Taken

RORY

“You’re adorable,” Nancy comments, chuckling as we play cards in her room. “Bruce can be a sore loser, all of the time. But you just congratulate me.”

“She’s what Everett needs really,” Ophelia says, placing her card down.

“Yeah, I agree. I’ve known Alpha Everett for a long time, and he seems a lot less tense and…stiff with you around,” Nancy tells me.

It’s comforting to hear that I’m not bringing Everett down but helping him. I want to be useful. I want to help him.

He’s done nothing but help me, doing everything he can to keep me safe. Even the little things like Aurora-proofing.

He’s constantly thinking about what he can do to help me and protect me as well as having the responsibility of the pack.

And I do wonder what I do for him. I did save Ophelia, and Ace, but it wasn’t something I really did; it just happened.

Just as Ophelia is about to say something, the door bursts open, revealing six large, I’m assuming warrior, wolves, all growling.

My eyes widen at the sight, and I back away with Ophelia and Nancy, over to the back corner of the room. So that tells me they’re not in Nancy’s pack either.

One of them charges at me, dragging me away, whilst the other wolves fend off Ophelia and Nancy, who fight and claw to try and get to me.

But I’m weak, and against these wolves—even one wolf—I would lose. That doesn’t stop me from struggling, like before when the wolves from my own pack were hauling me into those dungeons.

“Where are you taking me? Who are you?” I demand once they begin shifting into their human forms.

But they continue to ignore my pleas, sliding me across the floor, out the back of the building we’re staying in and into another building in the citadel.

When I’m thrown into a cold, dank room, I scramble to my feet, assessing my surroundings. Soon after, the faces I’ve dreaded appear in the room wearing sadistic expressions—along with the Beta and Gamma.

“Alpha Everett will kill you when he finds out,” I state, backing away from them.

Even now, they have some sort of power over me that I can’t explain. I hate it. He’s not my Alpha anymore, not that he was ever any sort of Alpha to me.

But Victoria bullied me since I joined the pack, and even though Nick is older than us, he turned a blind eye or just joined in.

I was the token human of the pack, and therefore the punching bag, regardless of age. Even between Everett and me, age doesn’t matter. Because we’re mates. Like age doesn’t matter with bullies.

“How are you still fucking alive? I don’t fucking understand that,” Victoria sneers, still wound up with confusion and shock.

Honestly, I am too. I still don’t understand it either, so there is no point in asking me.

“You didn’t kill me,” I mutter, knowing it is a blatant lie.

I don’t understand what they want with me. Everett is going to skin them alive when he finds out, and I don’t know if I can control his temper.

Nick rips the scarf from my neck, only to find what he didn’t expect: no scar—not even the faintest sign that I was ever hurt. Just my mark. The mark made by my Alpha mate.

I hate that I’m always relying on Everett to save me. He’s done enough for me already. He’s saved me so many times in so many ways.

He protects me in the smallest ways, too, with the Aurora-proofing just so I won’t get hurt, even if it’s only just a bruise. And I can’t even defend myself now.

“I don’t understand,” Nick mutters, astounded, but quickly covers it. “It doesn’t matter. You made us look like complete idiots, and all the Alphas think that the new laws passed are because of Red Moon.

“We won’t make the same mistake. Let’s go,” he declares, grabbing my arm and trailing me along the floor.

The side of my body grazes the floor, making me squeal and flail like a bag on his arm in the wind.

Are they going to try and kill me again? What if they actually succeed this time? Because Nemesis might actually get me. And I won’t get to say goodbye to my mate, or tell him everything.

I want to tell him the truth—about my entire life. It’s strange to think that many months ago, I was just a normal human girl, and now I don’t know what I am. Perhaps I’ll find out this time.

I scream until I lose my voice and end up whimpering, which makes me sound even weaker. Everett can feel my distress, I know he can, through the mate connection that binds us. But I don’t want him to get hurt.

I may be able to revive myself, maybe, but Everett can’t. And if he gets hurt, he’ll be hurt permanently if I can’t save him. Perhaps it’s better that he doesn’t come for me, that I deal with this on my own.

I attempt to calm myself down so that Everett won’t feel my panic anymore, but I fear it’s too late.

Before I know it, I’m dragged out of the citadel and into a clearing in the woods, on the border of this wolf territory and rogue territory.

I guess this is a just place to die. This is almost identical to the first time they killed me.

“You’re still pathetic, little Rory,” Victoria taunts, kicking me in the gut as I collapse to the floor. I grimace but bite my lip, refusing to give them a reaction and let them win against me again.

I was so afraid before, terrified of what they were doing, and they showed me no mercy. They reveled in my pain and my panic.

This time, I’m not giving them that, because I’m stronger now, I’m stronger because of Everett and what he has taught me, and because I’ve died multiple times. They’re not my biggest enemies anymore.

“You’re pathetic, Victoria,” I spit out, along with the blood rising from my gut. Victoria pulls back my hair forcefully and stares into my eyes.

“You think you’re so strong now because you have an Alpha mate? He should have rejected you,” she sneers, pushing me against a tree.

I stare at both of them, my cheeks wet with tears, my hair like a bird’s nest on top of my head, my lip cut and bleeding out.

“You think he’ll save you?”

“He can take your pack on no problem,” I counter.

Laughter erupts from all of them, and I notice that other Alphas from the meeting have joined us. Why are they all doing this?

“These laws that we’ve pushed aside for years have been passed,” one of the Alphas states, “because of you. Alpha Everett used you as an example, and continues to do so. Lunas shouldn’t be human.

“A human shouldn’t lead a pack of wolves—not that a weak little girl like you could ever lead. With you gone, it’ll weaken Shadow Blood, and we’ll take over and put in the laws we want.”

“The fuck you will,” a familiar growl erupts from behind all of them, filling me with love and hope.

Everett is here to save me. But against all of these packs, I’m not sure if he’ll win. And I don’t want him hurt because of me.

“I’d let her go if I were you,” Alpha Bruce yells, and I realize that he’s not alone. He has other packs with him too.

“Your little human isn’t worthy of being a Luna,” an enemy Alpha says bitterly, standing beside Nick and Victoria.

Before anything else can happen, I feel a stabbing pain in my heart, slashing into my chest through the skin and twisting inside of me.

Through the crowds of wolves, my eyes meet Everett’s crystal-blue ones, which entrance and comfort me in my overwhelming pain.

Victoria stabbed me. I should have known; she’s always been impulsive. I squeak at the gut-wrenching pain, but there’s not much I can do.

I can’t be scared. This isn’t it, not yet anyway.

Once I get to limbo, I know this time, Nemesis will catch up to me, and I have no idea how I’m going to fight her. I know that she’s stronger than Nick and Victoria, and I couldn’t do anything against them.

“Everett,” I whisper, knowing he’ll be able to hear me. “I’ll be okay. I love you.”

And I do. I really do. He came for me as fast as he could, bringing backup, too, to fight for me.

No one has ever fought like this for me before, sacrificing everything just to try and save me. I really love him. I just need him to know that.