Preyed (Hunted: Book Two)

Chapter Three

           I wait outside the cave while Emmett goes in to look at the bear.

"You know he's not that bad when he's asleep. He reminds me a little of Winnie the Pooh," he says.

"Do not compare that three-hundred-pound beast of anger and pain to the chubby, little, buddy all stuff with fluff," I say.

"Well, he's not as cute. But, I can see the resemblance," he says.

I shake my head in disbelief, "only you would see a three-hundred-pound bear as cute."

I stretch my muscles out and psych myself up.

"Alright, let's do this!" I say.

A Few Minutes Later...

"Just pull it out!" I yell.

"Okay, no need to yell. On the count on three," Emmett says.

Emmett is going to attempt to pull out the bear claw that is lodged in my shoulder blade.

"One...two..."

"Wait!"

"What?" he asks.

"Maybe we should call Carlisle," I say.

"No way, I can get this out without him."

Edward emerges from the trees laughing.

"Grizzly hunting."

"Yes, and it's not funny. It's flipping painful," I say.

"It's only painful because you did it wrong."

"Well, excuse me for not knowing the proper way to hunt something that has at least two hundred pounds on me."

Emmett yanks the bear claw and it comes out, but now without a lot of cursing and yelling on my part.

"Holy mother..."

"Language," Edward says.

Emmett smiles, "told you I could get it out without Carlisle."

I shoot him the bird and he laughs as I roll out my shoulder. I'm about to ask if I should put a bandage on it when I feel them. Edward is as still as I am, and I know he hears their thoughts. We lock eyes as Emmett looks between us.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"They're coming," Edward says.

Emmett doesn't need to be told twice before he pushes me behind him. I can make out the dark shadows in the trees before Sam and Jacob emerge.

"We just want to talk," Jacob says.

"Then talk," Emmett says.

"The Elders want Mia to answer her crimes against the pack," Sam says.

Edwards shakes his head, "they can't have her."

"She almost killed..."

"She couldn't control it, you know that as much as we do," Emmett says.

"You misunderstand me bloodsucker. I am not here to ask your permission. I am here to inform you that one way or another Mia Wolfe is coming with us," Sam says.

"Sam, just wait a..." Jacob starts.

"No, Jacob! It is time for the bloodsuckers to learn that their place is not in pack business."

He turns back towards Edward, Emmett, and I.

"Either hand her over or we will take her."

Emmett cracks his knuckles and steps towards Sam, "you can try."

Sam lets out a growl but before he can get any closer, a sandy colored wolf burst forth from the trees. His teeth are on full display and he stands between me and the rest of the pack. Seth growls and snaps at Jacob as he tries to take a step closer to me. Jacob holds up his hands in surrender and takes a step back.

"The Elders just want to talk to her, Seth. I promise I won't let anything happen to her," Jacob says.

"And we told you that if you want her, you have to go through us," Emmett says.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Jacob says.

"Enough of this! Seth, stand down or I will take you down. Jacob, get out of the way. We tried doing it your way, now we do it mine," Sam says.

He gestures toward the trees and the rest of the wolves walk forward. He locks eyes with me and I feel my heart pound in my chest. The man I once called friend is gone, all that is in front of me is a man that sees me as an enemy, his enemy.

"Take her," he says.

There is a stillness in the air as if each side is waiting for the other to react. Sam's face is unreadable, and I hesitantly take a step back. With that one little step, all hell breaks loose. Edwards yells at me to run and I take off into the trees. Distance is all that matters as I get further and further from the fighting. I have to get back to the house and warn Carlisle. Maybe he can stop this before someone gets seriously hurt because of me. A sudden bolt of pain jolts through my body and drops me to my knees. I slam into a tree, unable to slow myself down fast enough. As I try to get up, bright colorful spots flash before my eyes. That's when I hear it. At first, the voice is filled with rage, powerful and deadly, it is like an avalanche roaring down a mountain. I can feel it swirling in my veins like the calm before the storm. I bite my lip so hard that I draw blood as I try to focus on breathing and stopping him from invading my very thoughts.

"Get out of my head!"

I hear the sound of laughter before a voice answers.

"I'm not in your head, sweet."

My eyes lock onto the figure standing a few feet away from me. He moves towards me and my muscles freeze in place. I want to run and put as much distance between the two of us as supernaturally possible, but my body won't let me. My brain isn't working at the speed it's supposed to. As soon as I can make out his face though, adrenaline floods my system. In that frozen second between fight or flight, my emotions make a decision. I explode with anger as my primal instinct takes over. Burning rage hisses through my veins, demanding a release. It's like a volcano erupting and it engulfs everything around me. The blows I rain down would be enough to kill a normal man, but Asher is no normal man. He is a monster made real, an abomination among men. I don't just want him dead, I want him obliterated with nothing left to burn. My breath is forcibly expelled from my lungs as I am tossed into the nearest tree, shattering it into pieces.

"Enough. I don't have time for your temper tantrum. I came to remind you who you belong too."

I spit the blood that has flooded my tongue out and shakily get to my feet. He is in front of me before I can even blink. His thumb runs over the cut on my lip, collecting the drops of blood there. He brings his thumb to his lips before taking a deep breath. It is as if he is trying to control himself. His eyes flash at me and he clicks his tongue.

"I don't enjoy hurting you, but you have left me no choice."

"Get away from me," I growl.

He laughs and it sets me on edge.

"Mia, Mia, Mia. You forget one important fact...I own you!"

His hand plunges into my chest and I let out a bloodcurdling scream as he squeezes my heart.

"Everything you are, everything you will be, belongs to me. You are mine."

At the last word, he squeezes my heart so hard that I am sure it will burst in his hand. Then as suddenly as he grabbed it, he lets go. I fall to my knees, my breath coming out in rapid bursts. His head is tilted to the side as if he is listening for something. Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he disappears into the wind, but not before whispering one last word.

"Mine."