Lana
March 14, 2014
“Trent, gather all the fighters. Zane, contact the Rose Pack. Mason, contact the Prowler Pack,” Landon orders, storming out of the house. It is havoc within the pack. Everyone is running around, preparing to fight while saying their goodbyes to loved ones. I am all disoriented, doing the only thing that is sane to me- staying close to Landon. “Lana, grab Natalie and make haste to the cabin—”
I snap out of my trance. “No.”
Everyone freezes for a moment, looking over at me. Landon gives out a growl, causing them to proceed with the orders he had given. Landon walks over, grabbing onto my arm. “I will not argue with you, Lana—”
“Good! So, don’t. I will not abandon you or our pack at the time of need.”
“You will not put yourself in that kind of danger! You need to be alive for the women and the children.”
“I will not live a life without you!”
Landon grabs both of my arms, pushing me in the direction of Natalie’s bedroom. I hit his chest with my fists, letting out screams of anger.
“You’re acting like a child!”
“I will not leave you. I will not let our last moment of us together be saying goodbye like this!” I protest.
“It won’t be,” Landon says. I still my fighting, looking up at him with hard eyes.
“Promise me. Promise me right now that you will return to me.” Landon just stares at me, and I give his chest a hard shove, pushing him back a step. “You can’t.”
Jesse and Jenny run up beside us, looking frantic. “Everyone is ready,” Jenny says.
Landon’s eyes shift from fierce to pleading. “Lana, please.”
“We live together or die together.” I reach up and grab his face in my hands. “That is my only option. I go where you go.”
Landon doesn’t look pleased with my answer, but we have run out of time. He leans down and places a strong kiss on my lips. “Don’t you dare die.” He growls.
“Back at you, Alpha.”
Landon turns and runs to our assembled pack. “I am so sorry, my family. I have promised to keep you safe and have failed. I do not deserve your loyalty, but I am proud to have it. I am blessed to have all of you as my pack, and if this is to be our end, then I am privileged to die amongst such brave warriors.”
Landon then shifts to his wolf, and everyone follows suit. I run up to be beside him. Jenny takes her place to my right, taking up her position of the Luna Guard. I look over at her, proud to have her as a friend. Jesse is behind me, and Trent is with Mason on Landon’s left.
I cast Landon one last glance before he takes off in a full sprint, heading straight for the oncoming pack.
When Trent reported the attack, the Cossitt Pack was twenty minutes away. By now, they’re only five. We met them full force in less than two.
The battle was ugly.
I have never seen so much blood, so much loss, and suffering. Trent is correct. The Cossitt Pack revels in the pain of their opponent. It is sick but true.
The Rose Pack and Prowler Pack sweep in as reinforcements. They are much needed. Our numbers are dwindling.
In the midst of all the fighting, I lose sight of Landon. I grow worried, not being able to link with him. I convince myself that he is too focused in a fight to connect with me. I have to believe that if I want to live through this.
As the outcome shifts into our favor, I start to see the Cossitt Pack retreat. But that isn’t their code. They fight until the last person is standing. I begin to panic as I know they have what they came for. Trent and Jesse… But they also want me. I look around the battlefield, feeling my heart race as I can’t find Landon.
Mason. Mason? I call for my Beta. There is no reply, and I sprint after the retreating wolves.
Lana! Jenny calls after me. She follows right behind me. I spin around to face her, snarling.
Go home. If Mason didn’t make it, I appoint the pack to you. Now, go. That’s an order. I ignore all the Luna instincts I have, telling me to go back and care for my pack.
I run in the direction of my old home. I promised myself I would never return.
Halfway there, I am trampled to the ground by a Cossitt wolf. I look up at him, snarling. However, he shifts back into human form and pulls back his fist, delivering me a hard blow to the head, knocking me out.
***
My hands are chained behind my back, pressed up against a hard, cold surface. My neck is stiff, and my eyes are heavy. I groan, trying to lift my head to see where I am. However, I know exactly where.
The Cossitt prison.
I feel a presence with me. Despite the screaming pain, I lift my head and open my eyes. It takes me a moment to get used to the darkness. When I do, I see Landon lying on the ground across the cell, chained up just as I am. He has been tortured.
His hand is bloodied and broken in many places. I notice a few out of place ribs. His back is gushing blood from fresh whip wounds. I let out a sob. “Landon,” I call out, begging for him to be alive. My voice is weak, barely heard.
I watch, waiting for him to respond. But he doesn’t. He just lies there, motionless. I feel my heart race as thoughts of the impossible run through my mind. No. He can’t be dead! I let out a scream, thrashing against the chains.
“Castor! Castor! I swear, if you kill him, I will murder you!” I yell through the prison. I am answered with silence.
I hang my head, sobbing as I feel all reason to live fade. Landon is my rock, my sole purpose. Without him, everything will be without color. The sky will be gray, and the sweetest of food will be tasteless.
“Hmm-umm.” I hear a mumble. I lift my head to see Landon shift his head.
“Landon? Baby?” I call out. I watch as he lifts himself up, settling on his knees. He lifts his head, looking over at me.
“Lana,” he whispers. I let out a sigh of joy at the sound of his voice.
He’s alive. He’s going to be okay. I’ll get us out of here.
I glance around the cell we are in. All the walls are made of concrete. However, the one furthest away is adorned with a steel door. I try to think of a way to escape. We are underground… The facility is heavily guarded.
I remember walking past the prison when I used to live within the Cossitt Pack. The building is made of brick with bars on the prison cells that has windows. There is a separate entrance, apart from the main, that leads down to confinement. That is where we currently are. There are two guards placed at every holding cell and a patrol that walks around the prison constantly.
Escaping is practically impossible.
“Baby, you’re okay,” Landon says. “I thought you were dead.” I feel tears roll down my cheeks.
“What did they do to you?” I ask, moving as close to him as I could. He shifts closer too. We are barely a foot from each other, and I want to scream in frustration.
“It doesn’t matter. You’re alive,” he says.
His eyes remain fogged. His wolf is so weak that he can’t call upon him. I am glad. I don’t want him to see me like this.
“Is it just us?” I ask him.
“They took Trent and Jesse to another cell.”
“Not Mason?” I ask.
Landon doesn’t respond. I begin to cry. He’s dead. He never responded. He never reached out to me. If he isn’t here, then he has to be lying on the battlefield.
I bring my knees to my chest and cry. “This is my fault. Castor only came because of Jesse and Trent. They left to see me.”
“This isn’t your fault. You were right when you told Macklin that Castor craves power. He would have come anyway, Lana.” Landon tries to reassure me. Even if he was right, I couldn’t help but feel responsible.
Our friend is dead. Who knows how many more are as well.
The door opens, and the lights flicker on. I lift my head to see Castor walk in. He casts a look at Landon before he stalks over to me. I straighten my spine as he delivers a blow to my jaw. I spit out blood as Landon growls.
“Leave her alone!”
“Don’t,” I mutter to him, glaring up at Castor. Castor grits his teeth, reaching down to grab my chin.
“All of this because of you. Why did you have to leave? Didn’t I make you happy?” His thumb runs over my lips. I feel my stomach churn with disgust. I want to bite off his thumb, but I know it would only result in harsher punishments.
Castor squats in front of me, brushing a hand through my hair before he looks over at Landon and smiles. “I’m glad you’re awake. I wouldn’t want you to miss this.”
Another man walks in and hands Castor a case. Castor sets it on the ground as the faceless man leaves, opening it to reveal a set of knives. I begin to panic, moving away from him.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” Landon screams.
Castor pulls out a small paring knife. He examines it, lifting it up so it is visible for me to see. I am glad Landon couldn’t see at this moment. Castor looks at Landon as he shoots his hand out, driving the knife deep into my stomach. I cough, spitting up blood. The knife is small, barely breaching the thick layer of muscle and fat. He drags the blade across the length of my stomach. I can no longer contain the bile as I puke out blood. I feel warmth run along my abdomen and down my apex and legs. I don’t have to look down to see that it’s my blood.
“No! What are you doing to her? What are you doing, you sick monster?”
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Landon,” I say through the blood and tears running down my cheeks.
“I just killed your child, Landon,” Castor says. My eyes widen at his words. No… That can’t be possible. How could he possibly have known that if I didn’t?
I watch as Landon’s shoulders sag with defeat. His head hangs as he lets out a sob. “No.”
“Shh,” I whisper over to him. “It’s okay.” But I am crying just as hard as my wounded mate. I was pregnant with our child… Our Mae.
But in an instant, a small motion with the knife, the baby has been killed, the small life inside of me.
Oh, what have I done?
Castor wipes off the blade, putting it back in his case. He gets to his feet and places his hand on my cheek. “You’re so beautiful. Think how beautiful our child will be.”
“I swear if you lay a hand on her, I will murder you, you prick!” Landon shouts.
“I’ll have the medic come in and sew you back up, love. When you are back to full health, I will rape you in front of your mate,” Castor promises. I fall back against the wall, letting out a sob as he walks out of the cell.
“You will not have her!” Landon screams.
As I listen to my mate scream, I try to calm my breathing and clear my head. The pain in my abdomen is so fierce, and the ache in my heart is unbearable. My unborn child was just murdered.
What have I done to deserve this?
What has Landon done?
“Shh. It’s okay,” I repeat over and over again to Landon who just yells threats at Castor. “It’s okay, Landon.”
“It’s not okay.” Landon struggles against the chains. “How much pain are you in, baby? Transfer it to me,” he says. I close my eyes as fresh tears emerge.
He’s willing to bear more pain even though he is on the verge of death himself. He definitely doesn’t deserve this.
“You’re a good man, Landon. I am so sorry. I should have listened to you.”
“No. Shut up. We both know you are too thick-headed to ever do as you’re told. Don’t waste your energy on regrets, my love. Now, lend me your sight. Let me see what he did to you,” Landon begs.
I can’t let him do that. I am only able to go on knowing he can’t see what has happened and what will happen. I am glad his wolf is weak, as sadistic as that sounds.
“I cannot do that,” I say, leaning my head against the wall.
Exhaustion creeps up on me. The blood loss and all the crying has rendered me weak and tired.
“No, no, no. Stay with me, Lana. Don’t leave me,” Landon says as I lie on the ground.
“I’m so tired.”
“I know. But you need to stay awake. You need to fight this,” he pleas. I want nothing more than to do as Landon says.
My body has a mind of its own. Even though I fight with everything I have to stay with Landon, I feel myself slip away.