More Than Just A Mate

Chapter 4

Oriana didn't answer. She was only confused about what the girls were doing here kidn*pped. "Have you lost your voice?" the girl demanded. Oriana leaned on what felt like a sac of sand and closed her eyes. "I'm too tired to speak," she said. "She bursted your bike tyres?" a girl inquired. Oriana noticed there were many girls in the van.

"Yes. But not with any sharp objects! Just with her eyes. There was a flash in them, and then boom!" "Who really are you?" the first girl asked Oriana. "She's an orphan," a girl retorted. "I knew how she grew up. Her parents were killed in the war, and she's been living in the slums like a sewage rat." "No wonder she stinks so much." "Why are you here, Oriana?" the first girl asked. "Do you know where this van is headed?"

"I don't know; I don't care, too," Oriana answered. "And she's cheeky!" a voice exclaimed. Somehow, Oriana's eyes were beginning to get accustomed to the darkness. But for the girls, it was easier to see in the darkness; they were wolves. "All right, that's enough," the first girl said. There was an authoritative tone to her voice, which made Oriana feel both loyal and relaxed around her. "I'll tell you why you're here, so you get your mind prepared."

She allowed a pause. No one spoke. Oriana became terrified. "First, my name is Laura," the girl continued, "the daughter of Gamma Elon Sinder. I was born with a continent-shaped mark on my left arm. I didn't know why. But I do now. And that's why we're here." There came the pause again. Oriana's eyes were wide open now, listening hard. "The Lycan, after so many centuries, desires a mate," Laura said. "And there's a prophecy that she'd have a mark on her left arm." Oriana couldn't help but bluster, "What does it have to do with me?"

The same Lycan King she prayed not to have anything to do with? Oriana thought. How worse could life get? "You relax," another girl chipped in. "It has nothing to do with you. What's the name of your wolf?" Oriana flinched. She had vowed not to reveal to these prowling lupines that she was human. But there was no point lying now. "I am human." A wave of silence prevailed in the van. "Hybrid?" "No. Pure." Laura spoke again. "Well, it's weird having a human in the midst of eleven wolves. You're already disqualified. It's a Lycan we're talking about. Just pray he spares your life for this insult." "But I was captured against my will," Oriana wanted to say, but didn't.

"Only one girl would be chosen from the twelve of us," said Laura. "And the rest of us will be let go?" a small voice asked. "How then do we find our way back?" Laura chuckled sadly. Oriana saw her shaking her head. She was beautiful. "The Lycan doesn't leave any witnesses," she said. Panic descended on the girls. From a corner, a girl began to sob. "I always knew this mark was a curse." Oriana touched her own "mark", and couldn't help but smile a bitter smile. This was a fake mark, how would she survive? She closed her eyes again, and wondered what it felt to be dead. Would she see the bright white light? Would she see her father?

***

The van jerked to a stop after an hour. Most of the girls had fallen asleep. The doors were thrown open, and two large men ordered the girls out. They were lined up shoulder to shoulder. It was a large expanse with a low iron fence. The three men paraded around them, holding guns. They seemed to be waiting for someone. Oriana was the third girl on the line. She looked across and saw Laura at the very end. "Psst," Oriana called. "Are you Laura?' Laura nodded.

"No noise!" one of the "soldiers" whispered hotly. He didn't need to whisper; there were no houses there. It was all quiet and very cold. Then a car drove into the camp. The three men stood at attention as the car pulled to a stop. A man stepped down. He was huge and had a formidable look. But he wasn't the Lycan King. "Why are they not blindfolded?" was the first question he asked the men. "We're sorry, sir," the men chorused, and in the next minute, all the girls were blindfolded. The huge man said, "One of you shall be chosen as the Lycan King's Mate. That is all there's to know. Now we wait."

Not long after this, another car arrived at the camp. Oriana tried to see with her ears. Sounds of boots. Bodyguards? Then a pair of boots dropped. The Lycan. He approached the girls. Oriana felt a cold breeze wash on her face. It was like a gentle wind as though coming from a wild river. Then came the scent, maddening and intoxicating. A girl beside her broke down in tears, as she couldn't stand the aura of this man.

He started with the first girl. "What is your name?" the King asked. "Evelyn." "How did you get your mark?" "I... I got — I..." "You're about to lie. Kill her." A quick whistling sound pierced the air. Evelyn yelped, fell back, and dropped dead. Onto the next girl. "Dorothy, my lord." "You gave this mark to yourself with a hot knife. Deny it."

Dorothy fell to her knees. "I plead mercy, my lord," she cried. "I'm not Messiah. Kill her." Oriana was so engrossed in her fear, she didn't know he was standing before her. "How did you get this mark? It appears new to me." Oriana's chest rose and fell without control. "I... It..." "Kill her." Oriana immediately steeled her body for the bullet. "Wait!" the Lycan said, and approached her again. He placed a finger under her jaw. "I've never been insulted this way all my life. You are human, too!"