Page 2 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
My hand flails, trying to reach for Granny.When she manages to grab my arm, the strength she wields is shocking.The lycan claws at the inside walls of the tunnel, trying to reach me.
Kicking my foot out, it connects with the side of his head, and he tumbles back down.Granny groans, and I look up to see her eyes glowing white.Her pupils then glow blue as a current of air tunnels around me, and she rips me out of the narrow hole.I peer down timidly, watching the lycan trying to squeeze through the tiny opening before sliding back down to the cave floor, unable to fit.
My ankle is a bloody mess.The cuts sting, but where he dug his claws in like fishhooks hurts the worst.The grisly wounds are almost to the bone.Groaning, I get to my feet, pushing away my granny’s fussing hands.
“Quick, show me,” Granny hisses, but I shake my head, nudging her to keep going.
“We haven’t got time.Go,” I whisper-yell at her.She nods, climbing the rocky terrain as we try to go around those chasingus, each step painful as my ankle swells.We just need to get to the other side of the mountain where the beach is.The cliffside here is rocky and offers some cover, but our scent will give us away quickly.
And it does immediately.
To make matters worse, it is a full moon, which means the beasts chasing us are at full strength.Granny slips on a loose rock, and I barely catch her.Steadying her on her feet, I push and drag her around the mountain’s edge.When a rattling growl explodes from the direction we are running toward, I freeze, and so does Granny.My eyes dart nervously, trying to spot the intruders while looking for another way, but I only see a small landing before the cliff’s edge.
Granny takes off, sliding and skidding on the slick surface, and I follow, thinking maybe she sees something I don’t.Just as my bare feet hit the smooth rock below, claws slash down the boulders, making an awful sound.
My gaze snaps up, and I come face-to-face with a snarling lycan.It is the first time I have seen one up close, and they are more terrifying than I ever thought imaginable.It stalks us, and as I step back, Granny clutches my arm tightly.Another feral growl comes from the other side of us, and I whip around to find a second lycan closing in.
My head snaps from side to side, trying to watch both when my granny lets go of my arm.For some odd reason, when I take my eyes off the lycans, Granny’s wearing the most beautiful smile.
“We are out of time.Time is something I have been fighting against for eighteen years.They may be king’s sons, but they are far from worthy,” she whispers, and I take a step toward her.
She takes one step back, and I reach for her with wide eyes, but she shakes her head.My heart races in my chest.The intuitive sense of knowing what is to come makes my lips quiver, and my hand gropes the air for her.“I must let you go, my sweet girl.Use the crafts.Remember what I taught you.”
“No,” I choke out as the scraping sound of claws on rocks grows louder behind me.Without looking back, I know we are trapped, cornered with nowhere to run.
“I won’t go back there, Zirah.I can’t, not after the last time.”Her words confuse me.We have never left the mountains; it’s the only home I’ve ever known.Her eyes move behind me, narrowing furiously into slits.
“They found you, but they’ll regret it.”She chuckles before taking another step back.
Sensing something is wrong, I reach for her, but she takes off in a sudden sprint toward the cliff’s edge.My eyes widen in horror; it is far too high to jump from here.My scream is loud and visceral as I watch, horrified, as she takes her own life.
The ocean may be below, but no matter how fast the current is, it would be like hitting cement from these heights.If somehow she survived the initial impact, she would never survive the jagged rocks that line the bottom.
My feet skid on the surface, and I drop to my knees, peering over the edge into the darkness.Tears burn my vision when movement behind me makes me glare over my shoulder.She killed herself.She would rather die than go with them, which makes my mind up.
Granny is fearless; I am best off going with her if she fears these beasts.Quickly jumping to my feet, I back up, building my courage before running for the edge.
The snarl that rips through the air laces my skin with goosebumps.Then, the air is suddenly knocked from my lungs, and I am crushed beneath a heavy weight.I instantly thrash, scream, and try to free myself.The weight lifts slightly, and huge clawed hands grab me, rolling me onto my stomach, pinning me to the ground.
Furry feet stop next to me, and as a hot exhale of breath sails down my neck, I toss my head back.Pain vibrates through my skull as I make contact, and the beast on top of me groans and sniffs loudly.Turning, I smack him in the side of the head, only for him to shove me back onto my stomach.He presses a heavyknee between my shoulder blades and slams his fist into the side of my head.The blow is hard, and my eyes flutter as my ears ring loudly.My vision tunnels, and I blink.It feels like my head was cracked on the rock like an egg.Pain explodes, coursing through my skull and pulsating behind my eyes, stealing my vision.The next second, all I see is black.
Chapter 2
“Last one,” a deep voice snarls in the distance, abruptlypulling me from the darkness.
My body comes alive with the agonizing pain in my head and ankle.Groaning, I try to tilt my chin to my chest with every ounce of strength I have, and as I do, my eyes flutter open to the blurry shadows before me.I try to wipe the spots from my vision, only to find my hands restrained.
I blink rapidly, rocking forward on the hard bench beneath me and thrashing against my binds in panic.I glance around, taking in my surroundings, and I realize I am in the back of a cattle truck.A huge open door reveals the figures of the giant lycans and werewolves heading in my direction.
Looking up, the moon is high in the sky, peering back at me, almost as if it taunts me.
Hearing a scuffle, I crane my neck to watch the lycans and wolves dragging a girl between them, and with a sharp cry, she’s tossed heavily into the back of the truck.Her body makes a loud thud as she lands on her stomach, and her head bounces off the wooden floor between my feet.Soft whimpering comes from the back of the truck, and when I search the dark corners, I finally see three men huddled together like scared rabbits.I recognize their faces, yet I also do not know their names.
“We’re good to go!”A man yells to the driver as he grabs the handhold and steps into the back.The girl at my feet scrambles for the back of the truck where the three young men are huddled.She must know them.
The man who tossed her slams the huge door shut, caging us in, and sits on the bench across from me.It stinks heavily of blood, sweat, and cow crap.I stare at the tiny beams of moonlight seeping through the grated wooden walls ahead, and my thoughts drift to my granny, and how I couldn’t save her.Everything in me is screaming out for her, yet I do not cry.I do not plead for my life or fight against the situation because I know tears won’t bring her back.I know fighting is pointless, and my pleas will go unheard.
My mind keeps going back to the strange smile she gave me; I know it will forever haunt me.Her parting words are permanently seared into my head.“They found you, but they’ll regret it.”
