☽ Chapter 26: Memories ☾

?Chapter 26 – Memories?

“Geminie, are you okay in there?” Ariven’s voice calls out but I stay silent. Sitting on the floor in the bathtub, I allow the warm water to fall onto my shivering body from the shower above. I feel cold, not from the warm air but from the fear still coursing through me. All I can think about is my fourteenth birthday, a day that killed the innocence inside me. The water stops and strong arms lift me from my siting position, wrapping me in a large soft and fluffy towel as Ariven’s scent fills me. “It’s okay, darling. No one can hurt you.” He whispers, his hands slowly rubbing my back. We sit on the bathroom floor, my body shaking while clinging to his now damp shirt and fighting back the tears threatening to spill. Ice-blue eyes hunt me in my mind, eyes that held pleasure and greed inside them. “No one can hurt you Geminie, not with me here.” Ariven reassures, tucking my head under his chin not caring for my dripping wet hair. Finally, the tears spill and I sob into his shoulder, Ariven holding me tighter and humming a lullaby while the fear inside me runs it's course. “Talk to me, baby. I can’t help if you stay silent, love.” He pleads, the worry and hurt evident in his voice. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, the secret that only five people know about. “I’m not pure.” I choke out, more tears flowing from my eyes. “Bastian set me up, and… and I was raped.” This comes out as a whisper. Ariven’s body goes stiff before he pulls me tighter to him, his arms keeping me in a protective cocoon while I delve into what happened.

◆◆◆

“Excuse me, Beta, but where are we going?” I ask, turning from looking at the trees passing by us to look at the man beside me. I thought that today would be just like usual: wake up, get dressed, do chores, and go to bed. Instead, I was surprised when I opened my bedroom door in the attic to see Beta Bastian in front of me, the father who disowned me, holding a pink gift bag in hand as he gives me a small smile. Hope of being his daughter and a Beta once more fills me when he handed me the bag and tells me to change into the gift inside. After agreeing and opening the bag, I found a beautiful, baby blue sundress that fit me perfectly, my slowly maturing body accentuated by the soft cotton and lace. From there, I left with the Beta and have been driving to the “surprise” he mentioned earlier this morning. The car turns down a side road, slowing down as trees become sparse and a field of wild flowers come into view. Worry creeps into me, this being neutral territory and Rogues are around meaning an attack is possible. But the view of the flowers reassure me that no one else is here. So what were we doing here? “Geminie.” Beta Bastian calls out putting the car in park and giving me a smile, one that sends shivers down my spine. “You are here to pay off a debt I owe to a Rogue.” My seat belt is unbuckled as he talks, the uneasy feeling creeping inside me once more. “He asked for a plaything, a female plaything. All you have to do is make it to the pack house. If you make it there before he catches you, the debt is paid. If he catches you, the debt is still paid but he can spend the rest of the day doing whatever he wants with you.” Realization hits me at what Bastian has done. He is using me to satisfy some depraved Rogue’s desires in order to escape a debt owed to said Rogue. I am just a means to an end. “Oh, and happy birthday, bitch.” Beta Bastian finishes, the door being opened and my body being pushed out of the Jeep and sprawled onto the floor. I don’t even have time to get up and beg to be let back in before Beta Bastian shifts into gear and rushes off, the tires leaving a deep groove in the wildflower field. “Yeah, happy birthday to me.” I mutter sarcastically, standing and dusting off the dress I’m wearing. It all makes sense why I would receive a brand new dress, when normally Omegas receive hand-me-downs of clothes donated to charity from the human churches. None of us had received anything new since the Blakes took control as they wait for Mika to become of age. Deciding not to dwell on the negative and stay in the same spot, I retrieve my phone from the only pocket of the dress, grateful that Alex pays in secret for the bill, and google search the general direction of the pack house. With a groan, I learn I have a four-hour walk ahead of me. “Better get to walking.” I grumble, heading west toward the direction of the pack. The forest is filled with the chitter of birds and rustling of leaves, the noise calming me down as I try not to think of the possibility of Rogues and Soulless in the area, waiting to ambush easy prey. I am happy that I had worn a pair of white sneakers and not heels as the trek is rough with many roots above the ground. Every so often, I check my phone, making sure I am heading in the right direction and seeing just how much time has passed. By now, I am tired and thirsty, in need of an ice-cold glass of water. With only one and a half hours to go, I power through, intending to make it to the safety of the pack lines before I rest. Snap. The sound of twigs breaking behind me stops me mid-step. The forest is silent as I had not registered the change, being too focused with returning to Hidden Claws. The wind blows from behind me, carrying the stench of a wolf mixed with decay. A Rogue that has yet to turn into a Soulless. “Hello, little prey.” A voice calls out from the trees, echoing around me, making it hard to pinpoint where the Rogue is. “Beta Bastian says you are to pay the debt owed to me anyway I see fit if I can catch you.” He chuckles maniacally. Fear wraps a tight grip around me, knowing now that what the Beta said was the truth. He owed a debt, and I would be the payment one way or another. I shudder, trying not to think about what can happen to me if I am caught. Without hesitation, I bolt, running towards the direction of the pack lines weaving through trees and running through streams, in the hope of losing the wolf behind me. I try every trick Alex taught me on how to mask my scent, even running through a patch of flowers and rubbing the petals on my skin in order to do my best to run away undetected. A hum of energy calls to me after time has passed, my legs sore from the exertion, and my body weak from lack of food and water. I am close to my so-called home. Only a few feet left, and I will be safe. A shadow jumps into my path, forcing me to stop, with a large grey wolf with ice-blue eyes staring back at me. The wolf soon shifts and a naked man that looks to be in his twenties sends me a repulsive smile, his eyes roving over my body. Licking his lips, the man slowly stalks towards me, his blood humming with power, indicating he is or was an Alpha. “Thanks for the chase, lovely prey, but now I am ready to get what is owed to me.” His voice is full of charm, but all I feel is fear. My tired, sore legs refuse to move, but even if I can run, I realize that this wolf has been watching me since Beta Bastian dropped me off. I never once lost him. Before I know it, I am thrown to the ground, the naked wolf above me ripping my new dress to shreds while his lips kiss every inch of my skin. As promised by the Beta, I paid a debt that day and had so much stolen from me by the Rogue wolf.

◆◆ ◆

“Mika found me that night curled in a ball sobbing. He was on patrol that day and smelt the Rogue, his scent everywhere, including on and inside me.” I mumble, exhaustion taking over my body. Soft kisses are placed on my temple, and I register the fact that I am curled in bed with Ariven wrapped around me, a soft blanket covering us. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Geminie.” My friend whispers, wiping away stray tears from my face. The fear has faded, finally able to talk to someone I trust about this night and why I hate my birthday so much. “He carried me to the pack doctor, getting a rape test done and my statement about what happened. It was the first time I saw him furious with Bastian.” I add, thinking back to the nights I spent in the hospitals. The times a nurse would wake me from a nightmare and hold me while I sobbed and the pain I felt for days on end. I never want to go through that pain again. “I hate to ask this, but do you think that this Rogue has anything to do with the Soulless?” He asks quietly. I pause to think about Ariven’s question, but the answer is obvious, so obvious that I’m mad I did not think about it myself. “If Lupus is here, then it is safe to say he is the Leader of the Soulless and the enemy we have to worry about.”