Freeing Starr

I groaned as I blinked my eyes open. My head was pounding, my wolf was purring and between my legs was aching.

I winced as I felt the tiny pebbles pricked at my back. I placed my hand against the cave wall and used it to stand. My legs shook slightly as I regained my posture. My memories flooded me, one by one, they all came back. The chase, the girl, the wolf, Zion catching me, and then finally, mating.

I whimpered slightly as tears fell from my eyes. I looked down at my legs to see them bruised and bloody. Zion was too rough. I glanced down at the shirt that lay on the ground beside me and quickly took it up and threw it over my head.

First, it was my father and now Zion. Was my torture ever gonna end?

I glanced at the cave’s entrance, and out at the sky, and guessed that it was a little after midnight by the position of the moon.

I pulled my wolf forward and enhanced my hearing to see how far Zion went. The area was quiet, not a sound was made except for the chirping of crickets and the slight rustling of the tree leaves. It took me a while before I picked up on the faint sound of whispering nearby.

It sounded like it was a good distance from the cave.

I tried to make out what the voices were saying but all I got were unrecognized mumblings. I knew one of the males was Zion but the other one, I couldn’t quite place.

I pulled down the shirt subconsciously as I took a cautious step outside of the cave.

Zion must have left the shirt for me since my clothes were torn and dirtied but then again, Zion didn’t have any clothes on him. Someone came and gave us clothes. That’s fortunate. I wouldn’t have been comfortable enough to walk around naked.

I looked around at my surroundings, calling on the sight of my wolf to help me see through the dark trees.

The shadows danced all around me as the moon reflected down on the forest.

I tried focusing on the voices to see if I could identify which direction they were coming from but I heard nothing. The mumbles stopped, it was too quiet now.

I frowned in confusion.

“Your senses are weak.”

I yelped in surprise and quickly turned to face the offender.

Zion was leaned up against the tree, his arms crossed as he watched me intensely. I diverted my eyes, fumbling with my fingers nervously. My heart rate piqued even when I tried to stay calm. I couldn’t help it, I was scared of him and he damn well knew it. It took a few seconds for me to realize that he spoke to me.

“What do you mean?” my voice came out as a mere whisper and it trembled slightly.

Zion was unmoving, his face blank of any emotion as he watched me. He made no move to answer my question.

“You were supposed to sense us before we were able to reach this close to you,” I snapped my head in the direction of the voice and saw a woman entering the little clearing we were in, “but you didn’t. Your senses are weak.”

I remained silent. I didn’t know how to respond to that declaration.

“Take her to the pack,” Zion ordered the woman before disappearing between the trees.

The woman smiled at me and walked in a different direction, away from my pack or my old pack. I looked at the path to my former pack hesitantly before following after the woman. I knew I didn’t have a choice.

We walked through the forest in silence, me limping slightly on my feet as the woman seemed too deep in thought to notice. My injuries were healing slower than normal.

When we made it out of the forest, I noticed the car parked on the side of the road.

“Get in,” the female voiced. I entered the car and buckled up and waited as the woman placed the key in the ignition.

Once we started moving, I placed my head against the car’s window and sighed.

“You’ll get accustomed soon enough,” the woman spoke.

I looked across at her and saw her glancing over at the dried blood on my thighs. I quickly pulled the shirt down lower to cover the bruise.

“What?” I asked, cocking my head slightly in curiosity.

The woman’s lips pulled into a slight smile, “Zion. He’s not so bad, you know? Mating on the night of the ceremony was a must in order for Zion to subdue a few voices in both of our packs.”

The curiosity fled my eyes instantly as I thought back on what happened a few hours ago. I turned my gaze out the window, staring at the scenery sadly.

“It’s called rape,” I muttered gloomily.

“It’s called doing what’s best for your people.”

“And what about me?”

“You don’t have a choice. You’re an Alpha female and every Alpha has an obligation to their people at the expense of themselves. Don’t be selfish,” her voice came out harsh and caused me to flinch away.

We were silent for a while before the woman sighed.

“Look, I’m not saying you should forgive him, in fact you should give him hell for hurting you, “I smiled at her words, “but all I’m saying is that this is not your pack. Our pack is filled with rouges who each have a difficult past so we deal with things differently. Zion found each and every one of us and he took us in, gave us a home and a pack. To me, we are a pack of criminals, well some of us are, and in order to remain in control of us, Zion has to sacrifice a lot.”

I stared at her, dumbfounded and resisted the urge to ask what she did to become a rouge. I’ve already heard the rumors that Zion’s pack doesn’t discriminate against those who’s been disowned by their packs as criminals. If I was being honest, that act alone is questionable, but since no one said anything about it, I guess it was fine.

“What’s your name?” I decided to change subject.

“T’niah but people call me Niah, Zion assigned me as your maid.”

“Oh,” I replied awkwardly.

Niah chuckled, “I’m joking! I’m similar to that but I won’t do anything I don’t want to do or anything that would get us killed or punished. I also don’t wear maid outfits, just so you know.”

I shook my head as my lips tilted up slightly.

After about three more hours of driving, Niah pulled up at a log cabin, a very descent looking one at that. I frowned when I tried to sense for people nearby but there was no one.

“Zion likes his privacy so he built his home away from the pack house and village. He mostly sleeps at the pack house but comes here when he needs space. I was in charge of managing the house, but I guess that role goes to you now.”

I jumped out of the car and followed Niah into the house.

The house was clean and neat but scarcely furnished.

“Zion only filled out the important rooms, like the bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchen. You get to fully decorate the house when you’re ready,” Niah explained as she lead me through what looked to be the living room.

“Is it bad if I say that I’m horrible at decorating?”

Niah laughed and opened a door that lead to a bedroom. It was also scarcely decorated. It only had a bed in the middle of the room and a dresser and lamp beside the bed.

“I’ll let you rest for now but there,” she pointed at a book that sat upon the dresser, it was closed with a lock and the key was beside it, ” the journal is yours. Your father said that you liked to write so I thought maybe you would like your own personal diary to document your thoughts in.”

Well my father was good for something at least. I wiped the tear that slipped from my eye, and smiled kindly at Niah.

“Thank you.”

Niah returned the smile before closing the door behind her and leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I took up the book, used the key to open it and took up the pen that was left for me.

I sat cross legged on the bed and stared at the page blankly. Then, I wrote.

~ Dear diary,

I am finally out of the harsh clutches of my father but was thrown into the violent touch of my new mate, Zion. I just got married, and mated and I am only eighteen years old. All my dreams have been crushed. Despite having a mate now, why do I still feel somewhat lonely? Why is my life like this? What have I ever done to be treated the way I’m treated? I’m such a coward. I couldn’t stand up for myself and I know that I won’t be able to later either. I lost my virtue earlier to Alpha Zion and I lost it in a dirty cave and now I feel dirty. My skin is crawling. I never wanted a choice mate. I heard that true mates were so much better so I wanted to experience that. Unfortunately I can’t anymore. I have no choice in anything I do. Males will always be there to dominate me. With that thought, can I really survive being in this pack, diary? This pack has nothing but savages. I’m so different from the others. Will they accept me as Luna? There are too many unanswered questions and I really don’t look forward to finding the answers.

until next time,

Starr~

I locked the journal, and placed it on the dresser before going to sleep immediately. I was too exhausted to even think about getting off that bed again.