Annalise

The Field

The car come to a sharp halt as the seatbelt pulled against my chest and tightened. I opened my eyes to blinding lights that pierced the window and blocked my vision. There were two cars ahead, obstructing the road. I threw my hands up to block the glare, but the lights seeped through my fingers.

"Cristian? What...?"

He was pulled from the truck as Eric appeared at my side. "Let's go."

I hesitated.

He reached over, unsnapped my belt, and pulled me from the truck. I bumped into his hard chest and got a nose full of his scent.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" I screamed. "LET GO OF ME!" I fought against his hold, clawing at his hands, unable to shake the strength of his wolf. "Youre hurting me," I tried.

He marched me past the small distance between the cars and the truck and forced me into the back of his. The door was slammed behind me as soon as I'd hit the floor. I landed awkwardly, as my knee hit the edge of the hard plastic floor mat, and caused a jolt up my leg. My palms slamming into the hard surface caused the pain to return to my wrist. In those seconds, I did not care and quickly recovered. I jumped into the seat, pulling and pulling at the handles of the doors and every fancy knob available. The closest I got to anything, was adjusting the volume on the radio and heated seats. The car was deadlocked.

It was like child safety, but much more advanced than my mom's car. By five, I'd learned that I could easily escape it by rolling down the windows and pulling from the outside. There was no chance of that here.

"LET ME OUT!" I slapped at the windows and kicked, but it was pointless. The blonde haired man that stood guard laughed at my attempts and slapped the window for me to sit. I was stuck. I looked through the windshield and focused on the silhouettes and shapes that appeared through the lights.

There was a gang of them, and they'd surrounded Cristian in the middle of the road. He had been released from their hold but was boxed in by the group. My nails dug into the leather seats of the car, as I realized that Cristian was at a disadvantage. The heat rose inside of me and prickled my skin. This was an ambush.

Cristian glanced around at the group of men and smiled at the combination. He knew there was a fight coming. His eyes flashed against the glare of the lights as they had in the woods, but as I looked around, I noticed that so did the others. This was wolf versus wolves, and there was nothing I could do to help.

"Let her out of the car, Eric."

Cristian's voice was faint, but, I could make out his words as if he was next to me. It was like a whisper and a loud horn, all at once. My fingers dug further. His fingers, were rolled into balls, and alpha or no alpha he wasn't backing down. I hated him for that. He was outnumbered and standing in front of Eric, a Gadreal, and his sentinels.

"You should have listened to your parents, Cristian," Eric thumbed his hand, looking down at his palm as he did so, before glaring at Cristian in the eyes. "Shouldve been a good little runt..." He turned to look at me through the windshill. "Now. You're going to find out what happens to dogs who touch bones that don't belong to them."

I wasn't his bone.

"She's not your property," Christian, spat, unable to hide the growl that rose from his belly, "And she doesn't want you."

His words pierced my heart like a bullet train through a tunnel. I released the seat. This was Cristian being Cristian, and I needed him to stop. This wasn't a fight at Ray's, or a bet for dominance, but something more. He couldn't win here.

Eric laughed a superficial laugh, "I dont need her to want me... But, since she's going to have my name. It's going to be respected." This was a taunt. I could tell by the smirk that appeared along his lips before he punched Cristian in the gut.