Shattered (Sample Only!)

4 - Chases and Dreams

CeCe

The Crown Prince... no... the Alpha, holds me in his lap as the car's tires hum over the pavement. Every tiny bump of the wheels sends my body crashing into his until I give up on holding myself apart and simply relax in his hold. A tiny, triumphant smile curls up the corners of his mouth when I do.

I meet his shining eyes for only a moment before I duck my head onto his shoulder and hide my face. One of his arms is wrapped securely around my hips. The other strokes my hair down my back. My she-wolf shivers agitated at a touch that speaks of ownership more than comfort.

I am terrified. Not only did the powerful, intimidating male holding me in his lap utterly dominate me and run roughshod over any protest I could think of, let alone voice, but I'm also headed to BlackFur with the same male.

I should have told the king the truth. BlackFur scares me. My she-wolf won't stop pacing in my mind. I grew up hearing only the most frightening stories about BlackFur. I can still hear mama's voice, the only memory I have of her, telling me that BlackFur destroyed our family.

"Don't be afraid, little mate," the Alpha croons. "BlackFur will protect you. The wolves there are strong."

And I'm not strong! I want to protest loudly, but settle for shutting my eyes tightly as he chuckles under me. Despite my better judgment, I breathe in his spicy male scent. Strength and iron rush into my lungs. My she-wolf settles a bit, her fur still ruffled, ears twitching madly, but she lies down and curls up. How bizarre, that the male who scares us is who we naturally seek comfort from.

"My sweet mate," he murmurs. His hand drops to my bum and squeezes gently. "You're too sore to take me again so soon," he mumbles, as if truly disappointed he can't have sex with me in a car with untinted windows and two wolves in the front seat. "We're hours out, sweetheart. Why don't you rest?" he says softly. A low rumble fills his chest. It takes a while, twenty minutes at least, but at last, it soothes me into a restless doze.

"Run, my darling. Before the BlackFur alpha devours you. He musn't find you. He musn't ever know who you are."

I obey the voice that long-since disappeared. My mother, who abandoned me in MoonGlist and fled into the dark. No amount of Knowing has ever revealed what happened to her or why she left me with such cruel wolves.

I run as fast as my legs can move as my weak muscles burn from exertion. I'm on feet, instead of paws. I want to shift, pray for the natural urge to defend myself to overtake my fear, but the shift to paws isn't natural for me. I lost the instinct to shift. My she-wolf is a mere shadow of herself after being denied her freedom and mate for so long. The forest ground is cold on my bare feet. Bare feet... my feet are bleeding from running through the forest. Every once in a while my feet slip on the frozen ground and I'm forced to catch myself on sharp twigs and bark. Branches pull at the delicate silk dress that rips and tears so easily. Strips of lavender silk stick to the bloody shallow cuts on my bare legs. The thin strands of silk tangle and I fall, crying out as I catch myself with my hands.

Paws pound through the underbrush. I scramble to my feet, ignoring the gashes and scrapes on my hands and knees. Tears are blinding me. My lungs heave with exertion but I still can't catch my breath. This is my nightmare. The dark beast is going to catch me, but the forest is strange and unfamiliar. Lost. I am lost.

The dark beast is there before I've taken another step. His head towers over me, his fangs level with my terrified gaze. He lowers his head, golden gaze staring at me in triumph. Throwing his head back, he howls into the night. Other voices echo him. Too many to count. Too close for comfort.