Jaidan

Winter had definitely begun to set in as my body wracked with tremors, the torn clothing doing next to nothing for my exposed flesh in the early morning frost.

The night's snowfall had fallen around me like a blanket, chilling me to the bones. I had never missed my wolf's fur more than I did last night.

''Shit.'' I heard cursing and the soft steps of someone rushing to my side.

My body opened up slightly from its curled position to see River dropping the bowl of stew on the ground and ripping his jacket off before placing it on top of me, the fabric like a heated blanket on my icy blue skin.

''I forgot you don't keep your temperature as much as them.'' He quickly handed me the barely warm stew to warm my hands. ''They could have at least given you something in the night to cover yourself.''

My body was still trembling violently as the stew and jacket helped slowly spread warmth throughout my body, the rising sun chasing away the biting cold.

River watched me carefully as I ate the poorly made food in my hands. It did nothing for my tastebuds but the warmth that spread throughout my body from the inside almost made me moan as I greedily devoured the whole contents of the bowl.

''Are you feeling up for a walk now?'' He smiled down at me as he flashed a rusting key my way.

I could have broken my neck with the ferocity of how hard I was nodding my head at him, my eyes welling with tears at the possibility of being free of the chains on my leg.

My eyes closed and my head tilted back in relief at the sound of a soft click of the padlock clicking open, easing my body as the first rays of the sun licked their way over the land.

''Up we go.'' He helped pull me up on unsteady legs. I hadn't used them in a few days so it took a few seconds to get my balance back.

River let me lean on him as much as I needed as we walked down toward the forestry. I could feel my heart beat rising every step we took closer to my freedom but it all broke when he swung us around so we walked adjacent to the critter busy forest, him as a border between me and my home.

I noticed amber eyes burning a hole into the left side of my neck, staring at my mating mark as we walked along the beaten dirt track.

''What's your mate like?''

''Tatum?'' My eyes widened at his curiosity.

''Tatum.'' He hummed in thought before nodding in approval of the name.

'' He's...'' I closed my eyes in thought as we continued walking along the forest line. ''He's like a big, muscly child.'' I thought out loud, laughing.

River's eyes widened at the sudden noise as I remembered the time he looked like he was signing a life or death contract over a pinkie promise.

''Do you have a mate?'' I sobered myself up from the laugh as a sour heaviness fell over my heart at our distance.

He looked like he was thinking it over carefully, trying to figure out if he should talk so much to me about something personal. I had gathered he wasn't much of a talker, even less of a personal information sharer.

''My kind don't have 'mates' like your kind do. We enter into more of a contract of mutual benefit but if the other dies, we aren't driven mad like your kind. We certainly mourn the loss of the one we were going to spend eternity with but after a century or so, some take up another mate and move on.''

''Century? What are you?'' My eyebrows drew together in confusion.

There was an uproar of cheering behind us suddenly, my head swinging in the direction of the boulders where it sounded like a party was taking place. There was a steady black smoke rising to the sky, the heavy scent of burning wood crackling in the wind towards us leading to what I was going to assume would be my Hell on Earth.

''I guess it's starting.'' My body tensed up, my shoulders scrunching higher as I unconsciously protected my mark from the assaulting hands of the wind.

My eyes followed the wind into the woods, searching for any trace of Charlie or anyone who could help stop this. As I contemplating taking my rescue into my own hands, long lightly tanned fingers tightened on my arm, no longer securely holding me up but acting as a leash.

''You'd never make it.'' River whispered into my ear.

I had almost forgotten he was holding me a prisoner just as much as everyone else here was. I had grown too attached to his gentle touches and his caring eyes that they blinded me from his involvement. I felt almost betrayed.

The feeling must have slipped into my eyes as his hardened for a moment before becoming soft again.

''You trust people too easily, Tonto.'' His hand lifted to pat my head as he cracked a small teasing smile, the foreign word leaving his lips effortlessly. ''You remind me of him.''

Before I could question anything I got a hard shove to my back, between my shoulder blades and went stumbling on weak legs towards the shrubbery of the dense forestry. I looked up from the ground where I had fallen to see River waving at me and then motioning me to go without a care in the world.

I wasn't going to stick around to find out what was going through his mind. My legs sprung to life, the muscles clenching painfully as I extended them too quickly but I didn't care. I was going home.

My feet were crunching under fallen snow-covered leaves before a hiss sounded behind me, followed by a thunk to the earth and then an earth-shattering scream.

I was suddenly flying through the air, winded from a heavy body smashing into my side, sending my body crashing against the dirt, sticks and stones and landing facing River in time to see him screaming and hissing as he clawed bloody claws into his neck ripping out the emptying glass vial dart filled with a shimmery substance that almost looked like silver as it glistened in the sun.

Tears sprung to my eyes, my ribs exploding with pain as I tried to shuffle towards River's stilling body. The only indicator that he was still alive and only unconscious being his chest shuddering slowly with weak breaths, black veins pulsing from the entry wound of the needle, slithering longer and longer along his paling body with each beat of his slow moving heart.

''Just when you think they're becoming obedient.'' River's vulnerable body was kicked upside the head by a steel-capped boot.

I couldn't see past the brown and black wolf snarling in front of me, my eyes too terrified to move from the green ones that haunted my dreams, but I knew it was my father who kicked him; Myles who did it. His voice was like sandpaper down your spine, it chilled you to your bones.

I could hear his boots moving away, the dragging of River's body leaving a trail in front of us a moment before a sickening crunch echoed the forest, my mind taking a moment to register the pain as the jaws of the wolf clamped down on my forearm and started violently ripping my body on the trail that was created.

I could feel every bone shatter and my arm move like a disjointed ragdoll with every tug of the towering enforcer, his black ears twitching excitedly every time a tear streamed down my face or an ear piercing scream tore at my throat.

What felt like an eternity later I was released and thrown forward into a group of people surrounding a bonfire, the wood crackling and spitting violently as the raggedy rogues surrounding it cheered and growled happily as their Alpha stepped up to them, carelessly throwing River away from him.

He addressed his people and jeered with them as he threw a flat ended branding iron into the fire, turning it angry and red right in front of my eyes.

''This has been a long time coming my friends. I have dreamt of this moment countless times.'' His arms rose as he smiled menacingly at my shaking form, sticks biting into my skin as I clenched the dirt beneath me while another wolfsbane dipped chain wrapped around my ankle.

River's body was laying right beside mine, dangerously closer to the fire than I was, the heat licking our skin turning us both red and uncomfortably warm. But I wasn't thinking about being comfortable as the now blaring hot iron pole was taken out of the fire and a thick strong hand was wrapped around my throat.

''My mate, my son; You took them both from me the moment you existed. My stupid little brother should have disposed of you the second he saw that weak body survive. How disgusting, an omega surviving while tearing away his mother's life, what a sin. If my dear friend wasn't so set on mating you, I'd gut you and hang your innards from the cave you now call home like drapes. I'd make sure your mate felt everything I did that day and he will. When your souls tear it will drive him and you mad.''

''Insanity will look beautiful on my mate.'' Moss green eyes loomed beside Myles, his murderous eyes staying connected with mine as he received the pole in a thick, gloved hand, my lungs screaming for air as I clawed at his other hand that was abusing my throat.

''Thank you, Rowan. You will have your mate that you have longed for and I will enjoy every day watching his soul ripping further and further from him each night you take him.''

''Please.'' A pathetic whimper bubbled up my beaten throat, the crowd surrounding us cheering louder and louder like wild, rabid monkeys every inch the pole came closer to my shoulder.

''An eye for an eye.''

This is so sad there are only like 2 or 3 chapters left *sobs*
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