CHAPTER 002: Camila's Despair

Camila tried to relax, biting her lips. She shut her eyes, and concentrated on the little ache in her chest instead of the sharp rope that sliced into her wrists. She waited.

She had to wait.

The whip, which she knew would fall any second, had not fallen yet. The expectation was exasperating, yet she had to breathe in a steady manner. She counted, and her thoughts were the only thing that kept her on her feet. One... two... three... She attempted to take her mind off, to think of something else, but she could not. The manner in which the men surrounding her looked at her with predatory eyes could not be ignored.

Her nightgown clung to her skin, a reminder of her helplessness. She would have liked to huddle up, but the rope kept her in place. The dread of the future ate at her heart, and turned her stomach. But still, she waited. The whip lash had not yet arrived, and that horrified her still more. What was taking so long?

Then, suddenly, a blood-curdling scream broke the air.

The heart of Camila jumped in her chest. What was happening? Was this in the scheme of things, or was there another scheme? The men who were around her began to jump out of their seats, their eyes open with fear, and moved about. Wolves, large and savage, started to form in front of her eyes. They fled, and ran away. Some of them looked back, their eyes black and savage, and Camila was left alone and perplexed.

She couldn’t make sense of it. Were they abandoning her? Was this some kind of cruel joke?

"What's happening?" Camila was urging.

One of the men of her father, who was still a human, came to her. His face was pale, his habitual smugness changed to fear. He was fumbling hastily with the ropes that tied her to the tree.

We were discovered by a wolf pack, he said, in a panicking voice.

Her heart beat in her chest. His eyes shone with wickedness and he grinned.

Naturally, you fool, he said, evidently annoyed. “What did you think? This isn’t some game.”

“Can you untie me faster?” But the man had trouble with the rope. The terror of death that was approaching her was too tangible and each moment seemed like a lifetime.

"You owe me, slut. I am only helping you because I want you later. He looked away, and kept on fumbling with the rope, his hands shaking.

Tears stung the back of her eyes, yet Serenity, her wolf, snarled in her head, telling her to keep quiet. She was the only thing that kept her together, even when she was caught up in this awful mess. Serenity had a plan. She had to wait.

She could feel her stomach churning as she heard the paws of the thundering animals in the distance. He was either too scared to concentrate, or the knots were too knotty.

“Don’t you have a knife?” Camila’s frustration surged. "Use your paws! Cut the rope!"

The noise was growing louder and the ground they were on seemed to shake. They moved slowly and deliberately, and Camila drew her breath as they went round. The wolves were approaching.

“Shit!” His voice panicked, and he growled. "This isn’t good."

He looked at her, a death stare that chilled. The breath of Camila was quicker, and her heart beat wildly in panic. She pulled more at the ropes, endeavored to loosen them, but to no avail.

“Please! Faster, faster, please, she cried, and her voice broke. But the man just gave up. He dropped the rope, and turned on his heels to change into his wolf shape.

“No!” Camila screamed, and desperation tore at her throat. “Help me!”

But it was too late.

A brown wolf sprang at the man, and its jaws closed round his throat. His body curled to the floor, his head ripped off his shoulders in a moment. The horror of it made Camila open her eyes wide, and the blood sprayed over her face, and even into her mouth. It was a metallic, sick taste, and she gagged, her body shrinking in terror.

The brown wolf, with its blood-streaked muzzle now turned toward her, opened its teeth. The ferocity in its eyes paralyzed Camila. But, rather than charging her, it uttered a great howl, and its head was up to the sky.

The thundering of paws was heard in the air, and the more wolves came near her, the louder the sound became. The aura of authority that surrounded him was indisputable. She was surrounded.

And then they appeared.

She was surrounded by more than ten wolves, whose eyes were gleaming with hunger. Her heart beat was faster. A big black wolf came out in the back of the pack. Its size and presence were a matter of respect, and the others at once cleared the way. The strength of him could be felt by Camila, the air was becoming heavy with tension.

The black wolf moved, his shape towering over her, his nakedness now a far-off thing. Now he was human, and his presence was still more overwhelming in this form. They had a strain, a strain that was not visible.

Camila immediately recognized that this man, the one standing in front of her, was their Alpha. she screamed, and her voice was hardly heard. Then his voice came through the air, chilled and full of hate.

“Camila…” He spoke her name like a curse. “Where is he?”

"Who?" The voice of Camila trembled in perplexity. Her mind raced. She didn’t understand. Who was he asking about?

The Alpha spat, his voice full of disgust, Achilles. The sting of his words caused Camila to sink in her stomach. “Where is Achilles?”

Her father.

He fled as your men came, Camila said, scarcely more than a whisper. The Alpha stared at her, his face cold, as though he had decided. “I don’t know where he is.”

The Alpha narrowed his eyes, and he made no reply. It appeared to be the sole escape of this nightmare. The heart of Camila beat in her chest.

“Kill her,” he ordered suddenly.

The world of Camila was tilted, and her body shivered. "Please…" The voice was deep and strong, and it sliced the air with a knife. Her eyes were full of tears and she was hanging there, powerless and chained.

His eyes, which were the bluest she had ever seen, were staring at her. “I want her head,” he said coldly.

Camila experienced a sense of despair. Death. The man she had been waiting for, hoping, all her life. The reality of it sank in and her heart slowed. Death would be preferable to the life she had lived. Better than the shame, the fear, the endless torment.

Her eyes lowered in defeat. She shut them, and attempted to submit to the doom that was drawing near her.

But then the wind shifted.

The sweetest smell was intoxicating her senses and her mouth was watering as the smell filled her. Nothing could be said about it, but it was something pure, something beautiful, which she had never known before.

“Don’t touch her.”

But when her hope began to rise, it sank again. It was a command. Camila awoke with a start, and glanced about, seeking the cause.

And then she saw him.

The man who stood in front of her was breathtaking. His words were a blow to the chest to Camila. The world in which she lived appeared to disappear. It was just him and her. Something was moving inside her, a bond that she could not describe.

Mate, Serenity said in her head, and her voice shook. The word reverberated in the mind of Camila and her heart beat missed a beat.

Her eyes moved across the body of the man, absorbing every inch of him. His features were perfect, his body was made like a warrior, his muscles were trembling under his skin. He was perfect. He was all Camila had never dreamed of.

The man who had commissioned her death. This was her mate. I know you would use her, Mateo, the man, his voice deep with evil.

Her heart beat in her chest. He had saved her. But why? Was he here to help her? Or was he but a piece in some other sadistic game?

Mateo came, and his face set.

I must have her to snare Achilles, the blue-eyed man, said coldly.

Would Camila live to be a bait, or would her destiny be determined by the cold will of Mateo? He didn’t want her for her. He didn’t want to save her. He wanted to use her. She wasn’t his mate in his eyes. She was a tool, a weapon.

Her heart sank.

Do you hear yourself, Mateo? a voice behind the man asked. The head of Camila turned to the side, and she beheld another strong man, whose eyes were as fiery as those of Mateo.

Mateo.

That was his name. The discovery caused Camila to have a heart-twist.

And that was when it hit her. Mateo was the son of the Alpha. The air was strained between them as the two men gazed at one another.

But she is not an instrument to be used. Mateo came in, and his face set. She’s a rogue. Why do you suppose she can help you get your father?

The two men looked at one another in a strained silence. "She's my best chance. And I will not let that slip by."

Would Camila die to be a temptation, or would her fate be decided by the chilly sentence of Mateo?

The father of Mateo walked away. “Krane, give me a neck shackle.”

Would Camila live to be bait, or would the cold judgment of Mateo decide her fate?