Two: The Lake

PEYTON POV

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this.” I whimper, shivering as I’m forced to stare at the lake, where I will die. I’m sure of it. This is where Peyton Samuels’ life ends. In the bottom of a dirty, dingy, lake. And I honestly thought today was going to be a good day. How stupid am I?

“You don’t understand why I am doing this?” He jerks me to his chest, forcing me to meet his crazed irises. His hand caressing my cheek, tender, but it doesn’t last long before he’s pinching my flesh between his fingers. “Don’t you get it?”

“No, I really don’t.” I whisper, shaking my head, trying my hardest to stop make the tears stop. My body hunching over, on the verge of collapsing in on myself, from fear and trying to stop the alpha command wreaking havoc on my insides.

“You’ll end up being my brothers.” He spits, hatred flooding through him at the mention of my brother. “Bane, precious, glorious, Bane’.”

“No.” I deny, shaking my head, trying to put distance between us, which only infuriate him more. “We don’t know that. You don’t know that.”

“Of course you will.” He throws his head back, his dead chuckle echoing through the sky. “He gets everything I want. I want you, so I’m sure you’ll end up as his.”

“Your delusional.” I wince, licking my dry, cracked lips, recognizing that’s the wrong word to say around a madman. “Hell, I barely know your brother.”

“Maybe not,” he sneers, agreeing with me, and it’s true. I’ve seen Alpha Bane around town, at school, when he was enrolled, and at my mother’s coffee shop, but I’ve never said two words to the man. “But I guarantee he knows you.”

“I’m no one’s luna. I don’t have the personality for it, I can promise you.” I plead, with this madman, praying he sees reason or it buys me enough time for someone to find me.

“No, you’re not. Yet.” His voice goes cold, lifeless, his demeanor going darker. He smirks, pushing back a loose strand behind my ear. If he wasn’t batshit crazy, I’d think he was almost sweet. Then I remember his actual personality and that notion is dashed rather quickly. “And you never will be. I’ll make sure of it.”

“What does that mean, Brad?” My voice cracks with my question, terrified of what he’s going to do next. He’s unhinged, and not making much sense right now. It’s like he’s unravelling the closer we get to his brother's arrival.

“Nothing for you to worry about right now.” He drags his fingers along the swell of my breast. Each touch, and caress more disturbing than the last.

“Brad, please—” My pleas are cut off by his mouth pressing against mine, his tongue invades to tangle with mine. My wolf and I recoil with disgust at the intrusion. Sadness simmers below, knowing my first kiss, the one I saved for my mate is gone. Lost forever to this unbearable jackass.

“Undress.” He demands, pulling away, his gaze hazy with lust, dripping with desire.

“No.” I grit out, pain radiating through my limbs, as I fight off the command to the best of my abilities. My wolf screeching with agony, as she resists him as well.

“Undress, Peyton.” He growls, throwing more of his aura into the order. The weight of his authority, bears down on me, crushing my windpipe, cutting off my oxygen supply. Despite my instinct to give in, to follow his leadership, I fight it. The agony from my denial courses through my veins, demanding I submit. But I’ll never do that for this asshole, even if I have to claw my heart out to make the pain stop.

“No!” I bite back the scream, iron fills my mouth, thanks to the teeth sinking into my flesh. It wouldn’t matter if I scream anyway, no ones around to hear me. Everyone will be preparing for the party. “No. No. NOO!”

His hand moves like lightning, around my throat, holding me in his grip, pushing me back toward the lake. Resisting him is pointless against his strength. My soles sliding slide along the sand, nothing I do gives me the grip to stop him.

I’m coughing, smacking his arm, crazed, putting everything behind my hits, but they’re weak. I’m weak, and getting weaker by the second. A splash, and cold water, greets my heels, moving up my ankles. He releases me, but there is nowhere for me to run without him catching me.

“Let’s try this again.” Brad sneers, his hand raised, as he steps back out, onto the safety of the sand. “The faster you comply, the quicker you get out of the water.”

“Your brother could be finding his mate, right now!” I plead, hoping he’ll see reason, but he won’t. Not in this state. Maybe never. Goddess, why didn’t I tell anyone where I was going? My wolf howls, my claws elongating and retracting, wanting to tear his throat out only for his aura to force me back.

“Then you’ll be someone else’s luna, and you’ll be taken from me.” He shakes his head, his delusions making him unpredictable and dangerous. To me. To his family. And to the pack. How has no one noticed he’s a ticking time bomb? “No, I’d rather you stay here. Where I can keep you forever.”

Fuck, I’m going to die at the hands of this psychopath. What’s his obsession with me? What did I do to warrant this behavior. “Now, shut up, and undress.”

“No.” I contort, my spine twisting uncomfortably, my wolf and body fighting for control.

“Fine, be stubborn.” He grunts, shrugging like it’s no big deal. “Take a step back, then.”

My wolf is finding it difficult to resist one demand, let alone two, so I step back, the water mid-calf now. Goddess, please don’t let my mom be too busy preparing for this stupid party to notice my absence. We continue his deranged game for a few more rounds, until the water passes my waist, sitting right under my breast.

My wolf is nothing but a whimpering mess in my mind, curled up, the pain from fighting too much, she’s going in and out of conciousness.

“Goddess, you’ve got the fire of a luna.” Brad says, observing me with awe and sick fascination. “I’ve always thought so. Oh, how I love to push your buttons just to see it. Shall we continue?”

“You’re a sick fuck.” I choke out, shoulders hunched over from the constant battle I find myself in. The one raging between his aura and my willpower.

“Step back.” He says, a sick, smug smile on his face, victory in his eyes. The water jumps to above my shoulder, my mind racing with ways to get myself out of this mess. “Are you ready to follow my orders and undress?”

I don’t answer, unable to think about anything other than the murky water resting on my chin. How it’d only take me one more step to be driven under.

“No?” Brad calls from the shore, his brows raised, questioning what I’ll do, but my only response is to shake uncontrollably. “Fine. if I cannot have you, no one can, and certainly not my brother. I didn’t say stop, keep going.”

I push back, trying to fight through his demands, but I’m powerless against him. A drop at the bottom has be sinking under, water filling my lungs, arms flailing, a dire attempt to get myself out.

I’m screaming for help but it does no good, instead leaving me with a mouth full water, unable to breathe. My vision blurs, darkness calling me, as I sink lower. The sun reflecting against the lake, is the last thing I see before I fade away, welcoming death…

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on, wake up!” Someone whispers, a female, her hushed, hurried tone lulling me from the darkness. Her hand taps, my cheek, her body hovering above me, the outline of her figure seen through the cover of her eyelids. Two warm hands cover my chest, using her full weight to press down on me, conducting CPR. “Please don’t die!”

The girl begs, while working to get the rest of the water out of my lungs. My eyes pop open, spewing the last of the lake out of my mouth, hacking until all of it is on the ground next to me.

“Oh, thank the Goddess.” She praises, hand covering her heart, relief all over her face. Her bright blue eyes find mine, her strawberry blonde piled atop her angelic face. Her scent fills my nostrils, the rancid smell of garbage nearly knocking me out all over again.

“Rogue?” I croak, my voice raspy, cracking from the stress and trauma it’s been through.

“Yeah,” she answers, glancing around, listening to the forest, remaining alert. “Look I hate to save and run, but I better go before they find me here.”

Confusion and possibly a concussion cloud my brain, her words fuzzy, barely registering before she’s on her feet and running across the border. She’s fluid, and light on her feet, gliding through the forest. Using shaky hands, I push myself up, doing my best to stand.

The rustle of the bushes calls my attention, a large black wolf hurdles over them, growling and snapping. His sudden appearance not what I was expecting as I trip, falling to my butt, pain shooting up my up wrist and elbow from the awkward way I land.

The massive, unnamed wolf trots around, sniffing the air, before his attention turns back to me. Without warning, he shifts into his human self not bothering to hide himself. Squealing with embarrassment, I cover my eyes, still not used to the nakedness other werewolves are comfortable with.

A laugh, light and airy, fills the air. The melodious tune is most joyous thing I’ve heard on such a shitty day. A husky male voice fills the air, sweet, and decadent, sending shivers down my spine. “You can look now, I promised I’m covered.”

I peek, letting my guard down when I find him telling the truth. Basketball shorts hang off his narrow hips. “Are you okay?” He asks, soft and tender, his hand outstretched to help me stand. Unable to resist the pull, I take his offer, sparks exploding across my flesh. My wolf who was once hiding beneath the surface pushes herself to the forefront of my mind.

My gaze catches his, and I’m enraptured in the bluest eyes, I’ve ever seen. The world falls away, all the terrible memories from today seem distant, like they’re nothing but a dream. My insides sing with excitement, as my gaze sweeps over the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

His shoulders are broad, his abs sculpted like a Greek artist had shaped them from clay. The smile and dimples have me in a chokehold, rendering me speechless.

“Mate.” He mumbles, now that the word has left his lips I’m being snapped back to reality, and all my dreams are being dashed. He reaches up to caress my cheek, but I recoil, stepping away, not caring about the hurt flashing across his face. I don’t bother asking his name, not needing the name of the man who will lead our pack one day.

“No. No. No, this cannot be happening.” I mumble, shaking my head as I stare at the man. My words are like one slap after another, his eyes shifting from his beautiful blue, to the black of his wolf. “Is this is the Goddess’s idea of a sick joke?”

I am not mated to Alpha Bane, I cannot be. “I’m no one’s luna.” I mutter more to myself than to him, probably looking like a madwoman with my soaking wet clothes, talking nonsense.

“You’re my luna.” Alpha Bane insists taking a tentative step forward, trying to close the distance, but I scurry back.

“He already tried to kill me, what the hell are you going to do to me?” I ask, shaking my head in denial, arms raised so that there is space between us.

“Who? Who tried to kill you?” He growls, his aura shifting from happy and confused to deadly. He steps closer, he’s cautious, trying his best not to upset me more. “Tell me and I’ll take care of it. I’ll protect you.”

“Stop! Stop coming closer!” I shake, sobbing, and terrified of him. He stops, the happiness that was once dancing in his irises completely gone. My gaze meets his, he’s silently pleading with me to talk, to give him a chance. My wolf is doing the same, but I can’t do it. I won’t do it. Flashes of Brad’s psychotic break reinforces my decision to do this.

Squaring my shoulders and raising my chin, I say the words no wolf ever wants to hear from their mate. “I, Peyton Samuels, reject Alpha Bane Black of Blackstone as my mate and Alpha.”

My wolf is howling, pain clutching at my heart, the air sucked from my lungs. Despite the hurt, and ache I continue, until all ties are completely cut. Bane is hunched over, his hand gripping his chest, while his whimpers fill the air.

“Why?” He asks, choking on the pain as he sinks to his knees. His heartbroken expression, searing me and my wolf straight through our soul.

“I’m sorry.” I cry, guilt and shame rocketing through me. This was supposed to be the best day of my life. Now it’ll go down in history as my worst. I back away from him, watching him writhe in pain against the forest floor, while I inch closer to the territory line. “I’m so sorry.”

I soak up the last moments I can with him. My wolf urging me to go back, rescind my rejection, but I can’t. Instead, I leave my mate slumped on the ground, in agonizing pain, while I run, like a coward. Away from him. Away from the pack. And away from the life we might have had if it wasn’t for his brother.