Chapter 18

AMARA

I didn’t let what happened earlier stop me.

The memory of Ragnar – his hands all over my body, his fingers moving really well hitting my G-spot and pleasuring the hell out of me, his lips... Gawd they tasted like sin and fire meshed together – in my room still burned in my mind.

I wonder how his lips would have tasted on my pussy lips instead of his fingers, and we could have gotten along really well if he'd not decided to own and use me as his personal possession.

"Obsessive and possessive deranged freak!" I hissed out in annoyance.

"No one has ever touched me like he did. Not even Marek." I thought out loud.

Although in Marek's case — back in high school, I was a shy freak and didn't entertain any ideas of indulging really much in sex.

"But, heavens, Ragnar was good and knew what he was doing."

I shook my head slowly pushing the thought away and mentally blaming myself for even considering the thought.

"I was leaving this place." I gritted my teeth, clenching my hands into fist.

There was no time to tell the weak or confused about what to do. I had already made my choice. I was leaving this place.

"Tonight. No matter what. Whether the goddess likes it or not, this shit hole and their deranged Alpha wasn't what I bargained for." I spat out, my face twisted up in disgust.

Literally all the people in this pack were mad, and if they're not – disgusting and foolish was another word I'd use to describe them.

"Because, how can a normal, physically, mentally and emotionally stable person live in this pack?"

I sat in my corner during practice, my face blank, my mind already planning. The others thought I was just tired, but my thoughts were far from here. Tonight, I will be gone.

When practice ended, Ryder didn’t follow me back to my room. That was the first good sign. He always watched me too closely, but tonight he walked off to talk to someone else. Ragnar didn’t show up to watch me either. I had no idea what happened because he never skipped watching me practice.

The hall felt emptier without his eyes on me.

I waited in my room until I was sure everything was quiet. My heart beat fast, but I kept my breathing steady. I moved to my small wardrobe and pulled out the clothes I had kept ready for days — black pants, a black jacket, a hoodie.

I slipped them on quickly, pulling the hood over my head. I put on black shoes and grabbed my backpack from under the bed.

I stepped to the door, placed my hand against it, and let a small wave of my power spread out, testing the air.

"No one nearby. Good." And with that I slipped into the hall.

The air was cold, and the silence heavy. I moved quickly, letting my power guide me through the passages. I could feel it pulling me toward the place I needed to be.

I reached the room where Clara and the other girls were locked. I pressed my palm to the lock and pushed a whisper of power into it. The lock clicked open without a sound.

The door creaked softly as I opened it.

Clara was awake, just as I told her to be. She rushed to me the second she saw me.

"Is it time?" she whispered, her eyes wide.

"Yes," I said. "Come on. And be quiet."

She grabbed my arm like she was afraid I’d disappear. I pulled her out, then handed her clothes just like mine.

"Put these on," I told her.

She dressed fast, tossing her old clothes aside. Then we moved.

We reached the tunnel, the dark stretching ahead. That’s when I saw a huge figure — a guard standing at the bend, his back to us. My steps froze. My breath slowed.

Clara leaned close. "What are we going to do?" she whispered.

"Don’t talk," I said, my voice cold. "And don’t ever speak about what you see me do."

Her lips pressed tight as she nodded.

I stepped forward slowly, leaning against the wall like I was just resting. I closed my eyes for a second, pulling my power into my hand. I could feel it move like a shadow over my skin. I aimed it at him, slow and quiet.

When it had wrapped around him fully, I took one deep breath. Then I curled my fist and snapped my fingers.

He dropped instantly, his body hitting the floor like a stone.

I stared at him for a second. A small smile touched my lips.

Clara’s mouth fell open, but one glare from me shut her up.

We stepped over him and kept moving. The tunnel was long, but soon we reached the end. Instead of heading for the main gate, we cut toward the ruins. The air outside felt strange after so long in the underground.

We walked past the guards stationed there. I forced myself to smile at them.

"We’re going for a short walk," I said lightly.

One of them grinned. "Don’t stay out too long."

"We won’t," Clara added quickly.

We passed them without a single alarm. My heart beat faster with every step away from that place.

Once we were out of the pack’s territory, we ran. We didn’t speak because at that point, no words needed to be exchanged. We both knew the purpose of what we're doing.

So we just ran. My legs burned, my chest ached, but I didn’t stop.

We reached the road, and I waved down a bus. It stopped, and we climbed inside. I dropped into a seat at the back. Clara sat beside me, her hands shaking.

She turned and hugged me. "You saved me," she whispered happily , her lips meeting with my cheek and I sighed dramatically. "I thought I’d never get out."

"Don’t thank me yet," I looked away. "We’re not safe until we’re far from here."

The bus started moving, the engine rumbling. I kept my hood low, my eyes on the dark road ahead. My mind ran through the possibilities — where we’d go, how we’d hide, what to do if they came after us.

For a few minutes, it was quiet except for the sound of the bus. My shoulders loosened slightly.

"Maybe… maybe we would make it. Maybe we'd leave Ragnar and his pack of freaks. I'd find out about my powers, learn my werewolf side and take revenge on my father's murderer."

All of a sudden – midway into the journey, the bus skidded.

"Fuck shit!" The driver cursed under his breath.

The brakes screamed and the bus jolted to a hard stop.

My heart sank.

The door at the front burst open, slamming against the wall.

A shadow filled the doorway.

Clara’s nails dug into my arm. Her eyes widened. "No…" she whispered.

I looked up and my blood went cold.

He stepped inside, moving slowly, his eyes locked on me. I could feel the weight of them even through the dim light. Each step he took echoed in my ears.

People on the bus shifted nervously, but no one said a word.

"Princess," his voice was low, dark, like it came from somewhere deep. "Did you really think you could run from me?"

Clara’s breath came fast beside me as she clutched me tightly.

"You’re mine," he said as he reached us. "Mine forever."

His hand moved faster before I could react. A flash of pain hit the side of my head and darkness rushed up to meet me.