.
I was hungry.
Cold.
Terrified.
I whispered the names of my family over and over like a prayer.
“Dad…”
“Mom…”
“Aiden…”
“Isaac…”
No one came.
Sometime during the night, exhaustion finally won.
I rested my head against my knees and closed my eyes.
The last thing I remember thinking was that tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow my family would find me.
Tomorrow I’d wake up in my own bed.
Tomorrow everything would be okay.
I was wrong.
That was the last night I ever believed someone was coming to save me.
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