22. Kandra

I woke with one feeling, pain. I groaned my arms were killing me. I realised why when I tried to move them. My eyes snapped open as I looked up. My wrists were handcuffed. The handcuffs attached to a hook drilled into the roof. I tried to free them but I had no strength. I felt drugged my eyes blurry as I looked around the square concrete room with no windows. There was only one door, the only way in and out.

I was alone which was no surprise, the drug they had given me assured that I would be no trouble to them. With my arms held above my head shifting now wouldn't help since I'd still be cuffed. I tried to partial shift but my power wouldn't come to me. The drug must prevent me from using my wolf powers.

I tried to remember what I'd stashed in my clothes and hair. I mean I wasn't a complete idiot. The second I knew I was giving myself up to Driak I set about finding things that could help but i could also conceal without being found. I'm not going to lie a lot of it came from watching movies whenever Slo would visit me while I travelled. I didn't know if any of them would work but they were worth a shot right?

Using what little strength I had I lifted myself up with everything I had until I could reach my hair. Grabbing one of the pins stashed in the bun i let myself fall back down the pin now in my hand. I was just about to attempt to pick the lock when the door swung open. Quickly I hid the pin in my fists growling to draw Driaks attention as he walked into the room.

"Now now my cherry that's no way to greet an old friend."

I scowled at him watching as he stepped closer but not close enough for me to reach him.

"What do you want from me?"

He stared at me the smile he usually enjoyed showing completely gone. Instead he glared at me with so much hate there was no way he didn't know the feeling was mutual.

"I want what's mine."

Wait what? What the fuck was he talking about. I didn't have anything of his. Or was that some twisted way of him saying I was his.

Stepping closer he grabbed a strand of my hair that had come loose from when I'd pulled the pin. His face was mere inches from mine as his smile returned.

"To think the great Raine Valdier reduced to nothing more then a dog wagging her tail for her king. That pathetic display at the fox and hound made me sick."

He ran a finger down the side of my cheek along my jaw line to rest his hand around my neck. He applied no pressure but the threat was clear. Who was Raine Valdier? Was that my real name?

"To answer the question I can see burning behind those eyes yes your real name is Raine Valdier and you were my greatest creation. A weapon that was meant to to help me get what I wanted. At least that's what I'd hoped, Of course nothing is ever that simple."

My teeth gritted I wanted so bad to bit my teeth into the arrogant smug smile but I wanted him to keep talking. To reveal more about my past, I was banking on the fact that he seemed to like the sound of his on voice and I wasn't disappointed.

"Not even I could have predicted twins."

Twins? Did he mean Rix? Was she my twin? Was that why the photo of her looked so much like me?

To my dismay his recount of my past ended as he stepped back. Putting his hand on my forehead his eyes held an eriee shine to the gold flecks.

"No matter you will remember soon enough though I won't lie it's going to be painful."

The hand he held on my forehead start to glow with power. Small tentacles of green light worked their way out of his hands. I tried to move away but there was no where to go as the tentacles dug into my skull and with them the most excruciating pain I had ever felt. I screamed as they bore into my mind tearing me apart from the inside. My head was on fire bits and pieces of my past flashing before my eyes. Blood, murder, torture I had done it all. Then as quickly as they came they disappeared once more.

He growled in frustration ripping his hand from my head the tentacles of light being torn from my mind with them. I sagged against my restraints trying desperately to hold onto the pin I had somehow managed to hold in my hand.

I chuckled at his failure, whatever he was trying to do clearly it didn't work.

"Looks like your plans aren't going how you want them."

He back handed me the blow making me see stars, the taste of blood in my mouth from a spilt lip. He grabbed my chin roughly lifting my face to see into his eyes.

"Don't worry I haven't given up yet. I haven't waited twenty fours years for my plans to be halted by a little memory loss."

He replaced his hand on my forehead and resumed what I now knew was the restoration of my memories. The pain returned as those tentacles of light burned into my brain. The images of carnage. The pain I inflicted on so many. The feel of my blade slicing through flesh. My teeth as they tore open neck after neck. My claws as I stole power from so many innocents. The feeling I got as their life left their eyes. Even as their hearts beat for the last time. I felt nothing as I took away everything they held dear to them. I felt no remorse, no pity, just empty as I cut them down.

Tears sprang to my eyes not from the pain but from the monster I had been, the monster he was turning me back into. I growled the sound of my own will giving me strength as I pushed against his power. No I didn't want to be that monster. I didn't want to be a killer. I didn't want to take any more lives. My hands were already stained with too much blood.

For days he forced me to relive my past, for days I suffered as the pain racked through my body. Owens words giving me strength. I will never give up, I will never give in to his will. I felt Vericus's lips on mine, i wanted more then anything to see him again. To feel those lips on mine. I would not let Driak have me. I was Vericus's not his I would never be his again.

Driak ripped himself away from me panting his strength gone. He threw a small bolt of electricity towards the wall in anger. A small smile curved my lips since I no longer even had the strength to laugh. This time most of my memories remained but I was still in control of myself. He had not won my will from me and he never would at least that's what I hoped.

He glared at me fury in his eyes as they glowed with power.

"WHY WONT YOU YEILD TO MY POWER?"

The small smile still on my lips answer enough as he started pacing mumbling to himself. Suddenly he stopped. Turning towards me his fist clenched he growled the sound vibrating off the walls. Finding my voice again I laughed. It hurt like hell but I couldn't stop. He was before me in and instant his hand raised and before I even knew what was happening his now clawed hand hit me in the face. Pain burst from my left eye and cheek fresh blood dripped down my face.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

Even though my pain had just increased ten fold I still found the strength to talk.

"You'll...never....break....me."

My left eye rapidly swelling shut he bent to my eye level.

"Oh I will break you there's one memory ive been keeping suppressed inside that head of yours. I thought seeing it would only make your will stronger but perhaps it will be what breaks that incessant power of yours. Mark my words Raine just because your now whole means nothing you will still be my weapon and with you by my side I will have my power back I've waited far too long for this not to work."

Before I could even say a word he was back inside my head. For what had to be the thousandth time I saw my life only this time was different, this time I saw everything. From birth Driak raised me, trained me, shaped me into his weapon. By five I could use every weapon imaginable with acute accuracy. I was faster, stronger none could match me in a fight. By ten I had already started killing. I killed whoever Driak told me too. Without question without mercy. I killed witch's, shifters, vampires whatever the race I killed them all. Most for power some just because They had wronged Driak in some way. Whatever the reason I did it and I did it willingly because he told me too.

By the time I was fourteen I had already made a name for myself. I don't wear a mask then but it didn't matter no one survived long enough to give a description. It was Driak who insisted I start wearing one. He had come to me one day with it in his hand it reminded me of those masks the Ombo black ops wear in Naruto blue rain drops across its face. It was just before we joined the lunar eclipse pack or rather we offered our help. I never questioned it at the time being what I was but Driak convinced them that if they took out the silver moon pack they would gain power beyond measure. The fool Keary a power hungry wolf at the time was more then happy to except our help.

So together with the lunar eclipse pack we wiped out an entire bloodline of wolves. Driak was a master at manipulation. He even convinced Keary to kill Vericus's family Slo included even though they failed with Slo thank god. He'd told him without his family Vericus would have no fight left and would simply waste away. Then with no king there would be no peace and the lunar eclipse pack who spend their time warring against other packs to gain power would be free to do so.

Of course we all know how that turned out all it did was make Vericus hunt them more. To my surprise he continued to help them. They evaded Vericus at every turn purely by Driaks power. Being merely a weapon for Driak to use I never questioned any of it merely going along with what ever he wanted. The years rolled by one after the other more killing more deaths, torture maiming. Whatever it was I did it, I killed many red eye pack. On Driaks order I continued to wear a mask. though whenever Vericus and I faced each other in a fight Driak would always order me to retreat.

Before I knew it six more years had passed, with more carnage more deaths. Until one day Driak summoned me.

"A prisoner has escaped, track her down and kill her."

Driak kept many prisoners I was often sent to what he called his research lab to torture the will out of them. So I'd set out to find the prisoner. It wasn't hard to find her considering she was weak and still drugged as all the prisoners were. I caught up to her deep into the nantahala national forest. I took her down fast with one of my throwing knives as she ran through the trees.

I fought against the memory somehow knowing I didn't want to continue. Driaks power forced me back in.

I approached her slowly in no rush since there was no escaping me. She lay on the ground her face in the grass. Bending I turned her over....

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

I tried to fight it, tried to fight him. I knew. I knew what I would find. I had been waking up screaming from it for four years. The pain of pushing back. Of fighting his power. I screamed as he plunged me back into that forest.

I turned her over and what I saw was me. My face, my eyes. They were unfeeling in death. They wereEmpty just as I was empty. I was a weapon, I was unquestioning, I was a tool and I belonged to Driak.

The pain in my head stopped instantly as Driak ripped his power out of me. I felt nothing, I felt no pain, no sadness, no loss.

"Raine?"

My eyes met gold flecked irises one word escaping my lips as something metal dropped from my grasp. The sound reverberating off the walls.

"I am Raine Valdier."

His smile widened as he chuckled a sound that soon turned into a laugh.