Trapped Between Two Mates

Episode 1

It was scary to wake up in the middle of the night with others being attacked around me. Our camps were on fire, and the intruders treated us like animals.

That night, when everything fell apart, they were looking for someone. Me!

"Lois, you cannot hide from me!" Jude shouted loudly. He held a torch that had just set our rogue camps on fire. The flames lit up the night, making shadows dance wildly. The air was thick with smoke, making it hard to breathe. Screams and cries filled the air, mixing with the crackling of the fire.

Jude had come with the royal guards. My ex-mate was an Alpha now, and a powerful one. He looked different - taller, with a beard and white hair falling over his face. His eyes were darker, filled with anger. This wasn't the man I knew before.

"You have to run," Jason shook me. I wiped my tears, shaking in my boots. The heat from the fire was intense, making sweat drip down my face. "If he catches you, he will kill you. He thinks you killed his mother."

"What? What do you mean?" I asked Jason, who had become my best friend in these years I lived as a rogue without a home. My heart was racing, fear gripping me tightly.

"Listen to me, Loise," Jason said urgently, his eyes wide with fear. "If your mate finds you, he will kill you. You have to run."

How did he know Jude was my mate? I'd never told anyone where I came from. I looked at him, confused and scared.

It was pouring heavy rain. Thunder boomed loudly, shaking the ground. Yet nothing seemed to stop the fire Jude was setting in the forest. The mix of rain and fire created a thick, choking steam.

"He's killing my friends," I broke down. I could hear the screams of fellow rogues. The sounds of pain and fear made me feel sick. "I don't understand how such a loving, wonderful man could become a monster."

"Go!" Jason shouted again, this time leading me to a small clearing. The mud squelched under our feet as we ran. "There's a small town at the end of this road. Seek refuge there, hide. Don't let him ever find you."

Jason pushed me just as Jude's thunderous voice stormed between us. "There you are!"

I felt the hairs on my back stand as I met him face to face. He looked wild, dangerous. Nothing like the friend I once knew.

"Run! Loise, Run!" Jason shouted as he pushed me again. Jude charged forward, holding his sword high and mighty. The blade gleamed in the firelight, looking deadly.

I watched in horror as Jason intercepted, charging forward and tussling Jude to the ground. I fell, like the i***t I was, but still struggled to get up and start running.

I could hear their ragged breathing, the sounds of Jason screaming and Jude growling like a beast. The noises mixed with the crackling fire and rumbling thunder, creating a terrifying symphony.

"I sent you here to trap her, not to fall in love with her," I heard Jude shouting. I paused, looking back at Jason. Our eyes met when Jude stomped his head under his foot. I saw the fear in Jason's eyes. Saw the pain and the love.

"Stop, Loise, or I will kill him," Jude's ragged breath was nothing compared to mine. My heart was beating out of my chest. I was scared out of my mind. He placed the sword against my best friend's throat, threatening to cut him.

"No, Loise. Save yourself, go," Jason begged, but all I could do was cry.

"Pathetic," Jude spat on the ground. "My mate and my best friend!"

Best friend? I was confused and hurt.

"It's been five years Jude, why now?" I cried out, screaming. I fell on my knees, feeling vulnerable and frustrated. The mud soaked through my clothes, but I barely noticed.

"You killed people I love dearly. I can never forgive that!"

"I don't, I don't know what you're saying. I've never killed anyone."

"Loise, just run!" Jason begged. I got up, steadying myself against a tree.

"That's right Loise, let him die. Run like you've always done," Jude's voice was full of anger and malice.

I looked to my left. The path was wide and open. If I run, I could be free. Put all this behind me. But then Jason would die. And on my right were the screams and cries of rogues who had become my family, burning in the fire set by my mate.

I watched Jude start to cut. I lifted my hands, "I surrender," I cried out. The words tasted bitter in my mouth, like someone had just slapped chains around my wrists. Five years of running had led to this moment. Desperate and pathetic. With everyone I loved suffering because of me.

"Good girl," Jude said with a sick tone. "Move in men!"

His command confused me, but out of nowhere, men moved from the shadows of the trees. They moved as quickly as lightning. One came behind me, knocking my knees so that I fell flat on the ground on my stomach. I screamed in pain. I saw Jason struggle, but I begged him not to.

Someone grabbed my hair, forcing my head up as they secured a heavy piece of metal around it. A chain. That chain was hooked to a heavier set of chains that wrapped around both my wrists and ankles. I struggled to understand why they were treating me this way.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Jude raised a brow. I felt confused. He left Jason on the ground, guarded by some of his warriors while he came for me.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I looked up at him, some of his men forced me to my feet. The chains on my neck were so heavy I was struggling to stay up.

"You have crimes to answer for, darling. 134 kills is not a number the world takes lightly. You have to tell me how you do it. What am I missing?"

What am I missing? That question was for me. I had not the slightest idea what he was talking about. 134 kills? What?

"You used to be my best friend. I loved you. Five years ago, you were everything to me. But you betrayed me, Jude. And now you're back to make my life worse? Why do you hate me so much?"

He seemed taken aback, his eyes flashed with pain. Had I hit a nerve?

"Take her to the car! And take Jason too," his command ignited a spark of action. The men lifted me in the air effortlessly. I kicked, pulled, tried to scratch as I was led in the opposite direction. I noticed something weird. All the men, while they were moving me, seemed scared of me, even with the chains. They were afraid of me.

Why? What did they think I could do?