The large wolf stared down into our hole for what seemed like an eternity. Its eyes lazily glanced at me before moving to Samuel, where they'd been resting ever since. The wolf's gaze would occasionally glance upwards and look around, but it would always return to stare down Samuel. Samuel's face remained expressionless, despite the fact the wolf and he were seeming to silently communicate. However, the only information I could gather from their looks was an untold thought dancing in Samuel's eyes.
Finally, the wolf's head started to creep away. I met Samuel's gaze and he gave me a once-over. My expression turned to a scowl as he smiled apologetically and opened his arms. He started to speak but was cut off by a smooth voice echoing from above.
"I know you missed me Samuel, but you didn't have to dig your own grave."
I whipped my head upwards to see a man smirking down on Samuel and me. Thick and tousled brown hair fell around a bright and mischevious face. Sharp eyes bore into our own, but it was impossible to tell anything else. The sun was burning against the mans back, casting his face into long and untelling shadows.
Samuel suddenly laughed. "I just couldn't help myself, Riley."
I stilled. My breathing was cut off as my eyes darted wildly between the two men.
"I don't really blame you there, Sammy boy," Riley chortled. "Now tell me, is this the mate I've heard nothing about?" I suddenly felt Riley's eyes burning into my shoulders.
I kept my gaze down but quickly glanced quickly to Samuel, just in time to see him shrug his shoulders. "Let's do introductions later. You want to tell me what's going on up there?"
"I already told you." Riley shook his head as he glanced up momentarily. "There's not a lot going on. It seems like they're all in the house. Stupid sons of bitches didn't think anyone would get into their camp. How many are there again?"
"Close to sixty. It seemed about a third or a little more were fighters."
"And the rest?"
"Probably their families." Samuel finished with a glance my way. I met his gaze and deepened my scowl, folding my arms and pushing myself deeper into the dirt wall. I heard Riley shuffling around above us, but neither Samuel or I paid him any mind. Samuel kept my gaze, his eyes searching my features.
"You got the bullets?" Riley suddenly asked.
Samuel kept my gaze for a moment longer before he shifted his weight and slowly stood. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bullets, holding them up for Riley to see. I looked at his fingers and swore I could hear the skin sizzling as the material burned deeper into his fingertips. Riley nodded at us as his face suddenly disappeared for a moment. In that moment, Samuel expertly threw each bullet towards the sky. They smoothly passed through the silver bars where they fell into Riley's extended hand. He inspected them each for a moment while they burned small holes into his palm.
"This is pretty pure. How did they get it?"
"I didn't exactly have time to ask them that," Samuel rolled his eyes.
"Well, that was helpful of you."
Samuel mumbled under his breath while he sat back down. I shrank further into the wall as Riley's face appeared once more, watching us. Though, I knew his eyes were resting more on me. It was impossible not to feel the heavy glare.
"You know what? I'm going to need you to shift," Riley suddenly commanded Samuel.
Samuel stilled for a moment. "Why?"
"Becuase I need to tell you what's happening and don't want the human to hear."
I glared at the figure above me. Samuel hesitated for a moment and I felt his wary gaze rest on me. A second passed and I wasn't surprised when I heard his bones start to crack. I shook my head and brought my gaze to the ground as the sounds filled my ears. My hands clenched into fists around my knees as I pulled them against my chest. The position burned like hell, but it only fueled the fire rising inside of me. My brain was slowly wrapping around the situation and my thoughts were turning to rage, drowning out everything else.
I didn't bother to look at the two as they conversed. Didn't bother to take notice of Samuel's large blonde wolf dominating our prison. My teeth clenched as I thought of the previous night. I'd been weak, tired, and vulnerable. My mind was still wrapping around the fact that not only had I been caught while on the run, but I'd been shot and thrown into a makeshift prison. Samuel saw my weak state and manipulated me in a moment of pain. He lied. He feigned concern. He made me believe he was considerate.
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as I forced back tears. They weren't tears of sorrow, but a token of pure anger. I'd let my guard down, even though I knew I should have expected this from him and nothing less. This was all he was capable of. Now, it was just one more tally mark on a list of my mistakes and misplaced trust.
Their conversation didn't last long, and much too soon I heard bones cracking once more. Scuffling sounded above as Riley took off running, but only silence greeted me from Samuel. He shuffled around his side of the hole as he pulled his pants on and breathed a little heavier. For a few moments, I could tell he was standing in the middle of the room staring at me, probably expecting me to explode at any given minute. Honestly, I waited for that moment as well.
Eventually, I felt him start walking towards me. I whipped my gaze up and sent him a look of death. Every feeling of anger and hatred I could muster was put into my expression as I used it to dare him to come one step closer. It worked for a moment as he suddenly stilled midstep and took a deep breath. His face was tentative and afflicted, but I refused to soften my glare. I was determined to make him squirm as long as possible. He stared wide-eyed at me for a moment before slowly sinking to the ground where he sat, uncomfortably.
"I don't think I've ever seen a glare like that. You could win a contest, for sure," Samuel laughed once, attempting to lighten the mood.
It didn't work.
Now that he was sitting I tore my gaze away and rested my chin on my knees. I stared at the wall as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world when in reality, it was the only distraction keeping me from tearing across the room and slapping Samuel in the face.
Samuel shifted his weight and spoke slowly. "I know you're mad, but in my defense, we aren't getting out of this without him."
I scoffed but stayed silent. My words were simmering, waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.
"He would have come anyway. It just would have been a matter of time," Samuel tried again.
I rolled my eyes at his justification. He could do no wrong.
"If I didn't talk to him then I can't guarantee he wouldn't have killed everything in his path looking for me. This was the best option."
His words danced in my mind and my eyes snapped closed. I could tell Samuel was growing impatient, but his irritation only fueled my own.
He lowly growled as he tried again. "You can't be mad, Samantha. I was just doing what's best."
I saw red.
I saw a furious, dark, burning fire that defeated any and all other senses.
"I can't be mad?" I breathed out, slowly opening my eyes. "I can't be mad?" I questioned again, raising my gaze to Samuel's.
His face was contorted into an unreadable expression, but I saw the fire dancing in his eyes, too. I was challenging him and he was gladly accepting.
"You have no right." My voice was low, barely above a whisper. My hands were trembling as I felt the fire encompass every limb.
"I have every right," Samuel stated, his short fuse starting to burn.
I shook my head and scoffed. "To think that I trusted you for even a moment." I let out a harsh breath. "You've just proven everything."
A low rumble came from Samuel's chest. "Samantha, you need to calm down."
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down," I bit out.
He took a deep breath. "You're acting irrationally. You're in pain, hungry, tired, and you're not thinking straight." Though his words were calm, his voice was dangerous. "I don't want to do this. We'll be out of here soon and then we can talk."
"You have no idea what I am thinking, Samuel. Don't even try that with me." My voice was slowly rising.
"You're being ridiculous."
I snapped.
I snapped hard.
"If you think I'm being ridiculous, you better look in a goddamn mirror!" I screamed.
"I was only doing what's best," Samuel suddenly matched my temper.
I shook my head wildly. "You have no idea what's best! All you think about is yourself! You have absolutely no right to go around trying to tell me what I should feel and how I should act. You have no idea what the hell is even going on!"
"What the hell is going on then, Samantha? Huh? What piece of information did I miss apart from you running away and causing all of this? If you would have just listened then we wouldn't be in this shit-hole in the first place!"
"Do you think I wanted you to come after me?" I suddenly roared. "What do you think I was running from?"
Samuel stilled, closing his eyes. His voice lowered considerably, adding to the danger. "We both know that's bullshit. You were planning to run long before you met me. Stop blaming me for your mistakes."
"The only mistake I made was not running sooner," I seethed. "You lied to me. You outright lied to my face. Just so you could please your goddamn Alpha and drag me back to hell."
"You think that town is hell?"
"I know it is."
Samuel suddenly stood and advanced towards me. He stopped a few inches shy of my shaking frame. "You have no idea what hell is. You think you could survive a single day out there?" His hands flew upwards. "You're so goddamn naive! If you knew what was really out there you'd be crawling back to me, begging for protection."
I shot up, holding my side tightly with both hands. Though I was heads shorter than Samuel, I stood tall with every inch I had.
"I've survived daily beatings for more than half my life. I've survived living in a town where every person I meet wants to kill me for being nothing more than a human. I've been on the brink of death and you know what? I survived that, too.
"I've watched people I know, friends and neighbors, be slaughtered by the dogs you call family. I watched my brother almost die at the hands of one of you. I've seen my mother beaten, every single day of my life, knowing that if I did anything to stop it I'd wind up dead myself." I paused, my entire frame now shaking. Small tears escaped my eyes and fell down my cheeks, landing in the dirt. "So if you think I can't handle myself, you are sorely mistaken."
I finished my rant and looked directly into Samuel's eyes. His expression narrowed as his lips turned up into a snarl. "That may be true, but there is far worse. I've been there. I've lived it. You think you're the only one who's had it rough?" He bit out. "You have no idea what's really out there. All I've done is try and protect you, but you're too senseless to ever realize or admit that. I stand by what I said. You wouldn't make it a day."
"What could you possibly have hard in your life? You have everything!" I threw my arms to the side, staggering slightly. Samuel tried to steady me, but I flinched back and continued. "You're practically in command of the pack, everything you could ever want is given to you. You work for nothing and you take everything. Have you ever had to worry about a next meal? Have you ever seen someone you love die? Have you ever feared for your life? How could you possibly tell me you've lived anything other than a life of luxury?"
Samuel tried to speak, but I cut him off.
"You can't. You will never know what it's like, Samuel. And because of that, you will never understand. All you'll ever be is a moronic wolf who thinks he's better than anything and anyone."
Samuel glared at me, eyes wild. "You know nothing. You think you have this hold on the world but in reality you're just a scared girl who's running from her problems. You think you've got me pinned down? Do you have any idea what I did to get here in the first place?"
He shook his head and opened his mouth, but no more words came out. I waited for his vicious remark, for a degrading retort, but none came. Instead, he remained frozen in place, just inches away. His arms were at his side with his hands were slowly clenching and unclenching themselves. His face was slightly flushed and his eyes were starting to match the red color. I knew he was on the verge of shifting, but I didn't care. I stood my ground. I was done rolling over for him. So, carefully, I watched as he took several deep breaths, never moving an inch.
After an eternity, his voice met my ears as barely a whisper. "You don't know me, Samantha, so I'd suggest you stop acting like you do."
I met his tone. "What else is there to know? Your actions have spoken pretty loudly. Louder than your so-called proclamations of what you think is love. You asked for a chance and I gave you one. You blew it."
Samuel slowly shook his head. "I'm not letting you go."
"And I'm not letting you have me."
His fists raised to his temples as he stared me down. Before I could say anything more, he spun on his heel and stalked to the other side of the hole. He began pacing back and forth, his feet viciously digging up the dirt in their path. I carefully watched him and let out a long breath, leaning back against the wall. My hands returned to clutch my throbbing side and I closed my eyes, only now realizing the pain had worsened. Slowly, I slid down the wall until I was sitting in the dirt once again. Samuel didn't seem to notice my actions as he kept furiously pacing. I let several tears flow from my eyes as I watched him, my anger still playing on the chords of my heart. I was no longer blinded by it, but I felt as if no other emotion would ever take its place.
I remained in my same position for a long time. Eventually, Samuel stopped pacing and sat across from me. Neither of us had spoken, but there was nothing more to say. The longer we sat in silence, the harder I fought against the fatigue that wanted to pull me into its arms. Samuel on the other hand, couldn't have been more alert. Every echo of a sound and he was tensed and ready to spring forward. I couldn't help but grow annoyed by his actions, as they were threatening my heart with anxiety instead of the familiar anger.
Suddenly, a dull and far away swarm of voices was heard from above. Samuel jolted up from his sitting position and despite my glares, came to practically stand on top of me. My legs started to push him away, but his forcefully held out his hand.
"I don't care what just happened, but you need to listen to me now. They're coming."
***
Thank you all for your patience with this chapter! It has been a long and tiring week. On top of exams and starting a new job, I got in a car wreck that messed me up pretty bad. I'm getting better now, so new chapters should start coming regularly again. If you want updates on when chapters will be posted in the future, or if there will be any other delays, go ahead and follow me. I post updates to let y'all know.
What are your thoughts on the chapter?? There will be more action in the next chapter!
Please feel free to point out any errors or confusing parts, as my brain can't catch a lot of them right now :)
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Mquistey