Holy shiz guys. :o Now I've updated this and the sequel to DWAIH in one night. O.O I just wrote all of this from Damien's POV to the end and it's like 2:30a.m on a school night so I better see some awesome comments when I wake up. :3 Lol kidding. Read! Enjoy! Eat muffins! ^~^
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Cassie’s POV
“Cassie,” Damien growled playfully, nipping at my ear. I giggled and looked up at him with a bright smile etched onto my face. He smiled back down at me and leaned in, giving me a gentle, sweet kiss. “I love you, so much,” he murmured. Butterflies filled my tummy as I looked up at his adoring face with wide eyes. Then I smiled.
“I love you too.” He grinned happily and kissed me again. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me further into the warmth that he offered. I laid my head on his chest, still smiling, and closed my eyes.
My eyes snapped open, only to be met with darkness. The light of early morning seeped in and penetrated the darkness, giving me enough light to take in my surroundings. Tears welled up in my eyes when reality came back and slapped me in the face. I’m not with Damien because I ran away from him. If I hadn’t, that dream probably would have been reality right now. But I ruined my chances of ever having that. Of having a mate that loves and cares about me. Now he probably hates me, and I don’t blame him. But I have to run; I don’t have a choice.
Slowly getting to my feet and stretching my stiff muscles, I shook out my fur and made my way out of the little cave I was sleeping in. I have to keep moving. Trotting over to the creek, I took a long drink and then turned, sprinting off into the trees.
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Damien’s POV
The wind whipped through my dark fur, tangling it as I followed my mate’s scent. My mate that ran away from me. No matter how many times I think that, it never gets any easier to wrap my head around. If anything it gets harder and more painful. I didn’t think that was possible by this point but it is. My wolf has been whining and howling in my head and his restlessness has been putting me in an even worse mood, which is affecting the other two with me.
Caleb has been trying to ignore my snippiness, staying calm and emotionless like he usually is. I’ve known him since he and his family moved into the pack three years ago. He’s always been the quiet reserved type. That is until you piss him off. Then you’re going to have your ass kicked. He’s always been a naturally smart and strong wolf. That’s one of the reasons why I called him. Also because I know I can trust him to have my back.
Now Ryan on the other hand, has been getting snippy right back at me. He knows that I’m under a lot of stress right now so he tries to keep his temper in check but he has a short fuse and it doesn’t take much to piss him off. I had him come along because he’s strong and won’t hesitate in protecting Cassie once we find her or one of us if the need arises in a fight. He’s also really loyal like Caleb so I don’t have to worry about either one of them turning on me.
We sprinted through the trees at a steady pace, effortlessly dodging the thick trunks of all the trees we passed, not breaking a sweat. My ears pricked up when I heard the sound of something approaching our little group but I pretended to not have heard it, not breaking my stride or slowing at all. The other two heard it too and followed my lead. Whatever this thing is, it’s pretty stupid to just chase after us like that, not even trying to be quiet.
I lifted my head a little and sniffed, trying to pick up the scent. Male wolf. I heard him pick up the pace and I gradually started to slow down, letting him pass and get in front of us. Then I sped up again and when he flung himself in front of me, I lunged forward and pinned him to the ground. I clamped my jaw around his neck hard enough to show that I’m in control, but not to the point where he can’t breathe.
I breathed in and then jumped a little, loosening my grip when I smelled the all-too-familiar scent of my mate mixed with his. Why does he smell like Cassie? Does he know her? Who the hell is he? Growling, I locked gazes with him, slowly releasing his neck while telling him not to try anything with my eyes. He understood and when I got off of him he just laid there as I shifted back, not caring that I’m completely naked. It’s just a part of pack life and sometimes we just can’t avoid it.
“Shift,” I commanded. He did so immediately and stood up slowly, bowing his head and holding his hands out in surrender, showing that he’s no harm. I crossed my arms over my chest. “Who are you?” I asked, getting straight to the point. He lifted his head to look at me.
“My name is David Sims. I’m-“
“Cassie’s brother,” I breathed, cutting him off mid-sentence. He nodded. I took a step toward him and growled quietly. He looked a little scared for a second and then composed himself. “Where is she,” I said quietly, my voice low and deadly. If he is trying to hide her from me I will gladly rip him apart with my bare hands once he tells me where she is. I can deal with her hating me for a while after as long as I have her back but I refuse to let someone keep her from-
“I don’t know.” I refocused on the man standing before me, narrowing my eyes at him and taking another step closer.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” I growled. Before I could get any closer to him he extended his arm, offering me a small slip of paper folded neatly between his pointer and middle finger. I took it hesitantly, somehow knowing that I’m not going to like what it says. I unfolded it and Cassie’s scent drifted to my nose, enveloping me in the sweetness of it. I closed my eyes for a brief second before opening them and reading over the note, each word written in her neat handwriting feeling like a rusty knife was being driven through my heart and twisted around, then completely ripped out.
My knees buckled from the intense pain and I grasped at my chest, trying to keep what’s left of my shattered heart from falling onto the rocky ground in front of me. David looked at me with many emotions flitting across his face. They mostly consisted of pain, loss, anger, and determination. My wolf howled loudly in my mind, calling brokenly to our mate.
“I came to ask you for help.” He eventually spoke when I was able to stand again. I stared at him, the pain of losing my mate showing clearly on my face. He frowned and continued. “When we found the note Mom was really torn up about it. She kept crying so I sent her to bed and told her to relax. She went to her room and then…” he paused and took a deep breath, clenching his fists as he told the next part, “some rogues smashed through the window and took her. I ran upstairs and tried to fight them off but there were too many. They knocked me out and took her.” I could see tears brimming at his eyes by this point, his eyes shifting from their regular color to black and then back again.
“They left this. I found it when I woke up…” he handed me another sheet of paper and I took it.
This is where the fun begins. If you’re reading this, it means we’ve managed to capture your dear mother. If you want her returned to you safely, you’ll have to give me a little something in return. That something happens to be you, Cassie. I’ll give you six days to decide. You can either come to me willingly, or I won’t hesitate in killing your mother and taking you by force. Your choice. Remember, you have six days to decide.
If you decide to trade, meet me in Atherton, California at the old Peterson Warehouse. Be there at midnight on the sixth day. Wouldn’t want to make the exchange too close to home now would we? Choose wisely, my sweet little Cassie.
I snarled loudly and almost ripped the paper, claws shooting from the ends of my fingers as my canines extended. My body shook violently as my wolf tried to claw his way out. There is no way in hell I’m going to let this happen. We need to find Cassie, and we need to find her now. Her brother shot me a look.
“I’m guessing this means you’ll help?” I nodded my big head and he sent me a grateful smile, shifting and falling behind all of us as we took off running in the direction of Cassie’s scent. My wolf lifted his head and howled, long and pained. It was a howl filled with anguish, rage, and sheer determination. Determination to find my mate and keep her safe from any danger that comes her way. And to never let her leave my side again once I have her.
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