Unrelenting Destiny

2. Consequences of Being Caught

Luciana Faith Moore

Eve's body was dangling, fuzzy vision swinging over patches of moonlit foliage. What's happening? Are we...did we get caught? Luciana fought to move but it seemed Eve's consciousness was still at the forefront and she was physically paralyzed with either fear or exhaustion or both. Where was she dangling from? Too low to be from a cliff. Moving too much to be from a stationary tree.

Someone was carrying her.

The scent of unfamiliar wolves hit her nose. They were in an empty clearing. She had lost. She was caught. But was she marked? Who was carrying her? Her body fell with a thud, eyes rolling up as her chest heaved with the effort. Standing above her, two wolves grumbled to each other, incoherent to her fading consciousness.

"Take her in." a feminine voice reached her ears before slipping back into darkness.

***

Luci woke once more. Eve whimpered in her mind, nudging her consciousness to get up. The girl blinked as if from sleep, peering at her surroundings as dawn light filtered through the blinds and barely lit the room she was in. It was a small cabin, with only one room occupied by a bed and other small living accommodations. Pushing herself up and propping herself on her elbow, Luci winced at the emanating from both of her sides. Her chest and much of her torso were wrapped in white bandages, a pair of loose gray sweats covered her lower half along with a scratchy knit blanket. She smelled like dried blood and rubbing alcohol.

Movement at her side drew her attention as the cabin's only door opened. A woman appeared, holding a tray and looking at Luci with a mixture of relief and disdain.

"Where am I?" Luci asked weakly, barely finding her voice.

The woman put the tray down at the side table, pulling a chair from against the wall to sit next to her, "Don't get up. You'll make it worse." Gently pushing her back down by her shoulder, Luci winced as she did as she was told.

"Where am I?" She asked again.

Pursing her lips, the woman crossed her legs and rested her elbows on her knee, "You're in Astral Twilight territory. You have been reprimanded for breaking the rules of The Claiming."

Reprimanded? Luci winced again as she turned her head to stare at the woman through skeptical eyes. So she hadn't been claimed by some stranger male. But who had caught her? And what would they do with her? If not by a mate, then by who? She did not know what happened to she-wolves who prematurely ran from The Claiming. As far as she knew, no one had tried.

The woman continued, "As the hosting pack, Astral Twilight has officiators who facilitate The Claiming. We had several scouts along our borders who were standing by. Our Beta mindlinked them when the she-wolves began to flee. And you arrived much earlier than any wolf should have."
"Maybe I'm just that fast." Luci weakly retorted, fighting for an excuse.

The woman frowned disapprovingly, "No one could reach our borders from that clearing that fast. No one. The scout who found you thought you were a rouge. That's the only reason why you were brought here and not back to the clearing."

Luci's bottom lip trembled, not knowing what to say.

The woman uncrossed her legs, leaning over to check her bandages, "Now that you're awake, your wolf should properly kick in and heal that wound on your side." She got to her feet then, "Eat something. It will speed up your healing and restore your energy."

Luci struggled to push herself up again, "Wait, what will happen to me? Will you be the one to decide?"
"I imagine you'll be sent home. You essentially failed The Claiming and I expect you'll be as disgraced as any male who has failed." The woman let out an exasperated sigh, "My name is Orianna. I am the pack Beta's mate. This cabin is just inside our borders, used for patrols. I was staying here waiting for my mate to return from officiating The Claiming. He and our Alpha will decide what to do with you." With that, she left Luci alone.Eve murmured, That woman smelled good...


It's probably the food, Eve... Luci groaned inwardly, sitting up to eat. She was already starting to feel better, her mind finally clear enough to process everything that had just happened. She nibbled on the PB&J sandwich that had been left for her. It wasn't her favorite, in fact, she hated peanut butter. But her need for sustenance trumped her tastebuds.

Orianna Reid-Deveraux

Poor, stupid girl. Orianna thought rather bitterly as she closed the door behind her. The sun was beginning to rise, lighting the world around her in a hazy, fading blue and pale yellow. Her attention was drawn to movement in the trees as Jasper appeared, looking tired and annoyed. Orianna went to meet him at the far edge.

"Is she awake?" he asked, moving to place a kiss on his mate's cheek.

She nodded, melting into his embrace, "Barely. I brought her some food... I almost envy her."

His brow scrunched, looking down at her, "Envy a girl who'll be disgraced for breaking tradition?"

Orianna slightly shook her head, murmuring quietly, "Envy a girl who was able to run away from The Claiming. No matter the consequence, she was brave enough to try."

Jasper rubbed the back of his head. He of all people knew the disdain many had for forceful nature of The Claiming. He knew Orianna still harbored some ill will towards it despite their carefully nurtured relationship. "Guess that's up to Alpha Ivan. I tried to mindlink him but I think he's asleep."

"Luna Saravie did just have her pup a few days ago," Orianna mused, "I'm sure they're both exhausted."

Jasper snaked an arm around her waist, inhaling her familiar scent and placing a kiss on her mouth. Ryzen wiggled his haunches in anticipation, She smells extra good today.As much as Jasper wanted to fight his urges, Ryze wasn't wrong. Something about his mate was intoxicating. Maybe it was the fumes of being surrounded by newly mated wolves but the Beta was positively hung interacting with his own mate. She smiled knowingly, feeling the poke against her lower torso, "Miss me?"

"Apparently so," Jasper growled playfully, picking her up and circling his waist with her thighs. It would be at least a little while until the rebel was healed and a little while longer until Alpha Ivan was awake enough to handle her. So Jasper reasoned they had some time to settle their urges. He pressed her against the soft grassy ground just inside the cabin clearing's border, her arousal causing sparks to crackle in his brain before taking her right then and there.