Chapter 15

Safety is reached, by a miraculous small stream of rock water, that drips in one crevice of a cave so the girls can clean and then promptly run when I'm not looking. Jade and Sorn don't trust me, despite the fact I helped them.

Why do they run from me?

Xrat.

They thought I was a spy, that I must be loyal and bound or perhaps tracked by Wolf Dominion eventually.

So, they left and surprised Xrat more than I.

He whimpered and skulked around for them, as if he was re-living losing his pack again.

Then Xrat whimpers to me and I give him my back as I look over the main canyon from a smallish cave ledge. I look at the pup briefly, who wants to look for the girls, he seems keen to find them. His blue and yellow eyes are wide, his silver fur has risen in curiosity, his blue mark on his forehead is growing bigger as he does too, his blue paws also extending.

"It's your fault they ran away from us," I whisper at him, before looking away and turning from him again, "They don't like you."

I needed to lash out.

I wanted to show the Genesis and all their fucking Kind how much it hurt to be hated.

I am very cruel with my words and my unsavoury hate toward the one who helped me the most.

But I still hate Xrat for being born here.

I was just a worm.

A new sound soon pierces the still air.

After safety for maybe six hours, now it is early night, and his awful howl sings next to me.

Hmmm. I say awful, but it's truly magnificent. Beautiful even.

My problem is the meaning behind it.

I swivel on my butt to see Xrat sitting away from me, head held high, his eyes narrowed at me as if to say you idiot, I don't care what you think.

The sass of him.

"STOP IT!" I hiss at Xrat, as Wolf Kind only howl to their Alpha, "STOP IT NOW XRAT!"

The pup stops howling for a moment to bare his teeth at me in defiance – and then he snorts, turns his back to me and howls even louder.

He is so small – the sound should not be that big, it should not be echoing up and down the canyon ten different times, over and over and over.

I consider just shoving him off to his death – but I don't.

Although I feel like he deserves it.

I shuffle back off the ledge to hide in the cave and I lean against the rocks, crossing my arms over my chest.

I'm hungry, tired and bitter.

Xrat refuses to stop howling, although the sound gets more quiet and he ends up sounding like he's trying to mimic an owl.

"You'll learn, no one cares if we die," I whisper and close my eyes – the sound making me sleepy.

I doze off, I end up crying in my dreams and also in real life, it's just every death I've ever seen.

A while later, I feel a lick of a tongue against my cheek and warmth all up against me. I blink open my eyes to see Xrat laid out next to me, like he thinks he's human, his snout right up in my face, his eyes wide and concerned.

He pokes my cheek with his nose and I'm still groggy with exhaustion, so I try to close my sore eyes – but he pokes me harder and I realise he's trying to push my head up.

Look up, he wants me to see.

So, I angrily glance up and see Alpha Skye sitting across from me, waiting for me to wake up.

I must be fucking deluded, I blink through my tears which fog up my eyes with sleep, as the Alpha lays reclined back, but not in a relaxed pose. He's twirling a collar around one hand, a sneer on his perfect lips, his black hair is untouched by sand, dust or otherwise. A scout's uniform wraps him in protective clothing, while I am naked, scratched and bruised.

"I'm dreaming," I close my eyes, rest my head on the rock and will myself to go back to sleep.

"You're not dreaming," Alpha Skye speaks very neutrally, and very clearly.

I try to convince myself otherwise but Xrat's heat is too much and Alpha Skye's disapproval is like a brand through my denial. I am agitated as I abruptly sit up and push Xrat away from me.

Fine.

It's not a dream.

"Why can't you just let me die out here alone," I hiss at Skye, unable to meet his eyes, as I'm assaulted by Xrat trying to play. He barges into me and nips at my hair, "Stop it Xrat!" The Wolf Beast almost bites my hand as I try to shove him back again and Alpha Skye slaps me out of the blue.

Not very hard – but enough to shock me into meeting his eyes.

He is just as furious.

"Respect him you foolish fucking woman!" the Alpha snarls at me, and I launch at him next.

"Kill me then!" I try to grab his throat, but of course, being half asleep and delirious with dehydration and intense grief, my attack is like a butterfly fluttering against a wasp who can bite me over and over if he so chooses.

Skye handles me like I'm a literal flopping worm, my muscles so weak I can barely land a blow that doesn't just pathetically skim past his robes. He holds me still by my elbows, while my chest is up against his uniform and my head is below his because I'm so small and pathetic compared to him.

I glance up sharply and the Alpha just stares down at me, shaking his head.

"No. Bad. Ryder," Skye scolds me like I'm a Beast Kind.

I hear a happy chirp of satisfaction from Xrat and I glare over my shoulder to see him wagging his black tipped tail while looking guiltily away from me.

Skye continues to speak to me, in a very low whisper, "I thought you were dead, Ivor told me so – I went searching for the pup, I did not expect to find you alive."

I grin now, glaring up at the Alpha, "I'm like a rat."

"Shut up. Ivor is dead," Skye speaks to me, seriously, "I passed out from a… flu," he doesn't believe it, but he just says it, "He reigns while I'm down – but his actions were illogical. Why did he send you to Slaughter?"

Now I go quiet.

"I don't know."

"What did he say?" Alpha Skye hisses it, "Tell me what you remember."

"I don't know, I didn't think much of it –"

"You need to start thinking beyond your hurt, Ryder, you're better than that! What did he say? Make yourself remember!"

"I'm a piece of meat and nothing else," I counter him, thinking of the girl I couldn't save, "I don't deserve the liberty of thought."

Alpha Skye looses his passion for me to wake up from my grief.

Instead, he looks past me, "…it's a perfectly quiet and isolated place to own you, worm…" he tries to provoke me – and I fall for the bait. I pull back from Skye's hold and he releases me as I tug back, while he hisses at Xrat, "Scat."

I've fallen on my back, suddenly dwarfed as the Alpha rises above me.

Skye locks me down with a hand across my neck – as he slyly places a collar around me. It was meant for Xrat. But he puts it on me? Clicking it into place.

I look for the Wolf pup but he's run off, obeying Skye.

"You'll do as your told," the Alpha holds me down effortlessly, even as I try to spit up at him – but my mouth is too dry and a slither of drool just trickles out the corner of my mouth instead.

Skye watches that spit.

A heavy silence befalls between us, and I see his blue eyes… red. With growing tears? Oh, great, he probably feels sorry for me –

I look away, disgusted by his pity – but Skye leans down to kiss my rage away.

I turn back into him, and I try not to respond to it, I try to remain completely frozen – but there is such a kind strange life behind it I can't help but return a small tiny movement of my mouth.

As I do respond, Skye separates his lips from mine and admits to me, passionately, "I want you naked against me, Ryder," he sounds kind of desperate like me.

I find my hands are already feeling across his clothes as I imagine touching his skin underneath.

"Why?" I whisper, a small smile igniting on my dry face.

"Because you're the sun's flame, but you're also the cool earth, the raging water and your eyes are like the morning moon," Why would he say that? My look questions Skye, and he answers, smiling as he drawls with a tinge of arrogance, "It's called beauty, Ryder. I am describing you."