Chapter 4 - April

The impact of my body slamming into the dirty floorboards caused dust to billow around me. My side had taken the brunt of the force, driving the air from my lungs. I inhaled, but the particles in the air irritated my throat and made me cough violently.

"Don't be so dramatic," Jasper commanded harshly.

He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him with a thud. Once the door was shut, Jasper immediately bolted the lock with a metal clang.

The sound of the lock sent me scrambling away from him in fear. The room was small, and my back almost immediately hit the wooden leg of the bed that was opposite the door. I didn't know why he had bothered with the lock. No one in the Dark Moon Pack would come to my aid if I called out, and I was far too weak to fight against him. I knew I had to try, though.

"Please," I said, sitting up on my knees and clasping my hands in front of me. I could feel that my cheeks were still wet with tears, and I prayed that there was a small part of him that would be moved by my pleas. "I am begging you, please don't do this."

"Stop your sniveling," he commanded. "I'm not going to touch you."

I was shocked at his declaration. After everything I had witnessed over the past few moments, I expected him to assault me and make my flesh his property. After all, that was what he had told his pack he was going to do.

Or had he? It had been implied, but he hadn't said those words exactly.

Instead of moving toward me, he had shifted to his right, where a small kitchen table and two chairs were crowded into the corner. Just moments ago, Jasper had been full of masculine bravado, but now he was acting as though he was so disgusted that he could hardly bear to breathe the same air as me. He wrinkled his nose in my direction and moved to sit in one of the chairs as far from me as possible.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He laughed loudly, without a hint of true merriment. "Don't thank me," Jasper replied. "You certainly won't be thanking me when I'm done with you."

I shivered at his threat, but nothing else happened. He didn't move or speak. At first, I was too afraid to do anything, but when it became clear that he intended to continue sitting in silence, I needed to know more.

"What happens now?" I asked.

He stood up and walked toward the wall to my left, opening both doors to show me the contents inside.

"Bathroom," he said, indicating the first room. "Bedroom. You'll sleep in there."

"Why is there a bed out here?" I asked. In spite of my shock, I still found myself curious enough to risk asking the question.

"That one's mine," he said. "Now, I'm going back outside. Stay quiet and do as you're told, or there will be consequences."

I knew by the look in his eye that he meant it, and I was in no hurry to be punished anymore by this strange, intriguing, violent man.

He turned away without another word and slammed the door behind him.

The moment the door shut behind him, my mind went into overdrive. I could only assume that he was going to tell his pack that he had consummated our marriage with the same force he had used to extract my vow to him.

This situation was worse than I could have imagined, and I needed to find a way to survive and get back home. I could hear the pack celebrating outside, but it didn't matter how many wolves were here. I couldn't stay.

Unfortunately, my hands were still tied with the rope, but I realized that the force Jasper had used to drag me from our mating ceremony had caused the bond to loosen somewhat. An opportunity like this may never present itself again. I brought my wrists up to my mouth and used my teeth to pull on the bindings.

I worked quickly, ignoring the pain caused by the silver cutting into the delicate skin of my wrists. After a few minutes, I managed to slip them off and free my hands.

The room was almost entirely bare. Aside from the furniture, the only belongings I saw were a few candles and a pile of folded clothes. Nothing that I could use as a weapon.

I crouched down and moved to the front of the cabin, where a small window gave me a view of the outside. This side of the cabin faced away from the gathering of wolves, and no one was in sight.

This was my chance.

I steadied myself with a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. I shook my hands at the wrists and bounced on the balls of my feet, hyping myself up to escape from this nightmare.

The door opened easily, and I immediately began to run at full speed. I didn't bother to hide myself. It would be better to be quick than to be sneaky. All I could think of was getting back to town to find Madi and Mila.

Stop! Rae shouted at me just as I got out of sight of the cabins.

Where have you been? I asked my wolf frantically. She had been completely absent from my mind ever since the wolfsbane had been injected, and I had been starting to get worried that she had been hurt by the poison. We need to get out of here.

No, we can't leave, Rae said. I stopped running as Rae attempted to force us to shift. I could feel her desire to go back to the cabin.

Do you not understand what just happened? Were you sleeping through that entire debacle? I asked, genuinely confused by her request.

I was there, I just couldn't get through to you because of the wolfsbane, she said. But it's going to be OK if we go back. I know it will be.

There is absolutely no way in hell that I'm going back there, I told her. Jasper is a violent, angry, terrible man. How could you possibly ask me to stay there as his mate? I wouldn't be caught dead by his side.

We need him—you'll see, Rae insisted.

The last time you went against my plan, it ended with Madi being kidnapped, I pointed out. I was frozen in place as I fought my wolf for control. Your insistence on this is going to get us killed!

Madi and Aiden found love , Rae pointed out. I'm not saying this is going to be easy, but I cannot deny the pull I feel for him. I haven't even gotten to meet his wolf yet. Please, I'm begging you to go back.

My wolf and I had been so wrapped up in our conversation that I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings.

The snap of a twig brought me back to my current predicament, and I turned toward the sound. A man who appeared to be around my age had appeared, and he was standing just an arm's length away from me.

"Shit," I cursed, and sprinted away from him.

But he was too quick. I had only gone a few steps when he reached me, and we both tumbled to the ground. He pinned me in the same way that Jasper had done earlier, straddling my chest and holding my arms above my head.

"You shouldn't be out here all by yourself, little missy," he said with a sinister smile on his face. "Or should I say, big missy? You've got quite the body on you, don't ya?"

He kept hold of my wrists with one of his hands and used the other to caress my breasts. He smelled strongly of stale sweat and alcohol, and I gagged as the stench washed over me.

"I'm looking for Jasper," I lied, hoping he would release me.

He shook his head, catching me in the lie. "Our alpha told us that he had put you to bed," he said with a wink. "But it seems to me like you were interested in a more… adventurous coupling tonight."

"No, really, I was just looking for Jasper, I swear." My heart was beating frantically as panic set in.

"Shh," he said. He moved his wandering hand up to my lips and placed it there, encouraging me to stop talking. "Don't worry. I won't tell him. We'll have our own fun."

The stranger drew his hand away from my lips back down to cup one of my breasts. He squeezed tightly, and I felt his erection press into my stomach. My eyes widened with fear. I was completely helpless in this state. I had no energy left to fight, and no one to rescue me.

"Please," I whispered, closing my eyes to block out as much of the experience as I could. "Please let me go."

"When I'm done with you," the man replied. I heard the sound of a zipper being unzipped, and the weight on my torso shifted downward. In my mind, I prayed to the wolf god for deliverance.

A loud growl sounded from my right, and I opened my eyes quickly. My hands were released from their position above my head, and the man was looking away from me.

"Alpha—" he began to speak, but the words were cut off as he was ripped from his position on top of me and dragged away by a large and imposing figure. A scream rang out from where he had been taken a few feet away, and then there was silence.

I lay still, unsure if I had been saved or if I was in even greater danger than I had just been in. After a moment, I steeled my nerves and sat up.

Next to a tree, the Dark Moon alpha stood over the body of the man who had attacked me.

"Idiot," Jasper spat at him. He turned to face me, and I saw that blood covered his hand. He wiped it on his shirt and strode toward me.

I jumped to my feet, knowing he would only return me to my prison if he caught me again. I bolted. It was hopeless, I knew, but I could never live with myself if I didn't try.

"Stop," Jasper commanded, and the power of the alpha bond forced me to comply. I turned to him, knowing that my last bid for freedom was gone.

"Is he dead?" I asked.

"Of course," Jasper replied. "Do you think I could allow him to live after he put his hands on my mate?"

"Why do you care?" I asked. We might have shared a mate bond, but I knew that I meant nothing to him.

He stalked toward me as if he were a hunter and I was his prey. "I would think that the answer to that question is obvious. You belong to me."

I bristled at his response, unable to keep my mouth shut. "No one will ever own me," I said defiantly.

"That is where you're wrong," he argued. He grabbed my arms roughly, and I felt the sticky blood of my assailant on my skin. A mixture of fear and disgust overwhelmed me as I looked up into his eyes. "You are mine until you die."

I was getting braver by the minute. "Then I will pray that day comes quickly."

Jasper let out a guffaw of spontaneous laughter at my answer. The laugh started in his chest, causing his body to shake until he threw his head back in amusement. He seemed truly entertained by my statement, which caught me off-guard. He had been stoic and serious since he had kidnapped me. His genuine laughter surprised me, considering the circumstances.

A smile crept onto my face before I could stop it. I realized I wouldn't mind hearing his laugh more often.

"If you aren't careful, that day will come much sooner than you think. This—" he waved one hand at the body of the man he had killed "—has only been a taste of the horrors my pack is capable of."

The smile dropped from my face as I shivered, knowing he was telling the truth. I surveyed the corpse, wondering what other terrors would await me in the coming days. If one of his own was willing to risk death to force themselves on me, then I feared I wouldn't last long as the luna of this pack. If he was willing to kill a dedicated soldier without a second thought, what was he willing to do to me?

I returned my gaze to my new mate, unsure of what I should do next. He seemed to read my mind.

"Do as I say, and maybe you'll survive," he said.

"Is that what you want?" I asked. Something about his tone gave me the impression that he might actually want me to live, and for reasons I couldn't explain, I wanted to tease that information out of him. Part of me couldn't help being attracted to the power he had over me.

"Yes," he said in a low voice. He was still holding me—a fact I became acutely aware of as we stood chest to chest. I nearly leaned into him as we stood there but stopped myself. No matter what kind of pull Rae and I felt toward him, I could not allow myself to ignore my common sense.