\[Elise’s POV\]
I wait as Forrest continues to look from me to the bars of his cell and back. It is only when a commotion can be heard that he finally gets up and moves toward me. For a moment, I’m stunned by the fact he isn’t chained like I was, but I don’t waste too much time thinking about it.
“Come on,” I huff, scooting closer to the window so that he can reach me. “I think they’ve realized that I’m gone.”
I was certain that was the case, after all, if Ezekial was as capable as he claimed, he would be more than aware of what was going on in his domain.
“We gotta go.”
Nodding, Forrest jumps and wraps a hand around mine. Once he is secure, I start to pull, but realize that he is much heavier than I expected.
“What?” I huff, drawing on the rogue strength that is slowly consuming me. “Do you eat more than three meals a day?”
“Watch it, pipsqueak,” he growls. “You’re just weak.”
Like hell, I was. He was just heavy, but that wasn’t going to stop me from getting him out of there. It was my fault that he was caught outside of the school gates, and because of that, I owed him this much.
Reaching out, I wrap my free hand around Forrest’s wrist while placing my feet on either side of the window, and once I’m certain I’m secure, I pull with all my might until he can pull himself the rest of the way.
Releasing him, I stare at the sky while gasping for breath, not only because of the energy I exerted but also because of my injury, which is still open and bleeding. And the blood loss was beginning to get to me.
“What the hell?” Forrest hisses, spotting it. “What the hell happened here?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I gasp, sitting up and then scrambling to my feet. “All that matters is we get out of this place before one of that crazy bastard's people catch us.”
“I don’t think the people are the ones we need to worry about.” He counters. “Those rogues though.”
“Aren’t an issue.”
As the words leave my lips, images of all those bodies appear again, causing my heart to hurt and my anger to spike. And with my anger spiking, I can feel the rogue taking over, trying to gain control just so that it can get at him.
Shivering, I shove the images and the rogue away and then motion for Forrest to follow me.
Together, we shift, deciding that being in our wolf forms was the best bet in case we ran into trouble, but something feels different about mine. I can see it in my legs—the signs that this wolf isn’t entirely mine anymore. It is the rogue consuming me, and I truly feared that because I chose to do this, there was a chance that I wouldn’t be able to go back to being myself.
However, I don’t get long to think about it as wolves burst out all around us as if they manifested out of thin air.
‘Look alive,’ Hana tells me as I go on defense. ‘Even if these aren’t the insane rogues, they’re still strong, and something feels…’
‘Off,’ I finish for her, sensing the dark aura radiating from them.
Instantly, memories of my vision appear where those people sat at a table eating human bits. Could these wolves be those members of his pack, and if so, how did the rogues come to be?
‘Not the time,’ Hana growls as one of the wolves leaps at us. ‘You’ve got to keep your head in the game.’
‘I know,’ I snap, dodging the wolf and then leaping to attack it. ‘I’m aware.’
Snarling, I begin to fight the wolf as it swipes its claws at me, ripping my skin and only causing more agonizing pain to shoot through me, but I don’t stop; I can’t stop. Even if I didn’t escape this, I would be satisfied if Forrest did.
At this thought, I swipe a claw along the wolf’s eye and feel a wave of satisfaction when a howl of pain escapes it.
Taking advantage of its momentary distraction, I run my claws along its neck, digging deep enough to hit an artery. Once I’m certain that I’ve dealt a killing blow, I jump off and look around until I spot Forrest fighting himself. To my surprise, he has already taken out three of the wolves, and from what I could see, he wasn’t injured at all.
Impressive. I think inwardly before turning and attacking another since I knew that Forrest was fine alone. But I don’t get the chance to cause any damage before another wolf is grabbing me by my nape and pulling, yanking me from his buddy, and then pinning me to the ground beneath him.
Growling, I fight against the wolf, bucking my body and swiping my claws until I manage to make contact with its skin, but that doesn’t stop it from holding me down.
‘What now?’ Hana demands, trying to lend me her strength but finding that she is unable to. ‘They’re getting the advantage; what if...’
She doesn’t finish her words before the wolf on top of me disappears, and I find myself staring up at Forrest, and just by the smug look in his eyes, I know that he isn’t going to let me live this down.
Huffing, I try to get up, but stop as what feels like fire begins to race through my veins, paralyzing me as the darkness that has been with me the whole time starts to erupt, following the fire through my body.
No! I gasp inwardly, understanding what is happening. Not now!
‘Hana!’ I hiss as I feel myself losing control of my own body. ‘Hana!’ I repeat when she doesn’t respond. ‘Where the hell are you?’
At my question, a laugh erupts in my head, sending ice through me, and before the world goes completely dark and I know that my time is up, I see Ezekial’s proud face in my mind's eye. And I know in that moment that even if I didn’t want to, I would do whatever this man wanted, even if it meant killing those closest to me.
‘It’s cute you thought you could get away from me,’ he laughs as I tumble through a dark abyss. ‘But you’ve been mine since long before. I’m sure you knew, little one.’
‘Yes,’ I whisper, feeling a strong need to obey his command. ‘I have.’