Page 22 of Ruining Red
And so, I busy myself, gathering the bits and pieces of our nest and piling them in a corner to be washed later.Unfortunately, I still know nothing of this man or how he keeps his house.I want to be useful, but find that all I can do is just sit and wait for his return.
My stomach growls, sending me on the hunt for something to sustain myself.Perhaps he’s out hunting and will bring back something substantial for me to eat.As it is, I content myself with a small stash of nuts and berries, reminding my stomach of the time I went several days without food because the village forgot I was in exile.
A loud, ferocious growl floods my brain, driving me to my knees.There’s a fury there, a terrible anger that burns my insides, leaving me quaking.It’s not rage at me.Somehow, I know this.I’m not sure how, but my heart knows.
Conrí.His name hovers on my lips, branding my mind as it worms its way through.My mate, my soul, my forever.It’s righteous indignation that causes him to howl to the skies, that forces him to shift into a massive wolf.
Soon, images flash before my eyes, as if I’m seeing through someone else.Everything is hazy, as if I’m in a dream.Clutching my stomach, I’m helpless as I watch my mate stalking through the snow, heading to the cabin where the matriarch lives.
My mate is of one mind.I can hear the snarled refrain as it thrums through on an endless loop —kill.Heart stuttering, I war within myself, not sure what I should do.
Based on the feelings surging through the bond, he’s doing this for me, for justice.I can’t fault him, especially not when similar thoughts passed through my own mind not that long ago.But I know I cannot enact these desires.It’s not in my nature to harm.
However, my mate shares no such sentiments.In fact, the more I mourn the loss of the people who meant me harm, the more his resolve hardens.He does what I cannot, what I dare not dream to do.
Stalking forward, I watch through his eyes as he circles the cabin, sniffing the air.No longer does my terror taint the area, but it doesn’t matter.He shifts, turning into part-man and part-beast.Rising up, he pounds on the door, demanding entrance.
When the door opens, I watch, helpless as the matriarch stumbles back, her eyes wide with terror.It’s as if I can smell the stench of horror and piss as she flees from Conrí.Though she disappears into the small space, he is quick to find her, stalking her down.
A large axe gleams in her hands, the wicked blade glinting in the light.She screams, rushing forward, weapon aloft.The remaining berries fall from my fingers as I watch, helpless, as she attacks him.
One swipe, and she misses.Two, and she misses again.Her old age betrays her, making her movements feeble and erratic.It takes no work for Conrí to subdue her, chucking the weapon away.Shifting back into the wolf, he revels in her fear, drinking it into him.
Thankfully, he doesn’t make her suffer.It’s a favor for me as I watch and not for her.I hear his thoughts slithering through my mind.I know his need to draw out her agony.But for me, he makes quick work of her throat, chomping down and ripping it out in one hard yank.
Blood sprays everywhere, coating the room in a hazy red.Bloodlust clamps onto Conrí and refuses to let go.I can no longer tell if the vermillion tint is all from the body laying quivering at his paws or the need to exact revenge.
Entrenched in his mind, I watch as he lopes through the forest, my mind whirls about as leaves and branches go hurling past.Nausea bubbles up in my throat as everything spins, turning into a riot of color.Thankfully, he shuts off the connection, allowing me to slump forward.
The few bits I had to eat sit heavy in my stomach as I heave, clasping my chest and throat.Based on the feelings that flow through the bond, I know it has to be done.I know I need to bear witness, to see the destruction and retribution delivered by my mate.It’s the only thing that will stop the nightmares that plague me.
And yet, I still find that I mourn for these people.They did nothing to endear me to them.Not once did they ever show even an ounce of kindness.But they’re still my people, my family.
No, Conrí whispers in my mind.Family doesn’t do this.Family doesn’t act like this.And family sure as hell don’t give up one of their own in a needless sacrifice.I will be your family.Together, we will find others like us.We will make a home together, knitted together with love.
Love.It’s a beautiful word, one I’ve never heard said to me before.Though we met not that long ago, our souls knew each other.When he says he loves me, I believe it, because I can feel it.
It surges through the bond, filling me up, leaving me breathless and without any doubt of his feelings.Arousal drips through my veins, but this time, it’s not about the carnal act that brought us together.This is borne of affection, gratitude, love and desire.
Even without the bond connecting us, I would have loved him.His actions show me how much he cares on top of the pretty words he whispers into my mind.No one else ever showed me anything other than hate and contempt.
This time, when he shares with me his vision, I greet it like a friend, a lover.Though I shudder with a hint of revulsion as blood flows around him, I accept these deaths as his gift to me.One by one, he hunts the men down from that night.
He sniffs them out, dragging them from their houses.Though their families are terrified, someday, they’ll understand the depravity that brought them to this end.Someday, they’ll know exactly what they wanted to do to me and why, in their eyes, I had to be killed.
With a loud roar, Conrí drags each lifeless body to the center of the village.Sobs echo through the crowd, the sound soft and distorted through my ears.After grabbing a robe to keep himself concealed in front of the children, he rises, transforming into both man and beast.
The others gasp, their eyes filling with terror.However, I feel nothing but love and pride.His loud voice cries out, telling them why their husbands and fathers lie dead in the streets.He admonishes them, ensuring any others like me are safe from harm, from living a loveless existence as I had.
It brings tears to my eyes to hear him speak with such conviction.All around him, the women and remaining men sink to their knees, their eyes wet with tears.Through the bond, I feel the hum of their despair.
It does nothing to me.It’s not even a hint of what I felt all these years.Soon, as he leaves to depart, he shuts down my ability to see.But honestly, what else is there?It is done.
Numbness pervades my limbs as I process everything.Though he did it for me, as justice, all I want is to be back in his arms.He’s been gone far too long, and I so desperately need his touch to soothe me.
On bated breath, I wait for him to return.With each passing second, my body strains for him, fighting the agony of the distance between us.In my mind, he whispers his love for me, tells me he’s hurrying back to my side, but it isn’t soon enough.
Pacing, I run my fingers up and down my arms.Now that adrenaline is no longer coursing through my veins, I’m left with the pain of his absence as it throbs through the bond.It’s sharp and unexpected, and I pray I never have to experience it again.
