I felt hallow the next day, my body used and abused in ways I've never imagined. My breath feels shallow when I try to inhale more air. It only bruises my chest more as my body convulses within itself to try to stay alive. It feels the trauma from last night, I want to move. I so desperately need to move for the sake Ejnar.

With the movements of my body slowly rising from the ground. I ache from the lower regions of my body. Tears fight their way to spill but I attempt to hold them back. I can't take it but I move to feed the awaking pup who cries in hunger.

When I stand up finally, blood and semen trickle down my legs. They shake at the memory of last nights fuckery.

I know what he is trying to do, he wants to corrupt me. Make me as his and let everyone know that he owns me; all of me. But no one will ever truly own me, that I will make sure 'til I die.

I grab Ejnar from the little makeshift cot. I grab the bottle that is filled with new milk. It seems Midas has taken my warning seriously, at least he's brought food for myself as well.

When the time passes me before I could keep track. I've picked everything up and washed myself off. There is clothes left for me to put on, it's warm clothes but I only put on the trousers and shirt on my body. Warm jackets never felt right. I always feel like I'm stuffed and annoyed at the weight these fur coats leave.

As I rock Ejnar back and forth as I'm unsure of what to do with myself. I feel a tall and dark presence looming over me. Midas is behind me and before I could even react as I am unsure of what he may do to me, he simply lays the coat I didn't put on over my shoulders.

"Keep your coat on, it will be a rough journey," I nod my head in understanding, and he keeps staring at me for the longest time. I felt hot underneath his stare. Not out of arousal, mostly uncomfortable and unclear of what he is looking for.

"Let's go," I get up as I hold Ejnar in my arms. The men around us take down the tent while putting away everything from the inside. When I look towards the surviving female, they all have this hollow look in their eyes. A toll is heavy in the way their shoulders sink, as if they can no longer deal with anything. Not even breathing seems to matter to them.

Lost ghost stuck in the presence of purgatory and I'm the cause of their misery. Some female look me down with disdain in their eyes, some even seem to want to go for my throat but that look is shut down with one look from Midas.

They cower under the state of an alpha, they are frighten of him. I don't blame them, he is a giant compared to the rest of us.

"Take your women and lets go, now!" His men gather their new mates onto their horse and walk alongside them. From the look on their eyes, they're surprised by this sudden care from these savages.

"Come Winter," Midas holds his hand out for me to take so he can lift me onto his horse. He holds Ejnar close to him, while he lifts me to sit on top of the black stallion. As I adjust myself, Midas passes me the small pup into my arms that is wrapped in warm furs.

"Stay vigilant, keep aware of your surroundings, whatever moves that does not seem like an animal. Kill it."

As all the female sat on the stallions, the men walked alongside us trailing everything that seems off. Midas seems to always be on edge, for what I am not sure. You'd think someone who is the most terrifying creature on earth wouldn't have a worry about someone daring to kill him.

The ride was long, and the temperature drops and I can feel Ejnar tremble in his tiny body. The cold has dropped to the point that icicles were beginning to form along the ridges of the trees. I unwrap my coat off of my body and place it over Ejnar. There is simply no other to warm since we are still moving. The men and women are cold as well, I can hear the chatter of their teeth clink against each other. Midas even seems schooled to his core of how cold the temperature has dropped.

I, on the other hand, feel nothing. It's not that I don't feel the cold, I certainly do but I don't feel it the same way the rest are experiencing. The cold merely feels like air that's blowing like a breeze. The rest of the members give me weird glances as if I'm mad for daring to sit throughout this cold with no layer of warmth.

Midas finally notices that I'm no longer wearing the fur he gave me. He seems bewildered at the audacity I have to even sit through this cold winter that seems to drop even lower then he could handle.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Put on your coat Winter." He growls lowly as he sees I've wrapped the coat around Ejnar.

"I don't need it."

"What do you mean?" He asks me with his construed into something unbelievable by rolling his eyes.

"I don't feel the cold Midas," I whisper as I hold Ejnar close to my chest. He cold in his sleep when I bring him closer to my body.

"I know if I'm cold, then you are cold as well Winter." He exclaims, almost seeming annoyed with my proclamations of the weather have no affect on me.

"Touch me, I'm not lying." I lay my arm out for him to touch and he does. The look in his eyes make me giggle. It looked as if he was worried at how cold I was, it's funny because why would this man care if I die in the cold?

"Winter please put on your coat." He's never said please, strange of a man he is.

"I don't need it nor should you worry."

"Why should I not worry about my little mate hmm?" He seems to not take challenges who's tinier than him well. No matter, I merely state what is the truth, it's the least he can expect of me I suppose.

"You were not worry when you fucked me like a mere whore," he was quiet but I can feel a simmering anger that wants to be unleashed. I only state the truth, he does not care for me. Whatever act he seems to play is only a joke. A trick he'll use against me if I dare to even think he is a decent.

*

*

The day ends while the night returns, the strangest thing appears before my eyes. Everyone comes to a halt to a trail that is not frozen by the kiss of the winter. The trees were a glorious red, leaves fall but the trees seem to never lose any of its leaves. An endless rain of fallen red leaves that make a path to who knows where.

"Keep your heads down," Midas exclaims to the rest of the group. I'm unsure of why but I don't ignore his command. When we walk through the trail, it is when I can see much close that the leaves have fire around it's edges. Real fire burning, mesmerized by the enchantment of its nature I reach out ever so slightly until a hand grips my wrists harshly.

It's Midas's hand, his eyes stare me down with an annoyance that I disobeyed his rule.

"What did I say?" I blink a couple of times confused.

"You only said to put our heads down," I answer, it was the only thing that seemed significant enough. He continues to glare at me for who knows how long until finally he releases his harsh grip and continues to walk with the group. His eyes then turn a faded sheen which means he's speaking to someone. Another man arrives that almost looks identical to him but not quite.

"Watch the front," is all Midas says 'til he leaves me with this other man who has eyes that seem kind than Midas.

"Hello love," he greets with a voice that isn't rough, there's a softness to it, no hard edges that aligns his structure but I don't doubt this man isn't strong enough to put up a fight.

"I haven't formally introduce myself, the name is Roland." His smile is bright, cheery, it reaches his eyes that seem to glean with youth. He is a warrior, the way he holds onto his weapon as if it's an extension of himself but there's a mischievous sense of his being that feels affections you can't help but give him a courteous smile.

"Winter—"

"Oh I know who you are love. The whole lot whisper about the girls who's skin is kissed by snow." I hold Ejnar close to me when Roland calls out my skin kissed by snow.

"I wouldn't call it that but the cold has no advert effect on me." Roland chuckles as he continues to lead us through the long journey to who knows where.

"Whatever it is, you make the men look like idiots that can't handle a snowflake." I laugh at his comment which makes Roland laugh as well.

"How are you two brothers?"

"Excuse me?"

"You two seem nothing alike. You're kind, warm, even funny. Your brother... he's a—"

"A monster." I look away feeling at a loss for words. Roland seems uncomfortable just saying it out loud. I don't know how else to define Midas.

"At least you're not naive," I murmur, just holding Ejnar closer to me as he coos in his sleep.

"My brother is many things Winter, but a monster isn't the only thing you should be afraid of." The roar of Midas comes through the front as everyone stops. Everything felt still and eerily quiet. I felt as though there were eyes on me yet I could see no one but the group behind me. It seem I wasn't the only one who felt the same as the Lycans begin to growl.

One moment I hear a swoosh on my right, I turn to see what could possibly be in our sight but it was too fast before I could even spot it. Roland clutches his sword that's close to his hips.

"Your head down Winter, don't make a sound." He whispers, the men begin to hunch over in an act of defense. You can feel their shoulders tensing as their shackles rise ready to attack anything that comes within reach of us. The females begin to whimper unsure of what is going to happen next.

Before I could even begin to realize what is going on. Something heavy drags me off of Midas's horse onto the ground shaking me from the scruff of my neck hard back and forth as if I were a rag doll. I begin to scream as I hear the cries of Ejnar and chaos begins to erupt around me.

"We're under attack!" Roland screams out to the men as whatever creature is on top of me continues to try to rip my flesh apart but it couldn't. When it drops me from it's mouth I turn around to look at what creatures has taken the action to attack me and it was none other than a deranged demon. With horns long that ends on its back and nails sharp as hell. Eyes that glow a furious red that stare at me with an intent to rip me apart. They're bodies covered in black fur with flesh half ripped apart.

I felt frozen in place as it looked me dead in the eyes. The only thing I knew for sure is I had to put my body in front of Ejnar to protect him from this creature. All the demons in all shapes and sizes kept coming in with their attacks. The women fled from the men and attempt to make a run for it. Not me, I stay because the only thing that matters is Ejnar. The demon crawls slowly with its mouth opened ready to go for my throat until Roland comes in to swing his sword and it's head off clean. Black ooze splatters everywhere and onto me, without thinking I grab Ejnar and make a run for it too. The trees begin to glow harsher and brighter as if the fire has begun to rise along with the atmosphere.

The fire touches my skin and black welts begin to mark in the grooves of my flesh. Ignoring the pain to run away from the trees into the snow as more demons begin to chase after me. I didn't know where exactly I was going but all I knew is I had to get away from those demons as fast as possible to keep the small babe safe. The cold is severe than before but I felt nothing, unlike the demons, their skin begins to ice over some completely frozen.

Running and running, I don't stop, there is no stopping until Ejnar is safe. He cries because he does not know that we're running for our life.

However, my foot stumbles on some branch which makes me trip with Ejnar in my arms. The demons have caught up by now and begin to encircle me with a taste for blood. I don't know why they want me but the way the huddle as if speaking to each other on what to do brings a sense of dread.

This is it, this is how I die. At the hands of grotesque creatures with teeth's that could rip through anything. Without even thinking, I grab the biggest branch bear and just swing it around as if it'll do something.

Barely anything but it keeps the demons at bay for now until I think of something on how to escape this horrid situation. I swing again but the biggest one grabs and yanks it out of my hands and growls ready to rip me apart. Except the big one was only a distraction, another demon jumps on me biting into my neck as hard as it can but it just couldn't. Yet when I realize they have me pinned down. I look up to see them circle around a crying Ejnar.

"Get away from him!" I try to reach but it's as if they know I'm trying to get to him and they taunt me with their crooked smiles as they toy with the young pup.

"Noooo!!!! Stop it!!!" An elongated nail tips against Ejnar as he waits against the tip that slowly sinks in. I cry out for them to stop, they're hurting him but they could care less of the crying babe. He doesn't understand why they want hurt him all he knows is he is hurt. Slowly they sink through until they pierce his small heart and there's no longer a sound that comes from his tiny lungs.

All is silent and I failed to protect him.

"You evil bastards!" I'm weak, I'm so weak how could I let them do this to him! The one that killed Ejnar comes in front of me bending his head in level with mine as I'm forced onto the floor.

It growls into my face salivating at the scent of me. I accept my fate, I deserve what happens next. I close my eyes ready to take the kids of death, I already know what cold feels like being dead won't make it any different. Yet death did not find me, the sun rises on my face and for the first time in my life I can actually feel the warmth.

"Get your fucking hands off of my mate." Midas, his voice, they all turn to look at him and in all his glory he has never looked more terrifying than the demons. They even shake against his roar.

He is a monster but to them he's the devil and they're about to go to hell. It all happens so fast, the demon that still has its hold on me sinks it's claws into the back of my skin and I'm too weak to cry out in pain because my heart still feels pain for Ejnar's death.

Nothing matters anymore, why keep trying. Death may not welcome me but I welcome the darkness when I no longer stay awake to see Midas end then all.

Even as I close my eyes, I can feel him. His hands carry me away from the scene, I can see the small babes body in the distance, it's all a blur but I can see nonetheless. I look up and Midas has their dark blood all over him.

"You're too late..." I whisper, it's the truth, he is too late.

"Quiet little mate, it's over."

"It's not over until I'm dead." Is the last thing I say until sleep takes over and everything is black.