Chapter 18 18
Odette's Pov
I didn't need to see them to know they were after me. I could hear them.
“Get back here!” One of them growled.
My skirt tangled around my legs and I cursed, grabbed the fabric and lifted it as I bolted into the forest.
The chilly night air hit me in the face, sharp branches cut my arms and my stomach ached from running but I couldn't stop. I knew what awaited me if I did.
A month ago, the old me would give anything to die but the new me couldn't. Not when she had someone waiting for her.
I surged forward, sweat breaking from my temples and the bobby pins falling off my hair.
Twigs snapped, growls echoed and the sound of paws digging into the dirt echoed loud enough for me to know my chasers were close.
“Get her!” Adam yelled his order.
My chest tightened with panic. He truly wanted to kill me. He wanted me dead.
Something caught my shoe and I stumbled, falling to my knees. Pain shot up my leg and I screamed.
‘Get up’ a quiet voice told me.
I gritted my teeth as I struggled to my feet.
"You can do it, Odette,” The quiet voice encouraged me until I pushed myself up again.
Just as I looked around to find the source of the voice, something hard slammed into me, knocking the air out of my lungs.
I screamed.
Claws pinned my shoulders to the ground while another wolf, big and brown, snarled above me.
“No,” I shook my head. “don't…”
The wolf lowered his head and his teeth grazed my arm.
“Let me go!” My voice cracked as I broke apart.
Suddenly, the wolves moved away from me but stayed close enough to encircle around me. It was as if they were waiting for something… someone.
I tilted my head and watched as Adam stepped into the clearing with both hands in his pockets.
“There you are,” he said softly. “I was wondering how far you'd make it.”
I shot him a glare. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
He gave me a lazy smirk. “Stay away from you? You're the one who came looking for me. Didn't you tell Alpha Rapha you were looking for me and Leila?”
The wolves moved in and before I could react, chains snapped close around my wrists.
“Don't touch me! Let me go!” I screamed as I pulled at the chains. “You can't do this!”
“I can do whatever I want, sweetheart.”
His rough hands yanked me to my feet and stared me dead in the eyes with those eyes of his. It's ironic how cold and lifeless his eyes look while Aaron's, although red, were kind and full of life and for some reason, he's the monster.
Adam walked beside me, dragging his eyes all over me.
“You know,” he murmured. “I was suspicious of you from the start.”
I glared at him through tears. “Suspicious? Of what?”
“My point exactly,” he shrugged. “You're a nobody. A nobody who… somehow married my brother.”
He said the word “brother” like it was a cursed word.
“Move!” A hand pushed me forward.
I winced. The pain in my left leg was increasing by the second and walking was becoming almost impossible.
We got to what looked like a small storage cabin in the woods and Adam gave the order to open it.
A hefty-looking man kicked the front door down and it opened.
Inside, a lantern flickered against the cold wooden wall and the air smelled like dust and old smoke.
“Chain her.” Adam ordered.
“No!” I tried to protest but one of the guards smacked me so hard my ears rang.
My body went limp as they shoved me to the floor.
Adam gave me a smile so bright it made my stomach churn.
“Aww, look at you,” he cooed. “You're shaking like a leaf.”
Angry tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked at him. “You're a monster.”
Adam rose to his feet. “I know. I've been called worse.”
“You're a terrible brother! Aaron did nothing to you! You're horrible!” I screamed behind him.
A muscle ticked in his jaw and he slammed his fist into the wooden beam beside my head. I flinched as splinters flew.
“Don't pretend you understand anything about us!” He snapped. “If anyone here is horrible, it's you!”
I scoffed. “Me? But I did nothing wrong!”
I blinked. “What?”
“Liar.” He narrowed his eyes. “I see the way he looks at you and he hasn't looked at anyone like that. You walk in here, bat your innocent little eyes and he suddenly becomes calm. You cast a spell on my brother!”
“I didn't cast anything!”
Adam's expression turned into something disgusted. “We'll know soon enough.”
“Why are you doing this?” My voice broke. “What did I ever do to you?”
“You changed him,” Adam stuffed both his hands in his pockets. “And when Aaron changes… everything built around him gets easy to control. That means… if I remove you, that control will be mine.”
“No.. don't!” I linger forward only to stumble from the pain that shot up my leg. “Leave Aaron alone!”
Adam laughed then his gaze dropped to my neck. To the little silver locket Clarisse had given to me.
“Stop. That's mine!”
He ripped it from my neck and I winced as the chain cut my skin.
“This looks similar to something poor Nina used to wear,” he rolled the pendant between his fingers. “She used to say it will protect her from harm.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“Give it back. It's the only thing he has of her.” I cried. “Don't…”
“Don't what?” He smirked, walked to the fireplace and tossed it in.
“Noooooooo!”
The silver locket cracked in the flames, glowing brightly before sinking into a pile of ember and ashes.
“There. One useless garbage thrown away.” He dusted his fingers.
“You don't get to say that!” I heaved through tears and rage.
“I get to say whatever I want.” He laughed, then leaned forward. “I would've liked you, Odette, but you chose the wrong brother and … I can no longer keep you.”
“Let me go!”
“You know too much. It's too late for you.” He stepped out of the room and shut the door.
For the first time in a while, I'd never been more terrified of dying.
One of the men standing in the room moved towards me.
“Hold her down for me.” He gestured to the other two men in the cabin.
Two men grabbed my arms and pulled me down on the cold floor. I begin to scream and struggle. I would rather die than let them touch me.
“Help!” I screamed with all my might and every time the man slapped me across the face. I felt no pain this time, just fear, extreme fear.
After he successfully chained my ankles and my wrist, he ripped my dress open which made me scream so loud it felt as if my throat was bleeding from all the screaming and crying.
Someone, help me! Aaron, please, help me!
Suddenly, I heard a crushing sound and I couldn't feel the man's weight on me anymore. The arms holding me down were gone and the men were on their feet quickly.
“Who are you?” I heard one of them say in a shaky voice. I moved my head to see who had come but saw the man who just tried to rape me on the floor in a pool of blood, his body unmoving. Was he dead?
Yes, he was. His throat was slashed open with what looked like a sharp knife but it wasn't a knife that did the job. It had sharp claws.
My eyes traveled further around the room looking for a threat or an escape but my gaze landed on hands with long and sharp claws that looked almost animal-like except the hands belonged to a human. Blood was dripping down his nails and his eyes were red. He looked like one of the beasts in my nightmares. But when he looked closer, he looked like my husband.