CHAPTER NINE - RUNNING AFTER MY FATE

Roarke shifted fast.

By the time the wolf had tackled him to the ground, Roarke was back as his massive wolf, snarling in rage. I was terrified, unable to process the scene in front of me. I watched with wide eyes as Roarke kicked the wolf off him, then charged forward - when the wolves clashed, they rolled my direction.

I leaped out of the way with a scream, just before they ran into the tree that had been right behind me.

I wasn't sticking around any longer. I wanted free - of all of them. I took off running, not looking back, with a positive mindset that I would survive this. That I could escape this dark situation I had been dragged into.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I ran blindly through the forest. I was depending on the moonlight to save my bare feet from fallen branches and thorns. Speaking of my feet, they were bleeding a lot, almost as much as my shoulder and forearm. I think my fight for survival was preventing me from passing out; I never did well with blood.

However, I noticed that my head felt lighter. The blood-loss was having an effect on me.

Suddenly, I tripped over a rock - which freaking stubbed my toes - and I plummeted to the ground. Mud soaked the front of me, mixing with my blood. I was tempted to roll onto my side, to curl into a ball and breathe better, but this was my moment. This was my opportunity to escape.

With my entire body protesting, I shakily rose to my feet and continued on my way. I didn't know which direction I was going. I didn't know where I was in the forest. 

I was stumbling through the thick undergrowth when a wave of dizziness washed over me. That wasn't good. I needed to do something about my injuries. I was losing too much blood.

Much to my relief, I came across a stream, water trickling through rocks. I staggered forward and dropped to my knees at the edge. I stuck my hands into the freezing water in a poor attempt to clean them, then peered at my forearm.

Three slashes from the wolf's claws. I craned my neck, glancing at my shoulder. Two slashes from the same wolf's claws. I would undoubtedly have some battle scars.

I was cleaning the mud out of my wounds when a low growl tore through the shadows, alerting me of a presence.

I pathetically grabbed a rock for my weapon and rose to my feet, lightheaded. My body trembled as I frantically squinted through the dark trees, searching for the wolf. There was a snuffling sound, an animal sound.

He was near.

The waiting was killing me.

I couldn't see him. I was terrified.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I decided to take off running as fast as I could. I ignored the pain in my body and I ignored the negative thoughts that reminded me I couldn't outrun a wolf. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing a dark figure darting through the trees behind me, chasing me.

I cried out when I tumbled down a slope, sharp pine needles pricking my skin. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I hauled myself back to my feet, urging myself to continue.

I couldn't give up. Not now.

Frightfully, I glanced back over my shoulder, seeing the wolf skirting through the trees, right towards me. I was tired. I was achy. I was close to collapsing. My speed started decreasing as it became harder to breathe and harder for me to keep going.

When I tripped over a tree root, I crumbled to the ground and I stayed there. The corners of my vision were darkening as I flipped over onto my ass. The wolf slowed down as he reached me, his front paws stopping near my feet.

"Please. . ." I pleaded, falling back onto my forearms. I waited for him to lunge forward, to kill me. Horrifying minutes passed until the wolf dipped his head, followed by pops and cracks.

I watched in fear and awe as he shifted back into his human form. His skin stretched, his toes curled, and his back arched, abnormally. His muscles knotted and convulsed while his thick fur disappeared, replaced with sweaty skin.

Staring at me, the whiteness of his pupils faded, returning to the normal black, surrounded by an icy blue. His snout shrunk, eventually revealing his human features. When his ears ducked, his human ears returned, mostly hidden by his dark hair that was matted to his forehead.

I blinked. "R-Rudy?"

He nodded once, moving towards me. A distant howl rang through the air and he paused, almost in thought.

Rudy looked into my exhausted eyes, then noticed the amount of blood on me. He wordlessly bent down and picked me up into his arms. I didn't even have the energy to protest. He didn't say anything, either. I gathered that he was a quiet man.

I was practically hanging lifeless and bloody in his arms as he strolled through the dark trees. I knew where he was taking me - back to Roarke.

I stared up at the canopy of leaves, which blew softly with the wind. Every once in a while, I caught a glimpse of the haunting moon, laughing at me.

Eventually, the trees became less dense and I heard roaring voices. Panic washed over me and I squirmed in Rudy's arms, my words coming out in grumbles. He reluctantly stopped and placed me on my feet, gently grabbing my upper arm to steady me. He didn't let me go, though - he guided me through the trees, towards the voices.

"Where the fuck is she?" a familiar voice boomed, just a few feet ahead. Screams followed as a loud roar erupted. "Where is my female? Where the fuck is she?"

When we emerged from the trees, I gasped at the scene in front of me. Members of Roarke's pack were shoving each other, scared and panicked, as Roarke stormed the area. He was throwing torn limbs around, punching trees, and even grabbing pack members by their throats in anger.

I had never seen Roarke this angry. Veins were popping out in his neck, his canines were extracted, and there was something feral in his eyes.

A few women screamed together as Roarke punched a tree near them. "Fucking find her! Where is my female?"

Rudy looked down at me, silently beckoning for me to make myself known. I didn't have a choice, his eyes read.

I gulped loudly and stumbled forward, praying my knees didn't unbuckle beneath me.

Roarke's pack members noticed me before he did. I noticed the relief on their faces, but also the horror at the sight of me drenched in blood. I was probably barely unrecognizable.

"Roarke."

He instantly whipped around at the sound of my voice and when his eyes landed on me, I felt my knees wobble. Roarke stomped towards me, shoving everybody away in his path. I didn't move. I just stood there.

When he reached me, he pulled me into his body, placing a protective, possessive hand at my lower back. Then, he dipped his head into my neck, deeply inhaling me. "I lost your scent. It disappeared."

My vision flickered. "I-I've lost a lot of blood."

His eyes skimmed me in alarm, darkening. There was a flash of panic in his features. He swooped me up into his arms, shouted a few commands to his pack, then began rushing through the trees. I was limp in his arms, yet determined to stay conscious.

"You shouldn't have ran," he scolded, concern seeping into his deep voice. "You should've stayed put."

I didn't respond.

It didn't seem like too much time had passed before there were lights and frantic voices surrounding me. My head hung over Roarke's arm and I recognized the outside of his house. He leaped onto the porch and carried me inside, taking me to his bedroom. I was placed on his comfortable bed, as he shouted, "Hurry the fuck up!"

A swirl of faces appeared above me. One of them was familiar - Dr. Burnett. Despite the worry in her eyes, she flashed me an assuring smile.

Several questions were being shot at me, but I couldn't answer any of them. Many hands worked on my wounds - I felt stinging, I felt wiping, I felt poking.

Roarke remained at my side, watching them closely.

I lost bits of time because next thing I knew, the hands were gone. I rolled my head to the side, peering at Roarke, who was now speaking with Dr. Burnett. I could see their blurry figures, I could hear their quiet voices, but everything was cutting out. My vision. My hearing.

"Lost a lot of blood. . .needs rest. . ."

"Be gentle."

There was that word again: gentle. Roarke was trying to be gentle with me, but like he had warned, wolves weren't gentle creatures. After that bloodbath, after seeing him so feral, I knew what he meant. Wolves were impulsive. Territorial. Savage. His form of gentleness wouldn't be enough.

Dr. Burnett eyed my figure, then left the room without another word. I focused my attention on Roarke, blinking away the black spots in my vision.

His eyes met mine. "Get some sleep."

I just blinked at him.

"I will be right here," Roarke said, leaning forward in the chair. "No one will touch you ever again. You are safe now."

But, I wasn't free.

-

I wasn't sure how long I slept.

When I peeled my eyes open, my whole body hurt. I could feel the pain in my feet from stepping on twigs and rocks and stubbing my toes. I could feel the stitched slashes on my forearm and shoulder, both ugly wounds hidden by bandages. I could feel the aches in my muscles from running so much.

And, I could feel the dried blood on me.

I turned my head, surprised to see Roarke asleep next to me. He was never in bed when I woke up. He was always gone. He was still covered in blood, like me, and his body was facing me, yet not touching me.

Roarke actually looked harmless as he slept. There wasn't that pinch between his eyebrows, there wasn't the flat line of his lips, and there wasn't the clenched jaw. Too bad all the blood ruined the muscled perfection next to me.

I slowly sat upright, a moan of pain escaping my lips.

Roarke was now awake.

We stared at each other for a long minute, accessing one another. Sunlight streamed in through the window, stretching over us on the bed. His eyes were so dark in the morning, almost black as he soaked me in.

"How are you feeling?" he murmured, eyeing me.

My mouth felt dry. "I-I need to bathe."

I didn't answer his question and his gaze hardened, yet he didn't say anything. I carefully rose to my feet and flinched in pain. Roarke noticed and he rose to his feet, coming to the other side of the bed. I almost shrieked when he lifted me up into his arms and carried me to the bathroom.

Roarke placed me down on the toilet and walked to the bathtub to start the water. He felt for the temperature, silent.

When I straightened to my feet, Roarke appeared in front of me and reached for the hem of my disgusting, scrappy shirt. I grabbed his hands, stopping him. Besides some underwear, I was naked underneath. However, I knew it was going to be a pain getting the shirt over my head with my injured shoulder.

He frowned. "Let me help."

I hesitated, staring up at him. I could tell that his intentions meant well. I allowed him to carefully and slowly help me out of the shirt. Once it was off, I covered my breasts immediately with my arms. He respectfully kept his eyes above my shoulders.

When he reached for my underwear, I gave him a look. "I'll take them off when I'm in the tub."

His lips formed a straight line, but he didn't argue.

I walked over to the tub and stepped into the warm water, which stung my cuts. I lowered myself down, keeping my bandages out of the water, and once I was submerged enough, I relaxed. Roarke lingered in the bathroom, watching me. He was still covered in blood; he needed to get clean too.

I looked at him in question.

He stood absolutely still. "You talk in your sleep. I can't ever understand you - it's mostly mumbles." My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "You walk on the tips of your toes. You bite your bottom lip when you're nervous. Your food can't ever touch on your plate. You sit with your ankles crossed."

"Where is this coming from?"

"In the forest, you said I don't know you," Roarke said, quietly. "I might not know you personally yet, but I observe." He squared his shoulders, holding my warmed gaze. "I will learn your favorite color, your interests, your desires. I will learn it all in time. Just give me time."

My heart was pounding in my chest.

Then, he left the bathroom without another word.