Aria's Revenge

CHAPTER TWO

Aria's POV

They cut into my skin like a knife in the cold night air; stumbling through the dark forest that lie around Raven’s Peak.

All around, shadows, twisted shapes staring at me, mocking me, reminding me how far I'd come.

I don't want to think about nature though, the old nature I knew so well, the one that made me want to merge with the woodland floor and hide in tiny little crevices where no one could find me. Well, that kind of nature made me nervous, and each rustle of leaves, each snap of a twig, hit my nerves like an echoing siren.

I fought the ache in my legs and the burning in my chest, and kept moving. It was set in the reality of me in my new existence; they called me like that: wouldn't it be perfect if I spent my existence as a degenerate homeless person? Rejected, betrayed, disgraced like a common criminal. I wanted to cry, to collapse in despair, but I couldn’t afford to let myself be weak right now. Not here. Not when danger was around every tree.

I froze, suddenly hearing a low growl. I spun around in my heart to see a pair of yellow eyes watching me from the shadows. I took a step back, but it was too late, panic flared. The fangs of the rogue wolf snarled viciously at me as he lunged. I barely got out of the way, stumbling back with my foot caught on a root and sent sprawling to the ground.

I hit the dirt and my body screamed in pain, but I forced myself to roll to the side just in time to avoid another rogue wolf pouncing, his claws slashing through the air where my head had been moments before. Ignoring the burning pain in my ribs, I scrambled to my feet and chose survival.

I was still a warrior, I may have been a rejected mate. Ryder had taken everything from me, but he didn’t take my skills or my will to survive with him.

I squared off against the rogue and growled fiercely on my own. The instinct to fight flared within me; his lips peeled back to show sharp teeth, and he snarled. I used every bit of strength I had left to launch myself at him. My fingernails scratched his snout, tearing at the skin with their strength. The rogue howled, stunned momentarily, and I ran past him as fast as I could, my injured body allowing.

I ran, my pulse with adrenaline, my eyesight forced to blur around me as I fled into the forest. Behind me, I could hear him following, his heavy footsteps thundering close behind. But I forced it down and focused on the path ahead. I was alone, hunted and desperate. I was now my former pack mates' enemies and the rogues saw me as easy prey.

I ran until my legs ached, my lungs burned, and I couldn’t tell if I had feet anymore. The trees thinned and finally revealed an old, run-down shack nestled between the boulders. I slammed the door behind me and stumbled inside, leaning against it, gasping for breath. I was exhausted, every muscle in my body screaming for rest, and my body shook.

I glanced around the shack. The broken furniture was dusted over, and spiderwebs covered the cracked walls. Abandonment and decay infused it, but it was shelter, and for the moment it worked.

I fell to the floor, grimacing at the new cuts and bruises I found on my skin. A gash on my arm bled blood, staining the shredded fabric of my shirt. I tore off a strip from the bottom and tied it around the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Pain filled every movement, but I grit my teeth and endure it.

The darkness sat alone with me and the reality of my situation hit me like a wave. I had just been the Alpha’s mate, Raven’s Peak, hours before. I was nothing, now, a rogue, hated and hunted. I laughed bitterly at the thought of Ryder’s betrayal and how he’d looked at me with such cold contempt. He hadn’t only rejected me as his mate but condemned me to this hell.

A flicker of anger flared inside of me, but the despair threatened to consume me. Yes, Ryder had taken everything from me, but he hadn’t broken me. I was still alive, I was still here. And I would survive. I wouldn't just survive, I would do more. I would make him pay for every ounce of pain he’d caused me, every lie he’d told to get my pack to turn on me. I thought Ryder thought he’d seen the last of me, but he was wrong.

I clenched my fists in resolve just as I was snapped back into reality by a sound outside. It was footsteps. Then followed by low voices, getting closer. I pressed myself against the wall, trying to make myself as small as possible. My heart leaped into my throat.

The shadows moved, and I saw the movement through a c***k in the wall. We had an eye on a group of rogues prowling outside — maybe four, maybe five — blade lights shining in their malice and hunger.

I prayed they’d pass by, but luck was not with me tonight. A figure stepped into the room and the door creaked open. But he was tall, his face a silhouette, shadowed by shadows, and had authority and danger in his presence. Behind him, the other rogues stood with their eyes on me with predatory interest.

The figure drew, “Well, well, look what we have here. His eyes were cold and calculating, scarred across his face. I knew him by whispers Vega, the rogue leader.

I choked down a swallow, trying to keep calm when every instinct told me to run. But I had nowhere to go. My body was too weak to put up much of a fight, my back pressed against the wall. And Vega knew it. Somehow, his gaze raked over me, and he twisted his lips into a cruel smile.

“The Alpha’s little castaway, you must be Aria.” It was mocking twisted satisfaction. “Didn’t take long for your pack to run their backs on you?”

I glared at him, not willing to let him see my fear. “Get out of my way.”

A low menacing sound that sent a chill down my spine, Vega chuckled. “You don’t have any business making demands, sweetheart. You’re nothing but a rogue out here, just like the rest of us. We’re always looking for recruits, and lucky for you.”

The defiance simmered within me even though I was in danger. I clenched my fists. “I would rather die than join you.”

His teeth gleamed in the darkness and his smile widened. “Oh, you don’t get a choice. You’re in my territory now, and that means you’re mine.”

I felt fear in my stomach, but I wouldn’t let fear show on my face. The eyes of Vega glinted like predators who were taking a step closer. The hopelessness was closing in on me, walls were closing in; I could feel it. The universe was intent on breaking me, my banishment, Ryder’s betrayal… But I wasn’t done fighting. Not yet.

His fingers brushed my cheek, and I recoiled, but there was nowhere to go. I was alone, surrounded by enemies, trapped.

As my vision started to blur from exhaustion and the pain I was in from my wounds, I saw his cruel smile deepen. Whispering into a voice twisted around with malice, he told me, “Welcome to your new life, Aria.”