Bearing the Mark

Bearing the Mark: Chapter 10

-Chapter 10-

"Where's Eve?" I ask Eric, walking in the tent worried. He always threatened to get rid of her and now no one seems to know where she is.

"In the cage," He states simply. He sat in his cushioned chair, flipping through my Royal's journal. After the countless times of finding him with it, I wouldn't be surprised if he could recite it.

"Why the hell is she in there?" I walk over and grab the front of his shirt. Being in the cage meant anyone could do anything; there were chains and other tools on a table next to it. Not to mention there's lots of males in the pack compared to females and it's a free for all in the cage tent. "Eric, she's fourteen."

"She needs to learn respect." He tosses the journal to the side, his hands trying to pull me onto his lap. "She needs to learn when I want something, I better get it."

I punch him in the face as hard as I can. He topples backwards in the chair; his arms wind milling as he fell. "You're a pig."

I hurry out of our tent and make my way to the cage. Before I even enter, I hear different guys calling out hoots and cheering. My stomach churns when I see Eve stripped of her clothing, tears rushing down her pink face. Zeke, a tall, tanned, werewolf who often helped bring buckets of water for bathing and other supplies was walking toward her, a knife in his hand. "What the fuck is going on?"

Everyone turned to look at me; some look away embarrassed while others stare me down, wondering what the problem is—Zeke is a part of the 'others'. I strip off Eric's oversized shirt and cover Eve with it. Her eyes are tightly shut; blood trickled down her cheek, and sobs shaking her body.

"If you don't get the hell out of here," I threaten everyone. "I'll rip off ever appendage and stuff them down your throats. Get the fuck out!"

Most of the guys scurry out, leaving Zeke trying to defend himself. "It was Eric's orders."

"To what? Go after a fourteen-year-old girl and traumatize her?" I kneel next to Eve; she's chained to the outside of the cage. The silver cuffs had burned through layers of skin; blood coating her hair and the ground.

"Shit, I thought she was—"

"I don't give a damn what you thought. Get Laura and tell her to bring a salve for burns," I snarl and yank at the chains. Loud sizzles sound and the smell of cooking meat fill the air. Beneath me, Eve is struggling to explain what happened.

"E-Eric wanted me to—but I-I said no and he—"

"Hush, sweetheart; you're going to be okay. I won't let anyone hurt you, alright?" I break the chains and wipe my bloodied hands on my shorts. I search the table for the set of keys and begin working to find one that would get the thick cuffs off.

When she's freed, I hold her close and use Eric's shirt to wipe blood off her face and arm. Laura walks in, her face pale but determined. Without a word, she applies a thick layer of salve and I soothe Eve when she begs for us to stop. "It hurts."

"I know," I mutter. I wait until Laura wraps Eve's wrist in gauze and medical tape before stating our next plan of action. "Let's go get this blood off you."

We make our short trek to the bathing tent; other pack members avoid looking at us out of respect and I'm grateful. I pick up a clay bowl and cup, sit her down, and begin rising and wiping her arms and head down. Her sobs soon turn into gasps of breath. "I should have just said yes."

I pour a cup full of water into her hair, watching pink and red drips fall. "No, you did the right thing; I know it doesn't seem like it, but you did. I'm going to talk to him as soon as we get you into bed."

She tenses and cranes her neck around to look at me. "Renée, please don't. I don't want him hurting you too."

I smile at her slightly and wrap a warm towel around her. "He won't hurt me."

She and I both hear the lie in my voice, but neither of us comment on it. The camp seemed quiet and guilty, like a puppy after being yelled at, as we walk across it. I usher her into her tent and settle her into the mats of blankets that make up her bed. I brush the hair from her forehead like my mother used to do to me. "Sweet dreams, Eve."

"Wait," she calls out rapidly when I raise, her hand closing around my wrist. "Can you stay until I fall asleep? I'm scared someone will come in and Laura's not here."

My throat closes; she shouldn't be scared of her own pack mates like this. I nod my head and sit down next to her, playing with her hair. "You have nothing to be afraid of; not with me around."

__________

By the time I get back to my tent, oil lamps are set up in tents of those still awake; their silhouettes showing a story as they get ready for bed. The moon is probably going up and I only wish I had an exact time. I see someone walking around and presume they're checking the tent's walls for animals that might have snuck under.

I lift the flap of the alpha tent and walk in, my jaw clenched and my anger unyielding. Eric glances up at me with a smug smile, his shirt nowhere to be found.

"Next time you want to take your anger out on someone," I point a finger at Eric, my eyes blazing with hatred. "You take it out on me. I don't ever want to see nor hear anyone getting hurt like that again."

"From what I heard, she didn't get hurt all that much." His reply is smooth and uncaring. He holds out a plate of food for me, knowing that I skipped dinner.

I hit the plate out of his hand and hear it shatter on the floor. "She's traumatized. You want something, you come to me. If anything like that happens again, I'll snap your neck like a twig."

"If you could do that, you would have done it already." He gets to his feet and circles me, his hand brushing against my back and stomach. "But you can't, too many of them would go against you and slit that pretty little neck of yours."

"I doubt that. They fear you Eric, don't confuse that with respect."

"I've already set in the orders. If I die, you do too." He pulls me back against him roughly and nuzzles my neck. "Besides, you wouldn't know the first thing about leading a Pack."

"You seem to forget," I say through clenched teeth, pull myself away, and turn to him. I point at the Royal marking on my breast. "It's in my blood to lead. This isn't your Pack, it's mine and I'm going to protect them."

I knew what he meant, regardless of what I said. The males in this Pack would rather follow him than a female. If I stepped out of my boundaries and killed Eric, it'd be me and three other girls against seventeen. I'm not haughty enough to say I can take on most of them, because I can't and neither could Hayley, Eve, or Laura.

"Until I'm dead, this Pack is mine. This means I can do whatever I want with whomever." He pulls me to him and lowers his lips to my ear. "You're gorgeous when you're mad."

I try to push him away, but he only tightens his grip until all the air is crushed out of me. He forces me onto our shared bed made from blankets and kisses me roughly. I bite down on his tongue when it slips into my mouth and he back hands me. Blood drops off his chin and onto my cheek; he mutters curses at me.

"I never said I wouldn't fight back." I choke out under his weight. He pulls my arms over my head and holds them down; I stay still for a while. If I wanted to ensure everyone's safety, I'd have to forfeit some of my own freedom. It's a small price to pay and I'm willing to pay it.

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