CHAPTER THREE - ROSALIE

I lie for hours, in the dark, too scared to move. It’s all over. All of it. My freedom, my dreams, my life. Silas is going to make me pay for this. He’s going to hurt me worse than ever.

I can feel the tears streaming down my face. I can’t even control it, I can’t stop if I wanted too. I’ve spent the best part of a year hiding, running, fleeing every shadow, every hint of him and just when I was starting to believe I might have really escaped, he’s pulled me right back.

I can hear the music from the radio. I can hear the three Wolves joking and laughing. They’re going to get a good reward for this. A big reward.

I kick out against the back in anger and someone yells at me. I do it again and the car screeches to a stop. The trunk is opened and one of the Wolves is snarling. He grabs my head slamming it into the metal so hard I pass out.

When I come round, I don’t know how long I’ve been in the trunk. My body feels so cold, my muscles feel stiff, and my head is killing me. I groan in pain, but it comes out muffled against the fabric.

The car suddenly jerks to the left and my body slams into the side. The tyres screech. All I can hear are yells and then it feels like we’re freefalling. That I’m weightless. The car slams into something hard and rolls. I roll with it feeling every bruise, every moment my body takes impact and then suddenly it’s still. Silent.

I kick out, kicking the top of the trunk, and to my surprise it opens. I squint against the bright light. The sun is rising by the looks of it. I must have been unconscious for most of the night. I peer out.

No one is moving. We’re in the woods. I can see the trail of destruction from where the car has ripped through the undergrowth. And only then do I realise I’m on my side. That the car is on its side.

I pull my arms around my legs so that they’re now in front of me and delicately remove the soaked fabric from my mouth. Then I hop out of the trunk, falling on my face in the mud because my damn legs are still tied. I try to get up, I try to stand, but there’s not enough movement and I just end up flailing like an idiot.

Someone snarls behind me and I roll over seeing one of them, one of the Wolves. He bares his teeth stepping nearer. He has a huge gash down the side of his head, blood is pouring out. His eyes are flashing with anger. It looks like he’s about to turn, to let his inner Wolf out.

I whimper, trying to crawl away and another snarl echoes. The Wolf looks up and my skin prickles even more at the sight.

We’re surrounded. There’s six of them. Six new Wolves.

I shudder as the panic rises to an impossible level. Every one of these Wolves is a threat. Every one of them will choose Silas over me.

“The girl is mine.” My initial attacker snarls.

The other Wolves laugh. “Is that right?” One of them replies.

“I found her first.” He snarls.

I look between them. They’re all so busy focused on each other that none of them are even looking at me right now. I move, bringing my ankles up to my hands, trying to undo the bindings. They’re tight but, in a few moments, I ease the knot enough to untie it. I look around again, making sure no one has seen and they haven’t. They’re oblivious to me right now.

The other two Wolves from the car are out. They’re bleeding just as much as the first. They’re all sizing each other up. Facing off against them. They’re going to fight. They’re going to turn. It’s going to be chaos.

I bite the rope tying my hands. I need to get away, to escape. It comes free quicker than I expect and I lower my body creeping slowly but one of them sees and grabs the back of my hoody.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He growls.

I kick out but as if that action causes a catalyst the other lunge at each other. The man holding me pulls me back. He’s one of the new Wolves. The others are snarling, clawing at each other. They’ve half transformed and it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.

I scream, trying to get free and the Wolf pulls me back further, away from the action. They’re fighting, tearing at each other. I cover my eyes. I don’t want to look but the sound itself is horrific enough.

When the fighting stops, I open my eyes. The three Wolves are dead. The Six have won. I look around, avoiding their gazes. They’re talking, discussing something, discussing the car, the bodies, they need to hide the evidence they say. The Wolf holding me loosens his grip and, in that instant, I yank myself free and run.

My feet slam into the ground, slam into the undergrowth, but I barely get more than a few metres before one of them is in front of me as if he simple evaporated and reappeared like magic.

“You can’t outrun us.” He states. I shake my head, coming to an instant halt, before I collide with him.

“Please…” I beg and he tuts.

“I don’t care for human tears.” He replies, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck and turning me round to march me back.

I pull myself free, clenching my fist, landing the most perfect right hook against his jaw. Only, he doesn’t react. He doesn’t even flinch, and we both hear as my bones crunch so painfully.

I cry, grasping my hand, seeing the damage, as they all laugh.

“Did no one ever teach you not to pick fights you can’t win?” One of them taunts.

“Not bad aim though.” Another says and they laugh again.

The Wolf that holds me picks me up as if I weigh nothing and he throws me over his shoulder. The rest of them follow behind as I slam my good hand over and over into his back.

We reach the road and he half dumps me onto the bumper of one of the three cars now parked up and waiting.

One of the other Wolves walks up and hands him what looks like a first aid kit. He grabs my wrist, bandaging my now swollen hand tightly as I wince.

“Who are you?” I ask as he does it.

He narrows his eyes, glaring at me, but doesn’t say a word. When he’s done, he pulls out another bandage and rams it into my mouth before tying my hands and feet up, just like the others before had.

He shoves me backwards into the trunk and I’m back in the dark.

Back with just my fear.