Exiled By My Mate

Exiled by my Mate

CHAPTER 4

BELLA'S POV

"Walk faster". The warrior said as he pushed me forward. He was part of the group of five warriors tasked with escorting Seth and me far away from the pack.

I tried to explain the truth to Kaden, to make him see that Seth and I had done nothing wrong. That it was all a setup, orchestrated by Fiona.

But he only looked at me with spite and disbelief before calling me not just a w***e, but a shameless liar.

I don’t really blame him. Even I wouldn’t have believed me.

Fiona was the closest person in my life, why would she betray me? What could she possibly gain?

"We're close to the point where we'll turn back and leave you both to continue alone." The first warrior said.

Where would Seth and I end up? Would we even survive out here?

When we were young in the Claws pack, they told us stories about how treacherous the outside world was, filled with rogue wolves and other supernatural creatures.

I was lost in thought when the second warrior suddenly struck Seth from behind, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" I yelled, rushing to help him, only to be struck hard in the back and sent sprawling to the ground.

I lifted my head just in time to see three warriors kicking Seth over and over.

"Stop!!" I screamed with all my strength.

A hand suddenly yanked my hair, forcing my head and exposing my neck.

"Shut up...."

The first warrior said as the claws of his partially-shifted hand grazed my exposed neck.

"... Or how about I shut you up for good?" he added.

"Stop," the fifth warrior said.

"What do you mean, stop? She told us to kill them, or have you forgotten?" the first warrior asked.

My heart nearly stopped. A cold wave of panic crept through me.

Someone ordered the warriors to kill Seth and me? And from what they said, it was a woman.

"Who told you to kill us?" I demanded.

"Shut up," the first warrior snapped.

"Instead of killing them, why don't we sell them off to the underworld?" the fifth warrior suggested. "They'll die either way, but at least we'll make a profit."

"Not a bad idea," the second warrior agreed. The others stopped kicking Seth and hauled him up without hesitation.

The first warrior reversed his partial transformation, his clawed hand shrinking back to normal. He turned to the fifth warrior and asked, "So, do you have a buyer?"

***

Few hours later

"I'll take the female, even though she's looking a little worse for wear," the buyer said. He was a werewolf too, likely a rogue one.

"What about the male?" one of the warriors asked.

The buyer's eyes sized up Seth again, then he shook his head. "I don't want him; his injuries are too much to handle."

"But they'll heal eventually, just give it time," the warrior argued. He was desperate to sell us both for the highest price.

"Like you said, eventually. Those wounds were made with silver and mercury, who knows if he'll even survive until I reach the city for potions? I'm not paying top price for a living corpse," the man scoffed.

"Okay, fine. How much will you pay?" the warrior asked.

"Ten blue moon coins and twenty white moon coins," the buyer stated.

Seth and I were locked in different cages, like animals on display. The silver chains binding me prevented me from using my wolf abilities, but Seth was left unchained. There was no use binding someone who couldn't put up a fight. The buyer was right, there was no guarantee he'd be okay.

"Isn't the price too low? What about five red moon coins, twenty blue, and fifty white?" the first warrior haggled.

"No, I can't pay such a price for both of them; they are not worth it. Not to mention that I will still have to buy potions to treat the male. "The best I can do is one red moon coin, fifteen blue, and thirty-five white. Take it or leave it," the buyer said firmly.

The five warriors contemplated for a while and then reluctantly agreed to the buyer's price. He gave them the money, and they left, leaving Seth and me behind.

Once the warriors were out of sight, the buyer broke into a wide grin. He boasted to his goons about outsmarting them, buying Seth and me for next to nothing.

But his grin vanished when more than a dozen men approached from the horizon.

"s**t, the Blood Moon pack is coming! Pack up the goods, we’re leaving!" the buyer barked in panic.

Blood Moon? I squinted my eyes, trying to get a clear view of the approaching men.

"Oh, it's only a few of them, and their Alpha isn't among them. That's good. We still have a chance to get out of here before the rest arrives. Half of you, keep packing. The rest, arm yourselves with silver and prepare to shift!"

The Blood Moon pack closed in fast. The moment they arrived, chaos erupted, with both sides launching into a fierce battle.

I sat there, helpless and vulnerable, unable to do anything as a result of the chains. Suddenly, I caught movement at the edge of my vision, Seth was stirring.

I watched as he stood and used the chaos around us to get out of his cage.

He staggered to my cage, prying it open with a strength I didn’t think he had left. But the silver chains binding me posed a huge problem. I couldn't move on my own, and Seth's strength wouldn't work if he came too close.

"Wait, I'm coming!" Seth called as he rushed into the battlefield.

My heart raced as I watched him maneuver his way through the fight; his condition was bad enough, and I wanted to reach out for him before he ended up in the crossfire.

Seth skillfully made his way to the buyer, who was still in his human form, hiding behind some crates, shooting silver bullets from a small revolver. Taking advantage of his distraction, Seth leaped and tackled him to the ground.

He was never a strong wolf, and now, weakened, he stood little chance. So it didn't take long for the buyer to send him flying with a kick.

But somehow, Seth managed to make his way back to me. In his hands were the keys to the silver chains. He must have swiped them from the buyer when he tackled him.

He wasted no time unlocking my chains. I was finally free, and we searched for a way out of the chaos.

"Where do you think that you are going?"