Chapter 4 The Death Toll

Ava`s POV

I watched it happen, my true mate panting hard as life was slipping out of him. I wanted to save him, but I had been pinned down by two warriors, ready to be decapitated once Ryan finished off Derek. I wanted to use my power, my last resort, but they were well-prepared. My mouth had been shut with thick tape.

My vision became more blurry as I watched my true mate getting his ass kicked to him by my cruel husband. A million possibilities came to my head; I had to survive whichever way. I struggled to cut loose, but they were too strong for me. Ryan wolf raised its claw, a dangerous glint in his eyes and sank it into his heart; I tried to scream as I watched Derek `s blood splattered all over the leaves.

I knew I was next. He was going to cut my head off and stick it to the front of the mansion for months to instill fear in anyone else who tried to go against him. "A strong Alpha that killed his mate and Luna, who had betrayed the pack". What a spectacle my chopped head would become.

Howls filled the air, and they were all distracted. I smelt it too, the stinking stench of rouges. Haven't they learned anything? Ryan was going to have more heads to chop off. But I was wrong, they weren't mere aimless rouges, they were here for war.

"Give us the Luna and keep your heads", I heard from a loudspeaker.

Ryan's wolf mind was linked to his beta, who raised me up and put his claw to my throat. It was obvious he had no intention of handing me over. I wasn't elated. Even the rouges must want my head too, to lie to the world that they captured a Luna and chopped off her head. It would be really self-satisfactory for them.

Unfortunately, I wasn't planning to die fruitlessly. In the havoc, my eye caught it. I unsheathed the beta's dagger with my free hand and plunged it into his stomach. He dropped me and I started running. To my relief, only two warriors chased me as the rouges had pounced on them all too.

I didn't care who won, I just wanted to survive and exert my revenge. I looked back to see a big wolf pounce on my pursuers and slaughter them. I ran faster, but he moved up to me and pinned me to the ground. He smelt me. I waited for death but it never came. Why did this brutal bloodthirsty rouge spare me? I looked into his red eyes, but it looked away and got off me. It transformed into human and our eyes met. It was him, the man from my nightmares.

"Who...who are you?

I regretted the word as it slipped out of my mouth because I saw disappointment in his gaze. Was I supposed to acknowledge knowing him when he only appeared in my dream? I followed his gaze, it rested on my love bites and I saw his hand balled into a fist. What the hell is going on here?

"Come with me", he said in a cold voice.

I felt something strange, the command sounded like a gentle request to me that I follow him without resisting. When did I become that obedient?

"My men managed to fend off the downtown pack warriors, but we must get out of here. They are stronger than we are".

He stretched his hand forward, and I held it without hesitating. My life depends on this. He didn't look like he was going to kill me immediately. At least I have to find out why he keeps popping into my dreams. He led me along an unfamiliar route till we got to a river path. I smelt my surroundings, there were many rouges hiding behind the shadow, but his hands in mine was my immunity.

We got to our destination. To my surprise, it wasn't some scruffy hut with aged furniture as I expected, it was a modern mansion. It looked more like a packed house than a mere rouge's hideout. We walked into it and he dropped my hand. A lanky tall girl in a maid's dress rushed up to us and bowed slightly.

"Take her to one of the guest rooms. She needs a shower to get rid of that bastard's stench".

He didn't spare me another glance and walked away as if he was disgusted by me. The girl shyly looked at me, she bowed slightly and led me to a room. It was as big as my matrimonial bed. I was tempted to lay on it, but I had to resist the urge. The houseowner made it clear that I needed a shower.

I walked into the bathroom and settled myself in the bathtub. I filled it with lukewarm water and scrubbed myself. The memory of watching life seep out of Derek haunted me. I touched his mark on me but, strangely, I didn't feel any spark. Is this because he was dead?

A few minutes later, I got out of the tub to the room. A beautiful floral gown had been laid on the bed for me, and I wore it and the flat black shoes. I packed my hair up in a bum and sat on the bed waiting patiently for the next instruction, but it never came. What came was dinner, a really exquisite one.

I was too famished to refuse it. No one would be a coward to poison a defenseless shewolf. The door opened, and he walked in. I was smitten. He wore a black suit and his lustrous hair was magnificent. He looked like he was carved out of a magazine and not a cold-blooded rouge.

"Would you like to accompany me to a burial, Ava?"