Chapter 25 Caught
KAREN'S POV
Cold air enveloped my body as I ran as fast as possible. The morning mist clung to my skin, making the chill feel deeper, sharper, like the bite of a predator’s fangs. As soon as I realized that they were guards on the patio doors of Jaden’s estate, their pale faces half-hidden in shadows, I ran out without wasting any time. It was morning and most of the guards might be in the hall having their breakfast, those immortal creatures with their unnerving stillness and eyes that glowed faintly like embers in the dark. Heaving loudly, my heart pounding quickly in my chest like a fragile drum beneath my ribs, I ran through the forest, the rough bark scraping against my trembling fingers.
I inwardly knew that they might find me; sometimes I looked back to see whether some werewolves were running after me, their long legs silently covering ground with unnatural speed. Luckily, no one was after me, and this encouraged me to go faster. However, just as I was running, I all of a sudden fell onto the sharp pointed branch of a tree. "My goodness...", I bit my tongue as I pulled it from my leg, the pain raw and stark against my human flesh, so vulnerable compared to their immortal bodies.
It was so painful, but I had my mind made up. There was no going back this time. With blood running down my sides—bright and hot against my pale skin—I continued to limp slowly towards the forest where the trees weren't so many, the shadows deepening, swallowing me in their cold embrace.
"Oh come on kitten you have trespassed," just as I had sat down under the tree, I heard a voice behind me. "P.. please don't....", I trailed off in mid-sentence when my eyes fell on the owner of the voice. I had thought that it was perhaps Jaden’s men but hell no, this was different. With his long brown dreadlocks, he looked at me with a mischievous grin on his face—his skin unnaturally smooth, almost luminescent in the dappled light. I now knew it, this was perhaps another werewolf pack. The thought of it made me feel relieved. At least I had managed to escape from the cold-hearted Jaden and his bloodthirsty guards.
"Are you gonna kill me?" The question all of a sudden fell out of my lips, voice trembling. "Huh! I see you’re not a werewolf, you’re a human, and you escaped," He chuckled, the sound low and rumbling, like distant thunder in a dark cave.
"Am not gonna kill you," he said, and all of a sudden reached out and cupped my cheeks with his bloody hands—long fingers tipped with sharp claws, stained crimson. His touch was cold, but there was something oddly gentle beneath the menace.
"Thanks..."
"But you gonna have sex with me," His next words made all the blood drain from my face. I didn’t say anything for a moment; I just watched him as he daydreamed. His eyes gleamed with a predatory hunger, and his sharp fangs gleamed slightly when he whispered, "I assure you, you gonna love every second of it, fast and quick." His hands wandered down my body and rested on my hips, sending a shiver of terror through my very bones.
When I saw him move his hands to my blouse, out of sheer fear, I mustered all my strength and kneed him as hard as I could in his balls. "You bitch," His hands immediately clutched his injuries, and I took the opportunity to slip away. Though feeling pain, I ran into the shadows of the forest without stopping, my breath ragged, my human heart pounding like a frantic drum.
A bone-rattling growl out of the blue erupted in the air, followed by terrifying sounds of breaking bones. It was the bastard, and knowing it, I ran as fast as my injured leg could carry me in the labyrinth of dark, ancient trees.
Another growl surfaced in the air, and this time it was five meters away from me. I heard about ten more growls accompanied by the one who seemed to be the Alpha, with forty more feet pounding on the earth. My mind was racing as a chill ran down my body. I now regretted why I rested under the tree.
Suddenly, I felt something pounce on my back, causing me to land face-first on the ground. Twigs and small stones scratched my face and neck at the impact, my skin so soft and fragile compared to the rough bark and dirt. All of a sudden, I felt two rough hands grip my shoulders and roughly flipped me over so that I was on my back, and I came face to face with the one and only beast from hell.
Anger was etched in every crease of his face and swimming in his eyes—eyes black as midnight pools, flecked with crimson. "Oh kitten," He said as he ran his clawed finger down my face, causing me to tense and close my eyes as tightly as possible. "I was going to help you, but you have made a big mistake trying to run away from me like that," He said with a grin. "Fuck you," I spat out onto his face but later regretted it because in just one swift move, his hands squeezed my cheeks together, causing my eyes to fly open.
"And for that, you will be severely punished," He hissed in my face before he let me go, and without warning, his claws raked themselves through my cheek over the top of my nose to my forehead before they finally evacuated my skin. A prompt scream escaped from my mouth when he all of a sudden gripped my injured leg.
The wicked alpha smiled as the sickening smell of my blood filled up the air—warm and metallic, so intoxicating to their immortal senses. "Do you think she has had enough men?" one of the men asked the others. "I doubt she does; looks nothing like a whore," One answered as they watched their wicked alpha place down my injured leg. "P.. please..", I pleaded, but his smile only grew wider. "Aw kitten," He chuckled. "I'm not doing this to hurt you; I’m doing this to teach you a lesson, so you won’t try anything stupid like this next time," He laughed more.
"Aww, she escaped, then fell into hell," Another man laughed. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but it didn’t budge. Blood was dripping down my cheeks to my neck. They were right, and now I was regretting it. "Come on, boys," he said as he slowly crawled off. "Let’s show her tough love," he said before he shifted back into his monstrous form—fangs elongating, eyes glowing brighter, and claws extending sharply. The hell broke loose at that. He let out a loud howl, and all his men mobbed around my unmoving body, their claws and fangs digging deep into my skin.
I screamed loudly when I felt my skin being ripped into, but the pain was nothing compared to what I felt next. I felt all the knife-like claws cut into my skin. They were stepping into my injured leg. My tears flowed down my face as I let out an ear-shattering scream. The sickening smell of my blood became heavier as my world began to go black.
The end of every nerve in my body was on fire, and my body turned into iron as it slowly started to shut down. It was like time slowed down, and the world stopped moving. Suddenly, from what seemed far away, a pained howl ripped through the air like a knife, and quickly I felt werewolves being plucked off from me, followed by the gut-wrenching sound of necks being ripped into. All of a sudden, I was held in strong hands.
"Why did you escape again?" It was the only thing I heard before everything went blank and numb.