Chapter 45
The grunts of the men fighting behind me echoed in my mind, but I pressed on towards the edge of the forest.
My mission was clear and nothing could stop me now. I saw Julien in my peripherals, running towards the hut where shouting and dull thuds spilled out.
"Wait!" Jax called out to me and my pace quickened.
Within seconds his hand was on my arm, halting me.
"What happened? Where are you going?"
His eyes fixed on the cut along my bottom lip.
"Its time, Jax. I can’t wait any longer. I’m going to him."
A hurt look washed over him. Our world changed today. Sharing meals, training by the bathing hole, stories by the campfire. It was all coming to an end.
He released my arm, letting me go.
While turning away, his voice stalled me. "I’m coming with you."
Spinning on my heels, I gave him a confused look.
"If Grayson catches you..."
"Then he catches me. I’m still coming. I’ll take you to him."
I waited for the joke, the smartass remark. I studied him for a moment, wondering if he had a death wish, then a crash came from the hut.
"Fine," I said hurriedly and grabbed his wrist to drag him along.
We ran into the forest, my legs pulling me in a direction my mind was unsure about.
The sounds behind me were gruesome. Pain ripped across my neck, making me stumble. I could hear Julien’s pleas for Marek to stop in the distance.
Neither Jax nor I turned back. Jax moved his hand to my elbow, helping me along while I felt every strike Marek landed on Dominic.
The pain sent a thrill through me, I had won this time. I had resisted the pull and pushed through his calling.
Another hit to my gut sent me reeling.The thrill was fading. Jax’s hand was at my back, Dominic’s bond was screaming for my return. Another blow to my jaw this time.
Jax picked me up into his arms, continueing further away like the distance would break our bond.
I writhed in Jax’s hold. fighting against the urge to save Dominic from this torture. I had to try and block him somehow. Dominic was making sure I paid for everything that was happening to him, while also trying to force me back.
"Jax, what do I do?"
I pressed my fingers to my temples, squeezing my eyes shut and curling into his chest. The grimace on my face deepened as I felt a bite to my forearm.
"Concentrate!" He offered. His help wasn’t helping.
"I can’t. Its too much."
How long would Marek attack Dominic? I thougth. Would he kill him like he killed the last alpha that made him mad? And why wasn’t Julien stopping him?
I wanted to go back, just to make the pain stop.
"Jax, we have to go back," I surrendered.
"The hell we do! Tell me its you talking and not Dom."
"Marek won’t stop, he’s going to kill him!"
"He won’t." The sound of his declaration was so confident, I almost believed it.
Small breaks happened between the blows, letting me know Dominic was still fighting back but they were starting to tire. Marek was stronger and I could feel Dominic weakening.
We made it to the river, the rushing water too loud in my ears. I stared down at my chest while I lay in Jax’s hold. I searched for the evidence that my skin was splitting open but saw nothing.
It must be a claw that ripped down his chest, I could feel the sting and throbbing pain. My whimpering wouldn’t end.
"Dammit, Rebel. Fight it!" He demanded.
I was suffering too much to answer him, my body threatening to give out from a fight I wasn’t apart of. The water splashed against my back as the river came up to Jax’s waste.
I forced myself to breathe while a tremor took over in my body. Jax was right, I needed to fight it. Dominic could withstand more than I could and if Mareks brutality didn’t stop, I may not survive.
Deepening my focus, I let my shaky breathing come in through my nose and slowly out through my mouth. I held on tight to Jax’s chest as we continued to trek up the river.
Grayson came into view in my mind. I thought of the way he looked at me, hungry and possessive. I brought his image into my mind, the same as I had before.
This time he looked different, his surroundings were different. Before, I thought I was painting him into my imagination. Now I knew it was a picture of where he really was.
He was by a fire, cooking another rabbit. The edges around him blurred. He felt calm, like still water. The line that usually set into his brow was smoothed and the grimace relaxed.
I lowered myself to where he sat, feeling as though I could reach out and touch the rough stubble over his jaw. His hands paused in their work, his forehead creasing.
He looked up, his blue eyes staring like glaciers. They searched the space between us before connecting with me.
An eyebrow twitched and one corner of his lips lifted. He could sense me here. "I’m coming back to you," I whispered in my mind.
When I opened my eyes again, the day had turned. We were no longer near the river and I couldn’t feel Dominic’s pain. I had been put against a fallen tree and I unfurled my upset bones.
"Well good morning, sunshine," Jax teased.
"How long was I out?" I shifted in the dirt, trying to see if all of me worked. I flexed my hands and stretched my toes.
"Couple hours. Your face was all lit up with purple but nothing else happened. Go somewhere fun?"
What felt like minutes to me had actually been hours? Satisfied with the movement I had, I pulled myself to my feet.
"I saw him. I know where he’s at."
"Well that’s good, cuz I have no idea where the fuck I’ve been going."
I chuckled softly at him. Only Jax would make jokes after abandoning his pack.
"Get enough rest?" I asked and he hopped off the end of the tree he had been sitting on.
"Ready when you are."
I turned toward the direction I knew I was meant to go. The pull was returning, like warmth coming back to numb fingers.
Each step was determined and I could only hope my feet were finding their way to him. My body urged me towards Dominic but my heart reached towards Grayson with ivy vines through the air.
I was guided by a current of energy, surging me forward and coiling in my diaphragm. Jax followed behind quietly, hands in his pockets with his uncertainty.
The earth became softer, my feet sinking if I stepped to close to trees. Tiny white and purple flowers spread around the sides of the animal trail we found.
The ocean waves grew louder, then quieter the further we traveled. We wound through trees that thinned and thickened while the sun sank, its last light bleeding into the sky.
"We should rest for the night," Jax suggested.
I thought of the last night I had been out in the forest in the dark, alone and frantic, and agreed. I collected small sticks while Jax dissappeared to find us dinner.
Starting the fire without a lighter proved to be difficult for me. I tried rubbing the sticks together like I’d seen on tv but nothing except sore hands produced.
At Jax’s return with a couple of rodents, he took over my task. His hands were faster and stronger and a spark could be seen in the darkness.
Soon the small fire warmed our feet while Jax prepared the meal. I pulled my legs to my chest and put my head on my knees, watching Jax as he skinned the animals.
He concentrated on what he was doing, seeming completely unbothered by our current situation.
"Thank you, Jax." I told him.
"For what?"
"You know for what." He looked at me, pursing his lips in a grin.
He picked up a small stone and playfully tossed it at me, making me laugh. I wondered if I would have survived the day if Jax hadn’t come with me.
After dinner, Jax leaned against a tree and I crawled into his side. I didn’t know if any of the others were after us but I trusted Jax and he seemed confident we would be safe through the night.
With his arms wrapped around me, I drifted off easily. Dominic was what haunted my dreams that night. His anger over my actions breathed heavily against my neck leaving a cool dew when I woke again.
Jax stirred with me, a fog mixing with first light around us. The coals of the former fire cracked while Jax and I helped each other up. He kicked dirt over the remains of the fire while I buried the bones from our dinner.
He took my hand in his before we set off and I gave him a small smile. We were near, I could feel it.
We walked until the sun had cleared the fog, the morning turning into midday. Smoke peaked through the trees before we entered the open area.
My heart began to race, pure excitement causing me to drop Jax’s hand and rush the final few steps.
My smile was large as I took him in. He sat by the same fire I had seen in my mind the day before.
At the sight of me, he raised to his feet. His fingers clenched into palms and the familiar snarl crossed his face. His expression like home.
My pace slowed to a stop as I saw the red hot fury falling from him. Confusion took over as his reaction to my arrival took me by surprise.
The unmistakable sound of his accent slid over me like long denied sunlight, until the words sank in, sharp as a blade.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"