Chapter Seventy

Cassandra's POV 

We walked for twenty minutes when I had to stop and take a break. The stomach cramps were killing me and making it hard to walk properly.

"We cannot stay here!" Mitch grumbled

"I'm sorry." I told him. I took a breath and slowly let it out before standing. I picked up my bag that he gave me and threw it over my shoulder.

"Mitch grunted and began walking ahead of me. I fisted my shirt as I walked behind him, my insides felt like they were squeezing everything inside of me and it ached horribly. I just couldn't wait for this to finally stop or go home and let my mates make it got away by marking and mating me. Like it's supposed to happen.

"I'm not a wolf or anything, but I'm sure that isn't normal." The man before me spoke. He didn't even turn around to look at me but I knew what he was speaking of.

"I need my mate. Only they can make it stop." I told him softly.

"Can't you just... have some other man do it?" Mitch asked. I frowned hearing some sort of—tone, I guess—to the way he asked me his question. No knowing if I was just projecting my distrust of him onto it, I just but my lip before answering him as honestly as I could without seeing upset he would as me such a thing, did he believe I was some sort of whore who slept with any male that came near me?

I stifled my grown and shook my head. This heat of mine is making me extremely hostile over the suggestion Mitch said. It wasn't his fault he is human and doesn't know much about us other than what they've been told by others and by what he has seen himself.

"I wouldn't ever allow another man to touch me that way. Plus it would hurt my mates. Especially Levi." I cast my eyes downward. Just the thought of doing that to them made my heart hurt. Just thinking about the way Theo looked at me while I was pleasuring myself makes my stomach churn. I should have stopped or asked him to leave, but having a male watch me while I touched myself—well it made me more excited—I hated and loved how it made me feel.

Allowing him to do that gave him a will over me. Thankfully he never cashed in his blackmail over me. Maybe he never would have, but how would I know? I don't know, nor would I like to know him better.

I stopped, thinking that I heard something. But after listening for a moment I didn't hear anything. No noise, no birds or animals, hell not even the wind was blowing on this still second. except my breathing and Mitch's boots breaking a small stick as he turned to look at me. I was confused as to where my hearing went, so hearing something that wasn't right in my face, it shocked me to the core. Ever since being with the hunters and have been taking daily doses of wolfsbane, I didn't hear as well. Granted, I'm positive it would come back with my wolf in no time.

"We have to keep moving!" Mitch raised a brow, as if to ask me if we had to stop again. I quickly shook my head and checked my teeth together as I ignored the pain. After just a couple more feet however, I heard it again. Another noise, a noise that sounded as if we were being followed. I gulped slowly and quietly then stopped once more.

Mitch made an unpleasant noise due to me constantly stopping. He then turned around to face me again. "What is it now?"

"I thought I heard something." I mumbled.

He straightened his posture and looked around. He walked towards me and offered me his water bottle. "You haven't eaten or drank much, it's probably nothing. Take a drink of this." Taking it I glanced at him briefly. He is probably right. Lack of water or food has made me weak to the point I have no clue if I was hearing things properly.

"Let me look around for a minute, you stay here." Before I could argue with him he walked away. I sighed and leaned against the tree nearby. I then uncapped the water bottle and took a long sip. The feel of the cool liquid hitting the back of my throat was like heaven. I had to close my eyes momentarily to take in the moment. My parched throat instantly felt better, I took a deep breath once I was finished.

I slowly let that breath out as I felt the brief warmth of sunlight. Morning making it feel less chilly, even though the sun wasn't fully exposed yet.

Hearing leaves and sticks breaking I looked to the side to find Mitch. "I didn't see a trace of anyone following us." he told me. "But I can guarantee that will change the longer we sit here." I nodded and took another sip of water before closing the cap.

I stumbled on a root when I moved away from where I was resting. Mitch quickly grabbed my arm to steady me. "Careful," he murmured.

"Yeah, thanks." I murmured softly. I cleared my throat and regained my footing. Maybe Mitch was right and I needed to eat something or drink more water. I didn't ask if I could have more, I just opened the water and took another long drag of water from the bottle Mitch gave me.

We walked for a couple minutes in silence, however I was paranoid. I kept looking over my shoulder nonstop and whenever I would hear something, my head snapped in that direction. Looking ahead after some time, I found my head began to feel fuzzy. And my skin warmed up as a numbing feeling washed over me. My vision blurred and I staggered before colliding my shoulder with a tree.

I glanced up when Mitch groaned, only when I did something or rather, someone appeared out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.

A whimper bubbled from my throat when a hand reached out and caressed my face with his large hand. Everything was fuzzy and blurry, but the eyes that gazed back at me were ones I knew very well, and loved. It was Levi. My mate.

I bit my lip to keep it from trembling and lifted my hand up to touch him. I needed proof that he was real and not my imagination. "Oh Blossom." Levi murmured softly and leaned into my hand as I cupped his cheek. The sparks that enveloped my hand forced a whimper to flow freely. I never thought I would ever see him, or any of them again.

I sniffed unable to speak. "Come here" he pulled me into him and I melted into his embrace.

"I got you baby, he won't hurt you ever again. None of them will." Levi's voice was soft like velvet. I shuddered and nodded my head while pressing my face in the crook of his neck.

Levi took in my scent just as I was his. I closed my eyes and let him carry me as he stood up. The tight hold he had on me was something that I missed terribly while away.. However, the feeling of being lifted made my fuzzy mind believe I was falling so I instinctively clutched onto Levi's coat for support.

"Hey," he placed his hand in my hair and moved it away from my face so he could look at me with nothing in the way. I opened my eyes and saw him frowning. Levi leaned down and inhaled deeply. "no wonder you're confused. You smell like the whole plant." he grumbled and adjusted me in his arms.

"Plant?" I mumbled incoherently, my head spinning.

"Water hemlock." he sighed. "You've been poisoned." I watched him take the bottle of water from me and uncap the top. He sniffed it and coughed before closing the lid. "Yeah it's in this. Who gave it to you?"

"Mitch" I told him and glanced in the direction I last saw him. He growled and I closed my eyes again, unable to keep them open. "I'm tired" I told him.

"Then sleep. We will be going home soon enough." he whispered. I nodded once more and snuggled into him and let his scent lull me into a deep sleep. Sleep I've not had for quite some time since I was taken...again.

Before falling into my slumber I heard the voices of Zachary and Jordan as they came over.

"There's more of them in the woods nearby. Want us to take care of them before we tell Scott the location of the warehouse they're in?" One of them told Levi but I was too far gone to recognize who exactly it was.

Before Levi could speak, a loud blast went off and I was suddenly thrust from my mates arms and into the air for a moment before hitting the solid ground harshly. Pain filled my shoulder where I was shot last night, but that was nothing compared to my head hitting that tree.

I looked up from where I lay and noticed feet walking towards me. "Fucking mutt! I'm gonna kill you and your lover boys." A nasty female voice yelled. I knew that voice, it was that horrid woman Angela.

The growl that I let slip out was cut off when a sharp punch to the face made me stop, but before I could look back up or defend myself I felt a sharp punch in my belly. Upon looking down to see why that was my eyes widened. She stabbed me.

"Told you I was gonna kill you with her." Angela smirked. My hands shook as I reached for the handle of the dagger. Tears flowed down my face as I acknowledged what she just did, if this dagger was made with the things she told me it was. Then she just killed my wolf.

My eyes drooped closed as the last bit of my energy faded. Hearing one of my mates yell my name was the last thing that I heard before darkness swallowed me while.