Just keep running. Just keep running.
This is the mantra I keep repeating to myself as I push my legs as hard as they will go. Ignoring the burning in my lungs and the blood pouring down from the apex of my legs, I keep going. I can hear shouting behind me and heavy footsteps as they begin gaining on me.
Run, Layla, move your ass! You cant let these monsters catch you again. They will KILL you!! I scream in my head as I try to look behind me as the pine needles and branches from the trees tear into the souls of my naked feet. The loose white shirt that is bloodied and stained catches on a nearby branch as it rips through and digs into my arm. I can feel my skin stretching then ripping as the branch breaks free. I barely register the pain as my adrenaline courses through me. I barely feel anything. I stopped feeling a while ago.
I look forward once more as I hear the howls of wolves from behind me. Shit!! Now I have one more thing to try and outrun. They can probably smell my blood from a mile away with all of my injuries. I would make an easy meal for them. Honestly, I would rather the wolves take me out instead of those vile men I left behind at that makeshift camp they created. Being shredded and my muscles ripped off of my bones as wolves devour me would be a merciful death compared to what those savages will do.
My legs are getting tired and I stumble head first. Dirt coats my already dry mouth and splashes in my eyes making it even harder to see in the darkness of this moonless night. I stand again as I ignore the small pebbles embedded into the palms of my hands and skin of my knees. I try to run again but my ankle gives out and I fall again. I can hear water running ahead, possibly a river. I need to get there and pray the current is strong enough to carry me away from here and give my body a rest.
"THERE SHE IS! GET HER!" One of the men yell and I take off with a new found energy.
Just keep running, Layla. You can do it! You're almost there!
"GET BACK HERE, WHORE! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING?!"
I glance behind me one more time only to feel my feet gliding through the air as I snap my head forward again only to see no trees. Just air. I look down and realize I have run right off the edge of what is easily a 50 foot drop. There is no way I will make it through this fall! The sound of the river is roaring even louder now and I know it must be below me. Plugging my nose with my hand and closing my eyes, I brace for impact just as my feet hit the ice cold water and I plunge down, down, down. Utter darkness.
The current is strong as it spins me around under the surface, making it impossible to know which way is up. Letting go of my nose, I relax my arms and legs and stop fighting. I am so tired of fighting. The water is silent underneath, the cold brings much needed relief to my entire body. I open my eyes and everything is dark. Just as I start to feel the burn in my chest from holding my breath, my head pops up above the surface as I gulp in much needed air. My long hair is suctioned to my face and I scrub it away quickly. I am trying to tread the water but the current is relentless as it throws me against several rocks. I bounce my head off of one but barely register the pain as the numbing waters cloud my nerve endings.
Riding the waters would be extremely hard for someone who hadn't endured the horrors I have for the last 12 hours. So, for me, it's an impossible dilemma. I decide to just look up at the stars one last time. They are so beautiful and so much more prominant without the bright moon competing. I close my eyes, anticipating this to be the last time as I let the current wash me away into oblivion as I recall the last 12 hours of my life...
(FLASHBACK)
I snapped the book I was reading closed as I shuffle it into my shoulder bag and stand up to stretch. I have been reading on this park bench for the last hour and my bum is sore. I stand up and attempt to walk back towards the road when I notice a man staring at me from the roadway. He isn't doing anything other than just staring at me. He's got a black leather jacket on, dark wash denim pants, and black combat boots. He may have been attractive if it wasn't for the blind white of one of his eyes with a huge scare moving down his face from the top of his hair line all the way down his neck and disappearing into his shirt. He was snearing at me now that I noticed his appearance and he begins walking towards me. I wondered, briefly, how long he had been watching me. I look around but there is no one at the park this time of day. I turn behind me and notice some woods. There is a walking path a few yards inside the tree line that will lead me to the road about a mile away. It isn't reallly in my best interest to go to the woods but this man is making me uncomfortable. I am not much of a fighter, but I am a runner and can run surprisingly fast. I look at my feet and thank the skies above that I had put on my running shoes this morning.
I turn and walk at a brisk pace towards the forest and pop through the trees as I navigate around the down timber and debris. Locating the walking path I begin my journey only to realize, the creepy guy is gone. Breathing a sigh of relief I decide to carry on this course just to be on the safe side. I reach into my bag and grab my phone but to my utter disbelief, I have no signal haulting my idea to call for help as a precaution. Just as I look back to the path after placing my phone back in my bag I stop mid stride. I feel the hairs on the nape of my neck stand at attention as the alarm churning in my guts tells me I need to turn around and run.
In front of me is another man in a brown leather jacket, black denim jeans, and black combat boots. This guys aura is giving me extremely bad vibes. He's an average looking man with shaggy blonde hair, green eyes, and a sadistic smile. It's not charming and the way he keeps rolling the wooden pick in his mouth with his tongue is making me super uncomfortable.
"Hello, Layla, it's so good to see you again." He says as he slowly takes a step in my direction. "You know, you were a hard one to track down. My boss has been searching all over the world for the last 17 years for you. And yet, here you are, right in our very own backyard."
"Who are you?" I manage to speak around the giant lump in my throat as my hands grip my bag tightly across my chest.
"That's not important right now. What is important is that you come with us willingly. You do that, and you won't get hurt...much" He says as he spits his mouth pick into some bushes to his side.
I turn and run right into a chest with a thud! Big leather clad arms wrap around my arms and secure themselves to my back as they begin to squeeze. I did the only thing I could think to do as my face is smashed into someones chest, and that is to bite down on their peck muscle with everything I have.
"AHHHHH!" The guy wails as blood starts to seap through his shirt and his arms loosen just enough for me to slip through. And then I run like hell. Laughter fills the air around me as I take off through the trees and off the path. I dont know where I am going but anywhere is better then with those two.
"The hard way it is then, Layla!" The blonde guy shouts with excitement, as if he wanted me to run. "We will give you a ten second head start, and then the chase will be on. You better hurry Layla because when we catch you, and we will, there will be no saving you! Our boss said he needs you alive, he never said anything about being alive and well." I vaguely hear the remainder of his statement as I put distance between us. The last thing I hear is the starting of the count down to my demise.
"TEN..." Shit! These guys are serious! Who are they? What do they want with me? Where can I hide?
"NINE..." and that is the last that I hear as something huge and and powerful hits me from my right side and I go flying and hit my head off a tree and the bright sunshine turns dark...
****WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT CONTAINED IN THIS CHAPTER! TRIGGER WARNING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT! SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED OR UNDERAGE!!!!****My vision is blurry as I try to open my eyes. The sun has set by now and there is no moon to shine down on me. As my vision slowly starts coming back to me, black dots dance in my vision. I try to sit up but it's proving to be a very difficult task.Where am I? What happened?I look around and all I can see is forest trees. I can hear crickets chirping off in the distance as an owl calls out. There is a gentle breeze blowing and I suddenly feel cold as a draft blows across my naked legs. Wait. Naked? Where are my leggings? Where are my shoes?Panic sets in as my adrenaline shoots up into the sky, making everything so much clearer. I still have my white oversized t-shirt on and my panties. I am able to sit up thanks to the spike in my adrenaline and anxiety. I look around but I don't see much of anything. "Oh, look, our fa
Layla. I am woken to the sound of water dripping softly. It is so cold that my teeth begin to chatter out of my skull as I slowly open my eyes. I am in a cement looking jail cell with bars on one side with a cell door and the other three walls are made of cement blocks. The floor is also cement and there isn't a single window in here. The room is maybe 8 feet by 8 feet, if that. There is a small drain in the corner opposite of the tiny dirty mattress that I am currently laying on. No sink. No toilet. I wonder if the drain in the corner is for toileting? I hope not! There isn't even paper in here to clean myself up with if I do have to go. Thankfully I don't. The cell door is closest to my feet and my head is shoved up against the wall that is parallel to the door. It smells like old urine, copper like blood, dust, and wet dirt. Not very pleasant. I try to use my arms to get myself into a sitting position but as soon as I scoot my bottom half up and sit on it, I cry out in pain from
Layla. "Breakfast," grunts the short man who has been bringing me food the last 3 days. I have kept track of the days based on the timings of meals. I haven't seen the sunshine sense the day I was originally captured and the lack of vitamin D is really starting to take its toll on me mentally. I feel sluggish and my will to live is slowly slipping by. The tray with food on it is handed to me through a slot that is just wide enough for the food and a bottle of water to fit through if it is set on the tray on its side. I stand up and walk over to the door and grab the tray with both hands before it crashes to the floor. I bring it into my cell and place it with the other uneaten trays of food off to the side. I wish they would collect those, the flies have started to accumulate in here and it has started grossing me out. Other than announcing when a meal is being served, no one speaks to me. Not that I mind, I am a bit of a loan wolf anyways. I enjoy my solitude and hermit lifestyle.
"What is your name?" Emma begins with an easy question, thankfully. "Layla Irene Eastwood," I reply with my eyes closed as I feel the brush start to lightly work its way through my wet hair. "How old are you, Layla?" She is speaking so softly it's very soothing. "18. At least I think. I was abandoned as an infant and so the authorities just made up a name and birthdate for me." "What do you do for work? Or are you a student?" "I am an aspiring writer. I would love to get my work published some day, but until then I work at a small diner just down the road from my apartment." "Am I pulling too hard on your hair?" She asks as she tugs gently once she reaches the end that is hanging below the bench. "No this is very nice. I never had someone brush my hair for me. I now see what the fuss is about," I tell her as I let out a small giggle. It's a strange sound coming from my mouth and feels even weirder resonating in my chest. I was never the giggly type so this is new for me. "How
I try to let go of Maggie's hand but her grip only tightens. I look over to Emma and see that she is also trying to break free of Maggie's death grip. And just as soon as her blood curdling scream begins, the sound of silence erupts like a volcano as Maggie's body goes crumbling to the ground. Unconscious."Does that happen every time she see's something?" I question Emma as I spit the crumpled up leaf and flower concoction out of my mouth and directly onto the floor. When Maggie fell she released both of our hands and I vigorously try to rub some blood flow back into mine. I see Emma doing the same."No. I have never witness this sort of reaction from Maggie. Quick, help me carry her out of here and to my brother, he will know what to do," Emma states as she bends down and grabs Maggie under each arm pit. I guess that means I will be taking the legs. We leave all of my new belongings in the locker room as I struggle to carry Maggie's bottom half. Emma is walking backwards and acting
Alpha Jaxon. I just stare at Emma as I repeat the words over in my head. Maggie is dead. The woman who took care of Emma and me after our parents were murdered in cold blood. The woman who nursed Emma back to health after she was attacked. The woman who kept my temper in check. Among so many other things. Maggie was the most loved woman in our city. The kindest, most selfless, slightly erotic, warm hearted, foul tongued, and just like that, she is gone. Without saying a word, I turn and exit my room leaving Emma and Layla alone. Layla, her name rolls around in my head like waves in an ocean. She looked so damn perfect cleaned up and fresh. Seeing her in my bedroom had brought so many ideas to my head about all the things I would love to do her body. I don't know what made me bring her to my room in the first place, it was probably Ash's idea, after I had caught her after she blacked out in the middle of the road. I had been alerted by one of my pack warriors about Emma helpin
Layla.I am trying to focus on what Emma is saying but I can't get passed this feeling I am having in my body. My skin is itching and feels like there is a fire burning just beneath my skin. I keep scratching my arms to try and ease the discomfort. For some reason the burning sensation doesn't actually hurt it's just uncomfortable. My head feels like a hammer is banging around in it briefly making tears swell, I refuse to let them fall. My feet feel like they have been asleep for hours with the pins and needles sensations and my toes feel like they are being stretched to the max. "Hey are you ok?" Emma asked with true concern in her voice which is the nicest she has been sense we left the jail. I don't know what I did to upset her, but if this is how life is going to be I think I'd rather stay in jail. This is why I hate people and never get close to anyone. Everyone is a liar or only use you for their own selfish needs. Or they show you one face and the next moment, a new mask takes
Jaxon.A loud snarl leaves my lips as I see Layla, my mate, laying naked and out in the open. "LOOK AWAY! DO NOT TOUCH HER OR I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" I snarl uncontrollably at my pack members as they all look away and try to find something to cover her. I can't stand the thought of everyone looking at what belongs to me and only me. "Calm down Alpha. We are only trying to help her. Let's get her to the infirmary," Gamma Grey comes over with his personal shirt that he had on before the run began. I shove it away, not liking the idea of another mans scent on her. It's repulsive. "Don't be such a dick! Take the damn shirt so our Luna can have some dignity left!" Grey shouts at me. He has never raised his voice to me before but his instincts must be kicking in already wanting to protect his Luna from everything, even embarrassment. Even though she has nothing to be embarrassed by, she is perfect in every way. "Fine," I snap back giving him the look saying we will have a discussion a