Under The Alpha's Claws

Chapter 2

"Hello, Emery," I hear his voice in my head.

I don't reply. What could I say? I know begging won't change his mind.

"Nothing?" he says. "Not even a hello, or a how did you find me?" His claws push down further. "How about an explanation!" He growls, huffing hot breath in my face and dripping saliva onto my fur.

"I don't owe you anything," I say quietly into his head, staring into his yellow eyes.

"Maybe," he agrees, "but you do owe it to Cassian." He pushes off my shoulder and stands beside me. "Get up. Let's go."

Without any movement, I tell him, "No. I'm not going back."

"It's not a choice." He leans down and bites into the skin on the back of my neck. With only a dull pain, he begins to drag me across the ground.

I thrash him off and get to my feet. "No," I growl into his head.

"I have orders from the Alpha. If you won't come willingly, I have permission to use force."

Before I can reply or react, he pounces on me. His mouth clamps around my neck as he throws me to the ground. He bites my side. Hard. I yelp. He doesn't stop. He nips and bites at my skin, tugging at my fur, spreading pain through my rib cage.

This might be better, I think. I would rather die than return. I stop fighting back. My body relaxes as much as the pain will allow. My yelps turn into soft whimpers. I squeeze my eyes shut. I hope he makes it quick.

He stops. His muzzle draws away from my body. Blood or saliva, or both drip down through my course hair.

I look up at him, my blood covering the older layer of blood on his snout.

"Let's go," he says and returns to dragging me by the neck.

No. No. I don't want this. I won't go back. I try to stand up to fight back but the pain forces me to stay down. He's killed my strength. I can't fight him off. But I don't need to.

Deep breath. In. Out. The pain on my side vanished as my bones and muscles relocate and shrink.

I'm placed down onto the ground.

"What are you doing?" I hear, but I can't reply.

Tensing. Cracking. Popping. Moving. Shrinking. Thankfully, shifting back is easier than shifting to my wolf form. Still, I suffer and howl.

When I'm done, I'm left lying on the ground, naked and in pain, with a wolf looking down at me.

With a quick glance, I see the large amount of blood spilling from the torn skin, stretching from the top of my ribs to my hip.

I don't bother to cover up or hide anything. Everyone in the pack is used to everyone's naked bodies. We don't feel shame. It's normal for us.

I lay my head down on the grass, staring up at Luca. Knowing he won't understand my human voice in his wolf state, I continue to speak to him telepathically. "Kill me," I say. Not as a request. As an order.

"What?!" He takes a single step back.

"I won't go back," I tell him. "I'd rather die. So, kill me."

"Why?"

"Kill me," I repeat.

Instead of following my orders, he lies down beside me and I watch him shift back. I listen to him groan and scream until he's no longer the black wolf.

His short black hair sticks up all over the place as if he just woke up, and dirt smudges his pale skin. He sits up and his intense brown eyes stare down at me. Just like me, he makes no attempt to hide his nakedness.

"You're not getting out of it that easy," he say, lifting my body off ground and into his arms.

I groan in protest and grit my teeth from his roughness with me and my wound. He doesn't apologise or appear remorseful which makes me believe he's doing it on purpose.

He carries me back to my house and throws me down on the long couch, ignoring my cries of pain. "Where are your clothes?"

He waits for my response and I know there's no getting out of it. I point towards the door of my bedroom and before he disappears through it, I tell him, "I accidentally took some of Cassian's clothes when I left." I hold myself, pushing down on the bleeding wound, moaning in pain. "They're in the bottom drawer. You can wear them if you want."

With a nod, he leaves, returning moments later with both sets of clothes in his hands. He tosses my clothes on top of me and dresses himself.

Cassian's clothes are baggy on him and I have to direct him to a belt in my room so he can hold the jeans up.

"Get dressed," he tells me once he's done. I haven't moved. I still don't. "I'm not afraid to take you back with nothing on."

"I won't go." I don't know what else to say. I can't do anything, not yet, not until the massive wound heals.

"Yes, you will." He grabs my clothes off me and drops my shirt to the floor. He's harsh and cruel as he pulls my jeans on for me. My screams echo around the room. He's worse putting my shirt on. Yanking me up and holding me with his hand against the wound.

I flop back down as soon as he's done, panting through the pain. "I don't care what you do," I say between harsh breaths, "I won't return to the pack."

"Whatever you're running from, Cassian wants to help."

I stare up at him. "He's the one I'm running from."