"...I've never had an orgasm before!" I blurt out, backing away a few steps.
He sits up, dark hair ruffled and messy from the fingers I ran through it. His eyes, once wide, slowly darken.
"You what?" He breathes.
***
Running from a dark past, a gi...
Tay stares soundlessly out the window, glaring at the passing countryside like she might catch it on fire. Kaan has opted for staring at his hands, deep in thought.
Taking into account all the terrible things Kara and Leon said to us all, it makes sense that no one is in a chatty mood.
There has, however, been one repeating sentence to break the silence.
"Are you feeling okay?" Kaan asks softly. It's the fourth time this hour that he's asked the question.
"I'm not going to fall apart," I assure him.
"I'm worried you will leave now that there is someone poisoning you." He trails his gaze over me like he can see the poison still flowing through my veins.
What he is saying translates to something far sadder. I'm afraid I'm not going to be enough to keep you around.
The thought of leaving has briefly crossed my mind, but only out of fear that once his parents find out their poison isn't working on me anymore, they will do something more rash to keep me under their manipulation.
"You know I won't leave. Not anymore," I tell him, turning my body to face him. "Even if it is your parents."
I've found something with him that isn't worth leaving behind. I want to fight for him, for a life we could have together.
"I hope they didn't do this. I mean, how could they?" Tay blurts out, reminding me she's still in here with us.
"It's very possible they would, Tay. They could use Hunter's death as a way to garner sympathy for me as Alpha," Kaan brings up, a shadow passing over his face.
Tay huffs out a breath, folding her arms over her chest. She's stuck between worrying for me and not wanting her parents to be the ones responsible for my sickness.
"Confront them then," she states.
"I will soon."
First, I need to think through what I'm going to say to them. When I finally accuse them of poisoning me, they will have no more reason not to kill me.
"Stay, Hunt. Everyone loves you here." Tay smiles in an attempt to comfort me, but her smile trembles a little.
Even she knows the danger I'm in.
"I know," I breathe. "I need to heal from this poison first."
"We will get someone to check all your food the moment you get home. Nothing will slip by," Kaan assures me, rubbing my leg gently.
I nod. "Thank you, Kaan."
He doesn't look satisfied. If anything, he only looks more angry. I'm not sure I've seen him smile properly since our night on the beach, where we could finally bear our souls to each other.
"You don't need to be angry. It won't change anything," I remind him. "We need to get confirmation that your parents are responsible for this before we can let our anger overwhelm us."
Kaan's deep green eyes darken. "How could I not be angry? My wife, my mate, is being poisoned. What if it was enough to kill you?"
I shake my head. "It's not. I've clearly been poisoned since I got here, and I'm still alive."
Kaan and Tay's parents are doing this to me to keep me weak, forcing me to stay here when all I've wanted to do is run away. Here, I could marry Kaan but not have enough independence to threaten their power.
Kaan's expression softens. "I hate seeing you in pain."
"At least now I know it's only temporary."
"Still, it's not okay."
All of a sudden, the transport comes to a violent, jerking stop. Tay yelps, and Kaan reaches out to grab me before I can slide off the seat.
"What just happened?" I question, looking between Tay and Kaan, who appear just as confused as I am.
Mumbling comes from outside the door. It sounds like the driver and the guards, although I can't be sure, as their speech is muffled.
"What's going on out there?" Kaan says, more to himself than us.
Peering out the window, I note we are passing through a forest. Although I can't see anyone outside from here, I suspect we may have come across a fallen tree and the driver is discussing what their best option is with the guards.
"Kaan? What's happening?" Tay sounds nervous, her fingers tightening on where they grip the seat.
"I'm sure it's nothing. You two stay in here while I check," Kaan instructs as he pops the door open, stepping out.
Exchanging a wary glance with Tay, I try to press down the flicker of fear that passes through me. I'm sure this is nothing, but my instinct tells me there is more to this than the road being blocked.
The moment Kaan is outside the cabin, someone appears from beside him.
As an Alpha, Kaan is fast but not fast enough to block a surprise attack. The stranger jabs a needle straight into his neck, pressing a clear liquid into his bloodstream.
My mate manages to shove the person off. However, another appears and kicks him to his knees, shoving a black hood over his head.
Tay screams, watching as her brother falls forward onto the ground, limp and unconscious.
I'm stunned, shock seizing my body.
"Kaan!" I hear myself scream, although it doesn't feel like it's coming from my mouth. I launch up, ready to come to his aid, but Tay snags my arm, yanking me back harshly.
"Hunter, don't go out there!" She begs, her eyes widened as she presses herself back into her seat, hoping it will swallow her whole.
Before I can respond, my other arm I grabbed, and I'm pulled violently from the transport. My feet stumble along the sandy path, nearing falling over my mate.
I manage to jab my assailant in the stomach with my elbow, but they don't even flinch. Instead, they wrap one arm around my waist, holding my back against their torso, their other hand pressing over my mouth.
The other stranger is half in the transport, grabbing for Tay. Her screams wring out through the forest, but there is no one here to help us.
We are completely alone.
My heart jumps into my throat as I watch helplessly. Tay is yanked from the transport and forced to her knees, right in front of her unconscious brother and the dead driver and guards, who bleed out onto the road.
"No!" I scream into the man's hand as the other stabs Tay in the neck with a needle. Not soon after, her eyes roll to the back of her head, and she falls down beside her brother.
I can feel my body fighting my captor, feeling the tears welling in my eyes. Yet, there is nothing I can do but watch, knowing my fate will not be different from theirs.
Until it dawns on me.
Both assailants wear a black uniform with a crimson jacket. I'm not sure how it wasn't the first thing I noticed...
They work for my parents.
My knees nearly give out from under me as an entirely new wave of fear drenches me. I grew up around those guard uniforms. There is no mistaking them.
"Leave them there. They will wake eventually," the man behind me demands, nodding down at Kaan and Tay.
The other, shorter man nudges Kaan with his foot. "We should kill them. Scum."
I grit my teeth, trying to kick back at my captor's ankles, trying to cause him enough pain to break free. But I know there is no fighting these guards off. They are lethal, trained to protect an Alpha.
There's no getting out of this.
"You kill an Alpha, you start a war," the man behind me hisses. "That's not what he wants."
He. I assume he is talking about my father. Or Vinn.
"As if kidnapping an Alpha's wife isn't going to start one anyways," the shorter man growls, peeling his gloves off his hands. The dirty work is done. My father's guards won't kill me.
I'm sure my father wants to do the punishing himself.
"We do what we are instructed. Let's go." The guard behind me starts pushing me past Kaan's transport and to one hidden amongst the trees. They clearly staked out, waiting to intercept us.
Surprisingly, he lifts his hand from my mouth, allowing me to drag in a deep breath. I'm trying not to scream at the thought of returning home to the nightmare I thought I had escaped forever.
"Your mother and father are expecting your return," he mutters in my ear, sounding as sadistic as Vinn.
"Let me go. I don't want to go back," I beg, lifting my feet off the ground, kicking them around to make his job harder, but he carries me with ease.
"I'm afraid it's not your decision."
I bite down on my lip as I feel my energy waning. The poison still has me weak, and the jolt of pain coming from my back is debilitating.
"I am the Luna of this Pack! You're breaking the law!" I yell out as he shoves me into the transport, motioning at the other guard to join us.
"As did you when you ran away," he leers, looking in at me through the door. "Now, you must be returned."
I flinch as he slams the door, sealing my fate.
I'm going home.
❤️••❤️
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