6

"I'm not going to make it that easy for you, princess." The redhead growled in my ear, pressing my body closer to his. "Shit, I could almost get a boner now with your ass against mine like that tail squeezes."

I didn't respond to his perverted come-on, but I was still disgusted with him. When I think back to the fact that I almost slept with him, then... I can't think of any suitable words for that. full moon? I hate you.

"Let her go!" Steven hissed, clenching his teeth and glaring at those behind me.

"So weak. You can't even protect your own mate." Devin walked me back a few feet to keep his distance.

"Devin!" This time it was my brother who glared at Devin angrily. He stood among the others from the dungeon with his hands up let you go and we won't kill Silva for that?"

"Only if she can go with us!" Steven made his request.

"We can't do that. What else would we have then?"

"Only over my dead body!" growled my mate, who was now clenching his fists and taking menacing steps towards Devin and me.

However, the redhead behind me didn't agree and pressed the cold blade harder on my neck. I could already feel it cutting into my flesh at that point. Then Steven stopped abruptly.

But none of that interested me. The injury would heal in a few minutes anyway. All that mattered was my mate. Now he had a chance to get back to his pack and what a mate I would be if he threw away that chance for my sake. I was used to living here, after all, because I grew up around Jaxon, Devin, and people like them.

"It's okay, Steven. I'm okay. Now go with your men and just forget about me." I said, hoping he would leave. Besides, let's be honest. If he showed up with a stray in his pack, he'd only be ashamed of me.

"I'm not-..." he started, but I cut him off.

"Yes you will!" Steven looked at me angry, but also sad.

"If you think I'll go without you, then you're a-...", he tried again, but I interrupted him again. He should be happy again. But with me, he wouldn't. I don't belong to him or his pack, because I'm just an outcast, nobody would accept me like that.

"Steven, please. Just go now." I said firmly.

,,A-..."

,,STEVEN!"

"Then please take care of yourself! I'll get you." You could see his inner conflict, but then he turned to the other men and nodded to them, so that they then transformed and all, including my mate, ran into the forest.

A few minutes later, they were out of sight. Devin pulled the blade away from my neck and put it in his pocket. Then he started caressing my neck with kisses.

"You didn't seriously think that bird would be good enough for you, did you? He comes from a pack and you are one of us outcasts. He's probably glad you're not with him now." Devin whispered in my ear.

My gaze slid to Jaxon, who was still standing at the door, looking at me with a disappointed look on his face. Then he turned into his silver wolf and also disappeared into the forest.

"Finally alone." Devin mumbled into my neck as his kisses trailed down my shoulder.

Did he say alone? Where was Mara?

I glanced at the entrance again, but she was no longer to be seen.

Oh no, oh no, oh no. Please don't be alone with this psycho.

Meanwhile, one of Devin's hands slipped under my shirt and touched my bare skin at the waist.

"Let go of me, you bum!" I uttered, trying to free myself from Devin's grip, which I actually managed to do.

"One day you'll beg me to get it for you," he threatened. Then he roughly grabbed my upper arm again and dragged me inside the pack house. He pulled me down the hall, towards a door I now knew very well.

Please do not! He can't just lock me in the dungeon now. But when he didn't change direction, but kept walking towards the dungeon door, I knew exactly what he was planning.

Panic rose in me immediately. It was one thing when I'm in a cell and the door isn't locked, but quite another when he locked me down there. I didn't like being locked up because I loved the freedom and running as a wolf.

So I tried to free myself from Devin's grip, but as usual he was stronger than me. Why do male wolves always have to be so strong???

Devin couldn't be stopped and then pushed me rather roughly into the first available cell, which he then locked.

"You don't come out of here until you finally let me fuck you. And that's clear. You don't get food and drink either!" Devin started laughing nastily.

"Come on Devin. You know I hate being locked up." I tried but he just gave me a perverted grin.

"Then change your mind and you can get out immediately!"

"You can wait a long time for this." My voice was deep and full of conviction. There was no way in my life that I would let that bum touch me.

Stevens P.O.V.

I didn't feel good about leaving my mate with these crazy people. Who knows what they'll do to her if I'm not there to protect her? But I had a plan. Once I'm back with my old pack, we can assemble an army and free Silva from her clutches.

You must have been worried about me. Who knows exactly how many years I was imprisoned down there. I didn't understand the meaning behind it either. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to finally returning home. I'm looking forward to my older brother Dave, to my parents, to Aurelia...

Aurelia. She died next to me. I was holding her hand when she suddenly got very cold.

I immediately became sad. Because a lot must have changed in recent years and without Aurelia everything is no longer the same.

"What's going on?" Marius asked me worriedly in the Mindlink. Poor guy was only 16 when we were attacked and now a big scar running across his face will forever remind him of that day see how long ago that day was, because what was a young teenager has now become a man.

"Nothing, I'm just wondering how it will be at home." I answered him, trying not to think about Aurelia or Arsen, which must have affected her death the most. He certainly wasn't the same anymore.

"I wonder about that too. I'm also happy to finally see Cody again. He was my best friend back then." I was happy for Marius. At least someone who could see his best friend again.

Then suddenly the black and gray wolf of Owen stopped in front of me. "I can't wait to see Kiana again soon," he gushed. Owen, who was supposed to be in town on the day of the attack, was also there for my birthday. Luckily without his mate Kiana, he could rest assured that she was fine.

At least one who doesn't worry about his mate.

" Why are you stopping?" asked the gray wolf, which was Marius.

"I don't know. I've got a bad feeling about this right now," Owen said. And I got the same feeling now. We'd been running for a while, so we might well have been running beyond the limits of our pack by now, if at all It's also possible that someone else defeated Arsen after Aurelia's death and is now Alpha.

The whole group of eight people stopped next to Owen. Everyone seemed to notice this threatening feeling because they began to look around in all directions.

When a seemingly hostile growl sounded, we stood in a circle and could look in all directions. If it was necessary to fight, then we could do it.

Then we saw shadows slowly coming towards us from the forest. There were other wolves and they had surrounded us. Now some wolves from my group started to growl. But the other wolves kept coming at us and didn't even think about retreating.

When she got close enough, they menacingly loomed in front of us. A loud growl suddenly made us all small. It must have been the Alpha.

With my head bowed, I looked around and could see a black wolf to my left, which was larger than the others. He had to be. And if I'm not mistaken, it's even arsenic.

"What are you doing in our area?" asks another menacing voice, which connected to us in the Mindlink. That probably means they no longer recognize us.

"Talk!" the voice continued to command. I assumed it was coming from the light brown wolf in front of me, which was the second largest here. The Beta, Costa.

Because they didn't recognize us, I didn't know what to say. I thought it would be easier, but would you believe us?

"Cody?" It was Marius' voice that broke the dam. Shortly thereafter he jumped out of our circle, towards a dark brown wolf.

"Marius?" Cody asked, obviously completely confused. But he didn't have time to think anymore when Marius jumped on top of the other one and the two tussled in the leaves and lovingly bumped their heads together.

"What the hell?" came the voice of the alpha, who took the menace out of his stance and looked confused after the playing and cuddling wolves. Well, Marius isn't as grown up as I thought he would be.

Now that we were no longer threatened by the other wolves, I decided to transform back. Some of the other seven did the same.

When we stood in front of the other wolves, as God created us, most of them lost their facial expressions, which they also had as wolves. Then they turned back too, including Costa and Arsen.

They still looked at us in disbelief until the alpha himself broke the silence: "How can you still live? Everyone thought you were dead." He paused and, shocked, grabbed his black hair, which was already showing a few gray hairs. "Steven? You were dead and really."

"Seems like I somehow survived it after all." I scratch the back of my head nervously, unable to explain myself how I can still be alive.

"This can't be real." Even he was completely out of character.

"We should get you back to the pack first so that a doctor can check you out and you should get a proper meal first. You look emaciated.", said the beta, who has now taken over the speaking for his alpha.

We all turned back into our wolf form and ran after the others. Back to the pack. Back home.