Captive Luna

Captured

HER

    She glanced at her phone. 10:53 am. She had been walking briskly for over two hours now. She became dejected; she thought the river was only a few miles east. She could still hear it faintly.

Where the hell is that river?

    She stopped to really sniff the air. She could smell the river but oddly, she could barely hear it. It must not have been a river and only a creek. It would have to do, as she was desperate to wash herself. She continued in the direction of the smell, it got stronger the closer she got to it. About half an hour later, she finally saw the creek. It was actually a little deeper than she thought. She could quickly rinse herself. She dropped her backpack on the ground and unpacked her extra clothes and a small body wash that she had taken from one of the guest rooms. She stripped out of her clothes and quickly stepped into the creek. The water was waist-high. She soaped her body, cleaning her lady bits. She hated not showering. She often took a shower in the morning to wake herself up and then at night when her mate left.

     She finished cleaning herself and walked back to her belongings. She waited a few minutes before getting dressed. She wasn’t able to bring a towel because it would have been too bulky. She decided to wash her underwear with body soap. She only used a drop, since she wasn’t sure when she would get to civilization. She looped her freshly cleaned underwear to one of the straps on her backpack and snapped the belt shut. It would air dry as she made her way through the forest.

    She packed her things up and then listened to the forest once again. She had to rely on her senses since there was still no service. She heard the faint rush of water. It had to be close. She began walking in the direction of the sound. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like someone was watching her. She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. She must be imagining things. She continued on her journey, the sound of the river getting louder though only to a wolf. Humans wouldn’t be able to hear the rapids at all from that distance. She got the weird feeling that she was being watched again. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. No, she definitely was being watched.

    She started to walk faster, hoping the river was close. All she had to do was get there, and she could follow it and hopefully outrun whoever was following her. The sound of the river became louder, and she smiled, knowing she was almost there. Without realizing it, she had reached into her side pocket for the bear mace. It had become a habit since she left. Even though wolves can heal fast, mace would still blind them temporarily and long enough to get away if she needed to. It would take at least an hour for any wolf, including the higher-ranked ones, to recover from that. Most wolves relied on sight to fight, but she had trained blindfolded, just in case. She was grateful to her former head warrior. He had trained her secretly until the Alpha found out and punished them. She wasn’t allowed to fight.

     She finally reached the river and dared to look behind her. She was met with silence. The hairs on the back of her neck were no longer raised. She glanced around again and decided it was safe. She dropped her backpack down on the ground along the riverbank and took off her shoes. She waded into the river, just until the water reached her knees. She started to rinse her hair. She wished she thought to take some shampoo. She internally curses at how long it will take her long locks to air dry.

    She squeezed out as much water from her hair as possible and slowly trudged back to the riverbank where she left her things. She shook her hair and tied it into a messy bun. Thankfully, it was summer; her hair would dry faster but she didn’t feel like letting her hair dampen her shirt. She put her shoes back on and decided that now would be a good time to eat. She was unusually hungry again.

     She stuffed her now dry underwear into her backpack and fished out another sandwich. She wished she put jam in too. She settled for the sandwich again and decided to save the granola bar for her journey toward the nearest city. As she was eating, the hair on the back of her neck rose again. She wasn’t alone anymore.

    “What do you think you’re doing?” A deep, male voice growled. She froze, sandwich suspended in its path to her mouth. She lowered her hand and slowly turned around. Two tall, but extremely good-looking men stood before her. They both cleared six feet easily. One was slightly taller than the other, but both were definitely taller than the average wolf. The taller one was raven-haired, with his hair unkempt; that just-rolled-out-of-bed look and yet, still extremely sexy. His eyes were a cobalt blue. She could see the outline of some very hard muscles on his lean body. His face had the five o’clock shadow, his jawline taut and his full lips pulled into a tight line. He was not impressed.

     The shorter one, equally as handsome. His brown hair kept just the same as his friend – also must have just rolled out of bed. He was bulkier than the taller one, but it was all muscle straining against his clothes. He was a beast. His hazel eyes gazed at her intently. She could get lost in those eyes. His tanned features accentuated the sharpness of his face. His lips so pink she wanted to kiss them.

Oh, Goddess….

    “I’m sorry, I was about to have a sandwich. Would you like some?” she asked the taller one, as he seemed to be the one that spoke. She held up her half-eaten sandwich and offered it to him. He looked at her, amused, but she couldn’t tell since his expression had never changed. He shook his head.

    “You realize you’re trespassing, right?” Tall Boy said quietly. Scarily quiet. Her eyes widened and she stood up quickly, stuffing the rest of her sandwich into her mouth. She gathered her things and finished chewing, holding up a finger to excuse her chewing.

    “I’m sorry, I didn’t know where the lines were,” she said apologetically through the mouthful of her sandwich. “I mean no harm, I’m actually lost. I was trying to get to the nearest city so I can rest. I swear, I’m not trying to trespass deliberately.”

    “Whether you meant to or not, you are on lands you have no business being on,” Tall Boy said firmly. “You know how it works.”

    She narrowed her eyes at him. She knew at that moment it was fight or flight. She wasn’t sure if she could take both of them at the same time, but she could separately. Her instincts kicked in, her wolf Claude (short for Claudette) taking over.

     “How about we make a deal,” her wolf said authoritatively. “I fight you one by one, and if I don’t die, I get to leave.” Tall Boy’s eyes flickered with anger.

     “How about we just kill you now, rogue, and be on our way?” he said, his voice laced with acid. “It’ll be quick, I promise.”

Her eyes narrowed even further. She supposed she could try. Maybe Short Boy was a little slower and she could take him out first. She would have to run around and take them down slowly. If they shifted, it might present a bigger issue.

      “I –“ she closed her mouth, unable to think of a smartass reply.

Get the mace ready, spray Tall Boy because he’ll be the faster one. Short Boy won’t be able to catch us! Claude commanded. 

Their eyes glazed over suddenly. They were mind-linking. Short Boy stepped forward. She prepared herself, readying the mace.

    “You won't fight us and we won’t fight a pregnant wolf,” he said firmly. “How irresponsible can a she-wolf be to fight while pregnant?”

Her jaw dropped, if it could, to the ground. When did that happen?

How in the world? Claude said, dumbfounded. He always pulled out and made us take those pills! Why don’t we feel sick?

I don’t know Claude, she mumbled. I couldn’t find a meme to post my reaction to this s**t if my life depended on it.

Okay, let me think. I think we need to make a run for it, the first opportunity we get, Claude said quickly. Just cover our face and spray and make a mad dash. She nodded internally to Claude.

    “Well, that’s news to me,” she said to Short Boy, eyes wide. “How can you tell?” She needed to keep him talking. Tall Boy grabbed her arm. Claude snarled at him. He rolled his eyes at her.

I swear, we should tell him! Claude said to her.

No, no.... we can’t tell anyone. He’ll find us otherwise.

Okay fine. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to run, Claude replies, dejected.

    He tugged at her to get her moving. Short Boy led the way. She began to resist. Tall Boy released her arm momentarily surprised and turned to face her, ready to snarl in her face.

NOW!

    She made a break for it and sprinted away. She heard Short Boy yelling at Tall Boy, blaming him for her escape. They ran after her, trying to catch up. She darted in a zigzag, hoping to throw them off her scent. She saw a sturdy tree and climbed it quickly. It was taller than the one she had slept in the previous night, but this one had wider branches. This tree could be a good place to sleep for the night. She held her breath as she watched them dart around her on the ground. Breathing very slowly, she watched them stop at a nearby tree. She could hear them cursing at each other. Slowly, they were giving up. She smiled to herself. She was safe.

    She shifted her weight and suddenly, she heard a loud crack. The branch gave out underneath her. She immediately braced her legs but bent them slightly so she wouldn't break her legs. She landed with a thud, as the men look toward the sound. Her ankle gave out and she crumbled to the ground. Okay, maybe not safe. Tall Boy snickered and Short Boy swatted his arm. She was momentarily stunned at the pain but got up and tried to make a run for it. She only made it three steps before she collapsed in pain.

    ”Are you okay?” Short Boy asked her quietly. He looked at her face and suddenly, it was like she was in a trance.

    “I–I’m fine,” she mumbled, grasping her ankle. She grimaced at the sharp pain. Yep, it’s broken. She stood up, leaning on her good foot. Tall Boy looked irritated. He grabbed her arm firmly.

    “I can walk just fine,” she muttered. She turned and took a step, and promptly crumbled to the ground.

    “Sure you can, “ Tall Boy snickered, stressing the ‘sure’. She throws him a deadly glare. If looks could kill, this tall and handsome man would have died when they first crossed paths. The really good-looking ones are always assholes, she mutters in her thoughts. She stood up, and placed her bad foot on the ground, testing her pain. She bit her lip, walking wasn’t happening.

    “I will carry you,” Short Boy said quietly. There was no use in arguing. She was headed to their prison.

Welp, this sucks, Claude, sighs.

I know. Don’t worry, we’ll figure out how to get out of here, she replied as Short Boy picked her up, backpack style.