Elaine POV
Those ruthless, cunning and evil people! They planned this meticulously and executed it perfectly. What would they do to Fran? Zoe was adamant to have me spend the night here. That meant Chase on in on this too.
Why else would he want to be my friend?
Life was a lot easier when I hid in Shaw mansion and focused on helping Opal through her pregnancy. Why was I dumb enough to enrol in community college? Lightning illuminated the cloud-covered sky. I shut my eyes and made myself smaller than I already was.
I hated it here. This Pack brought me nothing but pain. The vampire venom around my wrists seeped into my bloodstream and weakened my wolf. I couldn’t smell as far as I normally did, my vision blurred and I couldn’t break the damn chains. I couldn’t shift either.
“Calm down, Elaine,” Dove my wolf said.
“How? I’m stuck in a cemetery?”
“If it helps you feel better no one’s going to hurt you out here. Everyone’s dead.”
I wish I could hit her on the head.
“Anyone could find me here and I bet anyone creeping around a cemetery at this hour doesn’t have the best intentions.”
“You need to relax though, strong emotions could bring back your witch powers.”
“What?” I sniffled. “Is that possible?”
“Of course it is! You still have magic in your blood it can grow and you’ll go back to being cursed and I’ll go away.”
I steadied my breathing. I spent six months curse-free and the wolf was free to heal me when I got hurt. I hadn’t used my gift to heal others either and I wasn’t sure if I still had it. I couldn’t go back to being dependent on my brother’s venom or wolf enhancers.
“How do I get out of here?” I whimpered.
Thunder clapped in the distance. Please don’t rain, I mentally pleaded.
“Wait it out. I’m with you.”
As the sky threatened to come down on me I clung helplessly to the ground. If only it could open up and swallow me whole. A tear rolled down my cheek it felt as painful as venom burning my wrists. As thunder clapped I could almost hear Zoe’s plastic laughter in it.
***
“Wake up, Elaine,” my wolf nudged me awake. “Break the chains.”
I opened my swollen eyes and sniffled. I was covered in dirt and my bones burned bitterly. Depressing grey clouds blanketed the sky and hid the early morning sun. The venom around the cuffs was strong but not stronger than it was before.
I forced Dove to the centre of my mind and pulled on the chains so hard they broke in two. I flew forward and smacked into the dirt.
“Fuck,” I spat.
“You did it!” Dove cheered. “Oh, oh, danger.”
“Ugh, what now?” I groaned.
The vampire venom was still in my veins but I got my heightened sense of smell back and I smelt the boys from last night. So they came back to see if I was still changed to a mausoleum like a pathetic weakling. I could imagine they would laugh as they dangled the keys in my face.
“Alright, let them have their fun,” I whispered.
I got back in position and hit the cuffs between my legs. Seconds later two guys from Zoe’s group. I recognized Greg and another guy with long black wavy hair naked Scooter.
“I told you we’d find her here,” Greg laughed.
They looked well rested.
“Some Alpha Female she is. A real Alpha would have broken free by now,” Scooter frowned at me. He glared at me as if I was worse than the dog shit he stepped on earlier.
I swallowed and maintained eye contact.
“I hope you enjoyed your night that’s how Black Claw spawn like you deserve to be treated,” Greg scowled.
“Her brother’s in town too, walking free without a care in the world,” Scooter commented.
They wouldn’t dare provoke Lawrence. He might be a beta wolf but he was cunning and wouldn’t let a shadow go past him without him noticing it. Besides these guys were amateurs if they knew what they were doing they would have realized the handcuffs were too short for me to be on my knees.
I balled the cuffs into my fists as Greg marched forward. I hurled the cuffs and they hit his forehead. He stumbled back and gasped.
I jumped up and kicked Scooter’s knee. He buckled forward in surprise. I grabbed him, kneed his inner thigh and shoved him into the moss-covered gravestone.
Greg yelled and lunged for me. Ducking under him I twisted and slammed my sneaker into his back. Greg yelped and landed in the dirt at the same time Scooter dusted himself off and flashed his neon-yellow eyes at me.
“You’ll regret this,” he warned.
Dove reflected in my eyes and her voice blended with mine to produce an eerie ghostly voice. “Bring it.”
He charged, widening his arms in an attempt to wrap his arms around my waist. I grabbed and twisted his arm. Scooter bellowed so loud he could have woken the dead. I yanked on his joints and dislocated his shoulder. For the second time, I sent him flying into a tombstone.
My attention turned to Greg. He rubbed his shoulder and growled at me.
“Still think I’m a sorry excuse for an Alpha Female?” I asked, holding my hip.
He spat. “I’ll kill you Black Claw spawn!”
His nails turned into thick black talons and his teeth turned to razors as hair semi-covered his face. He completed a partial shift and zoomed towards me. I punched his nose which scrambled his senses. I grabbed his shirt and sunk my nails into his thigh.
Let’s get this over with,” I grumbled.
I raised him over my head. He flailed his arms. Every vein in my body strained against my skin. I hurled him forward and he crashed into the mausoleum I’d been forced to spend the night next to. The roof broke and Greg fell into the crypt stones scattered everywhere.
“Okay, it’s time to leave.”
***
I was still high on adrenaline when I arrived at Shaw mansion. I’m going to be in so much trouble for what I did but it felt so good! I ran to the front door. It was never locked but it opened before I could touch the knob.
“There you are,” Lucas hissed.
“Sorry, it’s been a crazy couple of hours-”
Lucas slipped out of the house and shut the door behind him.
“Azaire’s been looking for you all night. He’s still not back yet.”
“I… I’ll talk to him when he gets back.”
I attempted to walk past him but he gripped my arm and ground his teeth.
“Richie’s out too, so is Ross. How did you spend the night with?”
“Get your hands off me.”
“Prefer it when someone else touches you? Having you here was a mistake. You’re tainting my Father’s house.”
“What?” I scoffed.
“You’re nothing but Black Claw spawn!” he yelled, digging his nails into my skin.
I pulled my arm back and slammed my fist into Lucas’ nose. He flew backwards and hit the glass screen on the door.
I gasped.
“E-Elaine… you broke my nose?”
Blood pooled on his upper lip.
“I didn’t mean to.”
He touched the back of his head and it came back bloody.
Okay, it’s time to leave again.