Chapter 1
Kira
I am running through the forest while listening to music from my mini iPod. Maybe it's old school but it does the job as I want to listen to music while running and those cordless earpods tend to fall out of my ears while running. Maybe I have weird ear shape that's why they don't sit in my ears properly.
It is a refreshing morning today. I love running in the forest in the early mornings with the first rays of the sun. It all gives me a clear start for the day and me wakes me up easily. The dew is up, from time to time I feel wet grass rubbing against my ankles as I run on the narrow path. This is my path and after many, many years of daily running, it has got into a solid path. The light wind brushes over my hot skin as I'm sprinting for 40 minutes already. The wind brings a lot of smells of the forest that I love like grass, moss, some wild mushrooms, pine trees and wet leaves, and... What is that foul smell?
I feel a presence nearby and my senses go on high alert. I stop in my tracks and pull out my earbuds. I start to scan my surroundings.
"Ten o'clock."
My wolf Soul says to me. I turned in the direction she said and there I saw him. A rouge, we growl inwardly together. He is standing some two hundred feet away from me and my observations of him are very fast. He has black wavy hair to his shoulders that has a messy unruled way. He has a 2-day shadow over his cheeks that gives him a ruthless wibe. He is wearing only shorts showing off his broad shoulders and tanned strong muscles that are almost completely covered in black tatoos. He is at least six feet two inches tall. I am a strong fighter, my dad made sure of it. Hell, even I made sure of it. But I am only five feet six inches tall, and that makes me evaluate the situation whether I should fight him or run off till the others would come for my assistance. A broad but wicked smile pulls up on his face. He is up to no good for sure. He winks at me. What the...?
- Rouge! Northeast border!
I shout in the mindlink to the pack members within the blink of an eye. I hope he didn't even notice it. And with that, I take off running. I’m a fast and agile runner but I've got myself quite tired with the morning run already. Nevertheless I'm running for my survival as adrenaline is pumping my veins and helping to speed up. I take a wild path towards the pack house as I easily dodge branches and run over fallen trees.
Though I am fast I feel him gaining on me, so I push myself harder and keep on running as Soul gives me extra energy.
"You should shift!", she suggested but I don't want Soul to get bitten and get some rabies from this foul creature. The moment I feel him too close to me in a distance where he can grab me or tackle me to the ground I do my supper move. I run up the closest tree with two steps, turn in the air in his direction, and sidekick him in the ribs, cracking or at least fracturing them. Perfect! He stumbles to the side as he was not expecting that, but he doesn't wince from pain making me a tad disappointed. I take my self-defence pose trying to buy more time. He looks at me with an impressed smile. Huh! What did you think- that girls are weak losers? I think to myself.
- Lovely move!
He says in a deep voice while smirking and slowly coming towards me. A rouge that says compliments? Very fishy. I'm listening to whether guards are already approaching while he is so close that he almost hovers over me. He tries to grab me, but I dodge it and punch him in the hurt ribs. Unfortunately, he just smirked at me.
- I usually don’t hit women.
His deep voice rumbles out. Huh? Then why are you here? I restrain myself from talking so as not to get distracted and make him advance on me but questions pop in my head automatically.
- I just have some business with you.
He winks at me again. Business with me? Has this rouge gone insane while living in the wild for too long? Or is he planning to kidnap me and then black mail my father? Maybe he just wants to kill me on the spot to weaken my dad and the pack. Quite classical wishes, don't you think? Anything is possible as rouges are way too unpredictable. Our warriors should be here soon, so I just need to last a few more minutes.
He tries to jump on me and squeeze me in his tight arms but I see that coming and move aside while jumping on his back like a rodeo rider. I grab his neck in my left elbow and push it with my right hand. I am having him well in this death squeeze as his oxygen supply starts to run short and he sputters. I hope he will pass out. He is trying to wiggle me off his body but I hold strong with my arms around his neck and legs on his torso. He tries to scratch my arms with extended wolf claws to make me release him but I withstand the pain and Soul straight heals my wounds. He does what the opponents always do - he starts to fall with me on his back like in a wrestling match. But I have been in this position so many times that just a moment before we touch the ground I jump off him while he falls on the ground with a loud thud. I don’t wait for him to recuperate and I straight punch him in the throat. His breath stuck in his throat but somehow he managed to catch my hand with both of his hands. He shakes his head as if trying to regain focus, as I suspect my moves made him dizzy. He starts to pull my body towards him. I try to wiggle my arm out of his hands but his grip is dead tight. He pulls me closer and starts to smile that wicked smile. What a creep! I am afraid he might go for my throat or something so I kick his manhood with my leg. He groans but does not let me go. He has managed to hug my shoulders with one hand while pulling me closer to him. I press against his body with all my strength but he is damn strong for a rouge. Where are those damn warriors?
- Come here little feisty puppy!
He smiles even wider. What a sick rouge! I hear footsteps approaching of my pack members. At last! He c***s his head and probably senses the closeness of my pack’s warriors as well. I'm not prepared when in one second he rolls over and presses me against the wood floor and sinks his teeth in my shoulder in a swift moment making excruciating pain travel from my shoulder all over my body. I cry out loud as I can't withstand the pain, it's so much that stars start to dance in front of my eyes, blurring my vision. I want to push this filthy rouge off me but he is way too big and way too heavy laying on me. And with all the immense pain I felt too weak to even move a hand. I have had several broken bones but this pain was not even close to that. I'm trying to not faint as this st*pid f*cking rouge marks me. Tears spring to my eyes as I feel helpless laying here... I feel violated at a very deep level... What the hell? He is not my mate, why... How? For what? What the actual f*?
Stinky rouge retreats his teeth and licks the wound while I fight to stay conscious. I feel very dizzy, but the next moment I feel warmth spreading all over my body as if there is a river of warm honey milk coming down from the bite. My senses realize that he has a f*cking b***r and an even worse possible scenario floods my mind.
As I suddenly hear runnings thuds of footsteps and my people approaching, rouges body starts to shake as grunts come out of him, realief floods me. Guards are using electroshock batons and some electrical charge of it transfers to my body too. I cry out loud and several guards roll off him from my body, some kick him in ribs and keep on electrify him untill he doesn't make any more sound probably fallen unconscious...We always use different kind of weapons on rouges as none of us wants to get bitten and fall sick from some disease that spread around rouges.
I can't turn my head and look at what is going on. I can just lie there and look up to the beautiful blue sky while my life crumbles to shatters. That piece of sh*t just marked me. What does it mean to me? Will I not have a chance to be together with my real mate? Can I still reject this rouges and this forced bond? There is a mess in my head, as questions keep on flooding my mind while I breath heavily.
- Take him... take him to the dungeons!
I bark at the warriors. It's not their fault what has happened to me... Or maybe it is, they should have reached me faster taking into account that I ran myself almost half of the distance.
- F*cking beat the s**t out of him!
I say in defeat. I already pity myself and wanna cry for what has just happened but not in front of the guards...
- Inject wolfsbane and put silver cuffs.
I order more as I want that piece of sh*t to feel as much pain as possible for forcing a mark on me. I hear murmur of Yes ma'm, but I still can't look at any of them. What is the rouge's sick plan in this? I start to see black stars in front of my eyes again.
- And take me to the hospital. Now!
I shout out before I start to hear loud ringing in my ears and all the things start to feel very, very far away from me. What the hell just happened? Is my last thought before the darkness engulfs me completely and I pass out unconscious.