Hunted by the Wolf

Gianna

"Jacob, I can't," I sob as tears trail down my face. "I won't. Don't ask me to do this! We're supposed to face this together!"

Calmly, my husband takes my hands in his. I can't understand why he isn't panicking like I am—my heart is just about to beat right out of my chest. I can't breathe.

The rogues are coming for us.

In a few moments, everyone standing in this room is going to be dead.

But Jacob wants to save me—he practically forced me to wear a maid's uniform and has Lydia, my maid, in my clothes, so that when the rogues come, they'll think she's me.

Lydia is meant to die in my place. How am I supposed to live with that?

"I see no point in both of us dying," Jacob says in a low voice before taking my face in his hands and peering at me. His eyes search mine and a low sigh leaves his lips. "Gianna. My sweet, beautiful Gianna."

We've only been married for a year. By the goddess, that wasn't enough time. This is all wrong. "We can both make it out," I suggest desperately. "We can run now before they come!"

"And die on the run like a coward? I don't think so, Gianna," he whispers before kissing my lips. Tears flow freely down my face when I realize this is the last kiss we'll probably ever share. "Be brave, my love. Be strong. I know you can do it."

"What do I do, Jacob?" I sob. "How am I supposed to live without you?"

He runs his fingers through my hair. Somewhere downstairs, I hear screaming and my heart freezes in my chest. Even Lydia—poor, sweet Lydia—whimpers. "You'll live because you're fierce. Intelligent. You have to make sure he pays for what he's doing. You need to avenge all our deaths."

If the rumors are to be believed, Jacob, my husband, is the last living Alpha from the original seven in Aschea, our country. The rogues have been killing them all mercilessly, following the orders of this self-proclaimed Alpha King.

We fought a bloody war and lost.

"Quick, there's no time," he says, suddenly rushing. "We have to head downstairs. Remember, Gianna. Keep your head low." He reaches for Lydia, who cries out. My heart breaks for her. This moment? It'll haunt me forever.

Our eyes lock one last time before he disappears behind me. I take deep, gulping breaths, struggling to get my thoughts in order. Is this what it feels like before you go completely crazy? I look over my shoulder and he's gone. He's left to fight the rogues downstairs, or try to.

He wants me to stay here and wait for the rogue men to find me. As a maid, they're probably going to collar me and make me one of their slaves.

After that, who knows what fate has in store for me?

I count to ten a few times, chaos ensuing all around me. Jacob. I think of his face and kind eyes, and my stomach churns. How can I let him face this alone? How can I let another woman die in my place?

Clenching my jaw, I decide to head downstairs. I have to see him, even if it's one last time. If there's something I can do to help him, I'll do it.

In sickness and in health. Until death do us part. Those were our vows before the Moon Priest. How can I so easily forget them now?

I reach the top of the stairs and see bodies littered everywhere, the blood on the marble floor a deep red. Slowly, I make my way down the stairs, hearing grunts that sound like men fighting. I reach the bottom of the stairs, trembling like a leaf.

The first thing that catches my attention is poor Lydia, lying dead on the ground, her throat slit.

The next is the two figures fighting several feet away from me. One of them is my husband, and the other is a beast of a man who towers over my Jacob. Jacob's wounded but fighting bravely. I don't see anyone else, which makes me realize that if he beats this man, we might just have a chance.

We might—

The rogue stabs Jacob in the gut. I watch the scene unfold before my eyes in slow motion, a scream forming in my throat and getting lodged there. Jacob's eyes meet mine over the man's shoulder, and blood bubbles out of his mouth, staining his chin and front.

I cover my mouth with both hands, tears blinding me. The rogue drops Jacob on the ground, then spits. "For all the souls you claimed."

I should move—I know this. If that man turns around, he'll see me. But I'm rooted to the spot, and sure enough, the man's eyes meet mine.

I can't think. Can't move. Can't breathe.

I'm not sure how much time passes. All I know is that it's a long time indeed. I wonder if Jacob was wrong when he assumed I'd be kept as a slave. Perhaps this man will kill me right here.

I wish he would so I wouldn't have to live with this.

Jacob was wrong—I'm not strong or brave.

Not for this.

Suddenly, a group of men enter our home, slamming right past me and heading to him. The front man of the group says to the beast, "Beta, we've killed all the guards and we've rounded up the slaves."

He never takes his eyes off me. "You missed one. That one over there."

They all turn their heads to look at me. I've never been this afraid in my entire life. The front man walks toward me, leering with a disgusting grin on his face. He holds my neck, pulling me a little too close to him, and then he wraps the thin silver chain around my neck.

It stings when it touches my skin. It's made of silver, after all. Not enough to kill me, just to prevent me from shifting.

"Dispatch these bodies," he says to the other men, turning away from me. "The Alpha King wants their bodies intact, especially the woman's."

"I thought the Alpha King wanted her alive," someone proclaims as I'm practically being pushed through the door.

"Yes," I hear the beast—the Beta—say. "But she slit her own neck when she saw us. There was nothing I could do to stop it."

My heart gives a tight squeeze in my chest. Poor Lydia. She was so afraid. She died in my place—she would've been alive. I took her life from her and for that, I'll never forgive myself.

The rest of the employees who worked at our home are rounded up. Their heads are low, and I notice that they're mostly women. They're being told to sit on the back of an open wooden carriage, packed like sardines.

Behind me, I hear the Beta's voice. My husband's killer. "Where will these slaves be taken?"

"To the Alpha King's territory," someone answers.

"No, we'll need some of them in our camp. That one. Bring her with us."

I have a strong feeling he's talking about me. One of the rogues closed his hand around my arm and gives me a sharp tug. I nearly land on my knees. To my horror, it's the front man who collared me. "You're coming with us, pretty girl."

He flashes his teeth at me. They're crooked and broken.

I lower my head as I walk away from the other slaves and the place that's been my home for the better part of a year.

I survived, even though I didn't want to. What does life have in store for me now?