Tangled Fates

**Just a heads up to readers. I realized through writing this that I should have included Caleb and Nadia POV's from the start. I intend to edit this after I get to the end. So, as a warning/heads up, there will be an added POV of these two characters later in the book. It may feel sudden, and I'm sorry for that, but I feel that it is nessassary for the reader to know what is happening with those characters.There is also things that I put in that go nowhere or are cringe. These will also be edited later. My goal is to finish this book, then edit it and do my best to fix it then. So again, I'm sorry if it's jarring, and I do hope you enjoy the story.**

Zander’s lips curl into a sinister smile, his voice a venomous whisper that I can’t hear but feel in the vibrations of the air. “Oh, my sweet Lila. The hours away from you drives me and my wolf crazy. He claws at the back of my mind just to get to you.”

His gaze settles upon me with an intensity that roots me in place, a predator studying its prey. I watch intently, my gaze fixed on his moving lips, deciphering his twisted words through the dance of his mouth. The dim moonlight that peaks through the window, casts an eerie shadow across his face. The scars glow an angry shade of red, a reminder of past atrocities etched into his flesh. Despite my senses being dulled from the daily injections of wolfsbane, my human senses work in overdrive. I watch his every movement, the malice in his every gesture, the predator lurking under human skin. He approaches the bars that confine me, the cage that I have lived in for so long. Only when we are to move again do I get to feel the grass on my feet and smell the fresh air. I recoil from him, my back pressing against the cold stone wall. I bear the scars of his torment with a silent defiance.

“You have no idea what he wants me to do to you. But he tells me. He fills my mind with thoughts of you. What you feel like beneath me, how you taste. The way your eyes stare so boldly into mine,” he says as he touches a small pouch that hangs loosely around his neck. “I wear this for you. It helps to keep him under control. I do it for us.”

I already know what rests in the small leather pouch he holds, wolfsbane. The smell twists in my stomach, the acrid scent brings back memories of all the times he came before me. Memories of that damn pouch swinging before my face, touching my skin, burning me from the inside. My stomach drops and I feel bail creep up my throat.

He grins and reaches for the lock. I take a deep breath and fight back the tears that wish to fall. I clench my shaky hands and brace myself. I know what is to come next, but I will not go down without a fight.

He enters my prison, not bothering to close the door behind him. Why would he? I am small and weak and he is an alpha rogue. I am without my wolf and he is not. It is a one-sided battle and I am on the losing side.

He reaches for my copper hair and holds a few tangled locks between his fingers. He brings my hair to his face, and he draws breath. His eyes flash red for a moment. “My wolf likes the way you smell.” He pauses. “I like the way you smell. You are a spell that is cast on me and my wolf. A spell to distract us from what we are trying to achieve. If only you will calm me as I desperately try to calm you. Then you could be by my side. You could lead with me. We could take down other packs till ours was the only one left. I can give you everything you desire, everything you want or need.” he tucks my hair behind my ear, his eyes trailing down over my neck to the scars that bore his failing attempts. “You belong to me. You will be my mate,” he says as his canines elongate. He grabs me by my shoulders and pulls me towards him. I push at his chest and claw at him, but his grip remains ironclad. His laughter vibrates through me, sending a chill up my spine.

“Why do you resist me? Have you not gotten bored with this little game? Just accept me already. I want to hear your voice. I want you to call my name as I taste you. It is a shame that you do not get to hear my voice when I call out to you, but at least you get to feel the pleasure you bring me.” He grabs my hand and presses his hard member into my palm. “This is what you do to me and only you can help it.”

I pull my hand away and he lets me, but I am still in his grasp, still trapped. I struggle against him in the iron enclosure like predator and prey amongst shifting shadows.

His touch is nightmarish as he grabs my throat and leans in to lick the side of my neck. His breath is hot and rancid, and it leaves me feeling grateful that I don’t have my heightened senses. Callused fingers dig into my skin as he begins to paw at me. Growling vibrations pound from his chest as he pins me down. He pulls at my garments with impatience and I squirm to prevent him access.

“You do not make this easy... We like that.” He growls into my ear.

I continue to resist, but I know what will happen, as it has happened so many times before. He is a wolf and I am but a human. His strength and endurance surpass mine, and it is only a matter of time before I lose strength and energy. He will take me in the end.

With each cruel thrust sends shockwaves through my body. I feel the warmth trickle down my skin as fire burns within me. The small leather pouch swung before my face, wafting the scent of wolfbane onto me. I turn my face towards the small window and gaze out at the moon, wondering if this is really what the moon goddess had planned for me all along. Zander thrusts into me, faster, harder. He bites down on the crook of my neck, ripping through my flesh and exposing the raw meat beneath. I close my eyes and bite my lip, tasting blood rather than letting him hear my cries.

I retreat inwardly. To memories of my pack, my mother’s warm hugs, and my brothers’ innocent laughter. They provide me sanctuary while I endure this monstrous violation. A single tear rolls down my cheek as I cling to those fragments of hope. Hope that one day I can have happiness once again, that one day I will be free.

Zander’s grip loosens, and I think for a moment that maybe he is done. I look to see his gray eyes narrow towards the door, and I sense a brief lapse in attention. Something big is happening. This could be my chance, my only chance. I needed to make it count. Every bit of strength and energy needs to be put into one attack, one movement. Determination rippled through me like liquid fire.

A creak reverberates through the air, signaling the swing of the door on the opposite side. Zander’s weight shifts off of me, a fleeting moment where his guard falters. Seizing that split-second window, I spring forward with the grace of a wolf trapped in human form.

I strike Zander’s throat with my head, a satisfying thud that I relish as I break free from his grip and slip past his sluggish henchman. I sprint through the old building, looking for the exit. My bare feet strike cold stones as I rush through the halls. My heartbeat echoes in my chest, making me wonder if my wolf is there, guiding me.

I manage to slip past rogue after rogue. They seem to be distracted by something bigger than a woman escaping, but I care not. I keep pushing till I reach the doors that I know lead to outside. Without a second thought, a burst through them.

Outside I am hit with a wave of scented metallic as wolves and rogues clashing in a blood-soaked dance of death. I could feel Zander approaching, feel his hands all over me if I allowed myself to be frozen in place for too long. I couldn’t let that happen, wouldn’t let it happen. And to hell if I would let another pack take me. I frantically scoured the battle, looking for my escape, and followed my instincts towards the forest.

I weaved through fangs and claws, dogging wolf and rouge. Some combatants remained in their human form, fighting with swords and steel. Those who did try to stop me, help, or hinder me, I did not dare to find out. I would not waste my only chance at escaping on some random pack that may be just as bad as Zander. The shadowy woodland was my light in this dark world, so I ran towards it.

My senses sharpened as much as they could in this weak form. Twigs crack like thunder beneath my feet and leaves rustle as though performing for me alone. I treaded perilous terrain with an eerie familiarity, navigating between trees and brush while pain throbbed through my legs. Thoughts of recapture unleash adrenaline against exhaustion. So I pushed harder, running as fast as I could. I needed to get as far away from Zander as I possibly could, even if it meant running throughout the night. Zander and his rouges are excellent trackers and even better killers. If I wanted to truly escape him, I would need to always be on the move.

A break in the forest canopy allowed the moonlight to stream down, guiding me through the dense fog that seemed to roll in. Fog this heavy had to mean that there was water nearby, and if there was water I could cross it and slow down Zander.

Without a second thought, I ran towards the light and through the thick fog. The forest fell away and opened up to a field of wildflowers and spar trees. I stood at the top of a hill and looked down to a valley where a small river flowed. The thick fog covered the waters, giving them a haunted appearance, as if they would sink small boats to the bottom of the waterbed.

Up above was the starry night sky sprawled out before me. I never noticed how beautiful they were. When I was with my pack, I didn’t give them much thought. I was always busy trying to beat my brothers in a fight or outwit my father in a chest match. Stars... that was my mother’s thing. She always looked at the stars. Now I understand why she loved them so much.

I drew a deep breath and began my trek down the hill. I prayed to the moon goddess that the water would be calm when it came time to cross. It had been a long time since I swam and my energy was already diminished.