Claimed By My Adopted Uncle

15. Running Away, Almost

RAVEN

I have been in the hospital more times than I can count. These days, it had been too frequent.

I stared into the white wall until I started to see color. I was breathing but not alive. Avina was just as same if not worse. Our mates had betrayed us. Her Odin, and me, well, he was a married man now.

Soren shook me again. He had been doing so for the last, how many minutes now?

“Raven look at me…” he tried but I was gone. I had no control of my body any longer. No strength to do anything but breathe.

It's time to reject him. I knew it. Was the pain going to be any lesser than it was now? I had to do it to find out.

When he saw that I hadn't moved, he sighed. By now everyone must have guessed it. I was either mated to Kael or had been having at affair with him.

Father burst through the door as if reading my mind. His angered look was directed towards me. He pointed, screamed and I could do nothing but watch.

“You useless piece of trash. I should have killed you a long time ago.” His tone carried a lot of pent up anger and regret. And that regret were his words. However there was no difference between me and a dead man right now. I should be left to rot away.

He approached the bed, I blinked. Soren in front of him, blocking the blow he was about to send my way.

“You will not lay a hand on my mate…” he cursed pushing father away. His words jerked me to life.

Kael was married now. Completely off limits.

I slowly turned to Soren whose back was to me. He might not be my fated mate but he was willing to be with me. I was done here. He could take me away.

“Take me away…” I tried but the words came out as a whisper. My throat was dry as a desert. I tried to swallow some spit, even that was dry.

So I turned looking for water. I reached for the cup weekly and brought it to my mouth. In a gulp, the contents were finished. It wasn't much but it would do. “Soren, take me away.” I tried again. He spun in one eighty degrees, his eyes wide.

“What did you say?” He asked, abruptly sitting on the bed next to me. He took my hand in his. I lowered my eyes to look at out joined hands. I smiled weakly before looking back up.

“I don't want to stay here any longer. Take me with you.” His face lit up with a smile. Father stood staring, he came closer.

“Okay, we can do that. We will when you feel better.”

I shook my head. He didn't understand. I didn't want to stay here another second.

“I want to leave right now…” He was about to refused but I held his hand with both hands. “Please Soren…”

Father huffed, leaving the room. He must have been relieved to hear me say this. He would finally be able to get rid of me like he wanted.

Leaving now was the best thing for me. Except I wanted to do so after severing my ties with Kael.

“I don't want to see that traitor…” Avina hissed in my mind. I could feel her pain. Mine was nothing close to hers.

Soren left the room to settle my discharge papers while I got out of bed. Shortly after he came back with papers in hand. He led me outside the hospital and to his car. Kathryn's scent hit my nostrils and out of disgust, I froze. Soren, worried asked if I was okay.

“I'm fine, the car just smells funny.” I told him without a care if he thought that I meant his sister's scent was disgusting.

He apologized and got into the car after me and started to drive. Except he went for Alpha Rowan's house instead of the pack's border.

I turned to him, about to question why but he spoke before I could. “I know you have a few things you want to carry with you.” I totally forgot about packing.

I nodded grateful that between the both of us he had his brain intact. I got out of the car and walked into the house.

Father, no, Alpha Rowan was seated in the living area with his mate speaking in hushed tones. They both turned their heads in my direction when I walked in. I walked past without so much as a word. I was certain he must have told her about my move. And whatever argument they were having was no concern of mine.

I went to the attic and pushed the door open. When I walked into the room, I caught fight of the iron rod that had been pulled out the night before.

A wave of sadness hit me. The memories fought their way into my mind, each one forcing me to remember how I fought to see him.

I forced myself to turn away from it and walked to the box of clothes I had. These were the old ones. I had gotten used to living in this space that the thought of owning another room totally skipped my mind.

I grabbed what I could and left the room. I went to the other and looked around. I took what I could headed back out to the door. I paused right on the line of the door's threshold but didn't turn back. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that there was no coming back before I continued to walk.

I caught up with Soren who had been leaning against his car. He smiled at me and popped the trunk open. I stashed my things in there and got into the car.

When he sat in the driver's seat and started the car, he spoke. “Are you sure about this?” He asked facing forward.

I don't know.

I nodded. I had learned to lie to myself for a while. It was going to continue for a while until something better came. It never did. It probably never will too.

“Yes. I'm sure.” I answered and that was all he needed. He drove steadily for the gate. I could see it far off in front of us. I shifted in my seat. I had no mind connection to anyone in the pack and I was a hundred percent sure that no one would notice me leave. But that thought crashed when a car I knew too well came speeding behind us. Soren noticed it too. And I saw him change gears and the speed of the car increased.

Kael's car pulled up right in front of us, we almost crashed into it had Soren not stepped on the brakes in time. My body was set flying forward, my head was a few inches away from bashing on the dashboard. Thankfully I was strapped to the seatbelt.

The door to my side was yanked off, Kael had pulled off the door from its hinges like it was nothing. He then reached for the seatbelt and unhooked it, picking me up in the process.

“Put me down!” I screamed at him, all the anger I had felt from before came crashing down. I kicked at him, biting and slapping but he marched to his car instead, placing me inside and shutting the door that refused to open.

Soren charged at him, they started to brawl. They growled at each other, swinging arms and kicking feet. It was a full fight. And worse, no one was around to stop them.

I screamed in the car. Knocked on the glass but I doubted they could hear me over all that testosterone.

Kael knocked Soren to the ground, used that time Soren tried to recover to walk up to the car and get in. He drove away from Soren who got into his own and followed us, speed for speed.

“So you were just going to leave?” He had the audacity to ask as he sped the car up. I turned to him bewildered by the gal.

“Stop the car…”

“No, so that you can leave with him? f**k no!” He yelled. My ears rang from how loud he was. But I was done. Reject him now, Raven. My mind screamed at me.

“I, Raven,” I started. I didn't have a surname I was born with that I was told. “...reject you, Kael, Beta of the Dark Moon Pack as my mate.”

For the second time today, I almost bashed my head. Kael had stomped the brakes, sending the car screeching. He placed a hand on his chest, groaning in pain while I watched. He continued to look at me, eyes questioning why I had just rejecter him as if it wasn't bound to happen.

“Why?”

I held the door's handle, trying to force it open. I didn't know why he would even ask me that.

“Open the f*****g door!” I jerked again. I heard the sound click and ran out of the car. I sighted Father's wolf approaching. Why was he in wolf form. Soren ran to me from his arm, pulling me into a hug.

“You okay?” He asked, concern filling his eyes and I nodded.

Kael was out of his car and making his way to me. Soren seeing this pushed me behind him like he wasn't the one who had been knocked to the ground a moment ago.

Alpha Rowan wasn't coming for anyone but me. His wolf growled, lunging in our direction but Kael fought him off, protecting me alone with Soren.

Father's wolf was sent crashing into a nearby tree. He stood on his paw, shook his body and shifted back to his human form. I shut my eyes and turned away not wanting to see his naked form.

“Did you f*****g forget that you're married?” The venom from his tone could kill. Rowan was beyond pissed at this point.

“He's not taking her away…”

“She's his f*****g fiancé. And you have a f*****g wife…”

“She's my mate, Rowan! How the f**k am I supposed to watch him take her away?”

The same way I had to watch you marry her.