Chapter 5 ~No Escape~

Adriana's eyelids fluttered open and she opened her eyes slowly.

The first thing she saw was the moon nestled between the clouds, its silver light shining down on her face. This was a beautiful night and on a normal day Adriana would have enjoyed gazing at it feeling at peace, but now peace was far beyond her reach.

The night felt like it was mocking her in its beauty, knowing fully well what was about to befall her.

She heard the hooves of horses and glanced around. Huts passed by and she could make out the tiny lamps lit inside the houses.

Her head bumped against something heavy and metallic and she groaned and that was when she realized the cloth between her lips.

She moved around but her hands and feet had been tied tightly together.

Adriana whimpered and twisted her hands that were tied behind her back but it was of no use. The rope on her wrists had been tied perfectly.

Adriana tried to reach out to her wolf once more but she couldn't feel Mia.

Her heart thumped in her chest as racing thoughts ran through her mind.

Was Mia punishing her for declaring the rejection?

Or worse, was Mia gone from her, abandoning her to her predicament?

It felt like it and Adriana's heart thundered.

Without Mia, she was helpless and there was no way of escaping.

"With the pace we are moving, we are going to take all day." Adriana heard a voice grumble somewhere below the crate she was lying in.

The horses snorted and stamped their hooves against the ground and their pace quickened.

Adriana's head hit the heavy metal again as they rode fast.

She saw huts turn into bushes, then tall trees, and then huts again, but these huts appeared different from the ones she had grown to see.

The roof of the huts rose high having a shape of a triangle and red flags were attached to the top.

The horses finally stopped and then Adriana heard the thud of boots landing on the ground and coming toward the crate that sat at the back.

Someone jumped into the crate and strode to her and then crouched low.

Adriana's back was turned towards whoever was bending low and she heard the person shift.

"Is she still unconscious?" A voice sounded above her and then a hand touched her back.

She tried not to stiffen her back, maybe she could pretend to be unconscious and find a way to escape but she heard a low chuckle that brought a chill to her skin.

"Do you like playing dead or something, little princess?" The hand gripped her shoulder and turned her to face him.

Her eyes met a pair of dark eyes. It was so dark, darker than the night sky that stretched above their heads and it had a queer glint in it.

She felt a new chill when he grinned.

The man's teeth were brownish, and his fangs protruded from his mouth.

"Helloooo." He cooed and his breath fanned her face.

He stood up and stared down. "Felix readied the tent and the drinks. I'll need some booze before killing her."

Footsteps walked away as Felix went to do his bidding.

"Sir Andrew, if I want to be able to make it back before dawn I need to get going now. Take your package down and let me ride on." A voice sounded below and Andrew turned back to Adriana.

"He is always impatient." He said to her and crouched low again, this time dragging her to himself then he carried her in his arms.

She whimpered and tried to struggle but Andrew's grip on her was like a vice and she couldn't even move.

He jumped down with her in his arms and went around to where the rider sat behind his horses, his hands already on the leash ready to ride away.

"Thank you for your services."

The rider grunted and dragged the leash, clicking his tongue and riding away.

He turned and started walking with her in his arms and Adriana whimpered again, trying to speak through the cloth tied between her lips.

"Please..." she gagged and Andrew glanced down at her and gave her that sick grin again.

Adriana smelled something burning and saw smoke rising upward only to be carried away by the night wind.

"Strong wind tonight Sire." The voice belonging to Felix sounded from a distance and Andrew walked on before stopping. He set her down and that was when she was able to stare around her.

The huts she had seen were now miles away and she was only able to make out their pointed roof with the dangling red flags.

She looked back at the men who stood before her. They were four in number. Andrew stood over the fire already burning bright and poked at it with a stick.

One of the men stared at her a bit longer before going into the tent already set up.

He came out a moment later with a sword which he handed to Andrew which he took it and unlatched it then sheathed it back in its scabbard. His eyes held Adriana's eyes and she trembled.

"Let's have some booze." He said and the man who had given him the sword gave him and the rest a jug each.

They gulped down the wine and chattered among themselves ignoring Adriana like she wasn't sitting on the ground with her fate in their hands.

Adriana watched them drink and laugh and she tried to remove the rope joining her wrists together.

She couldn't die like this.

But just like when she was on the crate, the rope didn't budge. Instead, it tore into her flesh.

She saw one of the men lean towards Andrew and whisper in his ear. Andrew glanced at her tilting his head to the side and his lips stretched into a grin of a predator's grin, and his tongue swept across his lower lip.

He raised a hand up and the chatters died down, his men turned their attention back to him.

Andrew chuckled lightly before speaking,

"Marf here wonders how an Alpha's daughter would taste like and he says it has been his long-time dream." The men laughed and the one named Marf stared at Adriana longingly.

Adriana's stomach dropped and her breath hitched.

Andrew strode toward her.

There was nowhere left to run.