Chapter 14
1682 Words
Aria
The orange rays of the sun soon greeted us, the sun had set in the horizon, I was still pressed tightly against Mika.
She wasn't as wild as Cain but she was just as carefree, running amok.
My teeth clattered against each other, I finally understood the point of the leather jackets.
Finally Jax's bike diverted into a forest, all the others including us followed through, meanwhile Cain continued into the distance like he was racing against time itself.
“Where are we going?” I asked, even though I could barely hear myself in the sea of roaring engines.
“We're camping for the night princess.” Mika replied coming to a halt at a clearing, all the bikes stopped forming a strategic circle against each other.
I nodded, pushing myself off the bike, my knees wobbled, already weak and numb from all the riding nearly retching, but I forced it all down.
A voice sneered from behind, “Not only do we have to accommodate daddy's little princess, we have to pause cause can't even handle a little ride,”
“Stanley,” Mika warned, “Drop it.”
“What? I'm just saying the truth”
He walked up to us glaring fiercely, “Our world is not for soft little girls, today we're camping for your sake, something that has never been done, not since we began riding. You'll bring ruin to the Alpha, your weakness is the last thing he needs.” He spat and stormed off.
No one said anything, they didn't comfort me nor deny the accusations, he wasn't the only one thinking that way, just the only one brave enough to say it out loud.
“Come on, let's set up your tent” Mika urged, totally ignoring what just happened, Jax and Bones seemed stuck in a conversation but from the way their pupils darted towards my direction every five minutes I knew they had eyes on me.
And to think all of it just stung, it stung deeper than a bee's bite. Weakness, my weakness, the reason I couldn't protect Elena, the reason I had to wait like a damsel in distress to be saved, except unlike Cinderella my saviour was no prince.
Something hot stirred in me, I turned towards them, all of them, watching as boots moved, inhaling the dust in the air and the green, birds chirped in the distance, my fingers curled of their own accord.
I swore solemnly, chest heavy and aching, ‘I will get stronger.' The pain from my fingers digging into my palm sent a wave of clarity down my head. I refuse to remain the weak helpless girl they all believe me to be.
“More walking, less standing princess” Mika called, cutting through my thoughts.
I snapped out of it instantly, “coming” I followed instantly.
We began setting up just like the others and in the blink of an eye a ready made tent was ready, the entire camp was lined with different tents, the biggest sat at the center.
“That belongs to Alpha.” Mika walked up behind me
I removed my face, “I didn't ask.”
“No. Your eyes did” she shrugged. “Try being less of an open book if you don't want everyone knowing what's on your mind.”
I rolled my eyes, “Guess I have a lot to learn then.”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Are you always like this?” I wondered.
“Like what?”
“Blunt and straightforward.”
“Well,” she smacked her lips, “it's not like there's any point pretending or running around things in circles, it's better to have everything clarified neatly.”
Sigh.
“You have a point.”
“Of course, I—”
“Hey Mika, can I steal your time for a while?” Bones walked up to us, “Hey princess” he greeted.
I groaned, “Why does everyone keep calling me that?”
They shrugged, and began muttering to themselves, damn, this would have been a perfect time for my wolf hearing to come into use, but like the rest of me, it was defective.
Bones faced me, a warm smile etched on his face “Your detox will be starting today princess.”
“Detox?”
“Yes.” He nodded, then continued, “the wolfsbane you've been fed has eaten deep into your body, killing your organs slowly too, basically it's a slow acting poison that's deeply buried.”
“Slow acting poison equals slow detoxification procedure.” I finally understood.
“Yes.”
“Okay, when do we—”
“Mika, Bones, we're going hunting.” Stanley's voice followed by his presence came up to us.
Hunting? I wondered.
What was that about?
Mika nodded, “I'll join up, where's everyone?”
“Hiding clothes,”
It suddenly clicked, they were hunting in their wolf form, bile rose at the back of my throat at the image my brain conjured.
“You look like you just swallowed s**t. Are you okay?” Mika asked.
“You're going hunting?” My voice was barely a whisper, “As in hunting animals?”
“Eating them too.” She added, “I'll bring you some, my treat. We need to feed our beast, this keeps them at bay and sometimes it's just fun.”
I swallowed nothing.
“You seem to have forgotten that our biology princess?” Stanley's voice carried a hint of contempt, “we're more beast than man, no amount of technology can change that, or maybe you've been so cooped up in your little palace that you've forgotten.”
“Stanley” Bones growled, visibly irritated.
The pressure around us dropped instantly, “Shut up and walk away. Now.”
I looked at Mika in surprise, she stood up for me.
Stanley looked like he had more to say, but with a scoff he stomped away.
“I'll be heading out now. Good luck princess.” She said with a smile.
My eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the trees, soon a loud howl filled the night followed by several other howls.
“Guess that leaves just us huh” my toes rubbed against each other, what happens now.
“Relax princess,” he winked, “I don't bite. Unless you want me to.”
I chuckled, “what next?”
“Come”
He led me to a tent five tents away from the one Mika set up for us.
“Its not much, but this will have to do for now.”
He had crafted a makeshift room with a bed held up by substitute pillars, the entire tent smelt like antiseptic and disinfectant, I raised an eyebrow.
“You're basically human, and the purpose of this is to help you not risk you getting infected.”
I knew he didn't intend anything by it but the words still stung, I nodded, “Fair enough.”
“Great, just lie on the bed, I'll prepare everything.”
He opened a box and the first thing that caught my eye was a familiar set of scalpel and needles. My heart raced, goosebumps rose on my body, I held onto the bed for support.
“You look pale, are you okay?” He asked.
“Yes,” I gritted out, my forehead was already getting drenched with sweat.
‘They’re not here, it's not them, you're safe, they can't hurt you.’ I chanted over and over like a mantra.
“Are you sure you're okay?” His voice carried uncertainty.
I inhaled deeply “I can do this” with that I pushed my trembling body to lie on the bed, facing the canopy head of the tent.
I could hear my own heart beat, voices ringing in my head, “They’re not here, it's not them, you're safe, they can't hurt you” I repeated my mantra, forcing myself to calm.
“Ready?” He asked.
“Yes,” I said firmly.
“Alright, let me find some Anaesthes—”
“No.”
“I'm not merely injecting you, you'll be under knife, you need it for the pain,”
“No” I shook my head, flashbacks of being fastened to operation tables while some parts of me were taken right under my eyes passed through my brain, it had been painless then thanks to the anesthesia, but now?
“I don't want it. Let this pain carve into my bones,” let me feel it, a reminder of all that was taken from me.
He sounded skeptical, “Are you sure? Even with a wolf you'll need an Anesthesia to manage the pain, without one this is practically a death wish.”
“Good. More reasons to do it without one.”
“Alright, I'll be as careful as possible to help with the pain” he replied, the sound of a bag zipping had my heart pounding once more.
The tent fell into silence, just then I saw a face, no his face came into view, with a sky blue surgical mask, white googles, gloves and a scalpel, a familiar face flashed through my head.
A face that I thought I'd never see again, I began backing away, I could hear them, I was back to where it all began
The voices were back,
“Hold the specimen” a cold voice ordered
“Make sure she doesn't move.” It ordered again
“No.” I screamed thrashing wildly, hands held me down, no they pressed me back roughly on the steel beds, needles jabbed my skin, pain sparked through every inch of my body, my body convulsed.
A familiar scent invaded my nostrils pushing back the sickening antiseptics, it was warm, comfortable even, followed by warm hands.
“Hey” a voice whispered, “You're okay, I'm here” it encouraged cradling my head, “deep breaths” it continued.
Slowly my eyes blinked open
"Cain?”
- Writer
