Rachelle’s POV
I opened my eyes slowly and was surprised to not find the blinding sun or metal bars in my face when I did so.
Maybe Violet had somehow managed to bring me back to the slaves’ quarters after I had passed out. Or one of the other slaves who had felt sympathetic after seeing me in such a vulnerable way.
In actual fact, I was even surprised that I had opened my eyes. I thought that I was going to die after all my body had had to go through, it was not like I had gone through beatings and cuts and being strikes with whips. I had even gone through electrocution. That alone was enough to send any werewolf into the afterlife, or into the arms of the moon goddess, but it appeared like she definitely had other plans for me. I was alive and lying down in a strange place. Well, at least I was alive.
Violet! Where was she?
She had foolishly rushed to try to stop the alpha of the Paz pack, while he was torturing me as punishment for hitting his pathetic son. Future alpha indeed. But then again, why would she even dare to do that? Could she not see how ruthless that werewolf alpha was?
Did she fail to notice that he had no mercy for even what he deemed as the smallest things? Why in earth would she risk herself and try to play the hero? Did she not understand that she was supposed to protect herself? Was that not the whole concept of that self-preservation speech she gave me in the slaves’ quarters, when she was saying something about taking care of ourselves and staying out of trouble to save our lives?
Why did she do that? Foolish lady!
I tried to stop my rampaging thoughts as I opened my eyes even wider to their maximum limit and felt a weight on my right hand. I began to panic inwardly, checking if there was a door or window for me to see if there was a way out for me to escape.
It took a few seconds to calm myself down, to notice that I was not in fact tied to the bed, or to be punished, but in actual fact, it was another hand that was holding mine as I was lying down on the bed.
The soft comfortable bed, unlike the thin nylon wraps we were provided with, or for the lucky ones, useless pieces of cloth, at the slaves’ quarters in the Paz pack.
I tried to turn myself over to look at the person holding my hand and as I did so, a most delicious scent filled my nose and clouded my senses, giving me an all-time high, and for some unknown reason, I could not stop myself from smiling from ear to ear, although it was very painful to do so, since my face was bruised.
How did I not notice before?
And with a smile, I tried with much difficulty to turn myself over to my side to look at the face of the man holding my hand.
Everett.
Then everything came flooding back to me afterwards.
Everett, with Theodore and the Crescent moon pack members coming in to save me, attacking the alpha and other members of the Paz pack.
And then me, locking lips with him earlier.
Did that even happen today? Or maybe yesterday?
I had no idea of how long I was out after that though.
I had actually thought that seeing Everett with Theodore and the other fighters was just a dream that my improperly functioning mind had made up to calm me down as I was in a horrible state. I felt physically and emotionally drained, and I felt that I was only seeing him as a bit of encouragement for my person. For me to not give up yet as there was still hope for me. Hope of me returning to him again, and for Violet to see her brother and the rest of the pack in which she was a proud member of.
I looked at where he was holding my hand, his head on the side of my bed as he still held my hand in his. I made a move to remove my hand from his, but he only grumbled and pulled my hand in, holding it even tighter than before. He looked like a cute pup while he slept, not at all like the very attractive, masculine alpha ready to intimidate whomever he felt it was that was intimidating one of his own.
I mean, sure, he still looked very much attractive, but of a different kind. This time, he looked like an innocent little pup who knew nothing but good and good people in the evil world we lived in, with no knowledge of just how wicked other werewolves could be.
I did not need any other proof to know that Everett had in fact, really loved me. Still did, apparently.
Like he said, the moon goddess literally made us for each other, and it was very difficult to ignore the sparks that flew if we glanced at each other, exchanged smiles, or even held hands.
He had dropped everything to come and rush to save me. I expected him to, but not with that kind of haste. Kyle and Kylie’s father was an evil and tactical man. I was sure that he was waiting for Everett and his lack to strike so that he could take them down. I knew that he had a plan ready for Everett, and it would have been dangerous for Everett, or anyone in his pack to show up at the Paz pack, so it was wise for them to have kept their distance for a while, at least.
But he, rushing off to save me did not seem like something that had been planned beforehand, it seemed like something that had just- happened. Like something that had just happened out of necessity.
Nobody, not even my parents would have done that for me. I knew that. He had given me a lot of hope with that singular action and I was convinced that maybe, I was ready to give it a try.
For doing something so nice for me, I had decided that Aloha Everett was worth a chance. Was worth three chances for all that he had done.
Maybe seven chances even.
Besides, what did I have to lose?
I had been stripped of everything I needed the day my parents had abandoned me. I had almost lost my life a lot of times before, so what did I have to lose actually?
And I guessed that that was the reason I had done what I had. I had actually initiated our first kiss and I did not feel uncomfortable with that fact.
It was probably not his first kiss, but it was most definitely mine as being a slave never gave me enough chances to think about anything other than the work I was given to do, and punishments I was to receive, and I did not feel bad for giving it to him without thinking.
And that was because we were made for each other by the moon goddess.
I could not express how thankful I was for Everett coming into my life- or for me stumbling into his territory, leading to our first meeting.
After everything that had taken place, I was beyond thankful for Everett. I thought with a smile, looking at the sleeping werewolf who was still holding on to my hand as if it was his favorite teddy bear.
–
Violet’s POV
I breathed in a sigh of relief for about the one hundredth time, glad to be back home. To the place and pack I belonged to.
When I had run and hit the large alpha of the Paz pack out there in that field, things did not go as expected.
I had wanted to be a superhero, hoping that that one push would somehow be able to change everything, and make Kyle and Kylie’s father see that what it was that he was doing was entirely wrong. I had hoped that the touch of another girl who was not even from his pack would strike a chord in his heart and remind him of his evil, and that a voice in his head would tell him that all he had been doing for a long, long time was wrong, and that he would come to his senses.
That he would realize his mistake and see that he did not have to do all that he had been doing for a long time anymore. I wanted him to feel all sorts of positive emotions, but when the large man turned back to me with the wires still in his hands and a seemingly exaggerated enraged look on his face and covering his features, I knew that my magic thought did not work.
This was not a stupid movie where one single act could change another person mind, and especially not the mind of a very angry evil alpha.
There and then, I was majorly convinced that I was not a superhero, and I also had to admit that Rachelle had more courage in her left foot than I had in my entire body.
“Guards!” He had bellowed out, and I thought the force of his hot breath hitting my face would make my skin turn to stone and that I would fall to the ground, good as dead.
That was only an understatement of just how terrifying that werewolf alpha was.
The next thing I knew, I was being tied and hoisted unto another stake rising out of the ground. From the position I was in, I narrowed my eyes to the side in a painful manner to look at Rachelle. I found out that she was already looking at me, her eyes narrowing in a hostile way and I could already read the message behind the glare on her injured face.
“Foolish lady!” Her eyes said to me, and I hung my head down. I knew that she did not mean any harm, but she probably felt that I should have known that trying to stop the alpha was a futile thing to do, as the only thing that would come out of it, as a result, was a punishment for me. And by the looks of the guards coming forward with a whip on each of them, I was convinced that my punishment would include beatings and a lot of pain.
I did not know how Rachelle had managed to take some of these beatings without making a sound, because I could not even dare to do that. At the very first strike of the whip, it tore into my flesh and I let a loud wail out of my mouth, making the alpha and Kylie laugh.
The second strike of the whip had me seeing planets and stars due to the pain. It was something that I knew that I would not be able to endure for much longer.
If it did, I would most probably die from the pain. Or pass out for days in the least.
Now, I was only grateful to be able to collapse into my warm, queen sized soft bed. And to be able to see my friends and hang out as we used to.
I missed having dinner with the rest of the pack members, and I missed quality food and drinks. Even the fresh clean water here. I had missed everything.
The familiar smell of the pack and its other members gave me warm tingles and made me feel safe. Made me feel at peace, and I was just glad that I was where I was supposed to be.
But then again, home is where the heart is.
The werewolf whom I had later found out was my mate. A member of the Paz pack.
Stellan.