Chapter VII

RED

Sitting on my ass on the cold snow, hands tied, head pounding, I felt like a complete fool. I've known Theon for so many years, we trained together almost every fucking day, laughed as friends do. I almost kissed him, damn it! Now I watched him whispering with his father's men, his accomplices, on the other side of the fire. In the light of this revelation, he looked like a complete stranger.

Tears started to form in my eyes, but I squeezed them shut, refusing to cry in from of them. How could I fall under his spell like this, believe in his promises of wealth? Grinding my teeth in anger, I realized that all the way here my instinct told me something was wrong with him, but choose to ignore it like a bloody idiot. All I could do at the moment was to gather every bit of information they held, to learn what he planned for me, why he betrayed me and come up with a plan to escape. Theon looked at me and an evil grin formed on his face, one that I'd never seen before.

" Are you gonna cry, princess?" he asked and his men started laughing low.

" You wish.." I said with all the hate I could muster in my voice.

" Aw, you don't like me anymore?" He smiled, imitating a kiss with his full stupid lips.

" I don't know you". I turned my head, not wanting to see his face anymore. Shame washed over me at the thought that I cuddled in his arms almost two days ago.

" That's right. You don't. " He spat, scowling at me, then resumed talking to his apes. I listened closely, while they thought I was ignoring them.

" I understand the filthy beast, Erik König, received our message. He will come for his whore mate for sure. I heard he blew up in a rage ", said the man with an awful scar on his face, his voice hoarse. Theon nodded, spearing me a cold glance.

" I'm sure he will. There is nothing these monsters worship more than their female fuck toys". I gulped, wondering if they were talking about me.

" Maybe we should have our fun with her too before we hand it over! ", said the second man, bold and ugly, licking his lips and grinning horribly at me. I recoiled immediately, disgusted by his words. Theon threw a stone in the fire and said with a bored tone

" No, my father should be here shortly and he's not fond of rape. We should prepare for his arrival". He rose from the spot and walked to the horses. I stirred and yelled at him: " What the fuck do you want from me? Why are you doing this? ".

He turned around and for a moment I thought I saw a glimpse of regret or maybe shame in his eyes, although it quickly disappeared. Theon approached and crouched in front of me. He looked me in the eye and took my chin between his fingers. I shook my head with anger, his touch making me want to throw up.

" You are just an important pawn in my father's big scheme. I'm actually sorry that I didn't get to taste you sooner, you were so easy so trick " He smirked, tracing my cheek with his long fingers. " I would say it's nothing personal, but I would lie".

" I've done nothing to you! I thought we were friends !" I said, a small sob escaping from my lips.

" You didn't, but your fucking Lycan lover did !" he gritted his teeth at me with so much hatred, his words giving me cold chills.

" What do you mean? I have no lover, are you crazy? " I asked, confused by his statement. He stood up, trying to calm down.

" You don't know it yet, but you are forever tied with one of those creatures, which makes you equally guilty. If my father didn't wish for it, I would have killed you already, just to watch him suffer and break when he received your precious head. Like we did! ". His deep voice, full of contempt froze me up. I stared at the man in front of me, wondering how the hell I found him appealing until now.

" Why would you want him to suffer?" I continued prying on the subject. I had to know more. He turned his back and said while walking away " He killed my brother".

***

Small snowflakes felt all over my blood-red cloak, a steel grey sky pressing down on my aching heart. The night was coming. I tried to focus, but I was cold, stiff and hungry. My whole body trembled and wanted to shut down, but I couldn't fall asleep now, around these men. My head still hurt from that blow the bastard gave me. I closed my eyes and thought about all the information I had at my disposal.

Of one thing I was completely sure: the Lycans were a real deal. Theon obviously knew it and fooled me all this time.

The second fact was that I had a sort of connection to one of them, which is why Theon and his hunter buddies trapped me, seeking revenge for his dead brother. He never mentioned he had one until now. I didn't understand how my life was going to count when I had no idea who my Lycan " lover " was. So stupid. Why would that man or beast, whatever he was, care for a person he never met before? If that was true, I also wondered how they know, before any of us did. From all their rumblings I caught up his name, Erik. Somehow repeating it in my mind made me relax, a warm feeling spreading in my body. They also kept mentioning the word " mate ", but it held no meaning to me.

The third aspect and the most important at the moment was that Theon's father was coming. Stefan Cernunnos or " the god of hunting" was the leader of the League of Hunters and a dangerous motherfucker, known for his ruthless character and battle skills. I felt bad for Theon in the past, but now I see that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I cursed, knowing that once he was here, I had no chance of escaping.

So I had to act fast. I opened my eyes, the thought giving me the necessary energy to go on. Looking around the camp I noticed that my weapons basket was still attached to the horse. The ropes that held my hands were not as thick as I first thought, which meant I could easily cut them with my silver knife, which was safely hidden on my inner thigh. I just needed a moment alone to get it out.

Theon had left with the scarred hunter to patrol the area, while the other two stood behind to guard me. I observed them both. They seemed visibly tired, which worked to my advantage. I kicked my foot in the snow, catching their attention.

" Hey, I need to pee!" I frowned at them. The bold man smiled in a nasty way.

" Go ahead. I would love to see ". I gritted my teeth, giving him a death stare.

" I won't have you bastards watching me! I'll go behind those trees" pointing out a thicket nearby. He came closer, catching me by the throat, lifting me on my feet. I hold his stare, not showing any fear, even though he was choking me.

" You think I'm stupid to let you go on your own? To escape and run to your disgusting wolf-boy? I should shut your trap right now" and he raised his hand ready to strike me.

" Stupid would be to hurt me before your Master arrives. He probably won't be very happy to see you damaged his leverage. " I struggled to speak in his grasp. The other man patted him on the shoulder.

" Just go with her already. The young lord will punish us if he finds her beaten and strangled ". Reluctant, he released me and pushed me forward with force. I almost tripped, my legs stiff from laying in the cold all day.

" Come on! Hurry!" he barked at me and went behind the bushes. I turned my back, pretended to unbuckle my pants and bent down like I was relieving myself. He could not see what I was actually doing, because my cloak covered his sight, but I could feel his perverse eyes on me, waiting. I quickly reached for my leg knife, its blade being so sharp it cut through the ropes after only three tries. I grinned victoriously and stood up, hiding the fact that I was free as a bird.

The hunter looked confused when he saw no piss on the ground, but before he could speak, I stabbed him hard in the belly. He bent down instantly from the shock but didn't get to scream for help as I punched him in the face, a couple of teeth flying out. He grunted and tried to regain balance. It was too late for him already. I jumped like an agile cat and performed fast a scissor kick, catching his head between my feet, taking him down on the ground. I stepped on his back, crouched and lifted his head. He gasped for air, unable to move.

" Are you having fun yet, you sick fuck? Your lord taught me too well for your sake... " I whispered in his ear, deadly.

" You whore, I'm ..." he mumbled but didn't get to finish as I slit his throat right there with my knife. Blood spilled everywhere and I watched the spirit leave his eyes. My chest rose up and down quickly, panting from the adrenaline rush. I killed so many beasts, but this was the first human life I took. My bloodied hands started the tremble at the thought but tried to tell myself that the bastard had it coming for wanting to beat and rape me. He was dirt that had no right to live.

I didn't get much time to battle with my conscience, as I heard the leaves rustling and the voice of the other hunter calling for his friend. I quickly scaled the closest tree, blade between my teeth and waited silently in the shadows for him to appear. He came running when he saw his partner dead, in a pool of blood. After checking the corpse for a pulse and finding none, he took out his weapon, spinning around panicked.

" Where are you, bitch? Come out and play!" he spat in anger, eyes bulging. He never saw it coming. Blade in hand, I stealthily moved forward and struck. I jumped from the tree, right on his back, performing an air assassination, stabbing him in the gut. He yelled, but I quickly silenced him by smashing his face in the snow. I just hoped it wasn't too loud, for the woods were silent as a grave.

I was amazed that I managed it on the first try. I trained this move on practice dummies for some time in Eder, but never tried it in real life. As I looked around at the dead bodies, I wondered when I turned into such a cold killer. I felt nothing, but hatred for these men. I guess the survival instinct made it easier for me.

Wiping my knife, I headed back to the camp, hoping that Theon didn't return yet. He was stronger and I felt weaker with every passing moment. Luck was on my side, as I saw no one. I quickly took my leather satchel that held some leftover food and water and threw it around my shoulders. Then I grabbed my silver daggers from the basket and placed the wolf-head poleyn back on my knee, where it belonged. The bastards planned on selling it for lots of coins when they got rid of me. The horse regarded me and huffed like she wanted to come along. I patted her on the head and back gently.

" I'm sorry girl, but I can't take you with me this time. I'll have to lurk unseen for now " I said, kissing her nose and running off into the dark forest.

***

The full moon cast a cold, silver light upon the trees, giving the snow blanket a sparkly, fairy tale glow. I layed on a thick branch, atop of a tall pine tree, resting for a moment and admiring the sight. It was the perfect hideout. Every small noise or gust of wind seemed like a danger approaching, making me twitch. It's been a couple of hours since I escaped Theon's evil grasp and didn't stop running, until now. I was so exhausted and frozen, but still something gave me the strength to go on. Wrapping my cloak tighter around me, I had some time to think of my next steps.

Heading home was out of the question, as I would endanger my Gran and I would fall into the hunter's hands again. If I also tarried here too long I would probably be found and captured, no doubt.

So, the only logical solution was to keep heading for the city of Wolfhagen, under the cover of night, as it was close by. There, I could rent a room at an inn and finally rest a bit. I still had some coin left in my satchel. Then, in the morning, I will try and find Erik König, my supposed Lycan connection or " lover ", as the hunters kept mentioning. It was foolish, insane even, to consider that a total stranger would start loving me out of the blue. I had no idea who he was or what he looked like, but his family name was uncommon, which would probably be helpful in my search.

A little bird landed on the end of my bough and looked at me, chirping. I smiled, studying absent the color of her wings.

Was he a bad or a good man? After all, he killed Theon's brother, right? In my dizzy state, I tried picturing him, wondering if his features would resemble a beast or if he was a normal guy. A pair of big, warm arms came to mind, hugging me, making me forget about the pain and cold I was currently feeling. Although I wasn't aware of Stefan Cernunnos's complete revenge plan, I knew I had to meet Erik in person. I was not sure if he would trust or even want to listen. What if he decided to use or kill me just like the hunters did? Considering that my initial plan was to sneak into his lands and kill his kind, he most probably think the worst of me.

So, what was I - a hunter or a werewolf's paramour? I would have laughed if I wasn't so damn tired. Still, I felt it in my heart that he was not evil, that I could trust him. Had no idea what made me feel this way, but I decided on the spot that I had to warn him of the dangers ahead!

In a moment of solitude, I let out a small cry. I missed my grandma and she was right all along. I should have never left our home! I was so arrogant and selfish. Would I ever see her again? Tears finally started running down my cheeks and I allowed myself to unburden, to let it go. I cried hard, body shaking, for what seemed like forever. As I calmed down after a while and wiped my nose, I could see the distant lights coming from the city.

" Get a grip, Red! We have to make it! " I encouraged myself to carry on. After I checked that everything was in place, I climbed down, carefully sweeping the area. With gritted teeth I started running towards Wolfhagen, hoping I won't run into Theon and his father.

THEON

" How could you let her escape?! " my father roared at me, his anger making every man cower, their eyes on the ground. I held his gaze, being used with his violent, fiery temper.

We screwed up, big time! The little bitch killed Roderick and Jan in cold blood and disappeared, right before I returned with my father and his crew in toe no less. Shit, I should have stayed behind to watch her. I underestimated her skills. The only man left alive from those three trembled beside me like a leaf in front of my father's angry fit.

Like a rabid beast senses fear in his prey, he moved his flaming gaze on him. The poor bastard froze under his stare. Then suddenly he took out his sword and cut his head down with one single blow.

A dead silence fell over everyone, while I didn't even flinch when blood drops sprayed on my face. I expected it. He had to make an example but didn't want to hurt his only heir and shame me in front of the others. Waves of furry came out of him, the tension thick in the air while he passed around, blood running at his feet. The body fell to the ground with a loud thud.

" We lost important leverage because of your careless attitude! I won't tolerate it a second time, Theon" he gritted his teeth, shoving a finger in my chest.

I was used to threats too. Me and my big brother grew up, fearing Stefan Cernunnos, hatred always brewing under my skin. But after Adrian died 10 years ago at the hands of those fucking Lycans, I finally understood what he was preparing us for, what were all those hard days of training and fights for. My hate was replaced with a sense of loyalty for my father's cause and revenge. Our eyes met in an exchange of thoughts.

"I know. It won't happen again. I will find her." I said, clenching my jaw with resolve. For the sake of those years we spent together, I let emotions get the best of me and treat her with kitty gloves. How wrong I was. I will handle her just like I would her mut boyfriend.

" Better not! There is too much at stake". Then he turned around, facing his men. " Spread out! We need to find her quickly before she reaches those fucking dogs!".