Silver Flame

“You killed him.” There was no sorrow in her tone as she watched her husband’s head roll along the ground in front of her. Those eyes that would coldly stare at her each morning now stared at her lifelessly. Scarlett could feel her hands shaking, the aftermath of the battle was still fresh. The smell of blood and smoke lingered in the air and settled in her stomach. She felt nauseous, she was fighting the urge to throw up. “Great observation skills, little wolf. Now, get up.” Scarlett’s head spun and she barely had time to look at the man that spoke to her. His tone was rough, his hand even rougher. She could feel him squeezing onto her arm to get her to look at him. She could barely focus, her gaze still moved over to Oren. He was dead. He was dead. Scarlett laughed loudly. The sound echoed around the field, heads whipped around to try and find the source but Scarlett couldn’t care less. The laugh bubbled from her belly, rolling through her chest as she doubled over and tried to catch her breath. The bastard was f*****g dead. The man that had been holding onto her shook her arm and forced her to look at him. His touch felt warm, comforting almost. It was a strange sensation. Scarlett blinked, her laugh dying in her throat in a short gasp. Eyes as dark as the northern sea stared right at her, there were light flecks of silver dancing in the midst of his irises. He was beautiful. Scarlett had never used that word to describe a man before, but there was nothing else for her to say. His eyelashes were high, his cheekbones high, full lips and a fanged smile that had her wondering just what kind of wolf he was. His dark hair was a mess in front of him, wisps falling down into his eyes. She found herself a little starstruck. He was speaking, but she didn’t hear a word that he was saying. “Why the hell were you laughing? Got hit in the head too hard? f**k, what am I going to tell Sylus?” His face was covered in blood, it didn’t seem to be his own. It didn’t even seem like he had gotten hurt at all. She kept on staring at him until her eyes were drawn down to the insignia on his chest. A large wolf, his mouth open biting into another. It was embroidered with beautiful silver threads along his chest. “Dread Wolves,” she whispered. “Ah, so it speaks.” Dread Wolves. The pack that had attacked them were f*****g Dread Wolves. Oh, she was screwed. She was absolutely screwed. Scarlett tugged hard at his hand, kicking out with her leg as she began to scream. “Let me go, asshole!” Her cries fell on deaf ears as he looked down at her and began to laugh. It wasn’t cruel, which was what she was used to hearing, but rather it was hearty as if he couldn’t believe the situation himself. He paid her no mind, simply pulling her arm taught behind her back and pushing her forward. “I’d stop screaming if I were you. We’ve taken over this territory. No one cares about your yells, little wolf. You’re ours now.” Was this her life? “You don’t want her, she’s a Silver Widow. Look at her, another mate killed.” The words sliced through her and she found herself going limp in his hold. Those two simple words brought her down like nothing else. It felt as if an anchor had been thrown onto her shoulders and was pushing her down into the Earth. Memories of her first mate dead in their bed were something she’d never forget. The screams and cries from his mother. The way his sister shook her and threw her to the floor. He was perfectly healthy. He was fine. The only logical explanation was that she did something to him. She killed him. She was bad luck. “What the hell is that? A new Pokémon?” Scarlett could feel his eyes on the back of her neck but she said nothing. She straightened herself up slowly. She had to remind herself that this wasn’t her pack. She was practically sold here after the death of her first mate. Her father had told her that she was lucky they were willing to take in someone like her. She was being taken again, but what other choice did she have? The least she could do was leave with dignity. The dark haired man dragged her forward towards a large truck. The ground felt heavy as she walked, as if she would sink in. The guilt weighed down heavily on her shoulders. If only the Earth could swallow her whole. Debris was littered all around the field; bullet shells and makeshift weapons. The grass was burnt in certain areas, flowers trampled and the dirt disturbed. She saw men and women in various stages of their shift, some had barely managed to make it before they were killed. It all felt very senseless to her. Oren had been a terrible ruler. He drove his people toward their own death. He often instigated territory battles in the name of his own greed. He got what he deserved. “Get in the truck,” he said. He led her towards the dark green truck, opening the tarp and helping her up along the step and into the back. There wasn’t anyone else here, it was a supply one. Her eyes moved over to the various crates, taking them in. She saw some fabric, fruits and a few different tools. She said nothing as she curled up against one of the larger boxes and pressed her face down against her knees. “Wait here, alright? I mean it. You think I’m scary? If I let you go, we’re both in for it. Sylus will have our asses.” Sylus? He had mentioned him twice now. She didn’t have time to ask the dark haired man anything before he pulled the tarp closed, and she was suddenly met with a silence so deafening she felt it hollow out her bloody skull. Scarlett wanted to scream. Yet, all she could do was cry. “This is some sick f*****g joke,” she said. She laughed again, humourlessly, as she stared up at the ceiling of the truck. Her eyes counted the screws along hardened material. She jumped with a start when she felt the truck rumble to life. She heard the sound of two voices, the dark haired asshole from earlier and another smoother, velvet sounding voice that almost made her purr. Genuinely, what the f**k was wrong with her? “I’m going insane. I’m actually going insane. Something must have hit me in the head. I need to get out of here. I need to leave.” The truck was rumbling along the ground. Her body bounced up and down with each pass over the terrain. She peeked out through a small opening to see where they were. Scarlett knew they were leaving her pack but where were they going? To Dread Wolf territory? They were the last truck. Scarlett looked around at the boxes that took up most of the space in the truck. She began to open them, her body still shaking from the rocky terrain. “Their driving will kill me before we even make it there.” She pulled out some cloth, ripping at the material and using it to wrap around her torso and her head. It wasn’t the brightest idea she had, but what else could she do with the little resources she was given? She grabbed some of the fruit, stuffing them into a makeshift sack. If anything, they’d help her until she could go hunting. The truck was moving a little faster now but she figured there was no time like the present. Scarlett reached forward towards the tarp of the truck, her fingers grabbing onto the rope that was wound around the bottom hook. She made quick work of it, opening the tarp just enough so that she could slip out. Scarlett refused to be the victim again. She was going to get herself out of this one way or the other.