“So, you broke into my car?” I finish his sentence. He hums in response. “That’s your master plan? I give you back your wallet, you kidnap me, and expect that I go down without a fight?” I laugh at this point. “If you truly know my family, you’d know that I’ve been through a lot worse. And yet, you couldn’t come up with something other than this?” I smirk as I hear him growl. “Dumbass,” I taunt him. We stop at an intersection and I take a good look at him in the rearview mirror. He glares at me and I smile innocently. “So, Gregory. You’re from which pack exactly?” His fingers are now clenched, but I don’t drop my gaze.
“The Dark Moon pack,” he answers with a low voice. “Turn right at the first corner after this intersection,” he commands. I keep driving until we get to a dead end. I notice the abundance of trees covering what seems to be a forgotten trail going deeper into a wooded area. “Stop. Park right here and get out of the car.” He pushes me to walk in front of him. I scan my surroundings for anything I can use against him for my escape. “Don’t even think about it or else I’ll kill you right here and now.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, pretty boy,” I reply sarcastically. A few minutes of walking and we arrive at a small clearing. Makeshift benches made out of logs and a couple of twigs and small branches are collected in the middle. Some of it charred, some are intact.Must be a previous campsite, I deduce. “Now, let’s talk.” I face him just then.
“Your family is very powerful,” he starts, “so powerful in fact that no other pack dreams of fighting yours for fear of getting cursed.” I stare at him, careful not to make any sudden movements until I hear all he has to say. “But my pack is strong, too.” He steps forward but I stand my ground. “And I will do everything it takes to get my father back from your family’s evil clutches.”
His father? “What do you mean?” I shift uncomfortably. The air is thick with tension, and my instinct tells me that he wouldn’t hesitate to snap my neck now.
“Your family attacked mine ten years ago, which started a chain of hostile takeovers and riots all over the country. My mother didn’t survive the violence.” His eyes darken as he looms over me. “And you took my father away from me,” he growls.
“I don’t understand. If this happened ten years ago, I would’ve been a child! Why are you involving me in this?” I subconsciously take a step back. He shakes his head and keeps coming closer.
“I saw it with my own eyes. How your grandmother yelled her demonic incantations, how time seemed to stop, and how my father writhed on the ground in pain before being taken away.” He grabs me by my shoulders. “So, listen closely because I’ll only say this once. I know on your eighteenth birthday you’ll gain your powers. I also know my father is somewhere in the Esperanza estate. My pack will sneak into the estate and locate my father and bring him back. You,” he grabs my face and pulls it closer to his, “I’ll keep you with me as a slave.” He smiles. “I promise I won’t hurt any of your pack members if you break my father’s spell.”
“You know my family is powerful. You said it yourself.” I grab his hand and attempt to pull it away from my face but he doesn’t budge. “You think they’re going to let you waltz in the estate without a fight?” I ask incredulously.
“Your family might have demonic powers, but you know what every member of the Dark Moon pack is an expert at?” His rough hand caresses my cheeks and barely hovers above my lips. “Assassination,” he whispers and I unintentionally shiver.
Rumors of a pack as strong as ours had been circulating ever since I can remember, but I never thought much of it. After all, I didn’t care about any of this stuff. All I wanted as a child was to get rid of this werewolf curse and live as a normal human.I guess that’s not happening anytime soon, huh? I slap his hand away from my face and push him back. “Listen. I’m sorry for what happened ten years ago, but I had nothing to do with it. If you have any problems with my family, why don’t you take it up with the head of the household? I’m sure she’d listen to you,” I say, sarcasm dripping from my every word. “I don’t want to be a part of this. Just let me go,” I plead.
He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. As soon as he opens them again, I couldn’t feel anything except pain.
Chapter Five
“You think I’m scared of you?” I manage to say through gritted teeth. I wasn’t sure what Gregory had done to me as soon as he opened his eyes.
Warm liquid trickles down my arm and in confusion I look down and blink. Gregory’s foot hurls over mine. That is when the realization hit me, he may not be aware of what he’s done to me.Still, I get the inky feeling that if I don’t get out of here fast, I might actually bleed to death.
Gregory fixes his gaze on me. “You will do as I say.” He holds me by the waist and pulls me in closer. “Or you lose everything, including your life. Don’t you get that? You don’t have a choice here but to do as I say!” He lets go of the foot still stuck to my other foot. The worn-out pain forces me to keel over. I try to get my bearings and focus on finding a weapon but I feel a little lightheaded. Gregory twirls a fistful of my hair and motions for me to look at him. “I’m not a very nice man, Isabela. If you don’t cooperate with me, I’ll kill you right here, right now. I’ll just have to take someone else from your family. Your sisters, for example.” He sneers. My eyes start to water from heat and exhaustion but I use all my strength to try and create some space between the dirt and my nose and mouth.
“Stay away from my sisters,” I mutter. Heat flows through my body and the urge to survive overtakes me, entirely.
“What was that? I couldn’t quite catch it, princess.” He stares at me coldly. I gulp in air fast.
“I said fuck you.” I smile as I throw dirt into his eyes as hard as I can.
He yells and I run as fast as my legs can carry me. It’s not long before I hear heavy footsteps running after me. This area isn’t a place I’m very familiar with and I debate slowing down to calculate my next move. My choices right now are limited, so I run deeper into the woods to avoid getting murdered by a maniac.
I dig my heels deeper into the ground as I attempt to put more space between us, but he’s too fast and I hear him getting closer and closer. “You little shit!” he yells.
He’s too quick, I’m going to have to fight. My hands start to shake at the thought. I do a quick body scan; I may be smaller than him, but I’m a skilled fighter.I’ll give him hell, though. If I die, he dies with me.
I listen closely to Gregory’s footfalls. I sense him a few meters behind and I slightly slow my pace. I hear him grunt and I duck my head just in time to evade his grasp. He stumbles forward, and I take this moment to move my body further away from him. But he regains his footing and lunges at me immediately. I fold backward, feeling the strain on my right arm but I continue and, with as much force as I can muster, I kick upward and connect my left foot with his chin.
The sound makes a loud echo throughout the woods and Gregory screams in pain.Good, that should give me time to get away from you. I take a step away from him but a tugging sensation keeps me from leaving. I look down and Gregory has a death grip on my ankle, hellbent on making me lose my balance. I struggle to break free and kick him with my other foot but he catches that one too and I tumble forward.
I break my fall with my hands. I bite back a groan as I feel Gregory begin to crawl on top of me. “You won’t get away that easily.” He snarls.
“I don’t plan on running away this time,” I retort. Taking a swing at his face, I manage to scratch him across his forehead, barely missing his eyes.
He curses in agony but he’s still on top of me. I push him away and knee him in the chest. This creates more space between us and I take the knife and drag the tip against his chest. His hand shoots up to stop me and I kick him away and he falls to my side. I throw the weapon as far as I can and muster enough strength to pin him to the ground.
Still groaning in pain from the multiple blows I gave him, I straddle his waist and reach behind me to grab something in between the waistband of my jeans. I almost laugh with delight as soon as I feel the smooth edges make contact with my hand. I take both out and pull them from the cowhide sheath.
I prod him to open his eyes. “Do you have any last words?” I giggle like a maniac. I twirl my silver daggers in between each hand. He glares at me and attempts to grab my face but I immediately press one pointed edge of my dagger to his forehead. He freezes and his eyes roll back to his head. “Do you know what I have in my hands right now?” I tease. His body starts to shake slowly, and he whimpers in fear, if I am to conclude. “Can you recognize what I’m pressing to your forehead, Gregory?” I try again and this time I pull the dagger away from his face. His eyes shift to me, he tries to grab me but his grip is weak.
“Silver,” he pants out, “silver daggers.”