Broken

Ch. 7

 It had been five years since her pack was destroyed. Five years since she saw Thorn's pack torn apart. 

She was known as a rogue. She was not a part of a pack. She lived by herself. Rogues have a bad reputation. Not many wolves are very accepting of them. It's mostly an attack first, talk later situation when a wolf comes across a rogue. Stephanie has lived in fear for the last 5 years because of Jack. He stopped at nothing to get to her. He was also a rogue now. 

After she escaped down the river, she made her way to a human city. She didn't stop until she was in New York City. The most densely populated city in the United States. It should of been impossible for him to find her. But he did. She lasted 6 months in New York before he came chasing after her. Ever since then she has never settled. 

She was tired of those around her suffering. Jack was more sadistic and twisted than Thorn ever was. He knew how to break her exactly. He knew all the things he needed to say to make her want to give up. But she didn't. She would rather die than be caught by him. At times she wanted to just run into a pack's territory. She wanted them to kill her. But her wolf resisted the temptation. Her human side wasn't strong. But her wolf was. 

Stephanie made it through Canada to Alaska. She planned on catching a ship that was going to California. Her wolf rested against a tree soaking in the evening sun. Stephanie had been in wolf form for the half of the year. Her wolf was going to make them survive. She was determined. Stephanie was ready to give up though. She knew it was only a matter of time before her wolf does too. 

  The sun was starting to set when Stephanie's wolf decided to make camp. It was winter in Alaska. The weather at night was unbearable at times. The last time she ate was over a weak ago. The animals to hunt were quite scarce at this time of year. She curled up in a ball next to the tree trunk. Exhaustion hit the wolf so quick. 

A few hours had passed. She slept shivering, but the wolf slept. It wasn't until the crack of a tree branch did her wolf awaken. Her ears perked up instantly. Her nose was filled with an unfamiliar scent. It was another rogue. 

"Whoa, whoa," the rogue's voice came through the trees when Stephanie's wolf bared her teeth at him. She trusted no one. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," he held his hands up as if he was surrendering. But the way he was stalking over to the wolf did not convince her. 

"You see, there's a bounty out for you," the rogue began saying, "Some Jack fella is looking for his runaway mate." She was not his mate.

She snarled loudly at him, warning him not to come any closer. He got the memo and decided to stay his distance. 

"I'm kinda in need of the money, so if you could just do me a solid," he said before launching himself at her. In less than a second he was already in wolf form. Stephanie dodged his attack. She was a fighter. She was the best female warrior in her pack. But she wasn't at her strongest.

She kicked up her heels and ran for her life. For once, her wolf was tired of running. But she would never let herself become Jack's mate. 

He was a fast runner and somehow ended up in front of her. He attacked her with his canines. He snapped at her neck. He missed. 

She snapped her canines back at him. If he wanted a fight she would give him one. They circled around each other, before he launched himself back at her. His force pushed her back ten feet. She landed into a tree. She could hear the cracking of her bones in her back. 

She quickly got up and pushed the pain behind her. She knew she couldn't out run him and she knew he could easily defeat her. But she wasn't going to get caught, so a fight to the death was the only option Stephanie could see. 

Her wolf attacked viciously. She showed no control at all. She was truly a rogue. She was going to kill him.

She landed scratches on his wolf's body. One landed across his eyes and he howled in pain before brutally snapping back.

 He over powered her. His canines slip into her wolf's shoulders. He swung his head around as if she was some chew toe. Her blood spewed all over the white snow ground. 

He threw her wolf into the tree closest to him. Stephanie felt her wolf relinquishing control back to her human side. Her wolf was beyond exhausted. She gave everything she had to this fight. She was ready to give up. 

Stephanie transformed back into her human side. The cold snowed made her body shiver pathetically. She laid on her stomach unable to get up. The pain in her shoulder was unbearable. She examined her wound to see large teeth marks had gouged her skin. Blood dripped all around her. 

The rogue wolf eyes were crazy as he stepped forward to Stephanie. He had lost all control of his human side. The wolf was going to kill her. 

Stephanie watched as he stalked forward to her. She knew what he was going to do. There no fight left in her. This was it. She would finally be at peace. 

As the rogue made his way to her he suddenly stopped and looked to his left. Out of no where a wolf appeared and tore at his neck. The rogue struggled against the new wolf. Soon the wolf was joined by other wolves. They were a pack. They fought the rogue and won. Their teeth tore apart his body. The rogue was dead. 

Stephanie watched as the rogue howled in pain. She cringed as they tore his body apart. His blood soaked the floor. She knew they would do the same to her. 

She let her head rest against the cold floor. Her puddle of blood had significantly increased. She closed her eyes ready to accept her fate. But it never came. 

Perhaps they want to watch me die of blood loss, Stephanie said to her wolf. But her wolf was no longer there. She abandoned her human. 

There was a loud thudding as a giant wolf appeared into view. He towered over the other wolves. He was obviously the alpha.

Stephanie felt her eyes begin to droop down. She was losing consciousness. 

She suddenly felt a hand caress her cheeks. The touch was warm. The hand stirred something inside of her, but it wasn't enough to fight off the darkness surrounding her. 

"Stephanie."