Thank you kaori_nakahodo for the covers! I love them so much! I'll have the other covers you made in the author's note at the bottom.
[UNEDITED]
*Jasmine's POV*
Parker pulled me up the stairs, one arm wrapped around my waist to keep me steady, while I draped an arm around his shoulder.
I still felt dizzy and my skin still burned, but the feeling of Parker's around me somewhat soothed me. I wanted more but I kept telling myself that it wasn't the right time.
When we reached the top, Parker looked around to make sure no rogues were around. I squinted as light hit my face. My eyes adjusted themselves to the light and soon I was able to see again.
My eyes settled on Parker. He looked extremely exhausted and his eyes had dark circles around them. Other than that, he looked extremely sexy, his dark hair messy and his chest bare for me to stare at.
He turned to look at me and his lips immediately pressed into a firm line, his jaw clenching. He lifted his hand and cupped my face. He tilted it to the side and examined it.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm going to kill him," he whispered, his voice deadly and dark.
"I'm fine," I reassured him just to calm him down even though I felt like complete shit. I probably looked like shit and smelled really bad because hygiene seems to be non-existent here. A nice cold bath sounds amazing right now.
Parker's eyes narrowed and I knew he could see right through my lie. His eyes continued down my body.
"What did he do to you, baby?" He murmured pulling me towards him into another hug. I didn't respond to his question. Instead, I returned his hug.
I looked up at him through hair hanging in my face. His jaw was clenched.
"I promise that I will make him suffer painfully and slowly," he told me as he lifted his hand and brushed the hair hanging in my face away.
His eyes examined me once again and the anger in his eyes grew. "Come on, we need to get you out of here."
Before we could get anywhere, a voice so chilling stopped us in our tracks.
"You thought it was going to be this easy?" he asked.
Parker and I turned around to see Darius, the Rogue King, standing there with a smirk on his face. His eyes were still red. Probably because I was still in heat, but he looked like he was trying to control himself.
Parker looked like he was going to murder him. I narrowed my eyes at him as well. Parker put a protective hand on the small of my back.
Darius continued to smirk. Then I heard a click that made my heart drop.
A gun.
Parker was quick to turn around. My mouth went dry as I saw Kyan pointing a very large gun at Parker.
"Now I have you where I want you," Darius spoke. His voice suddenly dark and sinister.
My eyes suddenly widened with realization. This was all a trick. A plan that would get Parker in the position that would lead to his death.
It all made sense now. They knew that my wolf would lead him to me. They knew that if they killed him, my mark on his neck would be gone. If it is gone, then I am capable of mating with another male and be able to have their child. If I hadn't marked Parker, then Darius could have already mated with me.
I turned back to Darius, my heart slamming into my chest. I glared at him.
"Why me?" I growled out, "Why do you want me? Mate with someone else!"
"Sorry, no can do." The smirk on his face grew, "say good-bye to your partenaire, Jasmine."
I felt a hand wrap around my own. Sparks crawled up my arm and I turned to face Parker. Tears started to fill my eyes. There was no way in hell, that I would let Parker die.
I stared at Parker in the eyes, he doesn't look like he's going to give up.
Someone else's voice brought our attention away from each other. "How about you say good-bye."
Darius turned around startled. I looked around him to see Kyle pointing a gun at him.
"I wouldn't do that, brother," Kyan spoke with an evil glint in his eyes. "If you shoot him, I'll shoot the both of them."
Kyle's determined face didn't diminish. He confidently kept the gun pointed at Darius, who didn't look afraid at all.
My eyes found Kyle's. "Shoot him, Kyle. It's okay. If he's dead then it will be all over," I reassured him, even though fear crawled its way through me. Parker's grip on my hand tightened.
Kyle's eyes softened a bit, but hardened when Kyan chuckled out loud.
"Listen to her, Kyle. Kill him."
Darius looked as if he knew something we didn't. I was about to say something but stopped when I watched Kyle lift his gun, changing targets. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger and a loud gunshot filled the air.
Kyan's eyes were wide and his gun slipped from his hands. We watched as he collapsed to the ground, blood soaking through his shirt and became motionless.
I released a breath that I didn't know I was holding.
Kyan was dead.
Growls came as a bunch of wolves jumped from around the corners. Parker's warriors. But Rogues followed closely behind.
That's when all hell broke loose. The sound of gunshots filled the air as the hunters took action. My head pounded with the sound, my vision blurring slightly. I forgot that my heat was still there. It faded away when Parker held my hand, but now was coming back since he let go.
Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead. I then felt Parker grab my elbow.
"We need to get you out of here before someone else notices you're in heat," he told me while pulling me away.
I wanted to protest because we needed to help, but I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea.
"Wait!" I quickly stopped walking. Parker stopped and turned around to face me, concerned.
"There's someone we need to get," I said before quickly turning around to the place we came from and towards the dungeons. Parker gave me a confused look but sighed.
"Fine, but we should hurry."
I ran looking for Hannah's cell. I needed to get her out of here. When I found it, she looked at me with confusion.
"Jasmine?"
I didn't say anything but tried to look for a way to get her out. Before it was dark, but not the lights were on, making it easier to see.
I shook the door and a growl escaped my lips as I couldn't find a way. Parker moved up next to me and didn't hesitate to use his Alpha strength to break down the door. I stared in awe at him but quickly shook it off as Hannah ran out of her cell.
"Thank you," I said to Parker. He nodded before gabbing both Hannah and I's wrists and dragged us out.
Parker seemed to know where he was going as he made turns without hesitation. When we passed some bodies, I picked up a knife and placed it in my back pocket for just in case I needed it.
I saw the entrance and picked up my pace but stopped when we heard a voice.
"You can't escape me."
Darius shifted into an enormous wolf, probably slightly bigger than Parker's considering he is the Rogue King.
His eyes glowed a bright red and he bared his teeth at us, a snarl ripping from his throat. Parker pushed us behind him, and then shifted into his large, firewood-brown wolf. He growled back.
Parker leaped towards Darius and bit into his side. Darius growled out in response and tried to swipe at him, but he moved out of the way.
Taking Hannah's hand, we quickly moved to get out of the way. She looked frightened so I thought that I should take her out of here.
We moved up the stairs to get outside. My eyes squinted from the brightness of the sunlight. I turned to Hannah.
"Are you okay?" I asked her. She nodded her head silently. She glanced back at the entrance.
"Was that your mate?" She asked. I nodded my head and she smiled.
"He's hot," she commented with a small smirk on her face. I grinned at her and nodded again.
"Definitely."
Growls erupted and I had the urge to go check on my mate. I don't know what I would do if something happened to him.
"Stay here. I'll be right back."
I went back down the stairs, away from the sunlight. My eyes had to readjust to the dull, artificial light hanging from the ceiling.
My eyes settled onto the two wolves fighting, both covered in each other's blood.
Darius pinned Parker to the floor. My eyes widened in fear.
As if sensing my presence, Darius glanced my way before looking at Parker and placed his mouth above Parker's neck. He was going to kill him.
A sob left my lips and I started to run towards them but a bright light, almost blinding me, filled the room.
A figure emerged from the light. It was a woman. A woman with dark blue hair, cascading down her back in waves. A long flowing white dress covered her body with intricate designs covering it. She looked like a goddess.
My eyes widened as the figure gracefully walked towards Parker and Darius. When she reached them, I noticed both of their eyes were wide with fear.
They knew who she was.
She reached her hand out and touched Darius's heart. My jaw dropped as I watched Darius fall to the ground. Dead.
Parker got up and bowed his head. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
He shifted back into his human form. I tried to look away from his nakedness. The woman handed him clothes, which he took and put on. Where did she get them from?
"Jasmine," she called me and beckoned me to them. How did this woman know my name? Slowly and unsurely, I walked over to them/ Park had cuts and bruises all over his body.
The woman smiled at me. She looked gorgeous and flawless. I noticed her dark blue eyes and pale skin, along with a thin chain with a moon hanging at the end. My eyes widened with realization.
She's the Moon Goddess.
I immediately bowed my head. She lifted my chin up and looked at me in the eyes. "You're in heat," she noted. Her voice was as sweet as honey and smooth. It sent chills throughout my body. She definitely intimidated me.
She then glanced at Parker then back at me. She placed her hand on my cheek and immediately the heat and pain faded away.
"I've taken your heat away for now, but it will come back again in a few days. I can't take it away completely because it is natural for you to go through this since your mate hasn't marked you yet."
I nodded my head and smiled, "Thank you."
I glanced at Darius's body. "Why did you kill him? If you're okay with me asking."
She frowned at his body then looked at Parker and I. "Because it is extremely important that you two are mated together. I put you two together for a reason, "she told us and glanced at Parker, "–and there is no doubt that he would've killed you to get to her."
"Why?" Parker asked.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you just yet; however I can tell you that your first born child will be extremely important."
I had so many more questions to ask but she spoke again, "Take care of each other." With a smile gracing her elegant features, she turned around. The blinding light filled the room again and then she was gone.
I was speechless. I had just seen and spoke with the Moon Goddess.
Parker placed his hand on my shoulder. "We should go. I mind-linked my warriors. They killed all of the rogues and hunters and are heading this way," he told me. I nodded my head and moved to go outside.
When I got outside, I felt a hand grab me and something cold placed against my neck. My eyes went wide.
Parker's eyes widened in surprise but then narrowed. His jaw clenched as something passed through his eyes. Recognition. He glared at the person pressing the knife to my throat.
Parker took a step towards us but the blade was pressed a little into my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Take another step and she'll die," the person snapped. I immediately recognized that it was Jared.
I opened my eyes when I heard Parker speak, "Why are you doing this?"
"Because you let my mate get taken. I lost her because of you. Now it's your turn to see how it feels," Jared growled out. I furrowed my eyebrows. His fault?
Parker's jaw clenched along with his fists. "Don't bring my mate into this. You already gave me what I deserved," he snapped.
Jared chuckled darkly, "You deserve a lot more than that, son."
I felt my mouth open slightly. Son? Jared is Parker's father?
Parker scowled at him. "I am not your son. Not anymore."
We heard voices coming from inside. When they saw Jared, they became quiet. I noticed Hannah standing off to the side with tears in her eyes.
I then remembered something. How did I not think of it before?
Ever-so-slightly, I inched my finger towards my back pocket so Jared wouldn't notice my movement. My heart slammed into my chest.
When I felt the handle of the knife, I wrapped my hand around it. Not one seemed to notice.
I waited for the perfect moment to strike. When I felt like it was the right moment, I quickly twisted my body away from him, kicked him in between the legs, and plunged the knife into his chest. He stumbled to the round, dropping his knife in the process. I didn't look at anyone else but him. I walked up beside him and picked up his knife. I stabbed it right next the other one. I noticed his was laced with wolfsbane, so it will kill him instantly once it reaches his heart.
He coughed up blood and I scowled at him not feeling guilty at all. "Son of a bitch," I muttered.
Parker came up to me and pulled me back against his chest. I looked up at him and he didn't look sad at all. He didn't care that I killed his father. If anything he looked relieved.
He whispered in my ear, "Come on, let's go baby."
He then tugged on my hand, pulling me away from here. I laced my fingers around his and smiled.
"Okay," I whispered back.
We all shifted to out wolves and started towards our pack. I honestly couldn't wait to finally eat normal food, sleep in a bed, and take a nice long shower.
And the best part of it all is that I would get to be with my mate.
-
Finally another chapter! Sorry for the long wait but I'm finally done with school so that means I have time to write.
What are your thoughts on this chapter?
I don't know how many chapters are left maybe 2 with an epilogue. But the next chapter will be a special chapter that I know a lot of you will like. If you know what I mean *wink wink*.
Here are some of the other covers made by kaori_nakahodo.
Love you guys!
~Kira