TWO

KIARA

   "I'm your mate, not her!" I cried out, tears rolling down my cheeks. Lucas regarded me with a cold stare. Then, he approached me and halted in front of me.

"Of course, you're my mate. But, you're here for a specific purpose," he said.

My limbs trembled as I processed his statement. For what purpose had he decided to deceive me?

I should've known that his romantic gestures towards me were all calculated.

"What purpose?" I choked out, my voice quivering.

I didn't want to hear it.

I was afraid it was something terrible. I was afraid to admit that I'd allowed myself to fall into his trap. 

The four weeks we'd spent together had consisted of him showering me with gifts. 

I could still recall the memory of his soft kisses and the way he'd engulfed me in his warm embrace. 

Was it all a blatant lie?

"You're here as my breeder. You should feel honoured, princess" he drawled, reaching out to touch my face. I pushed his hand away, anger and bitterness filling my heart. 

Over my dead body would I spend the rest of my life as a mere breeder. This wasn't how I'd envisioned my future with my mate.

"I hate you" I spat.

At that moment, I desired to bash his face in, with my fists. But, I couldn't do that. I was powerless.

His eyes darkened.

"I don't care."

He turned away from me and walked up to the other woman, pulling her into his embrace. 

Never in my life had I felt so humiliated.

"I reject you" I rasped.

He frowned, his nose flaring.

"What?"

"I, Kiara Claris reject you, Lucas-"

"Guards! Lock her up in the dungeon!" Lucas commanded and my heart sank. 

Two guards grabbed me immediately, placing stone cuffs around my wrists.

"Why are you doing this to me?!" I cried.

"You are weak and pathetic. Bearing my children is the least you can do to help your mate" Lucas responded.

While the guards whisked me away, I decided to reject him before I was out of his sight.

So, like a mad woman, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"I, Kiara Claris, reject you Lucas Fynnian, as my mate! May the moon goddess bear witness to this!"

Right away, pain blossomed in my chest, stealing my breath. I understood it to be the pain of broken bonds. 

I didn't care anymore. As long as my connection to him had been broken. 

After I was locked up in the dungeon, I lost track of time. However, I noticed that my body was progressively weaker. Seconds bled into minutes. Hours painfully slipped by and several days passed. 

The cell smelt of mold and blood. At night, the cold was almost unbearable. Food was brought to me only once each day. It didn't take long before I began to think that I was better off dead. 

I felt physically sick. Each day, it grew worse. Worn out, the day came when I eventually passed out in my cell. 

When I came to, I found myself in my cell with Lucas. He watched me with keen eyes, a hint of a smile on his lips. 

"What do you want?" I hissed coldly. 

"To congratulate you" he replied, slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants. 

"Why would you do that?" I questioned.

"You're carrying my child in your womb," was his response.

"Don't play games with me," I deadpanned.

I probably looked like a starved lioness ready to pounce on her prey. But, deep down, I was trembling with fear. The last thing I wanted was having to deal with an unplanned pregnancy.

He grinned.

"I'm not. You're six weeks pregnant. My healers confirmed it" he said, a smug grin on his face. 

"Such a good girl. The healers will attend to you from time to time. Do not try anything funny" he said and left the cell. 

My breath caught in my throat, tears welling up my eyes. 

"It's all my fault. It's all on me-" A sob tore out of my throat as I brought my hands to my face, a crushing pressure blooming in my chest.

...

"My lady. It's me" a familiar voice said. Two days had passed since I learnt of my pregnancy. 

I looked up, my eyes widening at the sight of Cassy. The hood of her black leather coat draped over her head, casting shadows across her face.

"How did you get in?" I asked, bewildered. 

"I'm here to get you out of here, Kiara" she said, taking hold of the chains keeping the cell door inaccessible.

"What about my father? Do you think he knows that I'm in here?" I asked.

"He doesn't seem to care. It was difficult to trace you all the way down to the dungeons. We have to get out of here, quickly." 

The chains in her grip began to crack as her eyes glowed a bright purple. 

Once the chains had fallen apart, she tossed them aside and swung the door open.

Bringing me to my feet, she led me out of the cell.

"We will have to run. Can you do that?" She said.

I stared down at my sprained ankle, my heart in my throat. Lucas had smashed my ankle the night he'd visited me and tried to have his way with me.

This was my one and only opportunity to regain my freedom. I'd be damned if I let it go to waste.

"I must," I breathed. 

"I heard about your pregnancy. The Lycans are not discrete about it" she said. 

"It's my burden now. I brought it upon myself " I mumbled. 

"We'll talk more about this, later. Right now, there are guards closing in on us. Let's hurry."

We rushed down the corridor and dashed towards the rear exit where we encountered more guards. Apparently, Cassy had knocked out some guards on her way to the dungeon. 

As we sprinted towards the giant gates leading outside the palace, the gates began to close. 

Dread filled me, chilling me to the core.

Cassy squeezed my hand, a determined look in her eyes. 

"We're getting out of here today. I will make sure of it" she breathed. 

Lifting the sleeve of her coat, she ripped off the silver and black gem bracelets sitting on her wrists. My father had given it to her to keep her magic on a leash. 

Without it, she couldn't really control her magic. 

"Stop them!" A Lycan yelled from behind us. I could hear the hair raising growls of the Lycans giving us a hot chase. 

My ankle was throbbing at this point. The pain brought tears to my eyes. But, I clenched my teeth against it.

A Lycan lurched himself at me, his claws making their mark on my right calf. 

"Get your claws off her!" Cassy screamed, channeling her powers in his direction. A wave of magic sent him along with the other Lycans crashing in the opposite direction.

Gritting my teeth, I struggled to my feet, blood oozing out of the fresh wounds. 

"You have to shift, Kiara!" Cassy said, dodging the bullet moving in her direction.

Another gunshot went off. Crouching down, I squeezed my eyes shut and reached out for my wolf spirit. Allure took over in a flash. 

Cassy easily scooped my wolf form into her arms. I was relatively small, compared to other werewolves. 

"Are you ready to fly?" Cassy breathed, flashing me a smile.

Holding out a free hand towards the ground, her feet went off from the ground. With me in her arms, she floated upwards, far above the reach of the Lycans. The cold breeze swept through my fur and I turned to glance at the Lycan palace one more time. 

"Kiara!" I heard Lucas yell, his thunderous voice rumbling within the palace walls.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he never finds us. We just have to get out of the Lycan kingdom. Hold on for me, okay?"

I looked away, mulling over my thoughts. 

If I wasn't so weak and useless. 

If only I hadn't fallen for Lucas' deceit. 

If only I hadn't been so desperate about finding a mate. 

With my wounds still bleeding, it didn't take long before I drifted off into unconsciousness.

When I awakened, I was in the woods, lying under a tree. The moonlight was brilliant tonight. 

Slowly, I sat up. 

"How are you feeling? I've healed your injury. But, you've been running a fever," Cassy whispered.

I looked around, taking note of the trees and fallen brown leaves. 

"Where are we?" I asked, wincing at the pounding in my head. 

"The border between the kingdom of the northern Werewolves and the Lycans. Beyond this area is the territory of the rogues. It's been rumoured to be a dangerous place," she responded.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered when the sounds of footsteps reached my ears. 

Cassy sniffed the air, her eyes widening. 

"Lycans! We have to get going" she whispered, worry etched onto her face. 

"It's the scent of cherry blossoms! It's her!" Someone yelled. 

Panic stricken, Cassy and I took off running. The grounds seemed to lead up to a mountain. Therefore, it was getting harder to catch my breath. Cassy's strengthening spell was beginning to fade and the throbbing in my head had returned. 

"This isn't good. Kiara we're entering rogue territory, " Cassy stressed.

I turned back and sure enough we were being chased. 

"Let's hope for the best" I gasped. 

Behind me, Cassy suddenly screamed. Terrified, I turned around only to find the Lycans holding her captive. 

"Keep running! Don't look back!" She cried, her eyes filling up with moisture. 

The words had barely left her lips when one of them yanked at her arm, a resounding sickening crack ringing out. Cassy screamed in pain, her eyes squeezed shut. 

No, not her. 

Not my best friend. 

I can't lose her.

"Kiara! Run!" Cassy yelled, her voice hoarse. 

Tears pooled in my eyes, threatening to spill. 

"If you don't run, I will never forgive you!" She sobbed, falling to her knees. 

I took a hesitant step backwards. Then, another. 

Sobbing, I took off in a sprint. By the time I got to the top, black spots were swarming around the edges of my vision. 

'Run, you have to keep running,' I urged myself as I pushed on. 

My feet came to a halt when I bumped into something hard. I looked up, my gaze finding a pair of beautiful golden eyes staring down at me. I'd just bumped into a man, I realized. 

"Save me. Save...my friend. Save us, please" I croaked, sinking to my knees.