A/N: Trigger warning.
—
Tristan jolted awake to the single hard pound. He felt groggy as he glanced to the door, but it didn't sound again.
He raised his hand to drag over his face, for the briefest of moments, he was confused where the hell he was.
Until he felt her light weight resting over him. Tris's gaze snapped down to her sleeping partially on his chest. But mostly, all he saw was messy white hair splayed out in every direction.
Tristan dropped his head back into the pillow and lazily ran a hand over her head and rested it there. Tristan didn't think he'd ever slept that well in his life. Something about having her there... his wolf felt at ease. Peaceful, warm.
She too seemed to be sleeping hard, her breathing deep and even, her heart rate slow. She didn't stir at his touch.
Tris lay there for a moment, not wanting to get up. Not wanting to break this moment and go back to all the troubles of life. He glanced to the narrow sky light. Sunlight was flooding in.
He had no idea what time it was.
Tristan looked down at her again as he tried to gently brush her hair back enough to find her face, but he quickly gave up. It was a massive tangled mess and she was partially sleeping atop it.
He couldn't help but smirk a bit. Even if she didn't have his scent thoroughly embedded all over her, in her... it was clear what they did all night by her appearance alone.
But the smirk was short lived. The realization that he didn't know where they stood now was sinking it. He just stared at her for a moment, trying not to let the disheartening feeling get to him.
Last night was progress. He tried to focus on just moving forward.... Leaving the past behind.
She seemed receptive.
Tristan slowly sat up, easing her off to the side as he looked to the door again. He was sure he heard it. Was someone trying to get their attention? He glanced back at her as she slept on, and he tried to gently move her into a more comfortable looking position, finally getting her hair out of her face, before he pushed out of bed.
So many things were going through his head. Logistics things. Could she travel yet? Would she go? They needed to get back to Lykaia... where he knew the grounds. Had their own. He wanted to put distance between Arthur and Cecil. He didn't trust them not to retaliate.
He needed to send someone out to find those females... if that's what it would take to get her to stay with him, he'd do anything.
Should he let her keep sleeping? Or wake her? She looked like she needed it. How much had she truly slept this last week? She looked exhausted...
... would she be sore? They had done a lot... He hadn't thought of that. He glanced to the bathroom. There was no bathtub there.
He looked back at her, feeling strangely flustered. He didn't feel he was a particularly cold person before, but he had never once felt the need to take care of someone as much as he was suddenly feeling. The strange realization that he didn't even know how, or where his boundaries even were with her.
...would she even want him to?
Tristan looked at the door again when all those thoughts were becoming too much. Maybe he should just start with what he could control. He unlocked the door and released the heavy metal handle.
And immediately... he knew something was wrong. His wolf's senses weren't what they should be. He should have recognized it sooner...
He heard no one outside. Tristan quickly closed the door behind him as he leapt up the steps. He felt his heart speed up when he smelled fresh blood, some Lykaia and some Moro, but not his sister. Even more of it was on the breeze. Tristan could hear border guards running hard nearby.
He looked backward toward the bunker again as the spike of true panic hit him. Fear the likes of which he never felt before. He knew what their movements meant. He'd been in battles countless times.
... but he never had someone he wanted to protect in the middle of one.
They were out there vulnerable. Tristan turned to the sound of rapidly approaching paws headed toward them, and was momentarily shocked to realize it was Sawyer, Nathan and several of their enforcers.
Sawyer was supposed to be gone.
"Tristan!" Nathan shifted to skin as he neared him. He was clearly out of breath. Tristan's gaze snapped to Sawyer. He and the other enforcers had blood on them.
A mix of their own, and...
No.
"We were attacked... they were waiting for us on the road. We had to turn back... we barely just got through." Sawyer said with a look of pure hot rage. Tristan stared at him in shock as he quickly searched his pack bonds. He hadn't felt any snap.
Panic hit him hard.
"Everyone's alive, but injured." Nathan quickly added by the look on his face.
Relief flooded him, but the worry, fear and confusion was consuming.
"We hunted nearly all of them..." Tristan said in shock. The blood scents on them were unmistakable.
Varga.
"Clearly not enough." Nathan snarled.
"Where is Dena?" Tristan asked worriedly.
"She ran to be with your mother, they had a caretaker get her the moment we got here, your mother is injured, but she'll live..." Nathan said. Tristan's gaze snapped to Sawyer. He looked deeply frustrated and slightly ashamed.
Tristan knew Sawyer's capabilities, if they managed to injure his mother at all... the attack was bad.
"Where are the other enforcers?" Nathan snarled suddenly as he glanced around the field.
Tristan looked backward. He suspected something was wrong. There should have been guards... his wolf was setting off alarms inside him.
Were others there? He scented no one... but it felt like danger was nearby. Tristan took a panicked breath, but his eyes darted toward the west when he heard distance snarling and fighting.
"What the hell is happening?" Tristan growled. He felt himself tense.
He had never felt torn in so many different directions. He had to get her out of there...
"Cecil just started making a run on Byron's territory, they are hitting the west border." Sawyer said with a growl. Tristan felt the shock. He knew their treaty was practically dissolved.
But he didn't expect him to actually shatter it, not so soon.
None of this made sense. Cecil's pack was no where near as large as Byron's or Arthur's. He was also a distance away. If Cecil was there, Arthur wouldn't be far behind.
Eyolf was probably just letting Ulmer take the brunt of the causalities. Byron's land was well guarded, and the areas that couldn't be were secured by nature.
Tristan spun around when he heard more snarling, before a long loud howl sounded in warning at the border closest to them. He could clearly hear the rustling, the fighting...
It was far too close.
"Dammit." Nathan snarled. Paws began to quickly dart toward the howl from all directions. The fighting already sounded fierce. Others were coming from the territory behind them, but not fast enough.
They were going to break through. And they'd end up in the cross fire there...
Tristan's gaze snapped toward the bunker. Panic, fear, he didn't know what he felt more of. He looked at Sawyer and the rest of the Lykaia enforcers.
He was suddenly torn between having her just lock herself inside, or trying to get her back to the safety of the main territory. They were too far on the fringe.
Tristan felt torn for a moment as he looked between Sawyer and Nathan. His gaze inevitably landed on Sawyer. He'd need him with him if he did this...
Tristan looked at Nathan.
"Tell her to lock it!" He snarled his command at him. It was fortified to keep others out. It was safest for her to stay... He looked at two others beside him.
"Stay here. Guard her." He commanded with a hard tone as he looked back at Nathan.
"Tristan no! We came to get you out of here! This is not our fight!" Nathan snarled, but Tristan was already shifting and darting off into the trees.
They had to hold the border. If they broke through, it would become their fight anyway. They had vulnerable here.
Tristan had cold realization... if they came back, Rafe, his grandparents and mother...all the woodland Alphas were here.
...had this been their plan all along? To make a run to wipe them all out at once?
Tristan ran harder. He heard Sawyer and the rest he hadn't commanded to stay, run after him.
Just once... he wanted something to go right... to not dissolve into disaster where he lost more people.
Tristan wouldn't lose another family member.
The moment they reached them, he ran straight into the fighting wolves without a second thought, going for the largest among them.
And he gave into to the rage of his wolf.
-
Lily awoke with a start when the door clanged partially open.
A voice growled something she didn't understand in her sleepiness before it slammed shut. Lily stared at it for a moment, confused. The grogginess hadn't fully faded.
But she had a sudden prickling of her wolf sense.
Lily immediately sat up with a wince. The ache in her lower pelvis was a sudden reminder of everything that had happened last night. Lily felt her face flush.
There was a brief moment that her mind wanted to trial down that path of happiness, but the light flooding in from the skylights suddenly blinked several times. Lily glanced up at it. Shadows were crossing overhead.
Lily quickly looked around, but she knew by the absence of sound he was gone...
She was alone.
Confusing thoughts hit her. Worried thoughts. Lily sat still for a moment as she brushed her messy hair back and ran her hands nervously down her stomach.
... why did she suddenly feel so... so...
She didn't have words. Why would he leave her there?
The lights flickered again. Several times. Lily looked toward them. Clearly there was movement above, but she had no idea what.
Her wolf's nervousness hit her again. Harder this time. A tingling sense of danger.
Her gaze instantly snapped to the door. It wasn't locked, it could only be locked from the inside. The male's words rang in her head. Had he said to lock it?
Her wolf came alive with alarm. Dread suddenly filled her...
Lily scrambled out of bed and darted for the door, and immediately twisted the lock just as a sudden thud hit the outside hard. She gasped and pushed back, staring at it with wide eyes. She glanced back at the narrow skylights again, they were still blinking with movement above.
She took several nervous breaths in the silence. When the handle tried to turn she looked back at it with alarm, but the deadbolt was thoroughly in place.
They couldn't get in... right? She tried to reassure herself... even though she has no idea who 'they' was.
Lily paced nervously. The flickering lights suddenly stopped. And then there was nothing... nothing but her nervous breathing.
The heavy silence seemed to last forever...
But then the handle pulled again, and Lily stared at it with wide eyes. After a second, loud thudding pounds started, spiking her panic again.
Lily turned to frantically glance around. She grabbed her clothes and yanked them on, before she looked toward the kitchen. Lying there on the counter was a knife. She vaguely recalled Tristan feeding her last night.
She quickly grabbed it and tucked it into her waist band at the small of her back. It wasn't silver, but it could still do damage...
Lily turned again to stare at the door. It was thick metal... even with their kind's added strength there was no getting through it. It was the whole point of a heat house...
So why did she suddenly feel so afraid? Her wolf was urging her to run.
The handle jiggled again, but then a strange scraping of metal proceeded it. Metal on metal. It made her hair stand on edge. It sounded deliberate.
... there wasn't a key was there?
Lily frantically searched her mind. She hadn't looked at the outside of the door... but she knew some of the other heat houses she used with Sil in the past had at least one, usually kept by the Alpha female. Just in case.
Would this one be different? Lily felt her breathing increase right alongside her fear.
Especially as she heard the tell tale 'click' of metal.
Lily ran for the lock as the realization dawned on her, but the door burst open just as her fingers brushed it. Lily gasped and backed up with wide eyes.
That sinister Alpha she saw in the house sneered at her.
Lily quickly kept moving back away from him, stumbling for a moment over the rug. Her wide eyes looked beyond him to the open door.
"Tristan..." Lily said hesitantly with a shaky breath. She could smell blood. See blood on the stairs. It smelled of Tristan's pack. She could hear snarling and fighting above. It spiked her fear higher. Confusion intermingled with the sudden terror.
... what was happening?
"TRISTAN!" Lily screamed when it truly began to dawn on her. Her wolf was pushing her hard to find him. The predatory wolf's furious eyes grew darker as he slammed the door behind him and locked it.
Lily took a shaky breath as she backed up all the way until her back hit the opposite wall. He hadn't moved from the spot. He was nude, blood stained, and looked furious. His dark eyes were viscously wolf gazed. Clearly fresh out of a shift.
She darted her eyes around in desperation. She looked upward now that she was directly under a sky light. It was barely five inches across and deep. There was no escape that way even if she could break the thick multi pane glass.
"What... are you doing here?" Lily asked when she heard him take a step toward her. The terror was sinking in, down to her bones.
"You can't be that naive." He snarled. His voice was just as dark and frightening as he looked. His gaze was heavy on her neck, searching. He would know by scent alone if she was a claimed female, but he still seemed to be checking. Lily swallowed.
She wasn't. She hadn't let Tristan mark her...
...where was he? ...did he abandon her?
The sinking in her heart was almost overwhelming.
"You shouldn't be here..." Lily said as firmly as she could as she glanced to the door behind him. Panic was still rising inside her. Almost paralyzing.
But one thought was firm. She had to run.
"Don't make this harder. I paid a good price for you. You are mine now." He snarled.
Lily looked back at him in horror. She knew he was lying, that couldn't possibly be true.
"He wouldn't do that..." Lily said with as firm a tone as she could. The day before flitted through her mind. The way he made her feel... that wasn't... that wasn't for show, it couldn't have been. It felt far too real, too genuine.
He laughed. Low and vicious.
"You don't know males, for the right trade, they will give up anything." He said with a dark grin as he held up the metal key he was casually holding between his fingers. Lily tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat as she stared at it.
Why would he have that?
"That's not true." Lily said, but her voice wavered... because deep down, she didn't truly know. She couldn't help but doubt him. After everything,,,
And he wasn't here...
But something was clearly wrong. The blood, the fighting...
She didn't know what to believe.
"I was told of his plan for you. Isn't me taking you as a mate better than your fated's kept whore? But I guess even in that... he changed his mind." He slowly moved toward her. Lily tensed.
"Tristan wouldn't-" She began.
"He would. If you come with me now... I won't have to do it like this. I intend to make you my female. In every way. Come with me willingly, now, and I'll be good to you, otherwise, we do this the hard way." He said, but his eyes shined of cruelty.
"You're lying." Lily growled. He just continued to stare at her in an unsettling way, blocking off her only exit.
"All I had to agree to... was to never put a pup in you. Or at least, never let one grow, your bloodline stops now. That was part of our arrangement," He said. Lily stared at him, even more horrified. The male looked amused by her distress.
In her mind she knew she couldn't trust his words, he seemed to enjoy saying things that hurt her. The look on his face was making her sick.
But it didn't make it sting any less... and it was playing on the uncertainties she already had.
"Did he not tell you? You were never to further your line. All packs agreed on that." He said. Lily tensed as he got closer, her gaze darted around again, trying to find some escape.
"Not that I have any intention of honoring it. I will see you grow round with my pups. I won't let your father's powerful bloodline go to waste.... or your mother's." He said with an even darker grin.
...her mother's? What did he mean?
Lily felt her heart truly start to race. She looked to the door beyond him again.
She knew she had to try to run, but the fighting above made the dread sink in further.
Still she needed to try... to buy time.
Tristan said he would protect her. Even back when he didn't want her... he always showed up when she was afraid... she knew he could feel her. He had to.
This male had to be lying...
But she still wasn't getting much from Tristan. Spikes of anger. Fear too... but she almost couldn't tell which was hers, and which was his. Something was fuzzy.
Just as she felt last night, something was interfering between them. Had Tristan done that on purpose?
No... she couldn't think of this now.
Determination started to rise inside her. She took several hard breaths as she continued to inch away from him as he grew closer, until she was all the way into the corner with no where left to go.
She watched him draw closer, his eyes dilated somewhat. She knew her scent was still thick in the air... but it only seemed to make him more furious as his gaze trailed heavily over her clothed body. Even then, on what skin he could see was riddled with Tristan's love marks.
And Tristan's scent was embedded into her... everywhere.
He snarled as he finally reached her. Lily took a terrified breath as he suddenly buried his hand into her tangled hair and fisted hard. Her scalp immediately screamed in pain. She saw his canines, the expression on his face was clear what he intended to do.
It spiked her fear and panic even higher.
But she forced herself to calm down as she put her hand behind her back and curled her fingers around the handle of the knife. She thought of Gila. Of everything she taught her...
The male forced her head to the side and she felt his hot breath against her neck. She trembled slightly in fear when she felt his teeth scrape her skin, knowing what he intended to do.
And it would shatter her gifted's bond if it took...
After everything... even in her doubt, it wasn't something she was willing to give up. It was something she'd fiercely defend. It was a precious gift, one she would never get again.
A furious anger rose up inside her that this horrible wolf thought he had that right. Her grip on the knife tightened as she pulled it out of her pants when he forced her head to the side.
It wasn't silver, she knew it wouldn't kill him... but she hoped it would hurt enough to give her time to run.
She waited until his canines just started to pierce her skin, before she fiercely stabbed the knife hard into the back of his neck.
He flinched back, shocked. He clearly did not expect her to fight back. Lily quickly stabbed him again in the chest. She kept hold of it as he fully reared back from her, and she darted for the door.
Her shaking fingers fumbled to unlock it, and she managed to throw it open just as he grabbed her hair and yanked her backward with a furious snarl.
Lily tried to keep hold of the door but he broke her hold and threw her hard onto the ground. The knife clattered away from her.
Lily scrambled for it but he grabbed her ankle with a snarl and yanked her back again. She could smell his blood. Lily turned and kicked hard at his face, it gave her enough leverage to get her fingertips on the handle.
"TRISTAN!" Lily screamed again in panic now that the door was open. He snarled and yanked her under him. Lily turned to see his rageful face.
In that moment... Sil's words came back to her... about what to do if she truly wanted to hurt a male. Before he could grab the knife from her hand, she adjusted her hold and went low, stabbing down between his legs as hard as she could.
The noise he made proved she hit her target. She didn't waste time, she shifted and tore past him straight up the stairs.
She immediately smelled blood and death, it was so thick in the air. And other scents. Suddenly they were everywhere. Lily darted a glance around her. Enforcers...
Wolves were still fighting. But others had been there pacing. They looked taken aback by her sudden presence. They stopped abruptly, tense. Lily tensed too.
A slight move by a male to the far left had her jerking back. She felt the deep fear again. There were too many.
But she had to try.
Lily darted hard toward the right, to the largest gap she saw, and narrowly managed to avoid one enforcer's lunge, but the second hit her flank. She buckled and tumbled, but managed to roll and shove up before another leapt on her to keep her down.
Lily raced into the trees as fast as she could push herself. She felt her heart pounding... adrenaline rushing.
Fighting sounded like it was coming from everywhere. And blood was on the breeze...
-
The fear he felt distracted him. It spiked hard. Tristan quickly darted out of the way as he tried to make sense of it. He couldn't not be focused now...
It was hers.
She was supposed to be safe. Why was he feeling this? The fear just seemed to be getting thicker. But it wasn't clear. It was dimmed.
But the intensity of the emotion was breaking through.
Tristan was suddenly torn, he snarled and downed another as he tried to not split his focus enough to get himself killed. He was already struggling, his senses weren't what they should be.
...but the moment he heard his name in the distance. Her terrified voice.
Nothing else mattered.
But he couldn't break away. He realized suddenly he was being blocked on purpose. Every time he tried to dart back, more would get in his way to stall him and cut off his ability to get back on territory.
He knew some of the enemy wolves were breaking through. Others were still coming, some allies some not, from different directions. His wolf's focus wasn't as sharp as it should be..
He felt a pack bond suddenly snap... an enforcer at the bunker. He just knew. But Nathan and the other still lived.
It edged his panic to full blown terror as he fought harder to get back through.
But scents on the breeze hit him hard...
Eyolf.
Tristan's attention snapped backward. They were a distance still, but headed toward them fast. This was bad.
And Cecil had more than he anticipated.
This was far too planned out to be spur of the moment..
For the first time, true worry that they might not live through this hit him. Moro wolves were being downed around them, more than Ulmer.
Sawyer was beside him suddenly. He was trying to push him back toward the unclaimed territory with a snarl.
He wanted him to run before Eyolf reached them.
Tristan snarled back as he jumped on another Ulmer before they could rip the throat out of one of Byron's border guards. He wouldn't... couldn't leave her, or any of his own.
There was no running from this. If they took Byron's territory, they were as good as dead anyway.
Tristan looked back, expecting the worst as the running Eyolf wolves were nearing them, but Byron's scent hit him hard. Running from the west border.
He realized he heard no more fighting in that direction. Tristan downed another wolf as the confusion hit him hard when he caught other scents not from the woodlands.
They smelled southern.
And suddenly a flood of wolves descended upon them. Snarling as they jumped into the fray.
It was over before he knew it, but Tristan's gaze darted to the forest. Eyolf wolves were still incoming.
"Hunt the rest that got through!" Byron snarled to his own. A portion of those gathered darted off back into the territory. Tristan nearly went with them, but his attention was drawn again to the incoming Eyolf.
He felt torn. Her fear had dimmed... he didn't know what to make of it.
And this threat seemed worse.
"Brother." A male near him spoke as he shifted. Tristan's gazed darted to the southern wolf, but his attention was still torn. He glanced back to the territory. He could hear distant fighting still. Where was Cecil?
"Iktan, I didn't expect you to bring so many." Byron said.
"And I didn't expect to stumble in on what we did. You told me this was a future conflict." Iktan said. Tristan tensed even more as the Eyolf grew closer. This was not the time to have a damn conversation!
"Yes, I didn't expect this, when we last spoke, I still assumed things could be mended." Byron said as he looked toward the forest in the direction of the approaching wolves. "And your enforcers hardly look in need of training."
"We've had peace for some time among our own, they certainly haven't had an opportunity to truly prove themselves." Iktan said with a large arrogant grin.
The male almost looked happy he jumped into a fight that was clearly not theirs. Tristan caught Arthur's scent and felt the rage hit him again, hard.
His wolf wanted his blood.
"ARTHUR!" Byron suddenly snarled. The wolves were a distance still, not clearly visible amongst the trees. But they were within earshot now.
They had slowed to a stop. Clearly they mustn't have expected so many waiting at the border for them.
"You still want to do this?" Byron snarled loud.
The air grew thick.
The tense stillness felt as if it lasted forever.
... until finally, he heard the growling and the sound of paws retreating as Eyolf headed back into the forest.
Tristan didn't think twice. He turned and darted away, hard, back toward the bunker. Even after Byron called out to him to wait. Sawyer was right on his heels.
Tristan stopped abruptly once they reached the field, panic was making it hard to think. She was clearly not there. What the hell happened? There was no one around when they left... how did they get there so quickly?
He caught Cecil's scent heavy there, his blood.
Tristan saw red.
But he forced himself to pause, he needed to not lose it. He panted as his eyes darted around. He needed to think. He needed to focus.
His gaze trailed over the dead wolves that lay nearby. A fight had obviously happened. He focused on them for a moment. Both his own and Ulmer lay there.
Nathan and his other enforcer were not there.
He felt that deep fury as he looked to the trees, but his own fear was building, gnawing into his stomach. He tried to focus on their bond, but the damn ama was making it hard to focus. He wasn't getting much from her now. Everything had dimmed.
With a growl he darted off after their scents, but they were zigzagging. Criss crossing through trees.
He shouldn't have left her...
-
Lily abruptly stopped when an enforcer cut her off. She didn't know who was on her side anymore. She ran the other way. There were so many paws chasing her now.
Lily ran into another that forced her away from the inner territory. She realized they were hearding her toward the southeast border. Lily tried to focus, the blood was overwhelming... but she finally caught Tristan's scent.
They were blocking her way to him.
Lily ran hard to get herself some distance, enough to call to him, and the moment she felt they were far enough behind she stopped to frantically emit a calling howl.
She cut off short and ran again when they started to gain on her. Lily circled wide around the trees and tried to dart back toward the inner territory but again she was cut off and forced to change direction.
Lily panted hard, her body was starting to hurt with the exertion. A wolf bound from her right, she didn't see him in time to dodge and she felt the breath ripped from her lungs as they tumbled sideways. Lily panicked when he managed to pin her, but a vicious snarl came from her left and suddenly a bloodied wolf tackled him off her. He smelled of Lykaia.
She remembered him. The one who called her a traitor... but she didn't know his name.
Relief flooded her as she pushed up and slowly backed away from the fighting wolves, but the other male was no match for the much larger wolf. He postured defensively in front of her after ripping his throat out, snarling at the others that stopped short.
She stared at his back. Lily didn't think he liked her at all... why was he defending her now?
Lily glanced to the left, other wolves were headed toward them. She caught Dena's scent. More Lykaia and Moro. And... Kweo wolves?
What were they doing there?
Before the confusion of that fully sunk in, she caught Tristan and Sawyer's as well... relief flooded her.
But there seemed to be more of the enemy wolves immediately around her.
Lily looked back at the wolf in front of her as three others suddenly pounced on him. But the fourth went for her, quickly cutting off her access to the inner territory again. She turned and ran before he managed to lunge.
Lily felt the panic rising again as other wolves darted from the trees out of no where, snapping at her. She was focused so hard on avoiding their lunges, she didn't realize they had her nearing the border again.
She heard vicious fighting to the west of her, the path over the border was currently clear.
Lily tried to turn around, but she couldn't without being caught. So she changed tactics and ran straight into the unoccupied region, as hard and fast as she could to get away from them.
... but she was also putting distance from everyone else.
Lily didn't let herself think, if she could outrun them and lose them, she'd figure out what to do from there... she could smell the stream she had crossed what felt like forever ago now, and she ran straight for it. She needed to hide her scent trail.
She just ran.
-
Tristan followed the trail all the way to the border. The Ulmer that were left suddenly darted off territory, scattering into the forest. There was no one left to fight.
Both he and Sawyer stopped abruptly when they ran into Nathan, but her scent continued into the unclaimed territory.
Her calling to him had his wolf all kinds of torn. Dena, and more of their own had gone after her. Tristan shift back.
"What happened?" Tristan snarled. Nathan looked barely able to stand. He was leaning against a tree, and Tristan knew he'd lost a lot of blood by how pale he was. His hand was putting pressure on a deep wound at his shoulder.
"They were lying in wait, the moment you left, they attacked us." Nathan growled. His furious eyes wolf glazed.
Tristan stared at him in shock, how had he missed that? He looked frantically out into the forest. Paws were retreating into the trees in all directions. Just as he was about to go, Sawyer grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't go out there, we have no idea if Arthur planned this. Leave it to us." Sawyer said firmly. Tristan grit his teeth hard.
He couldn't do that...
And nor did he have time to argue. He shifted back to fur and darted out after her scent and all the others. Sawyer growled with annoyance as he followed close behind.
-
Lily had never been happier in her life to have been blessed with speed. She heard them falling further and further behind until she had a sizable distance, but even then she didn't slow. She pushed herself harder.
Relied flooded her as she reached the stream and immediately ran into the water to retrace her path from the week before.
Maybe she could make it back to Navarre... she didn't want to put her new family in danger, but she didn't know what else to do. The stream widened until it became an actual river as the forks of it began to converge. She knew there was a lake up ahead, she could smell the deeper water.
The moment she reached the lake, she took a deep breath and ran full force into it until she was submerged. She shifted beneath the surface and swam as far as she could before she needed to
come up for air. Lily turned around and scanned the banks as she stayed as low in the water as she could.
She saw no one yet, but she knew they were there. She felt herself shaking with the exertion of the run and her lungs burned for air, but she forcibly ignored it and went under again as she swam to the opposite bank. Only coming up for air when she absolutely needed and kept herself low. She scanned the banks each time, and each time there was no one...
Lily fumbled as she came out of the water on shaking legs. It was rockier there and jagged, the water was flowing out into another inlet of the river. She was relieved how loud the sound of flowing water was with the steep drop off, it would help.
Lily glanced back, searching the forest again. She saw no one outright, and caught no scents yet. But her wolf was still on high alert. She knew she was still being hunted.
Lily quickly scanned the bank as she stumbled over the sharp pebbles and rocks. She was frantically searching for anywhere to hide.
An immense sense of relief flooded her when she finally found a space between rocks that had an overhang into the deep water she could jam herself into.
With one last glance around, she quickly twisted and squirmed until she managed to slide into the tight space.
Lily listened to her trembling breath echoing off the narrow rock as she tried to scrub herself as much as she could, dimming down her scent for when she'd have to run again.
Every second felt like an eternity as she remained still in the cold water. She heard nothing for so long, even with her nervousness she began to feel her trembling body relax.
Until a calling howl had her tense again. It was Dena. They were searching for her.
So many things went through her mind. Lily stared down at the water, she felt suddenly torn. She could return it. But what if those other wolves were closer?
Then a strange thought hit her hard...
...did she even want to go back to them?
Lily's thoughts immediately went to Tristan. She felt a jumble of emotions. So many conflicting thoughts.
Thoughts that pained her chest, especially after what happened. Her wolf wanted him, desperately. But she still didn't know how she felt. Without her heat driving her toward him, she was back to feeling uncertain.
... what if this was temporary? What if what that wolf said was true? That they didn't want her bloodline to continue...
...what if he changed his mind again? What if he really did just want her to satisfy his wolf?
... would he have truly sold her?
He left her there... and that male had the key.
Lily shook herself out of that thought. She didn't truly believe that, she hated that that wolf put that thought in her head.
But she just didn't know what to think now...
Lily tried to swallow the tightness growing in her throat as she brought her hands up to rub over her face. The bad thoughts were coming harder now. She couldn't stop them. She tried again to focus on how he made her feel, but it felt... somehow tainted now.
Lily took another shaky breath. She couldn't sort out her mind. So many things were tearing her in different directions.
But one thought was prominent.
...did she really want to stay here? With all this conflict? She thought of that aweful wolf and felt a chill run through her. He'd looked at her with such insane want. Obsession.
Why? She didn't even know him...
Then she thought of all the places she'd been. How many wolves had treated her kindly. Accepted her without any kind of question...
And the wolves here were all the same... vicious, greedy...
Tristan's words from so long ago kept coming back to her. How he thought she couldn't be trusted. How they saw her blood as vile...
...was that wolf really telling the truth about the packs not wanting her to have pups?
The more Lily let her thoughts go down the road, the more she began to truly hate the thought of staying there...
These woodland packs... Would they ever be able to maintain any semblance of peace between them?
She thought of those two awful Alphas, and she doubted that would ever happen.
Having seen so much now, Lily couldn't help but long for somewhere away from there. In any of the packs that learned to live with each other. Were kind to each other.
... did she want this life? What did it really offer her?
Other than pain...
If she accepted Tristan she would be forced to stay here.
Lily glanced backward, not able to see anything but blackness and rock, but she knew it was the direction back to Navarre and possibly Gila and her sisters.
...did she really even belong with them though?
She knew they had mates here, it's why they kept coming back. And whether Gila admitted it or not... Lily was a burden to them too.
Lily felt the warmth of her tears on her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. Now was not the time for that. Her mind was still a mess.
...did she belong anywhere?
It hadn't occurred to her until that very moment, that since she'd been there she hadn't once heard the winter wolf call. Did they finally give up?
Lily took a trembling breath. Even if she wanted to... how would she get to them? These packs would never allow her passage.
Nothing was more clear to her than that.
Lily felt herself start to shiver. The water was freezing, and the temperature would only drop as the day progressed. She knew it was midday at least when she first got there.
But shivering there in the dark, she had no way of knowing how long she'd been there. She knew she couldn't stay there much longer...
But she was too afraid to leave.
-
They hadn't found her.
"I don't think she's here Tristan." Dena said worriedly. Tristan stared out over the lake. He didn't know why his wolf kept pushing him to come here. He kept circling back. They'd searched the area thoroughly.
Cecil and his own were long gone too. They caught their scents heading in the direction of his territory.
Tristan tried hard not to let his mind go down that route that he'd managed to take her... but it wasn't even that difficult. He didn't truly believe it. He didn't feel anything from her.
And something kept bringing him back here. It's where her scent trail ended.
"I sent some scouts ahead to Navarre." Dena said. Tristan just stood there, not shifting to answer. It was evening now. The temperature was dropping.
"Are you listening?" Dena growled. Tristan finally glanced back at her with his sharp wolf eyes. She was clearly cold in skin.
"We have to get back. We are too close to Eyolf." Sawyer added. After everything that happened, he clearly didn't like them out there so vulnerable.
Tristan looked beyond him. Rafe was not far off, a mile or two in the opposite direction, searching another area of the woods further down the river. They were hunting down any wolves that lingered too. Some of Byron's were out there with him. He could scent them more than hear them.
"She may have run back to those females she was with before..." Dena suggested. Tristan looked again to the lake, slowly and carefully searching the bank. As if he'd find something he hadn't...
He didn't know what he expected. He'd been staring at it for some time already.
... would she hide from him?
"She's not here... we need to get back to mom. We have to come up with a plan." Dena repeated. Her tone with full of worry and getting sterner.
The thought of leaving was making his gut feel tight.
"We will find her Tristan, but we have to get back." Dena growled firmly. The Alpha wolf in him wanted to snap at her and bare teeth for her tone, he was so strung tight, but Tristan held himself back.
He knew she was right. She must have escaped...
It took more effort than it should have for him to turn and dart back into the woods. He was trying not to let himself think too much.
Because the despair of it was really starting to dig into his chest. He lost her again...
-
Lily stayed still, trying to keep her breathing slow and herself calm so she wouldn't give herself away. The cold certainly helped. In that dark space, she had made up her mind.
But she hadn't expected it to be so hard...
She wanted to go to him, badly. That wild side of her was pushing her to. Her wolf didn't understand the complications of their skin sides.
The moment she sensed him the first time he came near, and then every time since, it was hard to stay hidden.
But she was determined to leave this hell behind her. This place where all her choices were taken from her...
She decided to go back to Wayla and ask the Alpha for a place among them.
He had all but offered before. She should have accepted it...
...why had she been so foolish? In so many things...
Why hadn't she told Gila everything? And refused to come back here...
It would have been better if she hadn't known this different side of Tristan.
So many regrets were hitting her...
Lily stayed there until she heard and sensed no others close by. She stayed even longer still to ensure they were gone... before she finally pulled herself out from between the rocks with some difficulty. She quickly cleaned the scrapes she got off in the cold water with her shivering hands to dim the blood scent, before she waded to the shore.
Lily quickly looked around, ensuring she was truly alone.
She could hear them in the distance still, running back toward Moro territory. Lily swallowed the sudden lump of emotion in her throat as her wolf pushed her hard to call for him, to bring him back. He wasn't that far.
Somehow she just knew this was truly goodbye if she left...
Lily stared in the direction he had gone. The breeze picked up and made her already chilled skin even colder as she shivered there beside the lake. It ruffled through her wet hair and made her shivering worse.
But she barely felt it.
The heartache was starting to consume her.
Could she really do this? Lily took several shaky breaths as she looked in the opposite direction.
But she suddenly couldn't stop thinking of how he'd treated her during her heat. How different a male he was then to the one she thought she had known. How warm and comfortable it felt to sleep beside him...
She tried to take a step in the direction away from him, she knew she needed to shift and run... but the pain in her heart stabbed deep. So much deeper than she ever felt. Lily took a ragged breath.
...maybe she couldn't do this.
Regret was suddenly hitting her hard as she stood there alone. She looked back in the direction of the retreating wolves. Was she making another mistake?
She started to feel a deep panic from her wolf.
Lily stared out into the forest. She could still hear them. She could call to him now. She stood there frozen as her thoughts raced.
...why was this so hard? She knew what waited for her here if she stayed. Isn't this what she wanted? To get away from them all...
Lily couldn't move, unable to make a decision. She brought her hands up to rub at her arms as she glanced up at the sky. It would be dark soon.
A snapping of a branch made her spin and search the woods behind her. She felt her heart speed up in panic.
She caught no scents in the air, but she was upwind. Lily tried to slow her breathing as she listened hard. Other than the Lykaia wolves that came to the lake a few times, she hadn't heard any others... but the rushing water was warping her senses.
She thought she was in the clear.
A spike of fear returned when she thought of that aweful male. He would have given up by now... wouldn't he have?
Lily slowly started to walk backward to the water again when her wolf's alarm began to rise. She felt the prickling of danger across her skin.
Lily quickly spun and shifted when her wolf suddenly pushed her to run.
And the snarl behind her turned her fear to full blown terror. She quickly splashed into the flowing river to get across to the other side. Her fur side was taking over, and she was determined to get to her mate. But the cold had numbed her, she felt herself fumbling as she managed to get to the bank and tried to run.
She didn't get far.
She yelped as she was tackled. Lily growled and tried to squirm away, digging her paws into the dirty, but his weight was compressing her into the ground. She could barely get air.
The panic was truly sinking in as she realized who it was. And he was clearly filled with violence and rage...
Her gaze darted to the direction she knew Tristan had gone. She couldn't move, and she felt his teeth suddenly clamp down at the back of her neck.
Even though he hadn't pierced her yet, it stilled her in fear.
Lily panted for a moment, trying to think. He was trying to get an angle she wouldn't give him to bite into her claim spot. She tried to howl, to make any sound, but he was compressing her lungs.
Lily quickly shifted back, she needed less space in skin...
"TRISTAN!" She screamed, she didn't hear them anymore, but she hoped he'd hear her. Her hair was suddenly fisted as she was flipped over.
She tried to squirm away, right before pain exploded on one side of her face, and she tasted blood. It confused her, briefly. Her ears rung, her vision blurred.
Lily vaguely felt him yank her head to the side, before she felt sharp teeth sink into her neck.
Lily gasped as it made her body go slack despite herself, she felt a strange sensation deep inside her. A deep violation was setting in, she knew what he was doing, he was trying to initiate a mating bond.
But she didn't want this! She didn't want him.
Lily grit her teeth and finally managed to break out of her stunned state and fight against him. Every fiber of her being was screaming at the wrongness of it, her gifted mate was close, they had met. This was going against nature and the mark burned.
It wasn't taking, she couldn't feel the connection start to form she'd heard from so many others. The pain was not abating, it only grew along with the sense of violation as his teeth ripped deeper into her neck.
She could feel his frustration as he attempted to establish a connection, which only made him bite her deeper and harder. Lily stiffened and struggled to breathe.
His teeth finally left her and Lily panted hard in relief, despite feeling the rage of the wolf above her. She felt her blood trickling down her neck and into the dirt as still she fought him.
He snarled and shoved her back down hard to the ground. She stared up into his enraged face, his dark eyes wolf glazed.
He looked lethal. Furious.
But she didn't stop. She kicked and struggled as she desperately looked around in panic for something... anything, to get out from under him.
He just snarled and gripped her throat, pinning her to the ground again. Lily felt her airway compress as she clawed at his hand in a panic, just before she saw the flash of his teeth and terror consumed her again as bit into her breast right over her mating mark.
The mark she shared with Tristan.
White hot pain consumed her. She raggedly gasped as her whole body stiffened. It made whole body burn from the inside out as if she was on fire. Tears slipped down her cheeks, she wanted to scream but her voice seemed to freeze.
He ripped his teeth back, and she smelled more of her own blood. She was shaking with the pain. Shared pain.
She felt the spikes of it through her bond.
She knew Tristan felt that...
Before she could even think, she felt him rip her head to the side again and his teeth dug in to the opposite side of her neck. Hard and deep.
He pushed her so hard into the ground she could barely breathe. She felt tears running down her face. The viscous male snarled when still she didn't accept the connection.
But something inside her was starting to break. Her fur side wasn't making sense of any of this. That irrational part of her mind was finding it harder to separate her own fault in this.
Her fur side was hurting. Her mate hadn't come when she called. He had left her in danger at her most vulnerable. Her animal side felt it wronged...
Doubt crept in. Despite how much she was trying to hold onto the fact she didn't want this.
...but that brief doubt was enough....
Lily gasped hard and her body stiffened as she felt something inside her chest shatter into a million jagged pieces.
It hurt.
It hurt more than anything she had ever physically experienced.
She had never known that depths of agony like this could even exist. It felt like he wounded her down to her soul.
She didn't even notice when his teeth left her neck, her ripped flesh burned so horribly as she felt the blood drip from the ugly wounds onto the ground. It felt like a lot... she knew she should put pressure on them, but she didn't care if she bled to death at this point.
She felt the bond of her fated... gone. And a bond to this monster took its place.