DONOVAN

 

I leaned up against the stake on the ground I was shackled to, trying to make my uncomfortable position as comfortable as possible. I could have sat here for days if I needed to but I had no desire to.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was so fatigued. No food. No water. No sleep. The injuries certainly weren’t helping.

And then there was him.

Rukai.

The Primal man leaned up against the cavern wall. He snarled as he hungrily ravaged his food. It was some piece of the carcass from some poor animal in the woods.

The way he ate was so vicious. He chewed with his mouth open, big bites with most of the food falling to the ground. Blood gushed. Bones crunched. He ate his meal like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him.

“What are you laughing at, Jaguar?” he growled.

“Nothing… I just think you should use a bib.”

“A bib?”

“Yes, a bib. It’s like a napkin you put around your collar.”

“A napkin?”

“Yes, a napkin. Never mind… Strange. I can’t remember the last time I ate without a knife and fork—”

Rukai tore at the meat with his jagged fangs and swallowed down the big bite.

“City-dweller,” he said. “You are an Alpha.”

“Yes, I am an Alpha.”

“Yet you confine yourself to the new way of living. Clothes. Shelter. Cooked food. You are no more an Alpha than a Beta.”

“That seems to be a running theme with you Primals… Accusing us who live in Dirge like we’re lower class.”

“Are you not?”

I laughed again. Seeing the savage man in front of me only confirmed my notions that my life was the envy of every being in and around Dirge.

“Have you tried it?” I asked.

“Tried what?”

“Coming to the city. Living in Dirge.”

“My people have no need for such frivolities. The life of the pack has been lived for generations. There is no need to change it.”

“Lucas seems to enjoy it.”

“He is an Omega. Only made for breeding. He knows nothing.”

“He knows a lot more than that.”

While Rukai devoured his food, I continued to explain life in the city to him.

“You are not always so violent,” I said. “There is a time when you do something else besides hunt and have sex.”

“Even our bodies need rest.”

“Yes! You enjoy the comforts of the soft grass you sleep on. You enjoy bathing in the waters of the surrounding lakes. You enjoy doing nothing more than resting when your belly is full and your cock is satisfied.”

“What is your point, jaguar?”

Rukai was eyeballing me hard even though I was smiling at him. It was pointless to try and change his mind but there was nothing else for me to do.

“My point is that you call these things frivolities,” I said. “My people worked hard. For generations, your pack has lived the way they lived, passing down their traditions from one pack to the next. It is the same with my people. The lives of my ancestors were spent trying to improve my life. And my life will be spent improving future generations. It does not matter if you live in the city or in the Timberlands. You and I… You and I are one in the same.”

“Ha! Don’t make me laugh. We are not the same.”

He devoured the piece of meat in his hands, bone and all. Then he snatched another piece from the carcass that laid next to him.

I closed my eyes and sighed a deep breath. I didn’t know how long I’d been here but I knew I’d already grown weary of it.

“What’s wrong?” he said. “Do you miss the comforts of Dirge? Do you miss your house and your soft bed?”

“I do, actually.”

“Then we are not the same. Sleeping in that bed has weakened your spine. You forgot what it’s like to be an Alpha, a true Alpha.”

I was tired. Not because I wanted to fall asleep. No, I was tired of Rukai’s continued insults.

“This bores me,” I sighed. “Where is Mordecai?”

“That’s not your concern. He is tending to business of the pack.”

“As the lead Alpha of the pack, I imagine he’s quite busy.”

“It is his responsibility.”

“It’s fitting that he’s the lead Alpha…”

“Why’s that?”

“I saw the others in your pack. I saw how you fight. I saw how you conduct yourselves. You’re not fit to be leader of this pack. You are merely an Alpha.”

“That is not true. I could lead this pack if I wanted to.”

“No, you couldn’t. Mordecai would destroy you if you even thought about it.”

I stared at Rukai. He only laughed in response, chunks of meat falling to the ground as his mouth opened.

“Nice try, jaguar,” he said. “You cannot trick me into challenging the lead Alpha. Not when I know you’re in no position to make demands.”

“Very well,” I sighed. “Then I will be the one to challenge Mordecai.”

“You?”

He laughed heartily again. Laughing seemed to have made him work his appetite up, as he took another bite of meat and kept talking at the same time.

“You are not of our pack,” he said. “You are not even the same species.”

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid that I would defeat Mordecai and become leader of your pack?”

“Mordecai would tear you limb from limb! If a jaguar became leader of our pack, then surely it would lead to our destruction.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Look at your reflection. You claim you are strong but you are really weak. You use your fortune to hide the strength you have lost. Your ancestors worked for generations to separate from their packs and become prosperous individuals. But all you’ve really done is weakened your hearts.”

Rukai stopped laughing. He just stared at me with the intensity I had grown accustomed to.

I sighed and looked around the cavern.

There has to be some way to get out of here…

I couldn’t break my binds if I used all of my strength. The only way I would be free of them would be if Rukai released me. His emotions were strong but he was smart.

That’s when I realized there was only one other thing I could say to him.

I had to provoke him.

“Mordecai trusts you to watch over me,” I said.

“Yes. I am loyal. The only one who isn’t is that traitorous Omega who left us.”

“I assume there are other wolves standing guard at the entrance of the cavern.”

“Yes, there are.”

“Why?”

“In case the Omega decides to show up with that bear friend of his.”

“Or maybe it’s because Mordecai doesn’t completely trust you.”

“What?”

“What if I were to escape? What if I were to kill you and leave the cavern? Well… It’s a good thing you’re not truly alone, otherwise I’d be able to escape.”

“You would never be able to beat me in a fight, jaguar. Your bodies were built for running. You don’t even know what it’s like to kill your prey.”

“Prove it,” I said. “If you’re so confident you could beat me, untie my binds and defeat me.”

Rukai chuckled and shook his index finger at me.

“Mordecai gave me orders to make sure you stay alive,” he said. “If you’re dead, the Omega will have no reason to come and save you.”

“You don’t have to kill me. All you have to do is beat me. What will Mordecai care if I have more injuries? As long as I’m alive, Lucas will still come for me.”

Rukai looked away from me. He chomped on his food like he was ignoring me. But we were the only ones in the cavern, so there was nowhere else for him to go and nothing else to occupy himself with.

“Coward,” I said. “First you refuse to challenge Mordecai for leader of the pack. Now you don’t wish to teach a lesson to a jaguar you just called weak. It’s pathetic—”

Rukai growled and threw his food against the side of the cavern. He got up to his feet and stomped toward me. His index finger pointed at my face, he gave me the intense look that I was waiting for.

“Don’t run,” he said. “If you run, it will surely mean your end. Take your beating like an Alpha should.”

“I am not a coward. And I will prove it to you.”

He grunted to himself. He seemed resigned to the fact that it was a mistake but he did it anyway.

Rukai took a knee and started undoing the binds around my wrists. My hands free, I stretched my arms up toward the cavern ceiling.

“Get up,” he said, motioning for me with his hands. “Come take the beating you were begging for.”

I took a step back and gave him a nod.

“Give me my beating, wolf,” I responded.

My clothes had been ripped earlier, making it easier for me to shift. Rukai turned into a white wolf and snarled at me. His fangs still had the fresh blood from the carcass he’d just consumed.

We started to circle one another. The only thing between us was the fire that burned bright.

I wasn’t going to make the first move. As fast as wolves were, I knew that I was faster. Just as I’d predicted, Rukai lunged toward me.

I rolled out of the way from the violent snatching of his jaw. He didn’t give me any time to recover. He kept trying to hound me, biting and swiping at me with all of his energy.

He was ferocious. So ferocious that he got careless. He lunged at me and collided with the hard cavern wall. The loud thud made him stumble to all fours. I could see he was dazed. Now was my chance to strike.

I rushed toward him and pounced. I got on top of his back and swiped at his neck. He howled in pain from the deep gash I gave him but then knocked me off of him.

I tumbled backward but stayed on my feet.

Rukai turned to me, his yellow eyes more enraged than ever.

“Coward,” he growled. “Stop running and fight.”

“I’m right here. Come and get me.”

I rushed toward him just as he did the same. Before we collided with one another, I ducked down to avoid hitting him. I quickly turned around before Rukai could. Just as he spun around, I swiped at the small fire between us. The embers went flying up toward his face.

He howled in pain and I rushed toward him. Another swipe of my claw against his face knocked him unconscious.

I only took a moment to make sure he was out before racing out of the cavern. It was dark and there was no telling if I were heading in the right direction. My heart pounded in my chest as I sorted my way through the labyrinth.

I began to grow worried that I would be stuck in the caverns and Rukai would eventually find me. But then I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Nighttime was over and the sun was coming up.

I pushed harder than I ever had before. All four of my limbs dug into the dirt and propelled me forward. The light started to shine brighter and brighter.

As I got closer to the light, I heard the violent sound of growls.

Shit.

They must have heard me. Rukai howled loud enough to draw his other brethren.

It didn’t matter. However many there were, I was going to race past them and head back to the city. I knew I was faster than all of them. That was the only chance I had at saving myself.

But I was greeted with a sight I wasn’t expecting. I stepped out into the light and saw several wolves laid out before me. Standing over them was a large bear and a wolf with dark-brown fur.

“Lucas? Goro?”

“Donovan!” the wolf said as he rushed up to me.

His eyes were widened in surprise.

“We came here to save you,” Lucas said.

“It looks like you didn’t need our help,” Goro said.

Seeing Lucas again filled my heart with feelings I couldn’t describe. But knowing the danger, I couldn’t take the time to enjoy them.

“There’s more of them around here,” I said. “Goro, take Lucas. We have to leave quickly.”

“And to think, we just got here,” he said. “Come along, Omega. Back we go.”

Lucas hopped on Goro’s back and the bear trounced back into the forest through the woods. I raced forward just behind them. We would be long gone before Mordecai and the others realized I’d escaped.