Abducted
1143 Words
Arya’s hands shook so badly that she had to hide them in the folds of her dress. Sweat gathered on her brows, and her gut lurched. She swallowed, willing herself not to be sick.
When no answer was forthcoming, the man smiled, and it sent a chill straight down her spine. Still staring at them, he lifted Headmistress Langston’s arm so that it was in plain sight. Callously, he bent her index finger until Arya heard the betraying pop of bone.
One of the teachers shrieked and ran forward, only to be backhanded down by one of the wolves. The rest of the teachers gasped at the bold outrage.
“This is neutral ground,” Headmistress Langston said in a thin voice. “You disobey the will of the werewolf King by bringing violence here.”
“Shut up, you old hag,” the man snapped. “Tell me where Arya Madison is or I’ll kill every last one of you.”
Arya sucked in her breath and curled her fingers into balls at her sides. She believed him. There was too much evil, too much desperation, in his eyes. He had evil intentions and he wouldn’t be denied.
He grasped Headmistress Langston’s middle finger, and Arya rushed forward.
“No my child, don’t,” Headmistress Langston cried when she saw Arya rush forward.
Arya ignored her. She could not stand by and let others be tortured in her place. “I’m Arya Madison. Now let her go!”
The man dropped Headmistress Langston’s hand then shoved the woman back. He stared at Arya with interest, and then let his gaze wander suggestively down her body and back up again. Arya’s cheeks flamed at the blatant disrespect, but she showed no fear, staring back at the man with as much defiance as she dared.
He snapped his fingers, and two men advanced on Arya, grabbing her before she could think to run. They had her on the floor in a split second, their hands fumbling with the hem of her nightgown.
She kicked wildly, flailing her arms, but she was no match for their strength. Would they r**e her here on the floor of the school? Tears gathered in her eyes as they shoved her clothing up over her hips.
They turned her to the left and fingers touched her waist, right where the mark rested. The mark was that of a blood moon with five stars circling it. The moon signified her status as royalty, while the stars signified her position in the royal family.
Oh crap, she thought.
They knew of her mark. There was a mole in the palace. That’s the only way they could have learnt of the mark.
She bowed her head as tears of defeat slipped down her cheeks. There was no way she could talk herself out of what was going to happen next.
“It’s her!” one of them said excitedly.
He was instantly shoved aside as the leader bent over to examine the mark with his own eyes.
He, too, touched it, outlining the royal crest of werewolf King Mathias. Issuing a grunt of satisfaction, he curled his hand around her chin and yanked it until she faced him.
His smile revolted her.
“We’ve been looking for you for a long time, Arya Madison.”
“Screw you,” she spat.
Instead of striking her, his grin broadened. “Tsk-tsk. You have such a fiery passion for a member of the royal family. I will enjoy taming you, wolfless woman.”
He stood rapidly, and before Arya could blink, she was hauled over a man’s shoulder, and the werewolves filed out of the school and into the surrounding forest.
The ones who had remained in human form wasted no time transforming into their wolves. Arya was gagged then trussed hand and foot and tossed over the back of one of the larger wolves. Then they were off, the thunder of paws on dirt echoing in the distance, before she had time to react. They were as precise as they were ruthless.
The stiff fur dug into her belly, and she bounced up and down until she was sure she was going to throw up. She moaned, afraid she’d choke with the gag so securely around her mouth.
When they finally stopped, it was night and she was nearly unconscious. A hand gripped her nape, the fingers easily circling the slim column. She was hauled upward and dropped unceremoniously to the ground.
Around her, the wolves had returned to their human forms to make camp while she lay shivering in the damp air. Finally, she heard one of them say, “ You should check on the princess, Remus. Alpha Jaxx won’t be happy if she dies before he can mate with her and we won’t get the rest of our money.”
An irritated grunt followed, but a minute later, she was untied and the gag removed. Remus, the apparent leader of this group of wolves for hire responsible for her a*******n, leaned down over her, his eyes gleaming in the light of the fire.
“There’s no one to hear you scream, and if you utter a sound, I’ll break your jaw. My instructions were to bring you alive. They did not specify in what condition. So if you know what’s best for you, you won’t give me a reason.”
She nodded her understanding and crawled to an upright position. He nudged her backside with his boot and chuckled when she whirled around in outrage.
“There’s a blanket by the fire. Get on it and get some sleep. We leave again at first light.”
She curled gratefully into the warmth of the blanket. She did not care that the stones and sticks on the ground dug into her skin. Alpha Jaxx… she’d heard talk of him from the other teachers. He was a ruthless wolf. Greedy and eager to add to his growing power, he was making a play to be named Alpha of all the packs in Guyana. He wanted to be king. It was rumored that his pack was one of the largest in all of South America and that Mathias, the werewolf king, feared him.
Amos, the bastard son of Mathias—and Arya's half-brother—had already launched an attack on the kingdom, in a bid for the throne. Were Amos and Jaxx to become allies, they would be a near unstoppable force.
She swallowed and closed her eyes. The possession of Crescent Fall would render Jaxx invincible.
“Dear God, Moon Goddess, help me,” she whispered.
She couldn’t allow him to gain control of Crescent Fall. It was her legacy… the only thing of her father’s that she had and it was meant for her mate, not for some greedy werewolf.
- Writer
