Northwood

Laying in the same dark and moldy room all Adline could feel was pain.

She’d told Luce to do his worst and she felt in that moment that he had indeed done his worst. Feeling broken and battered she pulled herself up off of the floor and sat against the nearest wall.

Flashbacks speckled her mind as pain rushed through her body. Her ribs ached, her head pounded and her eyes were so swollen she could barely open them.

She had asked for it.

Sitting in silence a moment she tried desperately to listen and see if she could pick up noises or voices outside. No matter how hard she tried and strained her listening all she could hear was blood rushing through her ears and pumping around her body.

What had she done? Why hadn’t she fought harder to escape the people that took her? Was it to save Kane? Was it to make sure he didn’t get a bullet to the back of the head as well?

Sitting there with tears stinging the corners of her eyes she was suddenly aware that she might not have survived at all.

With a hardening resolve Adline shook the petty feelings from her mind, “now isn’t the time to be feeling sorry for yourself Adline! No one is coming to save you, you have to save yourself.” She knew deep down inside that no matter what it was her that had to save the day. No one else was coming.

Thinking about the situation she’d put herself in Adline sucked in a deep breath and pushed all her unhelpful and erratic emotions to the side. She needed a clear mind and a shot of bravery.

“I don’t want to die.” Her shaky voice startled her. She thought she was strong. She thought she had what it took to free herself but as she sat there scared out of her mind she realised that she was that same scared little girl that her parents died for.

She was that same scared, useless girl who ran when her family and her pack needed her most. At that thought she couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t hold back the emotions that had welled up within her. She sat in silence as tears rolled down her pale cheeks. What was she going to do?

‘I pray to you Goddess to help me find my way,’ she muttered and mumbled her prayer so that the two wolves standing guard outside didn’t hear. ‘please grant me the strength to deal with my demons and conquer all my fears. To rise above the pain and have courage enough to try.’ Adline prayed through the tears. She prayed through the pain and she prayed through her doubts.

Before long silence settled over her again and the room dropped back into what it was. A mouldy shit hole she needed to escape from. The only difference this time was that she was filled with hope, she was filled with a sense of bravado, a sense that she could do anything she wanted and what she wanted more than anything we to escape and return to Kane and her brothers.

“Adline you have the upper hand! You know this place better than anyone. You can escape. You can get out if you really wanted to.” She resigned herself to getting out and the more she thought about it the more her confidence grew.

The only problem with her reluctance and nervousness about doing anything was that someone had pulled up outside. Someone she thought she would never see again.

Adeline managed to pull herself to her feet but as she peered out through the grimy, dirty windows Victoria walked towards the building looking smug and well. Far from how Adline remembered her.

Falling back to the floor she groaned with annoyance. It was going to be a long day. Sitting against the wall furthest from the door she waited. Muffled voices filtered through the wood panel walls and filled her ears. She couldn’t make out what was being said but it didn’t sound happy.

She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her bound hands on them. A new confidence filled her and it bordered on cockiness. It would be an interesting encounter indeed.

The door was pulled open roughly and Victoria’s smug looking face stared down at Adline who sat expressionless.

“You look remarkably calm for someone who is about to die,” smiled Victoria maliciously as she entered the room with what seemed like no cares in the world.

Adline was not impressed. “And you look well for someone who probably has every disease known to man,” though Adline knew very little about Victoria she remembered the words said the few times they had been in the same vicinity and she didn’t like it at all.

As her words filtered through the masses of blond hair piled high atop Victoria’s head a fierce growl tore through her throat, “how dare you!” She screamed in anger. “If i were in your shoes I wouldn’t be so rash with my words.” She replied smugly. Victoria felt powerful and confident in that moment as she stood over the woman that had ruined her life.

“Of course you wouldn’t be so rash. You seem like that type.” Adlines lips curled at the corners as a sick little grin settled itself on to her battered and bruised lips.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Victoria fired back fiercely as she bared her teeth at Adline in what was universally known as a challenge.

Adline laughed mockingly, “am I supposed to be frightened?” She questioned her opponent with an amused tone to her voice. Internally however Adline was fighting with herself. A more rational voice cautioned the young woman to not do anything she’d likely regret while a careless and reckless voice urged her to do it. She imagined a little angel and a little devil sitting in either shoulder urging her to do different things. She knew what needed to be done. “Here’s the thing Victoria,” pushing herself up the wall Adline came to some sort of peace with what she was about to do. It was necessary to free herself.

Victoria seemed to notice the recklessness present in Adlines eyes and began backing away.

“Ambrose killed my parents,” she began walking very slowly towards Victoria, “he forced me from my pack. Beat my brothers then brought Luce in to presumably kill Kane and take his pack and lands from him.” There was a hardness to her presence, her aura that made Victoria cower suddenly. “Now,” Adline began again with a severe coldness to her voice, “I am not about to sit back and let that all happen again.”

Victoria’s eyes widened as Adline came to a stop right in front of her, their noses almost touching. Adline felt a searing pain shot up from her fingers, through her forearms stopping at her elbows. Victoria stared into the empty darkness of Adlines eyes. There was nothing there but a cold, soulessness she had never before seen in anybody

Pulling a hand up Adline ran her fingers down Victoria’s cheek, caressing it gently. It was then that Victoria became extremely frightful. The fingers that caressed her cheek were not human and they were not wolf. They were something inbetween.

“What the hell!” She jumped terrified. It was then that she noticed she had nowhere else to go. “If you kill me Luce is going to find you and tear you limb from limb!” It was a futile attempt to save herself but she would do whatever it took to save herself. She had done it before and she would do it again.

Pain shot through Victoria as Adlines fingers disappeared from view. “You won’t be doing anything Victoria,” Adline said with very little emotion and feeling to her voice. “This is where you die.”

As Victoria parted her lips to mutter forgiveness Adline spread her fingers over the young woman’s heart, “you will not bother Kane or I again.” Adline muttered as she pulled her hand back up so that Victoria could see.

Within Adlines gnarled and distorted fingers she held a beating heart that tried pumping furiously for a few seconds. The bright red blood straining her fingertips as drips of crimson tumbling towards the floor. The smell of blood mingling with the stench of mould that otherwise dominated the room.

The life drained from Victoria’s eyes quickly. Her lips silenced, her body still. Before long the lifeless figure dropped to the floor spasming as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Holding the now still heart Adline put it to her lips and took a bite. Spittin it at Victoria she threw the heart at her as well in what some would have deemed the ultimate insult.

Her attention faded from Victoria, one threat had been removed. It was now time to remove the rest.