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Word Count: 2011

~Dawn

"This is a stupid idea," I grumble, flinching away from Lucy's touch. "I can hold up on my own for awhile yet. Let's just get away from the Purity Pack-"

Lucy slapped me.

The sound echoed around the trees, the jarring feeling shocking some sense into me. She had given me three hours to recover after my near collapse in the forest. I had been lucky to get away from the Elites in time, otherwise, I would been locked up in Rylan's home with him, or maybe in a prison somewhere.

"You'll be dead in another few days," she growls, as I rubbed my searing cheek.

A part of me knows she is right. My legs feel heavy and sluggish, and I know that if I had to make a run from another Guard, I wouldn't make it. I don't know when the last time was that I ate a full, proper meal. Probably with Rylan...Since then, it's been small morsels.

Lucy doesn't know I give her most of the food; she thinks it is evenly distributed. She matters most to me. If I hadn't dragged her away from freedom, she wouldn't be starving at most times of the day.

Now, we balance atop the massive wall I'm use to climbing. Today though, it hurt having to pull myself up here with the little strength I have.

"We go in, then straight out again," I mutter, casting a glance across the Pack.

Admittedly, it looks beautiful tonight. The sky is free of all clouds, so the lights are free to sparkle under the glittering stars above. This is what I love about the outside. If I was deep within the centre of the Pack, I wouldn't be able to see a single thing up in the sky, with all the light pouring from it. I would rather sit up on this ledge and breathe in the sweet air.

Lucy hops down first, her feet making little noise compared to mine, as she lands on the cobblestones of the market I'm very familiar with.

Both of us are dressed inconspicuously, so we could keep to the shadows. I had stolen these leathers off a Guard I had managed to knock unconscious, making them loose around our limbs. They were enough to keep our skin hidden, especially with the addition of Lucy's cloth around our mouths.

The stalls were covered with beautiful striped cloth, keeping the food left over fresh for tomorrow. It's perfect for us.

However, when I lift up the first cloth I came up to, I was surprised to see nothing but bare counter underneath. With a furrowed brow, I raise my head for Lucy to see. She is checking another stall, and she comes up with the same result.

Nothing.

Lifting every cloth to find no food was painful. My stomach ached at the sight, and my heart fell as desperation hit. This is Rylan's fault. His Pack wide manhunt for me has made people nervous, and with all the rules he has enforced - from what I have heard - it has caused wariness.

That, and no food for us.

"We are going to have to delve deeper," Lucy murmured, meeting me in the corner of the small marketplace.

It would be smart to grab her arm and leave here before one of Rylan's Guard's showed up, but my protesting stomach requested I agree to finding food elsewhere. Lucy seemed content with the lack of my usual indignant attitude.

"We should split up to the two places we know where there may be food," Lucy says, glancing over her shoulder as if someone was coming up behind her. "Meet here in half an hour."

I learnt how to gage time pretty well in the forest, so this is not a difficult task. Still, I'm wary of leaving Lucy alone in a place probably swarming with Guards, but she is street smart, and can look after herself. In my weakened state, she might just be better than me. I sometimes forget she is only ten years old.

We split, my sister slinking into the shadows of a nearby alleyway, while I keep to the walls, moving until I found a familiar opening in the wall which I slipped through.'

It lead straight into a small street, which I checked before I walked onto.

The moon glinted across the cobblestones, illuminating the sides of people's homes, with their doors locked and their curtains drawn. Purity Pack members are always afraid, which makes my job easier, since they should all be hiding away until dawn. The Guards, on the other hand, are an issue.

I see three at the end of the street. Elites. They seem to have met up for a brief meeting before they would disperse for another round.

I keep my back against the wall while I wait for an idea to come to mind.

I can't possibly go left, obviously, otherwise I'll be face to face with the Elite's. But if I go to the right, there isn't any shadows for me to hide in with the streetlights tossing light everywhere the moon wasn't. I have absolutely nowhere to go but back-

My thoughts were cut off, as a gloved hand suddenly covered my mouth.

I didn't scream, as they pulled me back, afraid the Elite's might hear me. I can escape a predator in the night, but there is no way I would be able to find my way out of that situation. So, giving the person behind me some self confidence, I let them drag me back through the wall I had just come through, and into the marketplace.

That's when I decided to strike.

The heel of my foot found their shin, while my elbow came back against their stomach. Usually, I would have stunned them enough to turn around to properly do some damage, but my captor didn't even flinch, nor make a sound. Instead, their grip remained tight on me.

They let me go, though, so I stumble backward until i am against the wall. It's a man, his light coloured hair sticking out from under his hood. He had a sickening smile across his pasty features, that had my stomach turning uneasily.

"Alpha's mate," he breathed darkly. He knew...

I shake my head. "Let me go."

It feels stupid to beg like that, but there is no way I can fight him. Usually, someone of his height and weight wouldn't be a problem, even if he is larger. In my state, however, being weaker than I ever have been, I don't think I would stand a chance. I have to talk my way out of this.

There are few Purity Pack members that break the rules, but every now and again, there are the few who want to break free of all the rules. His man is one of them, I can tell. He wants a little fun before he has to conform to shis Pack's society.

I just wish I could see what is running through his mind.

"You know what kind of reward I'm going to get for you?"

I'm not sure why he doesn't expect me to run from him, with the gap between us. He looks anxious, his hands trembling by his side. He regrets this. I could do him a favour and run, but I may just collapse again if I try.

"You don't want to do that," I say carefully, feeling as though I'm walking along a tightrope. "Seriously."

A flicker of anger seemed to grace his features. "You're the reason my Alpha has gone crazy. You know he killed over you? I'm doing this Pack a favour in this."

My heart sinks. It's hard to believe Rylan would ever kill. Can I even believe these rumours, or am I being manipulated without knowing it?

"The Alpha and I's relationship is not something for you to worry about. Please let me go," I say, my quivering voice distracting enough for him not to notice the way I was slowly sidling across the wall. If I get close enough the next exit that Lucy has previously taken, I might be able to slip away undetected, and get him caught by a patrolling Elite.

The man, who is starting to look more and more like a boy as time passes, takes his hands through the shock of blonde hair on his head, until his hood falls back.

He's younger than me. Yet not by much.

"He's offering so much money for you though," he breathes, looking conflicted. I want to say he has serious problems, but I keep my opinion to myself.

"Trust me, it's not worth it. Please. He wants to lock me up and force me into being a perfect Luna. I think we have a lot in common in that regard. He may be all the way across the Pack, but that male has eyes everywhere, which means I'm seconds from being captured by an Elite. I beg for mercy."

My words seem fair, but the moment I finish my sentence, I'm regret it. Now, he's angry.

He strides forward, and as his hand finds my neck, I begin pleading in my head to be found by an Elite. At least the wouldn't hurt me, knowing Rylan would have their head for it. This unruly man doesn't care. And he might just care me, expect the pressure on my neck isn't life threatening.

"You know what my friends are going to say when I tell them I got a taste of my Luna?"

My heart stops, and I swear I was on the brink of death from that alone. He plans to rape me? Here? With Guards walking around, who would have him slaughtered because of it?

Logic and reason spews out of my mouth in protest, as he pins me against the wall. He doesn't listen to a word of it.

If my mind didn't swim, and my eyes didn't blur from hunger and sickness, I would have killed him myself. The knife tucked in the back of my pants is unreachable. I didn't want to bring it out earlier, hoping I could convince him to do the right thing. Now, I'm regretting it.

"You don't want to do this," I say, as he grabs the front of my shirt with his free hand, ripping it straight down the middle.

My bareness didn't bother me. It's my impending fate that does. Speaking of Fate, why does he have to be so cruel? This young male is going to rape me, and the moment Rylan finds out, he will be dead. You don't touch a male's mate, especially not an Alphas.

"I want you," he growled in my ear. He knew I wasn't about to scream, but just in case, he slapped his hand over my mouth.

I'm about to get raped in an abandoned marketplace alone.

And there's nothing I can do about it.

💛••💛

Want more and don't want to wait!? More of Rylan is available now on Radish! (:

Also if you're interested, Asher is on Radish now too!

👑••👑

Errr sinus infection sucks. I haven't been in a writing mood for two days now.

I managed to get chapter fifteen of Rylan done today, considering I was travelling sick all weekend and I get a headache every time I drive for more than three hours.

This week is my last week of my first term of school (forever OMG) so updates will be a little here and there. I finished a Geography assessment although I'm trying to get a classical studies one done in the next day.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! My grandfather is out of hospital now, so I hope he's on the mend (:

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~Midika 💜🐼