The Unwanted Wolf
The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 39

ADIRA

I cracked my eyes open, trying to remember what happened last night. Wherever I was smelled different than what I was used to. It had a strong scent of lemon and antiseptic, and it made my stomach a little queasy. I opened my eyes, and I was surprised to replace myself in a bed filled with pillows and blankets. The room was decorated with pink and rainbows, almost like a child’s room. The light was soft and cozy. This was not what I was expecting to wake up to by any means.

Standing up, I went straight for the door. The handle was locked, which shouldn’t have surprised me. Even though this was set up to make me comfortable, I had still been taken against my will. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn’t need to use a door handle to get through a door. I just needed to use my magic and shift through it. That much I could handle.

When I tried to shift, nothing happened. I tried multiple times, but I couldn’t even feel a spark of energy within me. I wrapped my hands around my stomach, terrified as the reality set in. This attack was carefully planned. They made sure the pack wasn’t around when they took me last night, and they made sure I wouldn’t be able to use my magic in this room.

I sat back down on the bed and let my head fall into my hands. The bits and pieces of memory I had before passing out were distant and blurry, so I tried to go over the details. It was Jori who had attacked me, but it wasn’t Jori at the same time. It was definitely his face and his voice, but I saw a darkness in him that I knew didn’t actually belong to him. The darkness was familiar, though. It felt like the same darkness I faced with Theron and then again in the forest with Haley. It had the same intention; I knew that much. I didn’t know what the exact intention was, though.

How long had this been going on with Jori? Last night, whoever I was talking to made a good point. I didn’t know Jori, not really, so I didn’t know where Jori ended and the dark energy began. Percy would probably be the one who knew this best, but I wouldn’t be able to talk to him until I could get out of here. I couldn’t warn the others about Jori, either. My b***d went cold thinking about that possibility. If others didn’t know Jori wasn’t Jori, he could cause a lot more damage. He could go after Mark even.

Mark? I tried linking. Maybe there was the possibility he could hear me. Linking my mate was part of my werewolf abilities, but there were limitations on distance, and I had no idea where I was or how far away from the pack house I was. I wanted to hear Mark’s voice again though. I wanted to know if he and the others were okay last night. For all I knew, Jori had killed everyone, and that was why the pack house was so quiet.

I stood up and found myself at the door again. I pounded my fist on the metal, frustrated and scared.

“Let me out!” I cried, banging on the door, filled with frustration. “You can’t do this!”

Eventually, I stopped and slid down to the floor, feeling completely defeated. Without my magic, I didn’t know how to get myself out of here. I wondered if I could still transform into my wolf form, but I didn’t know how much good that would do in this room. There were no windows, and with the door made out of metal, I wouldn’t be able to break through it, even with my wolf strength. I had to figure something out, though. There was too much at stake to just wait around for someone to try and rescue me.

The lock on the door clicked, and I jumped to my feet, ready to attack whoever came through the door. I could overwhelm the person and make a run for it. The door opened slowly, and my heart raced as I waited for the opportune moment to strike. The door revealed Cain’s face in the entrance, and anger flooded my bones. The memory of his voice from last night filled my brain. He was the one behind this kidnapping.

I widened my stance and held up my hands in the attack position Reyland had made me practice one thousand times last night. When Cain was in full view, I used my entire body weight to throw a punch at him. My fist connected with his nose, and b***d instantly started pouring down his face.

“What the hell?” he snapped, holding his nose.

I used the moment of distraction to push past him and out of the room. The rest of the place looked completely different compared to the room I was left in. The walls were gray and cracked. The air was moist and held a strong moldy scent to them. Leaky pipes hung above on the ceiling. Wherever this was hadn’t been used in a long time, and it held the feeling of some sort of prison.

I ran down the hallway, unsure of where to go, but I knew I had to continue running before Cain got his wits about him. I tried to shift forward to gain some speed, but I still couldn’t feel any magic inside of me. With Cain’s magic, he would be able to replace me faster if he knew where I was. I just had to get far enough away so I could link Mark. If he knew where I was, he would come for me, even if I couldn’t escape myself.

There was a door at the end of the hallway, and I went straight for the handle. It was unlocked to my relief. I opened it up, just to replace another hallway. I ran down that hall, but it felt like I was in a maze. I was afraid that if I couldn’t get out of here, I would be stuck here for forever. I found another unlocked door and pushed my way through.

This time when I opened the door, sunlight flooded the room, burning my eyes. It felt like I had a hangover, and the sunlight caused an instant headache. I refused to let that stop me, so I continued moving forward. A second later, something solid hit my chest, knocking me back. Before I could fall, an arm wrapped around my waist.

“Not so fast, princess,” Jori said, a smirk heavy on his lips. “Did you really think it would be this easy to escape?”

I tried to squirm out of his grip, but he only tightened his grasp. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, holding onto me by the back of my legs. He entered the building and shut the door behind him, shutting out my freedom with it.

I continued kicking, trying to break free from his grasp. “Let me go!”

He chuckled at me. “Do you think throwing a fit will make me let you go? Do you honestly think that has ever worked?”

“Do you honestly think you’re going to get away with this?” I asked, hitting Jori’s back, still trying to make him let me go.

“Yes. Of course. No one knows where you are, and they have no way to replace you. Not only will we get away with this, but you will be mine forever,” he said.

A chill ran down my spine at his words. “I will never be yours.”

Jori continued walking through the building, taking his time to return to the room I woke up in. When he got to the room, he tossed me onto the bed and then left, shutting the door behind him. Cain was still standing in the room with me, holding his bloodied nose.

“Why do you have to insist on fighting me on this so much? Can’t you understand I’m just trying to do what’s best for you? I’m your father after all,” Cain said.

I sat on the bed, not having the energy to try to escape right now. I knew it wouldn’t work anyway. I would have to come up with a different plan. “You have never been a father to me, and you never will be.”

Cain let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re a stubborn girl. You get that from your mother. Maybe some time alone in here will make you change your mind.”

He walked out of the room, quickly shutting the door behind him. I ran over to the door and instantly tried to open it, but it was locked already. I hit my fists against the door and pressed my forehead against the metal. Tears spilled out of my eyes, and there was a soft pain in my chest from the separation with Mark. I needed him by my side with his arms wrapped around me, but I didn’t know if I would ever see him again. I stood up and placed my hand on my belly, more tears falling from my eyes.

–

RIE

Mason stared at me with a slack jaw. “So that’s why Adira just left so suddenly on her sixteenth birthday. I heard rumors, but I never found out the truth. I kept waiting for her to reach out to me, but it never happened. I was angry with her for such a long time, but I don’t blame her. Why would she reach out to everyone back home?”

I wrapped Mason in my arms. I had just told him the quick and dirty version of what I knew about Adira’s story. I had avoided the subject until now, since I didn’t feel like it was my story to tell. However, given the circumstances, I wanted to let Mason know why sorcerers were involved in all of this.

“It’s a lot,” I said, pressing my cheek against his chest.

I had never worried about having a mate before, at least that was always what I told people. Who needed a mate when you could go shopping? Deep down, I was jealous of those around me. It felt like everyone was replaceing their mates while I was playing the side character. When I met Mason, that all changed, and I didn’t know how strong the mate connection was. It had been everything I wanted when replaceing a mate and so much more.

Mason was strong and caring, but he was also funny and sweet. He was hot, too, like out of this world hot. I had barely been able to keep my hands off him since our first meeting.

Mason stroked my back and held me tight against him. “We’ll replace her. We have to.”

I let out a long sigh. “I hate this. I hate all of this. Adira is so kind and special, and she doesn’t deserve this. It feels like she just can’t catch a break, but she doesn’t stop trying. She keeps going and still makes sure that everyone is okay, even when she’s not.”

Mason pulled back and put his hand under my chin, making me look up at him. “We’ll get her back. We’ll make things right.”

Mason leaned down to k**s me, and I lifted up on my toes to meet his lips. A fire burned inside of me, and for a moment, I thought about bringing Mason back to the bedroom and having my way with him. It would be the perfect distraction, even if it was just for a few moments. Reluctantly, I pulled back, breaking the k**s. If the situations were reversed, I knew Adira wouldn’t stop searching until she found me. I couldn’t in good conscience have my way with my mate when she couldn’t be with hers.

I grabbed Mason’s hand. “Come on. Break is over. We need to get back to work.”

Mason pulled me back into him, kissing me again, this time slipping his tongue into my mouth and making me completely melt under my touch. He pulled away, and I whimpered, wanting more.

“I just wanted one more k**s.” He grabbed my hand again and started pulling me out of my room, which had been our room for the past few days.

“You’re a tease,” I whined.