Capture

“Back again?” mumbled Emmaline as she took in the state of Neema. The bruises from the night before had deepened in colour and the scars had begun an attempt at healing. Her skin was clear from any blood but Neema definitely looked worse for wear, she had a swollen cheek and bussed lip that cracked with every movement.

“Yep, but you’ll be glad to know it wasn’t Khan.”

Emmaline merely nodded her head at Neema’s response and continued moving around the room, looking for any reason to fully face her. The tension was still strong between the two women and neither knew how to make up for the wrong doings they had done.

The woman refused to face Neema as she pulled out a blue flower that had lots of blossoms on it, she continued pulling out more stuff and placed them on the desk in front of Neema.

She pulled a petal from the flower and placed it into a small dish, moving over to the sink she carried the dish and a small bottle of a yellowish liquid to the sink. Her back was to Neema as she crushed the flower and added a little of the liquid along with some brown and red dust. She then set fire to the mixture and waited for a deep purple haze to rise from the dish before she blew it out and headed back over to the desk where Neema sat and some of her remedies still lay.

She began spreading the warm paste over Neema’s skin in silence her eyes focussed on her work as if the woman she was working on was a corpse and not a live person with questions.

It was Neema who broke the silence.

“Emmaline I’m really sorry for what happened the other day, I know you probably hate me but I had to tell you the truth.”

Neema would never apologise for the words she had said, they were the truth and though they were hard to hear she could not take them back. Emmaline needed to know the truth and she had been the barer of the bad news. She was sorry for the reaction it had on the woman, Neema could only imagine how she reacted to her mate that night. It was not everyday a female realised she had been pulled into a loving bond with a rapist but the scenario was one Neema was aware often happened to the women of this world.

People in the old world had come up with clinical terms for women who formed attachments to their kidnappers and rapists but in this world there was only one that they new, Life. It was life. It was how things had been for as long as anyone could remember. Even human marriages were not always roses that bloomed, some were weeds that spread and killed life around it. Sucked all the love into rot. It was life, a part that Neema had no intention of being a victim of. If she was to ever love Khan, she would remember the beginnings of this godforsaken mate bond and he would remember right alongside her.

At Neema’s words she placed the dish on the table and closed her eyes, tears pooled at the corners of her lashes as she bit her lip and her hands clenched on the desk in her frustration.

“I do not hate you, I just. It was hard for me to hear it.” Her voice cracked as she licked her lips. “when I got home, I had to look at my mate and tell him I remembered. I had to look at my son Konan and know that he was not conceived out of love. It hurt, it still does.”

When her eyes opened Neema saw sincerity and a lightness that she had never seen in Emmaline the few times she had met the woman.

“But I’m better for it and my family will be better for it, the love we have now is one that I chose. I may not have in the beginning but I made that choice when I went back to my mate and lay my head on his chest. You gave me a choice, even if I did not realise I needed to make it. Thank you.”

Neema had a new respect for the woman, she had made a choice based on all the facts of her mating. She was a realist now and if that was the choice Emmaline made she could respect it, even understand it.

“So now that it is out of the way, would you like to tell me why you are always bruised when I see you.” Emmaline demanded as she wiped at the tears that lingered on her cheek and picked back up her purple-ish brown concoction. Her face was in a stern scowl but Neema could see the twinkle in her eyes.

“All I can say is Khan.” Sighed Neema as she braced herself for the long story she was about to tell.

When Neema had finished being patched up she headed down to the nursery to watch her siblings in their learning environment. They spent a few hours a day there before she took them to have dinner with Vanya where they played until they were exhausted. After that it was bath time, then snack time where she let them have a fruit of their choice and yogurt and then bed. While they slept she would then get ready and prepare herself for another dinner where she had to sit alongside Khan and pretend she wanted to be there.

Her little routine was always the same, it was a routine that she had formed and liked. It was a routine that Khan was scarcely involved in unless he was around the kids, which was something he wanted to change.

Khan entered the nursery where Neema sat on one of the child chairs at the back of the room and beckoned her over with a nod of his head. He exited the room leaving her no choice but to follow or wait for him to come back in and probably make a scene. She followed.

He stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded and his brows set in a scowl. Giving Neema a once over he motioned her to follow him again as he began strolling down the hall. Reluctantly she began following him knowing that her siblings would be safe in the yellow walls of the nursery and with the green of Sahina’s eyes watching them.

The walk was extremely short as he headed down two corridors, through what she believed was his study and out a glass door that led into a large garden. His feet kept crunching through the grass until they stopped by a maze like wall that was embedded with large flowers in bright colours. Pinks, blues reds, whites and lilacs all mixed together to make a rainbow of flowers.

“Why are we here Khan.” Questioned Neema as she plucked at one of the red roses, it hadn’t begun blooming yet, its petals were closed as it took its time to greet the world with its centre. It was beautiful, the most vibrant colour she had ever seen in her life. A full luscious red with a deep green stem.

“I wanted to spend some time with you, without any distractions.” His arms were folded as his hazel eyes roved over her with a dry look. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“I don’t want to spend time with you, not alone. You can’t be trusted.” she grumbled, the flower crushing in her closed fists. The petals fluttering to the ground before it had a chance to flourish.

“Well get used to this alone time Neema because it will be happening, how else will you give me an heir.

His words only made her even more annoyed, Khan had taken from her body and continued to do so. Yet here he stood still demanding more from her. Over her dead body. She would not voluntarily give him an heir and he would have the fight of his life if he tried to force her again.

“Are you crazy, you wont be touching me so you better hope I already am pregnant. I deserve better than you can give me, I wont settle for less.”

She deserved more than the slot she had been given. Neema was not one to think highly of herself but she knew that she did not deserve an abusive mate. She was not a cruel person so why she had been cursed with a cruel mate was beyond her. She did not think she was better than wolves but she was better than Khan. He walked around with his head held high, preening like a peacock. Full of arrogance and self importance when in reality he was nothing. Without his titles nobody would miss him, maybe his father but that was it. Khan was nothing but a legacy. His name was all he had whereas Neema had no real family name but so much family love.

If she were to die she would be missed for the person she was, but Khan, he would only be missed for as long as his Alpha position was vacant.

She deserved more than him, she deserved trust, loyalty and respect, she would not settle for less.

“You have too much pride. You humans still think you are superior but it is that pride that caused this very predicament your race finds itself in.” His mouth was tilted up in a smirk as if he were talking to an unruly child, as if she had a lesson to earn and he was her teacher.

“Pride, well you’d know all about that, you’re an arrogant twat. I’m warning you khan, try to touch me and I will crush you.”

His eyes widened in shock as they flickered black and his teeth rose in a snarl. His canines descending over his bottom lip as his nature made its presence known. He wanted to laugh at her threat he really did but he was an Alpha and challenges could not be met with laughter, they were met with fire. If she continued to push him he would burn her world to ashes, starting with her siblings.

“No Neema, I’m warning you, this human pride you cling to is what ended your little human civilisation and now look where you stand. This is not your world female. You do not make threats to me. This is my world and in this world I crush resistant humans like you with my pinkie finger.” The growling of his voice rattled through his chest, his jaw ticking with the anger rising though his body.

“Here we go, the real Khan emerges. Don’t you ever get tired of being such a godamn cunt.”

His chest rumbled and his lips curled in anger at her insult but Neema was on a roll.

Her hands fisted at her side as she glared at him with equal fire in her eyes, the two were explosive together and it always ended in way more than fireworks. No they were like a bomb, just tick tick ticking away, waiting for that one spark that would detonate them and cause nothing but destruction.

“You’re deluded. You expect me to have sex with you but you can’t even apologise.” Her voice was exasperated as she flung her arms about.

“I would tell you I’m sorry but I cannot show shame for who I am.”

She had never expected him to apologise. It was something that he seemed incapable of but he acted as if she were crazy to want one. As if she had a few screws loose. Emotions were not something Khan dealt with daily she could tell, but surely he knew that if he wanted to get anywhere with her an apology was one of the first things he needed to do. Straight after he got rid of his arrogant attitude.

He took being Alpha way too seriously. He expected everyone to give him the respect his title demanded while he trod all over them. Respect was earned not given and all he had earned was her deep rooted disdain and repulsion.

“I never asked you to be ashamed of who you are but you should be ashamed of how you treated me, your supposed mate.” Her rose stained hands gripped her hair as her patience for the male before her reached its breaking point. He would be the death of her, literally.

“I will not accept your world Khan and if you force me, I will knock it down and build my own within the walls of this crumbling prison” she growled out as she released her hands from her hair, her eyes flickering as she stared into his dark black eyes with streaks of red.

“You do not understand the power I have, I could take your siblings away from you on a whim. A whim.” His slouchy body frame straightened out as he towered over Neema, his body radiating with his dominance as he tried to force his power, his will over her.

“If that is what I need to do to show you I am your Alpha then I will do it, this is not a threat.”

And Neema heard his words clearly for what they were, they were a promise but what good was his promise when he needed her siblings as much as she needed them. Khan liked her siblings with the little emotion he knew how to feel but more importantly without them he had no control over Neema. The only reason she remained in this compound contemplating whether to kill Khan or not was because her siblings were better off here. The moment he threatened that, changed it, was the moment he would loose any control he had over their situation. They both Knew it.

“I am trying to be kind but the more you push me, try to dominate me, I feel my self loosing what little human I have left. This is not me. I do not hurt women but your challenging is causing my sanity to slip.”

Khan’s hands fisted as his claws began to poke through his skin and cause the red of his blood to drip. His stance was ferocious but his eyes implored her, begged her to stop challenging him. She needed to accept her role in his life before he really made her regret being mated to him. He was capable of doing much more harm than she could ever imagine, he did not want to do any worse but he would if she demanded it of him.

“You wouldn’t take my siblings from me because they’re the only reason I remain here, that I play this role as your mate. You take them from me and I will kill you Khan and drink your blood to appease my mind that you are really dead.”

It was a foul thing to say, it was more wolf than human but it was the only language Khan spoke. He only understood bloodshed and violence so she would show him. Promise him, if he threatened her heart again she would make him bleed an ocean before she let him see daylight again.

“You are a good match for me.” Khan reluctantly declared, his mouth tipping up in his uncharacteristic smile. That half smirk that almost met his eyes but not quite.

“Un fucking likely, you keep trying to kill me.” She grumbled but the fire in her had been washed out, he was not threatening her anymore. He was taking her seriously as if he had something to fear from her and he did.

“I never meant to treat you that way, but this is the world I live in. There are no rose tinted glasses, just a red haze of blood ”

The weak apology was not enough, her eyes portrayed that message as her head tilted in acquiescence. She would of course accept his pitiful apology but she would not trust him. Their mating would be a shambles of public displays of submission and affection met with private displays of disdain. She would be walking a fine line between the two personas, but as long as the scar remained on her skin she would cling to her hatred like a life line.

Neema was aware that he would never let the actual words slip from his mouth, maybe he would never need to. All she knew was that no amount of apologies, spoken or not, could ever make up for what he did. The damage he had done was more than just a superficial wound. He had mentally scarred her. For days her sleep was tarnished by those horrid memories as had her families. Everything Khan did to her echoed back to her family and until he understood that he would always be an enemy. If Neema bled then they bled too, no matter how hard she tried to stop it they were part of the same body.

Her family made up one body and they were all organs fighting to survive, fighting to keep pumping that rose haze of blood that Khan loved so much.

The bond Knows No Bounds

As the days progressed Neema became aware of one thing and one thing only, that to be safe among these wolves she had to be fearsome, a true threat.

Though she had won the fight against Lian and had gained the respect of Khan’s den of wolves it still did not deduct from the fact that wolves outside of the pack were just as fierce and hated her just as much. She was a sewage dweller, a gutter rat and was firmly meant to be at the bottom of the hierarchy but her fight with Lian had progressed her to a higher position then the majority of the wolves within these compound walls could ever dream of being.

She was no longer a gutter rat she was then Luna to the future Regional Alpha, a direct descendant of the original Wolfen Brethren and all that self-important diatribe Khan constantly said.

Her position within the pack was strong but outside of Khan’s den she was left vulnerable, Khan was not this compounds Alpha and so she had implored Carson to take her training. Though the wolf could do little to hep her train he knew where the rooms were and so she needed him, plus she hoped to help him.

The way the wolves spoke of Carson made the snide comments she received behind turned backs seem like child’s play. His jaunts were face to face, there was no hiding, no secrecy about how they felt and the poor boy just took it on the chin.

At first Neema had been weary of him but the way Khan treated him with complete dismissal made her feel as if he was trustworthy, anybody who was on the wrong side of Khan could be a companion of hers. She also noticed how he watched Vanya whenever he came across her. He was interested in her little female so what way to ensure her safety then to befriend the wolf and to perhaps train him as well. He would be strong and if Vanya chose him she would be safe in the arms of a wolf who Neema hoped to trust.

“Carson, why don’t you train? ” argued Neema.

When the wolf merely shrugged his shoulders and continued staring off into space she felt it was her time to give him all the pros into why he should train. No female wanted a weak male especially a human who was of the weaker specie and she told him that exactly. At her words his ears perked up and his eyes flickered towards Vanya who was still years too young for him.

“I do not want to be embarrassed I am already laughed at why add more fuel to the fire.” He mumbled self depreciatingly.

She understood that being a wolf of his kind was hard to endure, he came from a line of strong and ferocious wolves and yet he could barely form a fist to make a punch. His father paid him no mind, only to ensure that wolves did not make comments when he was around. Khan treated him disdainfully and his mother coddled him as if he would die from a human cold. It was hard being a wolf but not really being a wolf and his pity party only made him weaker. If he at least tried, then there would be less to condemn him for but as it stood he was wallowing in self pity and hate.

“Then don’t, you have potential you should use it instead of wasting away and living under mummy and daddy’s protection. Be a man, be a wolf.” She grumbled as she stood up and marched off to find her siblings who frolicked about in Vanya’s communal garden

Her words were harsh but it was necessary, she had to be mean to make him see how pathetic he had allowed himself to become. Once he realised that he would be on the true road to recovery.

“Have you been to the main kitchen yet?”

His voice shocked her, she did not think he would still want to be around her after the way she had spoken to him but here he was. His cheeks were ruddy with heat and his feet kicked at the grass as he waited for her reply.

She was not sure why this kitchen would be an important place to visit but she shook her head to let him know.

“Do you want to come? I think you will like it” his eyes had lightened and he had a slight smile traipsing across his lips. Neema was sure she wouldn’t care to see this kitchen he spoke of but she couldn’t be the person to beat him down twice in one day.

So she reluctantly nodded her head and gathered her family, Vanya included.

“What’s so great about this kitchen Carson?” whispered Vanya as her eyes lashes flickered and a slight blush rose on her skin. The little female tucked her hair behind her ears as she followed Carson down the corridor looking completely awestruck. Neema couldn’t read the two but they had some sort of weird chemistry, bond, vibe thing going on, they hardly ever spoke to each other but when the did it was as if they scared to.

Vanya clearly had a crush on Carson but Carson was a little harder to understand, he avoided being directly near her but whenever she was in the room he stared at her like she was an angel. His attachment to Vanya was apparent from the moment she first met her but what it was she wasn’t sure, perhaps the mate bond was present from young.

Neema was just happy that Carson remained appropriate and hadn’t started sniffing in Vanya’s direction, it was also helpful that Vanya had taken a fancy to him.

It was nice, this feeling she got around them was pleasantly nice and she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt it. Around the two she felt like there were no worries, no stress about eventually becoming pregnant or about whether she should even consider trusting Khan or just write him off. No fear about her siblings wellbeing and no sadness that her family had shrunken before it had started to grow.

“Oooooooh now I know why we had to come here” she mumbled.

The kitchen that Carson took her to was different from the one she had been in. It was flawless with shelves and shelves full of all kinds of treats. There were glass cabinets full of colourful confections, some were colours she had never seen in her life. There were cabinets from floor to ceiling filled with all sorts of foods and drinks.

the traditional kitchen utilities were still in the room but everything was larger and so much shinier, they gleamed like they were the doors to heaven.

The kitchen was a work of art, a room full of colour and foods laden with sugar.

“Don’t eat that, it’s not edible”

She laughed out when she saw Jana stuffing yellow and green marbles in her mouth. The crunch of them in her mouth meant she would be missing some teeth at the end of the day.

“It is fine everything hear you can eat, this is one of my favourite rooms” Carson pointed out some of the tastier and less harsh foods, brown stuff that didn’t look appealing but melted in your mouth with a sweet aftertaste. Cold creamy pink stuff that tasted a bit like strawberries dipped in honey.

There were so many treats she had to take some to save for later.

Picking up a plastic bowl she scooped up tonnes of colourful sweets while she sipped on the overly sugary, fizzy, orange drink. Her food looked like an array of rainbows and it tasted exactly as she imagined one would taste like a slice of heaven in her mouth.

Picking up other items she slid some in her jumpsuit pockets while the others she stuck under her arms. A bag of something called popcorn was coming with her back to the room, she wouldn’t be separated from it.

“Thanks for showing us to the kitchen but we need to go before we get caught ransacking this place. Plus, I have to meet with Khan.”

She grumbled as she picked up her drink and headed out the door.

Khan had taken it upon himself to administer some mate “bonding” every day for at least an hour. Usually it was when the kids were in the nursery he would meet her outside and walk the compound with her, once or twice she had met him in his study or the dining hall. They hadn’t returned to the flower wall where their first meeting took place but she hoped they eventually would, if only to see if more flowers had blossomed yet.

Most of the time he did the talking with her adding her input occasionally. The whole situation was awkward but none of the meetings were worse than the first, they had become accustomed to each others company even if it was not pleasant. She did not like Khan for what he had done to her and for the little remorse he had shown for doing it. With Khan in her life Neema had witnessed more violence than she had ever been submitted to. Everything that he was, was what she hated in a man let alone a wolf.

He had tried to make amendments though, ones that were so noticeable she almost believed he was a different man. He was attentive to her and liked to touch her, not in intimate ways but subtle things. A pat on the shoulder, or a hand on the back when she was walking. Khan was clearly trying to court Neema. His behaviour suggested he wanted to win her affections which was not going to happen anytime soon, if ever. She could almost like this Khan, if he was around longer she was sure they could be friends. He was a lot less volatile and refrained from threatening her, of course he still got worked up easily but his tongue was guarded.

She was stuck in this situation with no way out and so she tried to forget what he had done to her, she tried so hard to forgive his actions but she could not ignore that nagging voice in the back of her mind reminding her that they were not even. The malicious side to her, that prideful side forbade her heart from warming up to Khan, it continued to torment her with all he had done and it would continue to do so until they were even.

Khan had hurt her with little reason and even less remorse. She could not forgive his behaviour or his arrogance, it was impossible.

The only way they could ever be mates was if Neema had revenge, if she evened the playing-field. Her need for revenge went against everything she had been taught, her mother had told her 2 wrongs did not make a right but Neema was too far gone into her pride, into this world to hear her mother’s words. She would not heed that advice.

Khan would bleed before she bore him an heir, she vowed it.

//---//

Neema stood panting as she watched Carson sparring with one of the Warriors. In the week or so that they had been visiting the training room Carson had really boosted his skills. He still had tonnes of improvement to make, his form was not great and his reflexes were too methodical. He was also way too thin but he was getting somewhere. What shocked everyone the most was his speed, he really was as fast as lightening.

His counterattacks did not pack much force but he could easily duck blows and strike back without anyone really expecting it. Neema was pretty chuffed that her advice had paid off. Her friend, because he was definitely a friend was so much more confident in himself.

He really was a mesmerising sight to watch when he was in his element, his golden hair flew around his face and his grey eyes sparkled with joy. Vanya had been the most recipient to his changes, though he still looked relatively the same there was an air of confidence about him that was not there before. There was a prep to his gait.

“Damn Carson can we stop now. I swear I have a stitch” she heaved out rubbing the side of her hip to soothe the throbbing.

Her back was sticky with perspiration and her hair was trickling out from her bun. Her body had just recovered from the fight with Lian and she was already putting it through the works again. She would be back down to the infirmary to see Emmaline again and this time she hoped it wouldn’t because she was black and blue with bruises. Her and Emmaline’s friendship was a slow process but it was definitely out of the awkward zone, which was a breath of fresh air. Neema needed all the support she could get.

“I want to go a bit longer, maybe you could teach me some moves?”

Carson had finished sparing with the warrior, he had not won but his defeat was not as humiliating as it usually was. He got at least one punch in and his face was not as blotchy as it had been before instead there were only a few splotches of blood.

Neema abruptly jumped up and put Carson in a strong head lock before he knew what was about to happen.

“Alright let’s see you get out of this” taunted Neema.

Her headlocks were pretty much a strong hold. It was ridiculously hard to get out of one and most people could not figure out how a human could have that kind strength but Lian had been the first to note how strong she physically was, especially for her meagre size.

The two females had reached an impasse, they had to acknowledge that both were strong opponents and Neema had to count her blessings where they were due. Lian was the stronger female in brute force, the only reason had won that first fight was because she had underestimated Neema. Now that they were on an even playfield Neema knew she could get her ass handed to her by the female especially as there was small bit of tension.

They still sparred though and the matches were light hearted and jovial, well as jovial as they could be when it was a competition. Every time they were in the training room together they would challenge each other until someone came out the victor. Then the challenge would start again the next day. She guessed it was their weird way of clearing the air and normalising the violence that had started their acquaintance to each other.

Carson tried to wiggle his head out of the cradle of her arms but the hold was too tight. Trying to stand up only forced Neema to put more pressure on his head pulling him further towards the ground as he tried to pull up. Eventually the two of them ended up toppling to the floor, a mass of wild limbs and laughter.

“Well this is cosy” barked out an angry voice above them.

Neema quickly shot up from her place beside Carson to meet the ferocious gaze of khan.

His inky hair was tousled in mad disarray and his jaw was ticking in anger. Climbing to their feet Carson and Neema tried to placate the obviously livid Khan both rushing out to explain the situation.

“You wish to take my female from me, humiliate me? Challenge me” he bellowed his face molten with fury and bitterness.

The sight of his female lying beside another man, laughing with another man was abominable. She was for him only. If she would not smile for him then she would smile for no one, not even his mistake of a brother.

“Khan please, it wasn’t like that, we were just training and fell over. I know it sounds dumb but don’t be Irat-”

“Shut up female. You do not get to speak to me! I will deal with you separately. Little brother, let’s fight this out like real wolves” his screech interrupting Neema’s attempt at an explanation.

Carson had no choice but to fight his brother. He knew he was no match for an Alpha or any wolf for that matter but to back out would be the worst humiliation a wolf could face. If he at least stood his ground, they would call him brave. Stupid, but still brave. If he refused to fight he would be called a coward and his brother could choose to punish him however he saw fit. At least this way he got to maintain some of his dignity and maybe his brother would see that he was not as weak as everyone thought him to be.

The fight was over before it really began. Carson had managed to dodge 3 of Khan’s blows before Khan got tired of playing with his brother. His long leg stuck out, tripping his erratic brother and he gripped him by the neck before he could fall to the floor. Strangling his brother, he lifted him to his height by his throat leaving his feet dangling off the ground and his face to turn a blotchy red with the lack of air.

“That’s enough he can’t breathe” screamed a crying Neema. She could not intervene as she was being forcefully held back by one of Khan’s loyal pack mates and though she was their Luna, Khan was their Alpha. He would always win. She tried to out

Manoeuvre the guy holding her back but his grasp was too tight.

Her protests only angered Khan more.

Throwing his brother across the room he stalked towards Carson’s crumbled body and forced him off the floor before giving him two forceful punches. Blood sputtered from Carson’s face as he dropped to the floor. Coughing on his own fluids.

Neema was by his side before his head could fully hit the floor. Clasping his face in her hands as she cried over his bleeding face and attempting to wipe away the blood. Her friend did not deserve such treatment from a brother he only admired and wished to emulate.

Her body was lifted from his side by forceful hands. The rough actions causing her head to loll. When she got control of her head she sent it back towards his face, the forceful crunch of her head making impact with khan’s face caused his grip to loosen. As soon as he let go she made a mad dash towards Carson.

Before she could make it halfway through the room he had her back in his arms as he dragged her out the room. Her legs kicking out as she tried to get away. Khan’s brutal grip around her body told her of things to come.

Throwing Neema into the bedroom that she had not properly been in for almost a month was nearly déjà Vu. The circumstance was difference but she was still dealing with a crazed Khan. This time her body sprung up into action before he could reach her. Her body narrowly missing one of his heavy feet as he tried to tread on her thigh. Placing her body into a fighting position, Neema decided she was not about to go down without a battle.

Last time she was shocked and even scared at what he would do. She had tried to placate him. This time she wasn’t going to play nice, she knew what brutality he was capable of even if it was the tip of the iceberg. If he wanted to scar her body he was going to have to work for that privilege. She was not about to lie on her back and let him try and kill her. No her father taught her better and she knew better now. Khan would only listen to strength and cunningness. She was definitely cunning.

Khan licked his bleeding lip. The tart taste of blood in his mouth from the head butt Neema had given him. He was pleasantly surprised by that move. The fight in her only drove him wild. She had been wrong to publicly humiliate him like that, to take her brothers side instead of showing her loyalty to him. It was punishable, but it had only been made worse when she comforted his little brother in front of him. He was ready to kill her and bathe in her blood. the only thing that stopped him was that she was the only true mate he would ever have.

Khan’s body had begun shifting again, he was altering into his middle form. His nuzzle wasn’t as pronounced as it had been before but his eyes were leaking red. His canines protruding through his lips and his body swelling in size. It would be easier to dodge him in this form. He was bigger so he was clearly a bit slower and is wolf abilities would not kick in as much because he was only mid transition. His body would be stronger but a lot more awkward and sloppy.

Neema was optimistic that she would be able to give him a pretty scar to remember her by. In all honesty she was looking forward to it.

So this chapter has pretty much been the main inspiration for all the whole story. Everything led to this point because this was the first chapter I really envisioned. I hope you liked it. Also a new book cover. I saw another book with a similar one to the old one so I felt like changing it. X

Pretty scar to Remember (3 weeks and four days since they first met)

Standing by the door, Khan watched Neema’s defences rise. Her eyes hardened and her stance became more aggressive. She thought she stood a chance against him but he was going to show her. Being an Alpha meant more than just being a leader it meant he had to physically be the best in his pack. Mentally be the most advanced.

“I tried to be nice to you but if this is how I’m showed gratitude, I will stick to being cruel”

Khan had made a conscious effort over the past weeks to be gentle with Neema, to forge a relationship between them. One where he could confide in her and she do the same. His behaviour in the beginning was malicious and unjust. She knew it and he knew it. He had no real reason to treat her so abominably. She had angered him but self-control was something he was taught from a young age. He had over 200 years to learn and perfect that control, if he wanted to he could have sought another punishment but he had not. There had received a sort of perverse pleasure seeing her in that wakened state but by the next day the sight would haunt him.

The sight of her bloody skin and weepy eye was a constant reminder of the pure thing he had ruined. Shredded as if she were a piece of paper. So vulnerable. So he had tried to make amendments by spending more time with her and her siblings but very word that came from his mouth had only made the situation worse. It had not been until after she had been introduced to his pack that real change in her demeanour had begun, the bond was working. She had become more trusting with him and so he had began bending, breaking away from the harsh rules his kind had been forced to accept. He had tried to show Neema that there was more to him than the blood, gore and destruction his instincts demanded he follow.

He was trying to be more human for her and this was how she repaid him.

Her behaviour today made him see that those wolf laws and guides were there for a reason, a wolf could not become humans because then the humans would win. Wolves were the stronger specie and if his mate did not climb to his standards then he would leave her to dwell in the pits where she came from.

His mate needed discipline and not his kindness because this was how she behaved when he showed her kindness and gave her freedom. She had taken it and made a fool out of him, him, Khan Manasseh, a fool because of some weak little human.

It was embarrassing.

She needed to fear him, because when she did she just about showed affection her siblings, there was none left for his brother or the countless other males she had been spending time with. She wanted a despotic and abrasive savage who would slap her into submission and Khan was the worst of his kind.

No woman would embarrass him and live to tell the tale.

“Nice? You wouldn’t know nice if it slapped you across the face. Better yet, if it gripped you by the balls. Nice is not what you are”

Neema was absolutely livid that he thought spending time with him was nice. No human would rightfully choose to be in the claws of their tormentor. Changed attitude or not. Sure he wasn’t as volatile as beforehand but he still threatened her with every other sentence. Every interaction with him was stiff and forced. He coerced her into spending time with him, it was nothing like her time with Vanya or Carson. She had no choice in the matter and when they di get along it was always after an argument or before one. They were not made to be together, not as they were.

“And what Carson is nice? Is that why you threw yourself at him” he spat. As if the notion of Neema craving his brother had left a horrid taste in his mouth.

Khan was fighting all he had not to lash out and hurt her. He needed to speak first, make her understand. Violence had to be his last resort this time even if he did want to throttle her. He could not have a repeat of before. That would be the nail in the coffin to the failure of his mating.

“YES!! Carson is the loveliest kindest man I have ever met! Ever!” Reverently spoke Neema.

She didn’t see Carson in any romantic light. It was purely platonic, even familial. Even so she could not deny that Carson would make the best mate and lover ever. His kind nature shone through everything he did. He was thoughtful but also demanding and bossy. He had all the qualities a woman could want in a man. With a little bit of training his body would be in prime condition. What more could a female ask for. He would be a good little provider for her little Vanya, if that was who the female chose.

“Well that is too bad because you are mine! I will make you never forget that!”

He didn’t like the way she kept thinking of his brother. The male was nothing compared to his brute strength. Could she not see he was the ideal mate not Carson. The idea that she would prefer his wimpy brother over him, a strong virile man was preposterous. No woman would choose Carson if they were put in her position. His bloodline was impeccable and his strength went mostly unchallenged. What more could a female look for in a mate. She should feel humbled that she was his. For decades’ females had craved his attention, many would kill to be in her position.

“Well I don’t want to be yours! I wish” she panted out her voice catching in her throat.

“I wish I wasn’t your mate!” She finalised.

Her words echoing off the walls, sinking through khan’s mind and settling deep into his soul. Like a switch his countenance changed, from annoyed to feral. Baring his teeth he charged at Neema. His jaw twitching with rage. Neema ducked under his bulky frame, twisting her body to the right. Missing one of his claws from straying across her waist she jumped back and kicked her foot out. Instead of stumbling back Khan threw his body into the blow and gripped her leg. Pulling her towards him by the leg. His claws grappling at the tender skin of her calf.

Not wanting to surrender so quickly she began tugging at her leg. His claws digging deeper into the soft skin and tearing ropes of flesh and muscle. Placing her hands over his arms that held her leg she bent down and sunk her teeth into his forearm, penetrating his skin until the blood leaked through his white top. In her strive for survival she had become more animal than human. Her teeth throbbed and she had the bitter taste of his blood in her mouth.

The hot stinging pain of her teeth in his skin shot his body into action. Yanking his arm back from her mouth Khan analysed the mark she left. His arm pulsed in pain at the vigour she had used. This time when Neema bit him she had done it to cause damage and she had succeeded. The indent of her teeth was disfigured by the torn flesh from when he pulled his arm away. The blood dripped to the floor as the wound continued to leak.

Glancing back up at a smug Neema Khan let his control go and the red haze take over. In the back of his mind he Knew it was his mate he was fighting the same mate he had brutalised before. if he hurt Neema this time it would probably be the last chance he got, but he was to out of it to care. The small barrier between the animal and his human body snapped, there was no Khan left. Not a coherent one, all that was left was the animal and the bloodlust roaring through his veins and buzzing in his mind.

Kill, kill, kill. The words chanted in his head until all he saw was an enemy, an enemy that thought to challenge him. There would be no mate left except the chunks of flesh he left behind when he ripped the female to pieces.

He ran at her again but his time his body moved so fast Neema had barely enough time to cock her arm back before he had her gripped by her neck.

Khan’s thick fingers were squeezing the life out of her, his strong arms propelling her off the ground as he strangled her. She could feel the breath leaving her. The air getting stuck in her windpipe as darkness began to descend over her eyes. Clawing at his hands she tried to loosen his grip but he wouldn’t budge. Legs kicking out she tried to wedge her foot in his stomach, hoping it would be hard enough to dislodge his grasp but the weakening of her blood flow only allowed small kicks. So soft that they barely brushed his skin. Her eyes flickered as her mind begun shutting down, her organs grinding to a slow halt, her hands dropping to her sides, as her body went limp.

“You should have known you stood no chance against your Alpha” he sneered over her contorted face, his canines clawing along her cheek. She was so beautiful in her stillness. There was no fire in her eyes, there was nothing there but the dying bond and the animal he was.

Neema’s eyes shot open as her hands gripped the knife in her pocket. Her arm swinging out wildly to make impact with Khan. The slice of the metal into the flesh of his arm forced him to release her. Gasping for air Neema felt water dripping from her eyes as her lungs were forced to take in the oxygen. Crouching over her knees she forced the air back into her lungs as she watched Khan from her peripheral view.

“You cut me”

Khan seemed genuinely shocked that she would retaliate. His head was twisted to the side so he could look at the scar. His fingers prodding at the fresh wound. She had actually managed to stab him and it was perplexing to his mind. How had she been able to make him bleed when not many wolves could boast the same? Only a handful of wolves could proudly admit that they had been able to hit Khan and even less could say that they had drawn blood. Neema was clearly more than she seemed.

Tossing the knife in her steady hand she smiled confidently at Khan, though her fingers were unsteady from her brush with death she felt conviction strumming into her body like the missing oxygen.

Neema was a resourceful female, she had known that Khan was not to be trusted. Or maybe he was but the wolf, the animal that was always lurking behind his eyes had given Neema reason to believe they would meet again. So she had prepared herself with training and more importantly with acquiring a weapon. The trusty knife in her hand was a pure silver knife she had found in the main kitchen she had visited with Carson. It was an oddity that it had even been there but once she had seen it she could not stop herself from grabbing it. There were no assurances in this world especially not when you had a mate like Khan.

A psychopath, who breathed and lived for violence.

The knife was a fixture in her pocket, something that she held close for the day Khans beast had enough and decided it wanted to teach his mate a lesson. But Neema was not that same weepy female anymore, she had tried being weak for Khan in hopes he would spare her but that had not worked. So now she would be strong, not for him but for herself. She would show him she was a force to be reckoned with. If he did not know before he would know after this night. She would give him a pretty scar to remember her by.

Wolves always underestimated the cunningness of a human desperate to be free.

Imitating khan’s condescending smirk Neema cackled at him before lunging towards him with a new vigour. Her body swaying from side to side as she ducked his blows. Her body twisting and turning as she tried to dance out of his reach. His feet had connected with her body a couple of times. Her torn calf making it impossible for her to flit about as fast as before. The wound had slowed down her attacks but his movements had become less calculated and more fuelled by rage. Every time her knife nicked at his skin his eyes would flash with fury. The hazel of his eyes transforming into the telling red.

She gave as well as she got. Her knife finding countless opportunities to embed itself in his skin. Small shallow cuts. Not deep enough to cut through his flesh but enough to break the skin and cause blood flow. Each punch he would make she would meet with a slice of her knife. Until they both stood bloodied and bruised with exhaustion. Sweat dripping from their bodies from the exertion.

The drip drop of the blood hitting the carpet was drowned out by the harsh whooshing of them heaving for air. It was a small respite in the constant battle of wills and weapons. Khan with his extended claws and Neema with her sharp knife. Khan had torn her body with them but Neema had left a pretty map on his body. A map that trailed across his body and led to his weakness. She had one last mark to make and they would be even. An aye for an eye, or in this case a heart for a heart.

They both shot into action at the same time. Neema throwing her knife at Khan. It found its perch a little above his heart and along his pectoral. The same place he had scarred her. Khan dived at Neema the force of the collision flinging them into the bed. The crack of the spring in the bed breaking as they thudded onto the mattress. Their limbs tangled in each other and the sheets. Heads colliding together as they tumbled onto the bed. Crashing and clawing.

Wrapping his claws around Neema’s neck, Khan lifted his torso off her struggling body, his lower half being the only part in direct contact with hers. The heavy weight of his thighs trapping her legs in place. Tearing the knife from where it was deeply embedded Khan gave the weapon a quick once over before he held it under her throat. The warmth of his blood dripping along her neck. The sharp metal contrasting with her soft brown skin.

“I could cut you, but you look so tempting lying under me with fire in your eyes” he hummed over her skin. The rough melodic sound wafting over her were more wolf then man but the response was the same. Her skin heated up at his words, it came alive in a way that spoke of a different kind of fight.

Licking the blood off her busted lip he sucked it into his mouth, guzzling the liquid down as if it were ambrosia. Sinking his teeth into the tender skin, then soothing it again with another suck.

“Mm let me have you” he growled.

His claws moving from around her neck to her jaw. Forcing her mouth open and licking her tongue before she could make a protest. His tongue coaxing hers to move against his. He settled his heavy body between hers, flexing his hips over her willing body. The pent up frustration had left the fight and had been channelled into a new domain. The anger was still present in the way she gripped his hair tightly enough to rip it from his skull. Or the way he gripped her jaw with enough force to leave bruises. The way their mouths fought for control, biting and nibbling on each other as their tongues delved deep.

Their bodies rose in a carnal dance of dominance and passion. The flames from the fight igniting their bodies like an inferno. Stirring passion deep in their loins like never before. Neema found her mouth wrapping around his neck as she bit into his skin, this time she was gentle making sure not to break the skin too deeply. He liked it when she bit his neck, it sent him wild with lust. Khan’s hand slithered from her jaw to her hair, wrapping the wild locks around his fingers as he controlled how deep she bit. The sweet burn of her teeth in his neck setting his soul alive.

Wanting to reciprocate the action Khan forced her lips from around his neck. Tilting her head to the side he sucked on her neglected neck. The colour of his mark had begun fading. Without his fluids inside of her it had started turning shade, almost blending in with her natural skin. The sight of it infuriated him. So much so that he felt his canines lengthening as he forced them into her neck. Claiming her all over again.

Legs open and bodies thrusting the two were so wrapped in the new frenzy they found themselves in. Hands flew everywhere, tracing parts that hadn’t been touched in weeks. Rocking and gyrating against each other the fight all but forgotten. Pushing against his chest Neema coaxed a reluctant Khan onto his back as she straddled his waist. Her hands flying to the scraps of material on his chest as she peppered kisses across his skin. Sucking the sweat as it formed. Flicking her eyes to his face she smirked against his skin as her eyes twinkled up at him.

“What have you done to me” he slurred out.

His hands waving around as he tried to rip her body off him, Neema tightened her thighs around his waist as she chuckled above him. He was burning up, his body shaking as he struggled to breathe. His mind was drowsy as he struggled to form coherent thoughts and push words out of his mouth. He could feel his organs slowly shutting down on him. One by one. Until the rattling of his lungs were the only thing he could clearly hear. Neema’s body above him was a flickering blur. His eyesight hazy with delirium.

“Wolfsbane” she breathed out as she sucked on his bottom lip, her body still rocking in slow sensual moves against his.

Wolfsbane in small doses was used as a healing agent for both humans and wolves. The properties it boasted were both good and bad. Too much of it could poison the blood stream and cause death. Which was why only healers were allowed to use it. They could administer the right doses. Emmaline had not been aware that Neema had taken it from her office. She should have felt bad about stealing but she did not. Khan could have tried to kill her. It was kill or be killed and she had too much to live for.

“Mmm. You shouldn’t have started what you could never finish” she groaned out as her body slowly stopped rocking.

She craved his body inside of hers. It was an addiction she struggled to fight. She throbbed for him. Clenching her body around his one last time she flung herself off a delirious Khan. Her calf groaning as she bent down and picked her knife off of the floor and put it in her pocket, where it belonged. Leaning over him she placed one last kiss to his lips and a pat to his chest.

“Sleep well” she threw over her shoulder as she sauntered out of the room.

That would teach him to underestimate her. He would feel like death when he eventually woke up but would find comfort in the fact that she could have killed him and didn’t. It would humble all that arrogance he had. Sure she cheated but there was no manual on how to win a fight. She came out the victor and that was all that mattered.

Oh how the tables had changed. Khan lay in a pool of his own blood and when he eventually woke he would know how it felt to have his chest ripped apart