Skinned

Valerie

Killian’s bite besieged the entirety of me, his onslaught forcing the depths of my being to unfold and lay bare before his judgment.

He was trembling, fingers dipping into my skin as he sealed my fate with his, while I remained numb to the fact that he had taken a prime choice that was meant for me to make.

It was unforgiveable, yet I couldn’t find the strength to fight him off when I was all too consumed by the sensation of his canines sinking into my skin. Even if I harbored the rage for his attack, the pleasure of his claim was ruling the rest of my conscience.

I felt whole, the pull to him turning into an overpowering bond, and I let out a quivering breath when I felt his tongue run over the sensitive area while he kept his teeth buried into my neck.

It was wrath and euphoria conquering me all at once, and the collision of both sensation was enough to render me frozen and unresponsive.

As if my skin had managed to burn him, he pushed himself away from me with a harsh intake of breath. Growls were pushing past his lips, his claws digging into the wooden floor as he fought hard for control, yet the wolf within refused to be ruled over.

With my mind in complete haze, my hand went up to cover the wound on the side of my neck and ended up wincing from the sensitivity as I tried to keep my touch as light as possible.

I was seeing doubles when I looked down at the blood painting my fingers, and I let out a sob when the damage of his onslaught had finally dawned on me.

I trembled when I returned the pressure on my neck to slow down the bleeding, watching in horror as Killian finally stilled with his nature taking its place at the back of his mind.

His eyes slowly lifted up to regard me, his expression slowly morphing into a look that harbored all his dread as he came to realize what he had just done.

I couldn’t even look at him.

The crimson remnants of his assault was decorating the side of his lips, and the sight of it was enough to send my head turning the other way in complete repulsion.

“V-Valerie...,” Killian started and his hand came up to reach for me helplessly, but I immediately drew myself back to bring more distance between us, afraid that he was going to cause more damage.

“Don’t touch me,” I told him, my voice weak as I avoided his pleading gaze.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“You need to leave,” I said, putting more pressure to my words.

“I don’t know what came over me, I—”

“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I told him with a sob, “you have no idea what you’ve just taken away from me.”

Killian’s expression dropped as my words came crashing down on him, and I allowed the guilt to swallow him whole.

My breath hitched when he attempted to take another step closer to me, and I immediately crawled further away from him.

“Stay the fuck away from me, Killian!” I exclaimed, flashing my teeth as I looked at him with all the contempt I had to offer.

He flinched at the impact of my rage, his sharp features pained and full of sorrow as if my words alone were enough to make him bleed.

He could feel it now.

Every thought of mine was an open book for him to read, and I allowed him to suffer and carry the emotional burden that he signed himself into; I wanted him to meet the consequences, even if it was going to bring him agony.

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave,” he said, his voice weak and strained.

It felt like torture to watch him gather up his clothes and leave, and when he opened the door to step out, he gave me one last look and mumbled a crippling apology before finally giving me the solitude that I needed.

I could hear my heart ramming into my chest when I was finally left on my own, my breaths coming out deep and labored while I tried to collect what was left of my strength.

The wolf was quiet now. I could feel her contentment; she was whole and blissful, and it sickened me to think that she finally got what she wanted.

I had let my guard down and gave the wolf the perfect opportunity to make her influence, pushing me to lose myself in a mirage formed by instinct.

And now I wore a mark that stood as a reminder of my wrong.

I stood up with weakened legs, and placed a hand on the wall to support my weight before cautiously making my way over to the bathroom.

I stepped into the shower and turned on the faucet, allowing the cool water to wash away the filth sticking to my skin.

My body was painted entirely by Killian’s touch and kisses, every inch of my skin bearing the stain of his affection, and I ached to have every trace of him disappear.

But I knew very well that no amount of cleansing could get rid of him,

By blood,

By soul,

By eternity,

He had bound himself to me in a way that could not be removed, and whether I liked it or not, he had me just like I had him.

Two days later, it was in the morning when I finally heard Heath’s truck pull up in front of the cabin, and I immediately picked up my things and made my way outside, grateful that I could take my leave when the cabin became all too suffocating for my liking.

“Hey,” Heath greeted, his tone sounding somewhat reluctant as he approached me to help me with my bags.

I sent him a glance as I threw the last bag into the back seat, and scowled when I caught sight of the sympathetic look settled on his face.

He knew.

“Heath,” I regarded him curtly and hopped inside the front passenger seat without meeting his gaze.

“You know that won’t heal, right?” He said cautiously, and I could feel his scrutiny running along the bandage wrapped tightly around my neck, “It won’t stop bleeding unless you get Killian to fix it.”

“I don’t want anything to do with him,” I said, my lips curling back to reveal my displeasure, and I tugged on the turtle neck sweater higher up my neck to keep the bandage away from his eyes, “and I’d also appreciate it if you let me handle my own business. Just take me home, Heath.”

The nonchalance to my voice was not enough to hide the pressure of my words, and I noticed Heath’s posture tense up, his shoulder curling slightly forward as he easily caught my threat, but he quickly shrugged it off by clearing his throat and stepping on the gas.

The entire drive home was surrounded by deafening silence with Heath keeping the same guarded expression on his face.

As soon as we stopped in front of my home, I stepped out of the car and began to collect my things from the back seat, and I looked at Heath to notice him standing awkwardly beside me as if he was holding back on something he wanted to say.

“If you want to say something, say it,” I told him as I dropped the last bag into the ground before facing him properly, “What is it, Heath?”

“I just need to make sure that you’re aware of the customs,” he said and I immediately regretted encouraging him to speak as I stopped to regard him with a scowl.

“Valerie, you bear his mark. It’s not something you can just deny. Don’t fucking tell me you’re planning to act like nothing happened.”

“That’s not your concern,” I said and picked up my bags as Heath’s eyebrows knitted together in response.

“Everything that has to do with you becoming Luna is this pack’s concern,” he gritted out and forcefully shoved the door to the back seat of the truck closed.

“Enough, Heath,” I snarled, eyes challenging him to press his luck with my patience.

“That mark he placed on you can’t be ignored.”

“And how he forced this mark on me can?” I glared at him.

“You’re doing a great job at acting like he was the only one who lost control, Valerie,” Heath retorted.

I clenched my jaw, my hands forming into tight fists as I fought against the urge to make him bleed.

I hated how he was digging deep into a problem that wasn’t his, but I also hated how he was right.

I was the first to snap and I merely provoked Killian to lose himself as well.

“This mark doesn’t prove anything,” I told him, “he’s not mine. He’s not my mate.”

Heath observed me closely, his cerulean eyes in complete level with mine as he faced my wild head on, not as friend, but as a Beta holding the intention to seek for any lies.

And I knew that none of my words were enough to change his judgment.

“Not a doubt?”

I eyed him, my posture showing no sign of yielding, “No. None.”

The muscles on his jaw worked as he searched my features for any doubt, yet I remained glued to my belief.

Killian wasn’t mine.

He wasn’t like us.

It was impossible.

Heath shook his head and then nodded, a war going through his head as he stepped away from me, and I could tell that he wanted to add more to what he was trying to say.

“I hope you’re right, Val. You can fuck the title, but I hope you’re not dumb enough to put him through the rejection. No one deserves it.”

He hopped inside the truck and started the engine before looking at me through the rolled down window.

“Just know that if he really wasn’t your mate, placing that mark would’ve been a painful process for you,” Heath said, “Forcing two wolves that aren’t compatible with one another can inflict damages far worse than any silver, and you would have been writhing in pain for bearing his claim until today.”

He didn’t try to hide the hard look on his face when he made his point, and with a mumbled goodbye, he drove off to leave me frozen on the same spot in front of my home.

It felt almost comforting when I finally returned to the familiar environment of the infirmary.

Everything was organized the same way that I remembered them before I had to leave, and I could still pick up the smell of disinfectant lingering in the air.

Walking into my office, I stood in front of my desk and placed a hand on the wooden surface as I tried to comprehend my own mind.

Again, I was to continue my purpose for the pack, but I couldn’t find it in myself to be grateful for my return.

I felt like I wasn’t in the right place.

And I realized that the conflicting emotions were caused by the wolf hidden beneath me, her displeasure of being settled for a minor purpose leaving a prominent ache in my head.

She felt degraded.

I clenched my jaw, my lips forming into a straight line as I made the effort to reel her back into the back of my mind, yet she kept her claws digging threateningly deep into the surface of me, warning me of how easily she could take control.

A familiar approaching scent of a female forced my features morph into scowl, and I waited patiently as I heard the doors open and close, before the sound of light footsteps proceeded to my office.

As soon as the female stopped just in front of the open door, my features had already shifted to become cold and inexpressive, effectively hiding the inward war that I had with my wolf.

It was one of the lessons that I had come to learn.

And it’s that I should never show emotions to those who opposed me, they simply lived off of the idea that they hold power over a person they hate.

With posture kept straight and unyielding, I let my eyes meet the bitch that stood before me.

“Celeste,” I regarded her nonchalantly, and it felt rewarding to witness her cool expression shift into a grimace, as if the absence of her title before her name was a hard slap on the face.

It was almost surprising how she remained entitled even if she had long been stripped of her position as the Luna of the pack.

“So it is true,” Celeste released a bitter laugh as her eyes went down to observe my neck, the mark of Killian’s claim hidden underneath the layers of securely wrapped bandages.

For the first time, I could see the wrath eating her whole, her wild boldly peeking through her eyes as if her restraints were hanging by a thread.

Celeste attempted to take another step into the room, but the small movement of her foot forced me to release an involuntary snarl that pinned her firmly back to her place.

“Leave,” I snapped.

“Was this your plan?” She questioned, her tone laced with malice as her figure began to tremble. She was fighting herself from bending to my scorching glare, unable to make her assault when her wolf was too busy trying to deny the urge to submit.

“Did you welcome a damn brute into our pack to end my mate’s right to lead and make this pack your own? I can’t say your fucking scheme is bullshit, but what you’ve done will be the downfall of everyone in this pack.”

A deep warning growl escaped my throat, flashing my teeth as I made my approach to the female loud and threatening, and Celeste soon found herself swallowing down the wince that was fighting to leave her mouth.

“I’ll give you credit for having more balls than Azeil ever had, Celeste. Anyone with the proper mind would never really consider testing me,” I gritted out, my voice involuntarily lowering from the closer presence of my wolf, and the words that were leaving my mouth didn’t feel like mine anymore.

“I never welcomed Killian, in fact I simply gave him the mercy that he deserved, and it’s something that even your mate failed to give because he couldn’t face the threat to his own title. You should be glad that Killian values everyone’s lives over the safety of his own power, because we both know you can’t protect a pack with greed.”

Celeste released a laugh that left me confused, the sound of it lacking of any humor while she faced me head on, and it was as if she had nothing else to lose but her throat.

She was afraid of me, but her rage was enough to keep her driven into rattling the cage of my wolf.

“You talk of protection when humans are starting to breach the borders right under our noses?” Celeste gritted out with fraught eyes.

I stilled as soon as her words sunk into me, forcing me to recall the problem regarding Killian himself, and how I did a great job at disregarding the threat surrounding his safety.

A rush of dread ran through me upon the realization of what I had almost forgotten.

He was being hunted down.

They must have picked up the last activity sent by Killian’s tracker, leading them to the boundary of the territory grounds where they were only a breath away from actually finding him and taking him back to where he came from.

And somehow, an underlying fear of Killian being carried off stayed rooted to my core; I couldn’t find it in myself to let them take him away.

The pack needed him.

“This shit began as soon as he got here, Valerie, my family isn’t safe because of you—no one is,” Celeste spat as she brought me back from my reverie, “You’re the one who started all of this and the blood of everyone in this pack will be on that mutt’s hands, including yours!”

I didn’t even feel it coming.

As soon as Celeste had thrown the words right into my face, my wild had immediately broken through the surface of my skin, the swift shift to the massive form of my wolf sent my desk driving forcefully back at the far end of the room.

With hackles raised and hind legs bent and ready to pounce, her growls became deep and unrelenting as she widened her mouth to reveal the very teeth that determined an enemy’s life.

And the wolf’s intention was clear and without question as her eyes stayed glued to her prey,

She wanted to kill.

Celeste’s figure reeked of her horror, and when she attempted to move her hands up, the wolf was quick to stop her with a snap of its teeth.

I could pick up the sound of the Celeste’s trembling breath while she silently weighed her options, and with a swift turn of her feet,

She began to run for her last chance at life.

My wolf was quick to react as her entire figure went into motion. Her paws slid against the floor, hitting beds and wheelchairs on her way as she made her exit through the front door in persuit of her prey.

She basked in the sound of Celeste’s scream for help as they entered the band of trees, the female’s agony completely feeding my wolf’s hunger for blood.

In a blink of an eye, Celeste shifted into the form of her wild, landing back on the ground in her paws as she proceeded with her escape.

Bit by bit, the distance between the two wolves began to decrease, and my wolf’s mouth widened, ready to lay her teeth on the prey as she pushed herself to add more to her speed.

Celeste’s wolf released a pained cry as my wolf managed to lock her jaw on the back of her leg, the force alone sending her prey rolling down onto the ground.

Celeste bared her neck in surrender to my wolf’s teeth, and I could feel how the smell of her fear brought immense pleasure to my wild’s hunger for dominance.

And with a growl that seemed to stop the swaying of trees, my wolf struck with a hard, unforgiving bite to Celeste’s exposed neck.

There was an absence of mercy when she placed her damage on the female that tried to oppose her, and her intention was not meant to kill by cold blood, but she saw it as way to purge the pack from mutiny.

Why give mercy to those who refuse to be ruled?

She was close to ripping the female’s throat off, and I couldn’t do anything about it when all of my options led down to the same path to murder.

Every time Celeste made a move to struggle, my wolf would sink her teeth deeper into her neck, and my attempts to shift back did nothing but contribute to her rage.

“Valerie,” a cautious voice said from behind me, and my wolf stilled from the sound of rustling leaves and steps approaching her figure.

Six werewolves emerged into the clearing to circle her warily, and my wolf snarled as soon as her eyes landed on Heath who had both of his hand raised cautiously.

“Let her go, Val.”

She paid no heed to the Beta’s order, and she jerked her head in an attempt to bring more pain to the wolf stuck beneath her teeth when the men made an attempt to draw closer to her prey.

“Don’t fucking move,” The Beta snarled at the men.

Heath was well aware that one wrong move could trigger my wolf into killing Celeste; he needed to be careful when he wanted to keep the female alive.

I could see the horror written on Heath’s pale features, and as my wolf perked her ears up to hear even the slightest of sounds, I came to realize why the Beta couldn’t bring himself to act against my nature.

Celeste was carrying a pup.

The faint sound of its beating heart was enough to draw me into a desperate need to claw back into the surface, yet my wolf paid no regard to the future growing inside her enemy.

Celeste’s blood was starting to meet the forest ground, as her choked whimpers came loud and pleading for mercy, not for her life, but for the child she was bearing within.

My wolf released a struggled growl, her senses easily picking up Killian’s scent drawing nearer to her location; the lesser the distance that he began to cover, the more she became tamed.

She knew he was coming to stop her, and if he came to view, she wasn’t going to harbor enough strength to deny his orders.

There was no room for any disagreement when it came down to that male. Simply, it was in her nature to obey the man that reigned her soul.

My wolf’s intentions was tethered to none as her decision stayed rooted into executing Celeste. She harbored the tenacity to kill, while I remained crying out my torture knowing that no one else could ever change her mind.

“She’s dying, Heath!” One of the men exclaimed anxiously and looked at the Beta in a silent plea for rescue.

“Shut up, Amell,” Heath snarled, his cerulean eyes remaining focused onto my wolf.

“Do something or I swear I will, Heath. It’s going to kill the pup!” Amell retorted.

“I said shut the fuck up, Amell!”

Amidst the dispute between the two men, the blowing wind ruffled the fur of my wild, and it carried the stronger presence of Killian’s scent as the familiar smell of him slowly compelled her to seek for his comfort. The clamp of her teeth began to lose its pressure on Celeste’s neck and her growls began to lose the weight of her threat.

But the impact of a man launching himself behind her back had broken her away from the consuming daze, his hands quick to land a tight grip on her locked jaws in a weak attempt of setting her prey free from the confinements of her teeth.

With a feral snarl, she jerked her head back and made sharp turn that sent the man flying back against a large tree.

Heath looked at Amell laying unconsciously on the ground and brought his gaze back at me, unsure. He couldn’t see through my wolf anymore.

With mouth stayed open and canines bared in a promise of pain, my wolf allowed her eyes to regard the men with raw, untamed appetite for slaughter before she buried her teeth into Celeste and set the damage deep into her throat where she met her untimely demise.