50

It started raining, which made everything look even sadder than it already seemed. "How did you even manage to come to us unnoticed?" I turned to Camilla and pulled her arm a few steps away from Emma, who was now back on her feet, but still just stared at her brother with a blank stare .

"I threw Damien and I's clothes all over the woods and snuck up when that idiot ran deeper and deeper into the woods to check for the smells," she informed me, looking in the direction Aiden had gone. "And why hasn't he come back yet?" I asked her looking into the forest, but she didn't answer, which was answer enough for me.

Either he was on his way to take Damien down, or he was hiding somewhere in the thick trees, watching us like a hunter his prey. "Once he's transformed, he can understand every word we say, no matter how softly we whisper. Running away is no longer an option." nose rose and I could hear her heartbeat, like mine, beating faster than usual.

"We should just transform too. One can take Emma on his back and we'll sprint. He can't catch us both.", she suggested in a whisper and looked in the direction of the little one, on whom I then also directed my eyes worried.

Ich holte tief Luft und schüttelte mich vor Scham. Camilla schaute mich fragend an und wartete immernoch auf irgendeine Reaktion von mir, während der Regen auf uns nieder prasselte und die Klamotten durch nässte, die uns am Körper lagen. "Ich kann mich nicht verwandeln.", murmelte ich und schaute runter auf das Gras, dass von dem Regen den wunderschönen Geruch frei gab, den ich so sehr liebte.

"What do you mean by that?" Camilla asked excitedly, gripping my arm tightly. She looked deep into my eyes as if she didn't believe me, and I probably would have reacted the same way if a werewolf had told me she'd chased away her inner wolf. "I pushed her feelings aside and since Damien was being beaten up in front of me, she's backed away," I told her succinctly, pulling my arm out of her tight grip to turn to Emma again. "Transform and take her with you. I'll come as fast as my feet can carry me."

Sie schüttelte verneinend mit dem Kopf, sodass einige Tropfen ihrer kurzen nassen Haare mir ins Gesicht spritzten. "Ich lass dich nicht-" "Hör auf mich Camilla! Wollte Aiden mich töten, hätte er es schon getan. Ich habe keine Angst vor ihm, nur Angst davor, dass Damien was passieren könnte.", riss ich sie am Arm Richtung Emma zurück, der ich kurz erklärte, dass sie mit Camilla gehen müsste. Sie verstand das alles nicht, und wollte auch nicht gehen, doch sie wusste das sie es musste.

"As soon as you arrive at the camp, explain everything to them and go to the castle with Damien. I'll take the other direction and walk straight there. We'll meet there." Camilla nodded, although I could tell she was reluctant to leave me alone. But she accepted it and then came towards me with open arms to hug me warmly. "Take care," she whispered, and with tears in her eyes, she pulled away to run to the edge of the forest, sobbing. Emma just looked at me sadly and then ran after her. Maybe she blamed me for all of this, because without me, Aleks would never have been a target of this lunatic. But that was okay with me because I also blamed myself more than anyone else ever could.

Als beide nicht mehr zu sehen waren, schloss ich kurz die Augen und versuchte Saphir dazu zu bringen, mir nach all dem endlich beizustehen, doch egal wie sehr ich innerlich schrie und flehte, es kam nichts von ihr zurück, also musste ich alleine da durch.

Ein letzter schmerzender Blick auf Aleks, der aussah, als würde er friedlich im Regen schlafen, dann machte ich mich in die Richtung auf, in der Camilla Aiden als letztes gesehen hatte. Es war nie mein Plan, zum Schloss zurück zu kehren und diesen Abschaum entkommen zu lassen. Dazu wusste niemand ausser ihm, wo Nero steckte, und so lange ich wusste, das wenigstens für Camilla, Emma und Damien alles gut werden würde, war es mir egal, ob ich je wieder zum Schloss zurück kehren würde.

If my wolf was gone, the connection didn't matter anymore, Damien could survive without me. At least that's what I told myself, I didn't know if it was really like that, but I wanted it with all my heart, because his life should be happy and full of colors, even without me by his side.

I had another job. Driven by anger, I walked through the rain into the forest, looking for the one who had broken my heart and left nothing in me but the deep sadness, the all-consuming pain and the unbridled anger.

Without making the slightest sound, I stood in the middle of the forest with my back to a tree wide enough to hide behind. With my eyes closed, I sharpened my other senses and listened to the rain, which found its way to the ground over leaves and branches. I heard the wind, which was only blowing lightly, and still gave me a shiver, because through the wet clothes it looked like pure ice that was spread over my body.

Again and again I briefly held the air deep in my lungs, trying to detect even the tiniest bit of scent from my prey. But neither his scent nor the sounds of his presence could be heard. I opened my eyes wide in frustration and kept running into the woods, always following the direction where Camilla had laid out her clothes for bait, and every now and then I caught the comforting smell of my mate, who always stop again briefly and whimper longingly. Not just because of him, but also because of Saphir, which I missed terribly, that little defiant voice.

I missed them both, but I couldn't let myself turn back. As long as Aiden was still alive, there would be no peace for us, and besides, I could never reconcile myself with letting Aleks' murderer live.

A rustling pulled me back to reality and I immediately ran in the direction it was coming from, but far and wide all I could see were trees. No sign of an animal, let alone him. Another snap of branches propelled me back in the other direction, and I just ran back and forth between the trees through the cold rain. When the wind suddenly picked up, I caught his scent very well, and at the same time I realized he was playing with me.

It wasn't his intention to face me or kill me. His only aim was to humiliate and torment me until nothing would be left but an empty shell of hatred. "Come on out!" I yelled into the forest and brushed my wet black hair away from my face, which the wind kept blowing there. Spinning, I surveyed my surroundings, aiming for every broad tree to be prepared for when he jumped out from behind them.

My heart was racing and my whole body was shaking as I started running again, frantically scanning everything, and all of a sudden my breathing stopped as he was standing between two trees a few feet away, wearing only his pants.

His eyes sparkled with excitement while his blond hair lay wet back on his head. "I knew you would run after me," he said, and casually, as if nothing had ever happened, he walked towards me with a smile.

As he got closer and closer, my heart pounding louder and my mind sinking more and more into hatred, I became aware of something. Revenge has never been a good thing, for it blinds one to the truth, and driven by anger and grief, I had only thought of killing him, but not how I would do it, and if I even stood a chance.

"No matter what you do to me, you will-" "Melody, how could I harm my queen," he took a step closer, studying my angry face. "I'd rather die than be your queen!" I shot back hatefully in a trembling voice, taking slow steps back to keep enough distance between us.

From the hunter to the hunted, from the driven hatred to the fleeing fear. The chaos ruled me and he obviously enjoyed playing this cat and mouse game with me. "Why?" he asked in surprise and suddenly stopped leaning against a tree. I stopped and looked at him questioningly. "Why do not you want me?" My jaw dropped when his face suddenly seemed like a little unloved boy that everyone else dismissed, but he wasn't. He was a rapist, a murderer, and a liar who could teach even the devil something. "I don't really have to answer that for you, do I?" I asked him and immediately the hatred took hold of my face again and his gaze hardened again.

"You're an ungrateful piece of shit, you know that?!" he jerked closer, but I turned my back on him and ran back, hoping to spot something resembling a gun along the way. A rock would do, and the moment I spotted a thick branch, it leaped at me from behind, sending me slamming to the hard forest floor.

He violently yanked at my shoulder and rolled me onto my back. "You want it too. You want to belong to me, you just don't dare to admit it, but you will someday, and then our era together will begin.", he smiled and sat down on my hips, which caused me severe pain and made me gasp.

I tried to push him off me, but he sat there, staring dreamily at the forest, and didn't move a bit. When I was about to give up, I suddenly saw the knife lying loosely in his hand and had a risky idea. "Aiden! Aiden! It's not good for our baby if you sit on me. You have to help me up, please." I breathed and looked at him plaintively. His eyes fell on me, startled and irritated at the same time, and he quickly got up and gave me his hand, smiling. I let him pull me up and looked deep into his eyes while he looked at me lovingly and tears of joy came into his eyes. "It's a real pity that if this baby does exist, you'll never know."

I gently stroked his cheek, noticed his questioning expression and drilled the knife, which I was able to take from him without him noticing, deep into his stomach. He grabbed my shoulders tightly and started gasping for air. His eyes jumped frantically between mine and the knife, and finally I was able to give him a heartfelt smile.