Fighting for Fate

Chapter 9

Lara's Point of View-

I hurt all over. But I knew it could be worse. I could have my body torn to pieces like the women I saw on the first day. Ever so often Hunter would come in and inject me with more of their serum until he believed I'd had enough. Sometimes I could see through his tough exterior. Sometimes I could tell he didn't like doing this, that he had to because of his packs regulations.

After Hunter was done with me either Marcus, who I had found out was the blonde brute, or Alec, his dark haired mate, would bring me water and food. They were kinder then they should be. They always made sure that I had enough to drink and ate at least some of the food.

I didn't know how long it had been since being imprisoned but it was far too long for my liking. Where was their Alpha? And, God damnit why hadn't I come up with a plan yet?! As I continued to berate myself I heard the barely discernible squeak of the steel door. My head snapped up to see Hunter.

"Looks like today is the day."

"What do you mean?" My dry and cracked lips squeeze out. I was almost too tired to even care about what he was saying.

"You either make it or break it. The Alpha returns today, along with the beta and Alphas sister." His eyes finally softened in that moment, " I know you probably dislike me but I'm rooting for you."

"Why?" To say I was a little confused would be an understatement. From observation I knew he didn't love what he was doing to me but I didn't think he necessarily cared for me either.

"I see something in you that would be a waste to throw away. I mean I don't know there's just something." I could see that he was grasping for the words but they didn't really matter to me, what mattered was that I understood and I felt honored.

"Well thank you," my gravely voice pushed out, " by chance you wouldn't happen to know how long I've been here, would you?"

"Around 2 days, it's dawn of your third."

" Thank you, and hey, since you're rooting for me does that mean I have a good chance of making it out okay?" I said but not letting an onslaught of hope consume me.

" To be honest?" Hunter reached up in a nervous action to scratch the back of his head. "I'm not sure, he could go either way."

"Great, just what I need. An Alpha that doesn't know what he wants." I wheezed out a puff of air to flip the hair out of my face. I try to shift but pain in my shoulder made me freeze after a sharp yelp escaped from my lips. Having your arms perpetually suspended over your head does wonders on your muscles.

"Oh he knows what he wants, that's not the problem. If you know the history of this pack then you would know we weren't always this big. Hell, we're second largest in the world and soon we'll be the largest," Hunter crossed his arms and his stance became cocky, "A pack doesn't grow that way over night. Many of the members we have are reformed Rogues. But before they're accepted the Alpha has to see something in them, and then further go through the Trials. It's gruesome but it's made our pack strong."

"I think I'd rather deal with an Alpha that doesn't know what he wants now that I think of it."

"I bet you would." He smirks.

"And what if I don't want to be accepted, what if I just want to be let free?"

Hunter looks perplexed, "Why wouldn't you want to be accepted into a pack? Pack is a wolfs connection to the base of our existence, it completes us in a different way than even our mates could."

"I know." I whisper. Thinking back to my pack my heart clenched. It didn't matter that they supported an unjust mating, I still missed them. I remembered running under the full moon, feeling my sand colored paws dig into the wet earth, feeling my essence rooting itself in the earth as my ancestors have done before me.