17. "So dark, so deep the secrets that you keep."
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Everything happened so fast that I could barely register what had happened.
I soon realised I was running away from where he stood, as far as my legs could take me.
The cold wind smacked me across my face and forced my eyes to gather tears, but I refused to let them fall.
Although it was cold enough to burn my lungs like icy fire, I didn't feel the cold. Pain ran alongside me, urging me forward. I enjoyed the pain that burned in my lungs, my only reminder that I was still alive and I could still fight the mate-bond.
Happiness was only a distant memory. It felt as though half my soul tore away the moment I left Night Star, and now I feared I might never be able to see my pack again.
My pack was not weak by any means; they withstood rogue attacks and several attacks from smaller packs before, but if a large pack such as White Raven, known to be ruthless and barbaric, attacks, I knew that would almost destroy them. I feared I would lose my loved ones. A lump caught in my throat at the thought, and I desperately urged my legs to run faster.
I arrived at a high point in the trail leading towards the mountains; I rushed towards it. The black starless night cast its dark cloak over me, hiding me from him. I could hear him a few miles back, his claws scraping against the forest bed, slow and languid, like a snake slowly circling its prey.
I barely managed to catch my breath, my tears finally managing to escape.
I ran along the jagged pathway up to a mouth of a small cave, hidden above the mines which snaked around the mountain. Large trees covered the opening, making it hard to see what was lurking inside.
The hair on the back of my neck suddenly rose as I surveyed the cave before me. The dark sky seemed to make the cave appear more menacing.
Struggling to shake off my unease, I got closer and closer to the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, my blood turned to ice, and I was chilled to the bone, fear ringing in my eyes.
I smelled him before I saw his wide eyes flickering in the dark.
A boy no more than ten was huddled deep in the corner of the cave.
The boy was naked with dirt matting his skin and long dark hair that reached his waist. Deep scratches, which seemed self-inflicted, marred his body like tattoos. His spine was arched to form a deep crouch that seemed permanent.
The boy narrowed his eyes in a deathly glare and cocked his head to the side. His movements were animalistic, his eyes devoid of any human emotion.
Suddenly a loud snarling sound split the air as he lunged at me, and at that moment, the boy no longer looked like a child but rather a monster.
I bit my lip hard, drawing blood, and shut my eyes, bracing myself for the attack.
But it never came.
I opened my eyes to find the boy scampering back to the corner of the cave, his wide eyes looking behind me in fright.
I whipped around to find Gabriel watching us, a mere shadow amid the dense dark brush. The foliage thrashed and swayed violently against his still body; his eyes glued to the boy behind me.
Too panicked to even scream, I flopped down at the threshold of the cave with a thump as my knees gave out. The boy flinched but didn't move otherwise.
Gabriel hadn't noticed me, his eyes glued on the whimpering boy huddled in the safety of the darkness.
As Gabriel circled us, I was dizzy with fear. He took advantage of my weakened state and sprung forward, forcing me into the cave with the strange boy, his large looming figure blocking my path to escape.
His black piercing eyes suddenly flashed to mine. But it was not the feral glint in his eyes that held me speechless, it was the vulnerability that bubbled close to the surface before he buried it with a deep scowl and locked jaw.
He came closer but not as menacingly as before. He was more careful as if he caught a deer and didn't want to scare away his prey.
I tilted my nose up as he stood inches before me to breathe in his heady masculine scent.
He bent his face down so that his breath pushed against my face. "Never run away from me again."
The boy jumped at the sound of that deep, rich voice. I only shivered. His voice was dark and low and made my insides quiver.
But his words forced my pulse to race faster.
Gabriel glared at me, his eyes unforgiving and darker than I have ever seen as anger engulfed them.
"Castiel," he called in a low voice as he straightened and stepped back out.
As soon as he called for Castiel, my heart drummed in dread, but I did not react quickly enough. Castiel surged forward as silent as the dead and grabbed my wrists.
"What are you doing?" I managed to squeak out despite the bitter taste of fear that filled my mouth.
"Hold out your hands," He ordered as he pulled a silver chain out from his pocket.
"Please," I pleaded to Gabriel. He growled loudly, and at the sound, Castiel yanked me by the arms and off the ground, placing me against the cave wall.
Castiel tied my wrists together and used the opposite end of the long silver chain to tie against an iron fixing poking out of the cave wall. I didn't wince, though. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Gabriel avoided my eyes as his gaze slid down to the floor. I wondered whether he felt remorse for what he was doing.
When his eyes met mine, they were void of any emotion. "Don't think you can escape from me." He said, his voice calm, even amused. For an instant, Castiel's grasp on my arm relaxed. Then he tightened his grip again.
"You're mine." Gabriel's words were like a cold bucket of reality. His eyes locked on mine with an intensity that unnerved me. He turned on his heel and walked away without a second look back.
My eyes returned to Castiel, who still had me in a steady grip. If looks could kill, I was sure I would have been dead. Castiel pushed me down to the ground and followed his Alpha out.
Leaving me alone with the strange boy huddled alone in the corner.
When I turned my attention to the boy, my stomach lurched in response as the odour struck me. For a moment, I thought I might be sick.
His eyes glowered back through the long matted hair framing his face.
I could tell he was hurt; the thick silver chain that bound his ankles was stained with blood as it rubbed his skin raw.
My heart ached for him; he was only a child.
I slowly moved closer to the boy, so as to not startle him.
"It's okay," My eyes pleaded, but I wasn't sure if he could understand my human words.
His breath clouded the space between us with every exhale. His head tipped to the side as his face scrunched up, making him look confused. He crawled out of the dark corner, subtly lifting his nose to the air like he was scenting me.
Fear etched my skin as the boy grew closer.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered, despite my racing heart.
The boy flinched and scrambled back a step at the sudden sound of my voice. I repeated my words slower this time, opening my mouth slowly so as to give him a fair warning.
The boy cocked his head to the side in a lupine manner, trying to understand the words.
For a long moment, he stayed that way as he watched me. Eventually, he slowly hunched his body forward and crawled an inch closer. His movements were strange; he was clearly not comfortable with his human form.
He shuffled around me, sniffing the air between us. I held my breath as he grew closer.
And closer.
He sat directly in front of me, tipping his chin up with soft sniffs. Keeping my slight smile in place, I didn't dare to move a muscle, even when the boy leaned in closer.
That was when I could see him, underneath all the filth marring his body. His wide eyes stared back, through the parting of his hair, utterly human.
In his eyes, I saw my reflection. We were so different yet so similar - both held captive by Gabriel Sinner.
The boy's eyes constantly roamed our surroundings, at every whisper of the wind and fall of a leaf.
Without thinking, I reached my hand out towards his hair.
The boy froze, a growl building in his chest and his lips rose in a warning snarl.
Pushing my fear down, I kept my eyes trained on my hand, inching closer to his hair. I ignored his harsh snarls and reached over to push back the hair that covered his eyes like a black veil. As soon as I touched him, the boy turned still. He looked up at me uncertain, his eyes blinking wide in fright. For a long moment, he stared at me, his wide eyes brimmed with fear and confusion.
The smell of blood and dirt grew more potent as I brushed my fingers through his matted hair. His hair has gone far past the point of being salvaged. Hopeless tangles impossible to detangle. Being up close to him, I finally saw how fragile he was, he was shivering violently, and his shoulders rolled with exhaustion.
He leaned toward me in sudden swiftness that I froze. He mirrored me as he pulled back and cocked his head to the side, trying to read me. His actions seemed so lupine and animalistic that I let out an involuntary laugh.
He seemed so puppy-like that I couldn't help but smile. I attempted to comfort the boy as you would a small animal by petting his hair. The boy visibly relaxed under my comforting touch and leaned forward again. I scooted closer to allow him to lean against me. He slowly closed his eyes as my fingers softly combed his hair back from his marred face.
I held him as I listened to his breathing become slow and steady, sleep calling him. I had so many questions about the boy. I wanted to find out who he was and why he was here. Most importantly, why did they have him tied up like an animal? I knew I needed to take matters into my own hands. It seemed that no one in this pack was willing to share anything with me. I knew they saw me as an outsider, but I felt there was more at play.
"I've never seen him warm up to anyone." I was caught off guard by Sera's voice, but I was more startled by the boy's reaction. His terror was a sharp scent in the cold air as he tensed against me and snarled gutturally in his throat.
Sera - who initially walked in with feline grace - took a hesitant step back.
The boy growled in warning at the intruder whilst his body trembled under my own, like a kitten protecting its mother.
"Shh, it's okay," I reassured him in hushed whispers as I soothingly patted his head. I gave him a comforting smile which seemed to work, as he shook his head like a dog and hesitated before he slowly relaxed against me and collapsed back against my shoulder.
The boy's unsteady breathing and the howling wind were the only sounds in the cave as silence enclosed us.
Sera looked as beautiful as ever, like she stepped off a runway, despite wearing tattered shorts and a tank top. Her wild hair hung to her waist, and her eyes shone bright and clear against her high cheekbones. She looked so out of place between the three of us. I suddenly realised how dull and dirty I was in comparison. The contrast between myself and her was like night and day.
"You'll make a good Luna one day," Sera observed as she leaned her shoulder against the wall, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
My lips thinned in frustration at her words. I quickly turned away so she couldn't see my grimace. I loathed the thought of being a Luna. I never felt like a leader, and I resented the pressure thrust on me due to my Alpha bloodline. I saw how being a Luna had affected my mother when my pack pressured her to produce a male heir. I saw first-hand how my mother suffered. My stomach lurched at the thought of being a Luna and siring an heir for a monstrous bloodthirsty pack such as Black Death.
We sat in silence for quite some time; I was still processing the thought of being a Luna that I hadn't realised Sera had moved from where she stood by the threshold of the cave and was sitting beside me. I could tell she had something to say, but I was too afraid to ask. Instead, I waited for her to speak first.
"You'll make a good mother too," she spoke after a while, her lips playing with a smile as she noticed my obvious discomfort. I chose to ignore her and focused on the sleeping child curled on my lap. "He's always been so closed off before; I'm surprised how fast he's grown close to you."
Her words provoked my curiosity despite my frustration. Her dark eyes met mine, and something flashed in them.
"Why is he here?" I asked. I had many questions about the child in my arms, but I went with the most pressing one.
"He's lost himself to the wolf."
Her words took me by surprise, but I managed to reign in my gasp. I've heard awful stories about men and women who lost their humanity to the wolf. Their wolf consumes their entire soul; they lose their human consciousness and live on pure primal instincts and unhinged bloodlust. From what I knew, wolves banished to live as rogues were lost to their wolf. I shuddered to think of the young boy sleeping in my arms as nothing but a shell of a human being and a monster driven solely by unbridled rage.
"But he's only a child," My voice was barely a whisper. I felt my eyes sting and hastily blinked away the tears.
Sera smiled faintly. "He's been through so much. He lost his mother at a young age and was too young to know what death was. He guarded his mother's rotting corpse night and day until our Alpha found him. The boy didn't even know his mother was dead. He wouldn't let Alpha get close to them. Alpha spent days trying to gain the boy's trust until eventually he grew tired and hungry and let Alpha bury his mother's body. But the boy was no longer human."
I nodded slowly, suddenly somber "he seems so scared of Gabriel."
"He lashes out at all of us and never lets us gets close. Alpha's the only one he allows to approach him." Sera's eyes flickered to the boy, and her lips twitched. "That's why I'm surprised he let you get so close to him."
I was caught off guard by her words; I wasn't sure how to respond. Instead, I focused on the sleeping boy in my arms, bound by chains strapped to his legs and arms.
"Why is he tied up?" A lump formed in my throat.
"For his own safety."
I swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat. I glanced down at the sleeping boy, like a cherub lost in peaceful slumber, but his scars held my gaze captive. His skin was smeared with dirt and blood, but I could still see the scars which wrapped around his body. Scars which seemed to be self-inflicted. I swallowed uneasily, trying to assess the damage. Bruises and lashes mottled his skin, and dried blood covered the chains that bound him.
"He seems almost human now." Sera stirred me from my thoughts.
I pretended to smile for her sake as I gulped down my nausea.
"He reminds me of my brother." Sera cast an amused glance, but her eyes were direct. "He and I were rogues when we were his age."
"You were rogues?" I gaped at her. Rogues were pack-less wolves, often due to being banished or no longer having an Alpha to follow. Without an Alpha to follow, wolves could go insane, eventually losing their humanity to their beat. I was told rogues were evil creatures that killed for pleasure. They were seen as outcasts and were known to be ruthless and unpredictable. It seemed impossible to imagine Sera as a rogue.
"So you were once lost to the wolf." I breathed in horror.
"No, never was."
"But I thought all rogues were lost to the wolf."
"Not all." Sera's face was unreadable
She stared out at the darkened night sky, her expression far away. "My parents and I belonged to Blue Moon Pack. My father was the Beta, a position I realised I took for granted back then. I was happy with everything that being a Beta's daughter gave me. Everyone wanted to be my friend; male wolves constantly sought my attention. My brother Manuel was training to be the next Beta-in-line, at the age of ten." Sera smiled faintly.
"I was too content with my life, basking in all the attention and the material things in life, that I failed to see what my father was plotting. I realise now how greedy my father was, he was proud of being a Beta, but he wanted more. My father led a riot against our old Alpha. He wanted to be Alpha instead. Alpha Dylan was weak and old, and my father believed he could do a better job."
"My father got caught; someone from his group betrayed him. Alpha Dylan not only captured my father, but he also captured all of us; Manuel was only fourteen at the time. They held us captive for years and tortured us for months. They branded us all as traitors, and they killed my father, which led to my mother's death; she suffered a heart attack from losing her mate. The rest of us were placed on death row."
Sera broke off suddenly and gritted her teeth. Her face was unreadable, but I realised it must have been hard for her to talk about it. She took a deep breath before she continued.
"It was my father's job to keep us safe, but he let us down." Sera's voice was cold. "A few months into our imprisonment, there was an attack on Blue Moon Pack. Manuel and I managed to escape with a group of other prisoners, who planned on escaping to a human town."
"I decided not to go with them; I left my brother with the others and spent a few years as a rogue before I went back to Blue Moon for revenge. I wanted to attack the pack that held us captive. I wanted to kill the assholes that killed my mother." Sera was lost in the story, as was I. It surprised me when she looked at me suddenly as if she'd forgotten I was there. "I hope I'm not scaring you too much."
I shook my head silently, my words failing me.
Sera's lips twitched. "When I got to Blue Moon, I realised it was already under attack." She grinned, a private smile. "That was when I met Raphael, my mate."
I froze in place, too shocked to remember how to move. My heart stopped and then broke into a sprint. I shuddered, trying to imagine the life she lived.
"Sorry," She apologised. "I got carried away."
I shook my head, struggling to swallow the lump in my throat. The boy stirring in his sleep snapped me away from my thoughts, and I tentatively patted his head to soothe him.
My expression must have been funny looking, Sera's laugh seemed lighter, and her eyes twinkled with mirth against the darkness.
"You should get some sleep now." Sera's smiled as she rose lithely from her seated position. "I know you're upset at him, but you should ask him where he went when he gets back." She walked out of the cave, "Goodnight." She whispered into the darkness before trading her skin for fur.
I sat staring into space for a while. I struggled to sleep well that night, even after I finished crying. The constant howling of the wind wouldn't fade into the background. I didn't fall asleep until after midnight, and when I did manage to fall asleep, I had a nightmare.
It was dark in my dream, but I realised I was in the same cave. The boy was nowhere to be found, but I was not alone. I knew Gabriel was there; even in the deepest depths of my subconsciousness, I could feel his presence. I couldn't see his face, but I felt him watching me in the darkness. I tried to scream and run, but I was unable to see where I was going. I felt him getting closer and closer. I froze in my spot as two large red eyes appeared from deep within the cave. Fear and terror crashed within, but I remained rigid in place, clouded in darkness with no escape.
Fear forced my eyes to snap open. I blinked, back into consciousness, the hazy images fading into the breaking dawn.
A squeak of fear to my left made me turn to find the boy scurrying to a crevice in the cave, like terrified prey. The boy stared at me with wide round eyes, his breath hitching unevenly.
My hand had been reaching for him but froze in place.
A shiver ran through me. Something was off; I could feel it. It was silent, too silent. There were no sounds from nature, no calls from the birds, or the whispering of the leaves; even the air was still.
It felt as though death was approaching, and he was.
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I come in peace!
Thank you berry much for reading.
More to come soon.
Your #1 Fan,
Morbid Bacon
P.S. If you don't vote or comment, I will turn Gabriel's dick into a cactus.