Chapter 3: My Eyes Found You

TRISTAN

Elijah had been questioning the girl for hours, trying to get any information from her. By now, the people in her old pack must've noticed that she was missing and probably suspected someone in my pack was responsible. My theory was that they were hesitant to attack now that their secret weapon was gone.

I was curious. How much had Elijah already found out? Had she finally given in? I was sure he would report it to me immediately once he had sufficient information. So what took him so long?

To relax my mind, I went downstairs into the living room, grabbed a Coke, and sat down on the sofa. It was a beautiful day outside, and I was thinking about going for a run when the front door swung open. "Oh, Tristan! Where are you?" my sister's voice filled the house. Lyra had been gone for a few days to gather intel on what Alpha Colton and his pack were planning. Ever since the murder of our parents, she had tried anything to help get revenge and assure the future existence of our pack, which meant we had to defeat the Nightwalker Pack in the upcoming war.

"I'm here!" I yelled and stood up when she opened the doors to the living room with both of her arms. I welcomed her with a warm hug, and she jumped into my arms so quickly that I almost dropped my Coke.

"How are things around here? Did I miss anything while I was gone?" Lyra asked.

"We captured a witch", I told her.

"Another one?" she raised an eyebrow.

"The last one we let go after she gave us the information we needed. This one is much more valuable. We believe she is the one the prophecy is talking about."

Lyra sat down and gathered herself for a second. "Then it is over? Alpha Colton's secret weapon is no longer a threat?"

"Not as long as she is held captive in our dungeon." I smiled at her. I would never let anybody hurt her. After the murder of our parents, I swore to protect her even if it would cost me my life. She was the only family I had left, and it was all the fault of Alpha Colton. If he hadn't sent an assassin to destroy my family, my parents would still be here.

"Can I… see her?" Lyra asked carefully, hoping she could glimpse a real witch. They were not easy to find. We had captured the seer out of pure luck and were lucky that her only magical power was to foresee the future. But this one was different.

"No, it's too dangerous," I said, determined.

"Oh, Tristan, please! I was not home when the last one was here." she sounded like a little child who wanted more sweets.

"Lyra", I said calmly, "I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lose you. I don't want to put you in any danger. This girl is a threat to us."

Just when she was about to go on with her tantrum, Elijah came upstairs. His shirt was covered in blood, and I jumped up immediately before I realized that it was not his own.

"She is not talking", he said. "Either she is very strong-willed or doesn't know anything."

I furrowed my brows. Elijah was very skilled at making people talk. Usually, the wolves he interrogated got out almost unharmed, but he apparently had reached his limits with this one. I had to see her for myself.

ROSE

I was breathing heavily. My head was spinning, and my back was burning. My kidnapper had whipped my back, and the floor was covered with my blood. The wounds were open, and my face was stained with tears.

What did this man want from me?! How in the world was I supposed to give him answers to questions that I didn't know the answers to? What was he expecting from me? I was the wrong person!! How could this monster not realize that?!

At the beginning of the interrogation, he had just asked many personal questions. Like who my mother was, when I had seen her last, and if she was in contact with my father. I had told him that she was dead. He didn't believe me. Then, he kept on asking questions about my father. Those were easier to answer, even though I was careful not to give him any information that could harm the pack or my father. Lastly, my kidnapper wanted to know about my powers. Powers?! I had already told him I was a wolf, not a witch. He had even fought me in my wolf form back in the woods! What was wrong with him?!

That was when he had lost his temper and started hitting me with a whip. I cried out and begged him to believe me, but he was obsessed with the idea of me having some sort of witchy powers that he was determined to force them out of me. I was lucky to be a wolf, which meant my wounds would heal much faster than a human's wounds, and they wouldn't leave any scars, but still, it hurt like hell.

After what felt like hours, he had finally left the room, and I was alone.

I calmed down and focused all my force on the chains I was bound to. I had to break out, find shelter, and get back home. There had to be a way out of these dungeons.

I pressed my entire body weight away from the wall. After a few attempts, I finally broke the bolt that held the chains on my feet. 'Looks like the training paid off', I thought.

I would not be able to run with my injuries, but if I was quiet enough, I could maybe sneak out as long as my kidnapper was gone. I had no other choice. I had to try.

Still covered with the small blanket and limping because of the chains, I slowly opened the heavy door to my prison. I carefully peeked outside to make sure there was no one. The hallway was empty.

'Yes!' I thought, triumphant, and made my way out. At the end of the aisle, the way parted into two. I reached the end and heard people from the left side. While slowly looking around the corner to ensure that the people I was hearing were far enough away not to notice me, I quickly turned right and just wanted to start running when I hit a boulder. A boulder? Wait what?

I stumbled backward and fell to the ground. It was a man! A huge man! He was even taller than my kidnapper and definitely more frightening! Was this the famous and ruthless Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack that I had heard so much about? My head was spinning again. What was this weird feeling? My body started shaking, and for the second time on this day, I blacked out.

TRISTAN

"How the hell did she manage to escape?" Lyra pushed herself in front of Elijah and me. I hadn't even noticed that my sister had followed us downstairs. She went on her knees to check the girl's pulse. "She's fine, she just blacked out. Elijah, you really did a number on her. I think you exhausted her completely."

Elijah looked back at her in confusion, "she seemed fine when I left her. Sure, some scratches, but she is powerful."

"Whatever", Lyra said, "come help me pick her up. We must get her back in there and secure her before she wakes up."

Elijah had already pushed himself before me to go down on his knees and pick the girl up when I could finally speak again. After this girl had run into me only seconds ago, the collision hit me like an electrical shock wave and paralyzed my every muscle. Every inch of my body was electrified, and my brain screamed the one thing I was unprepared for: MATE.

"No!" I said with a power in my voice that made Lyra and Elijah turn their heads and stare at me instantly, "Nobody is to touch her. I will take her with me." I took a step forward and picked up her body. The moment I touched her skin, I could feel these sparks radiating between us again. I looked at her face. It was perfect. I could not imagine another woman being more beautiful than her. Or was this the mate bond pulling me in? She felt so small in my arms like I could shield her from the entire world if I wanted to. Lyra and Elijah were confused about my behavior but didn't dare to speak up after I gave them a warning glare.

I carried the girl up the stairs, brought her to my room, and placed her on the bed. Now that I looked closer at her, she looked exhausted. I immediately hated myself for letting Elijah lead the interrogation. I should have been there with him. If I had met her just a few hours earlier, I could have stopped Elijah from harming her. Right now, I'd love nothing more than to rip him apart for hurting her, but I knew that it was my fault. I didn't protect her. Why didn't I?

The word 'witch' came back in my mind. Was she really a witch? Was she so powerful that she could kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye? Maybe she wasn't my mate; she had just bewitched me to believe that.

I sat down in the chair at the other end of the room. 'No', I thought, 'she is my mate. I'm sure of it.' The pull that I felt was exactly like what my parents had described when they explained it to me for the first time. The sparks when I touch her, this fire inside me forcing me to be close by her side, to protect her. This feeling was not created by witchcraft. It was my wolf instinct.

I couldn't sit still. I stood up from the chair and walked up to the bed that she was lying on. Instinctively, my hands touched her beautiful, dark blonde hair and soft skin when she suddenly moved. Her eyelids were flattering at first, but she quickly opened her eyes in shock. She looked straight at me with these mesmerizing dark brown eyes. Was she feeling it, too? Did the mate bond affect her as much as it affected me? She opened her mouth, and for a second, I thought she would start talking to me. But then I heard a terrible and horrified scream coming from her lips…