Chapter 2 2

EMILY

Into the dark space, I was spun around to meet the face of...

"Reece?"

"Yes, it's me, Emily,"

I searched his face in the dark. Now that my nerves were settled...a bit, I was able to pick out his familiar scent, ignoring the smell of dirt and sweat that were mixed with his body scent. Suddenly remembering the maid, Melissa, I was with, I tried to find her in the dark.

Next, I found the hand of my best friend since childhood in the dark and held onto him. Reece was the only person outside my family who knew me and understood me. I've always had this crush on him though but it was not mutual. Still, I'd rather have him as a friend than let some feelings ruin our relationship. It had hurt but he was still in my life, and that was enough for me.

He hugged me tight. "Are you alright?"

I heard the concern and fear in his voice. Underlying those emotions were the tiny threads of sadness and pain stringing along the edge of his voice. I returned the hug as tightly too, forcing myself not to give in to emotions. I needed to have answers first before coming to any conclusion. I inhaled his scent as some sort of comfort, wishing it would calm the incessant throbbing of my temples, the frantic pounding of my heart and loosen knotted nerves.

"Where are the rest?"

I pulled away from the hug, I hated the fact that this place was dark and we could not go out because of some intruders.

The only thing I could hear was his heavy breathing, he gripped my hand tight. He was tensed and angry, I could feel it from our contact.

"Tell me what happened, Reece? I woke up to find the manor empty and Melissa was running with blood all over her. Please, do you know what happened? Where's my father? Where's yours? Where's Julian?"

Just like me, Reece lost his mother at a tender age so we just had our fathers, though Reece had an elder sister but she was already mated and married to the Beta of a different pack and no longer lived in our pack. I had an elder brother, Julian who mostly ignored my existence and treated me unkindly too.

"They are dead," he replied, deadpan. His tone was flat and void of any feeling.

"So it's true? Melissa was not lying."

I broke into a sob. I had believed her for a moment but then I'd had a different thinking.

A small seed of hope had dared germinate and now it was shrunken. It had wilted and died. My father was dead. Just like that, without a goodbye. It felt strange to feel this way toward the family who had never shown me love.

Reece engulfed me in another hug. He was mourning with me and at the same time, offering comfort. I offered him comfort in return, I was not the only one who had lost a family member. I knew how much he was close to his father. The spitting image of the man too. His father had been my father's Beta.

"What are we going to do now, Reece? We have no family anymore. It's just you and me now. And Melissa,"

My sob was heavy and tears ran freely down my cheeks, I did not bother to hold them back. Reece's hand searched my face and wiped the tears away.

"It's okay Emily, we'll find a way. We'll try to find a way."

I got the feeling he was also speaking to himself. Trying to encourage himself as he was encouraging me. I used to believe him. His words always found a way to calm me and fill me with the courage to go on, but this time was different. We had not just lost our family, but our pack too.

"Are we going to go rogue, Reece ?"

The quiver in my voice was unmistakably conspicuous. Going rogue was seen as a taboo for werewolves. They were the lowest, most despicable kind of werewolves. No one wanted to be associated with a rogue, and for someone from a respectable werewolf family like me and Reece, it was the most humiliating thing ever.

"I won't let it come to that, Emily. I promise you."

"Do you..."

He clamped a hand over my mouth. "Be quiet, Emily."

That was when I heard the noises. Incomprehensible ones. But as the voices drew near, their words became clearer. They were arguing, sort of.

"How could you let two girls outrun you?"

"Remember the Alpha had said no one must escape. We must gather every living werewolf of the Greyhound pack,"

"And I said I'll get the two girls. They came this way,"

"There's no road here,"

The other person sounded really upset.

Reece's hand was still clamped in my mouth. I shook his hand off when it was getting uncomfortably hard for me to breathe properly.

Soon, we heard footsteps walking away and everywhere became quiet. I exhaled in relief, that had been a close call.

Suddenly, Melissa let out a sharp, terrified scream, frantically pulling at my nightwear.

"Got you!"

A hand outstretched and grabbed my arm, pulling me out, Reece was holding onto me too. He was struggling to keep me by his side. But the man was stronger and soon had me out.

"So there you are!"

His smile was dark and menacing.

I struggled not to tremble or let his dark gaze intimidate me.

"Look what I found,"

The second person had gone in and brought Reece out.

"Three. Even better! You're sure there's no one else in there?" the one who had me and Melissa effortlessly bound by his hands asked

"Yes, I checked, no one else!" the second person replied. He was annoyed that Reece was struggling to be free from his hold. "Will you hold still, you clod?"

"Not until you let me go," Reece retorted.

Out in the morning light, I could see him properly. His white shirt was stained with blood too, and had creases on it. His blonde hair was tousled, and was that dirt I saw clinging to a few strands of his hair? His brown eyes harboured tiredness, grief and pain. Also, there was anger.

I sighed in sadness. I had never seen my best friend look this way before. His eyes were always crinkled in humour, there was this usual lopsided smirk he wore. Reece was not one to get angry or feel negative, but now, all I could detect from my best friend were negative emotions.

I watched him still trying to struggle free from his captor who was way taller and bulkier than him. And possibly stronger too.

"Please Reece,"

I pleaded with him, getting his attention and hoping he'd read the signs in my eyes. I did not want him fighting these men, they could hurt us. Him, especially if he kept refusing compliance with them. His body which was poised for aggressive defense, relaxed and caved in.

Our gaze still locked on each other, I mouthed a 'thank you' to him. Reece was a very tenacious werewolf who was ready to fight it out till death if that was what it took.

"Let's go. The Alpha will be waiting for us,"

Reece's captor said triumphantly to the one tightly gripping the wrists of Melissa and I, pulling my best friend forward roughly. My captor pulled us forward in an equally rough manner.

"Hey, don't manhandle them!" Reece warned the one holding us, anger flickered in his eyes.

Our captors exchanged gazes and laughed.

"Are you trying to score a point with the ladies?" my captor taunted, an unfriendly smile creeping onto his face and spreading his lips a bit.

"Or maybe it's one of the ladies?" his own captor joined it, his mocking tone was also obvious.

I shook my head at Reece, silently begging him to stop. I knew he was trying to protect us but we were no match for these mean hulks, one wrong word or action could set them off and have them tearing out flesh with fangs that I was sure were as deadly as their demeanour.

It was obvious they had no sympathy. Not even an ounce of empathy. Anyone who could transgress into their fellow pack just to kill, maim, plunder and secure the residents, the ones remaining, as captives could well about do anything else. And that was what I did not want.

We were dragged along like common strays with no care for us. I noticed Melissa was still crying but she had the sense to do it silently. Reece was quiet, too quiet. His expression was masked, betraying no emotion. It made me wonder what he was thinking. I just hoped he was not planning any crazy moves that might get him killed, I needed him to survive this. If anything should happen to him, I was gone too.

"Let's head out, back to the pack!"

One of our captors called out as soon as we reached where other of my pack members were held captive too. My eyes widened in horror at the damage that had been done to my pack.

Dead bodies lay scattered. Smoke from different areas wafted through the air, the evidence of burned-down properties. Tears streamed down my cheeks seeing all these innocent people lying dead.

Why?

Who was the tyrant Alpha who had done this?

Why did he have to be so mean and cruel, snuffing life out of people, even children?

My footsteps seem to be frozen.

"Keep moving!"

The captor with the whip advanced towards me menacingly, but I was too incensed to care that he was stronger than me and might probably snap my neck effortlessly.

"Touch her and you'll regret it!" Reece's growl was deeper and meaner than mine. It boosted my morale and steeled my spine, encouraging me not to show fear.

"What is going on here?"

My wolf senses heightened. Ilaya - my wolf - began prancing in my head. Following the scent, she wanted me to sniff, I obeyed and did a deliberate slow spin on my heel. My eyes flashed hot.

"Mate!"

"Mate!"

"Mate!"