Chapter 8

ChapterEight

There was something different about the world every time I shifted. It just grew brighter and more beautiful with every passing second. The trees looked gorgeous even in the dim moonlight, the air was fresh and I was home.

Throughout my life, I had many places called home. Moving across countries, states, I had done almost everything but somehow nothing ever felt more like family, more like home than here.

Here, like this, dressed in Asher’s shirt and Samantha’s pants since mine were not comfortable enough to sleep in, with my ’mate’ lurking at the door with a naughty smile gracing his lips. My heart was still thrumming with the feelings I had experienced during the ’hunt.’ Everything was new to me, but felt familiar.

My shoulders were relaxed and there was a haze of trust glassing over my eyes.

"It suits you," Asher commented, fingertips rubbing at the satin of his shirt experimentally. He was standing at the door, lingering uncomfortably as if he just wanted to stall a little more.

I wanted the same.

"Thank you." I grinned, stretching up lazily. "You should get to bed too."

He hummed but shook his head. "Can’t. I need to keep you safe."

"But you haven’t slept in the past, I don’t know, several hours," I reminded him, concern filling my tone. "I’m sure I will be safe here, with you nearby."

"No," he cuts firmly. "I will be guarding your door tonight; don’t worry, I’ll sleep during the safer hours. You go to sleep; things have been new and overwhelming for you. I know."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He only deadpanned me like I was asking something really stupid.

Axel had asked me to stay over with the pack for my safety. He insisted that my security was even more essential after the hunt. Asher and Aunt Audra both seemed to agree to his words since he was, after all, the head.

Here as in the hideout mansion’s guest room. Just for tonight.

"Good night then." I yawned. and he chuckled, hesitant to move forward but only ended up patting my head in an awkward motion. Rolling my eyes, I tiptoed and pecked his cheek with a mischievous whisper of ’Looks like the big bad Wolf is too shy for anything but fights.’

Asher seemed to disagree with a strong grunt that was about to turn into a ramble, so I closed the door when he started yelling, "I’ll take revenge tomorrow!" he had announced last.

I flopped on the bed and shivered at the memories of the hunt. I was sure I would never get this lifestyle out of my head for the rest of my life. Would I ever even be able to go back to college and pretend to be a normal human being like the other students? Would I ever tell Clare the truth?

Despite the noisy questions in my head, the only thing that lulled me to sleep was the calm reminder that no matter how risky things were getting, I had Asher by my side. The trust we had in each other was unbelievably fast. Our relationship, if I could call it that, started at the fourth gear and I couldn’t tell if it was headed for a crash or not.

I could only hope that we could use the brakes right.

Not too sudden, not too slow, and painful.

Right now, though, I felt safe and warm, which when combined with the thoughts of a man I couldn’t get out of my head, was perfect for me to fall into a deep comfortable slumber.

I wake up with a weird feeling stirring in my belly. The ache in my head and body told me that I hadn’t slept for that long. It was then that my sleepy body finally registered the heavy restraints on my limbs. My eyes flew open and my pupils blew wide open.

A scream tried to make its way past my lips but my mouth was stuffed too.

I panicked, flopping loudly against the mattress, and tried to look for Asher. That was when I noticed another presence in the room, two hands were around my right ankle, tying it harder, and when he stood upright, a shiver raked down my spine.

Where was Asher?

"Who are you?" I tried to blurt out. It came out all muffled; the man must’ve understood because he grinned and pulled the hood of his jacket up.

Oh.

It was like he was trying to give me déjà vu. The same man I had seen from my window that one night in the woods was standing before me. This time, with his face bright and clear. I had seen those eyes before. Was he—

"The name’s Justin." He grinned, sick and twisted.

Justin. The man in the black hood that had attacked me!

The red-light bulb and alarm went off in my head. I scrambled to free myself but thought better and used all my willpower to shift. Justin, however, was way waster than me. My lycanthropy necklace was wrapped over around his wrist like a bracelet and he wasted no time in pressing the material against my neck.

No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t shift with the necklace around me.

He cackled softly and the sound tore up my insides with anger. Just as cruelly, he picks me up from the bed and I shrivel away from the rough dangerous hands that were so unlike Asher’s warm hold. Where was he?! I tried to protest in his arms. My tears blurring my vision and my limbs tied up, I was more or less mobilized.

It felt like things were coming to an end.

As if I was coming to an end.

Justin kicked the door open with me, bridal style, in his arms. Tears poured out endlessly and I only grew hysteric with what I saw next. Asher was laying limp on the ground.

His head was lolled back lifelessly causing me to twist and scream with all my might. Why couldn’t any of the pack members hear me? As my gaze wandered further down, I discovered him lying in the pool of his own blood with a silver dagger stabbed into the left side of his chest.

Exactly where his heart is supposed to be.

"Oh, I see you noticed your little boyfriend!" Justin chirps excitedly and fear twists deeper in my stomach at his voice. He grins and leans closer to me till his mouth was pressed against the shell of my ear in a creepy fashion. "What’s his name? Ah yes, Asher! He’s a goner sweetheart, you see that dagger; it’s the end of you both. You are my mate."

Hearing this, even more tears well up in my eyes and my body goes limp with shivers. No matter how much I tried to scream or toss around, it only ended in disappointment. Asher, my mate, was lying on the ground at the verge of his death and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Justin only cackled silently, pushing himself out of the main exit of the pack hideout with his left shoulder against the heavy door. When I look over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the hideout mansion, I feel incomplete as if something dangerous was coming our way.

My hands twitched and I wept as Justin tossed me over his shoulders like a corpse. The warmth of the house and safety grew more distant with every second till we were right in the middle of the woods. Justin tossed me onto the soil and smirked darkly. "I’ve been waiting to do this for a while now." He laughed in an evil manner.

"Leave me alone," I garbled around the thick cloth in my mouth. Saliva was dripping down from the corners of my mouth. I couldn’t care less about it as I kicked my feet and tried to shift or stand up. Justin only laughed in response and before I could register what exactly was happening, his claws were out and fangs protruded outwards.

I shrieked when I managed to stand right up but it was too late, Justin had already completely shifted into a wolf and was standing on all fours like the predator he was. He pounces upon me and I writhe desperately when he holds me in his wolf mouth, sharp teeth pinching my skin but not quite biting it enough to draw blood. Was he going to take me elsewhere? Or was he going to kill me now?