The Viking's Mate Hunt

CHAPTER 116

"Make her shut up for crying out loud!"

Lydia winched and squirmed on the cold wooden floors. I pressed my hands over her mouth, desperately trying to muffle her cries and moans of pain. The wagon squeaked and humped on the poorly dirt road through the dense forest. Blood kept pouring out from the gaping wound on her shoulder and back; I'm sure some of her ribs are broken, and probably much worse things I don't want to think about right now. I don't even have so much as water or a cloth to stop the bleeding. Jacob is irritated and anxious and has been switching between threats to put her out of her misery and the very generous offer of leaving her behind here. Ezra had been quiet for a long while but had turned to face us only minutes ago. There was no trace of anger in either his face or voice, but what he said left nothing out to misunderstand,

"Either she shut up, or you will have to. Think of it like we as parents gave you a pet, if you can't take care of it, we will get rid of it."

Then, he turned back as calm as day, and frankly, he scares me more than Jacob`s blunt and straightforward anger. You never know where you have guys like him, hiding all his emotions and just letting it barely slip with hurtful words. I sighed and wiped my forehead with my sleeve. She needed medical help, even though I knew that. Her body was covered in sweat while her skin was burning; still, she whimpered and trembled. Whispered and rambled about freezing to death. Fever, no doubt.

I'm not sure what scares me the most, that she would make too much noise or that I would suffocate her while trying to make her keep down. There was no use in talking to her; her eyes were glassy, and could not even focus on me for half a second. Whenever she forced her eyes open, they just rolled back or stared right through me before her eyelids slid down like a heavy curtain. Her incoherent mumbling didn't make sense, she never answered any of my questions. She was too far gone, and the fever had an iron grip on her.

"She is your sister..."

I knew the sentence didn't really make sense, and I didn't really believe that would make them change their attitude towards her, but I still didn't understand. They seemed so close, so caring for one another when we first met. Lydia treated them like kings and had the entire pack turned on their heads just to prepare for them. Their nickname for their older sister, those awkward small stories about them growing up in between it all earlier. To switch like this, not only tossing her aside but hurting her to the point she could not take care of herself, and they didn't even seem to care. Like I thought, neither answered me, didn't even acknowledge me at all.

The forest passed by, we had left the mountain long ago, and I still had no clue where we were going. What, or who that strange light that saved me was, how Amon was. I mean, they have to know we are both missing by now. Someone would come for us, right? I let out a deep sigh and looked down at Lydia. Could I have been wrong about her all along? I doubted it, but a low whisper in the back of my head told me I judged her from the moment o saw her. Judged her based on the stories I've heard and simply decided she was the evil woman she had been portrayed as. Also, how could I forget the fact that she basically tried to give me away? No, she's no saint, but I must admit there must be more to this story than I know about.

"They will come for us."

I didn't mean it as a threat, not really, but I wanted it to be. Wanted them to know I wished pain on them both, that I looked forward to it, and that nothing they said would change my mind or force me to give up. In my eyes, they are not monsters; they are cowards. Sly and despicable.

"Don't worry, little mutt, that is what we are counting on."

Ezra didn't even bother to face me when he answered, only Jacob took the time to grin at me over his shoulder.

"Sure, you do. But what did she do? Your sister, your own flesh and blood.."

I made sure even they would hear the sarcasm in my first answer and did my best to indicate I didn't believe them for a second. Wanted them to really know how much I looked down on them and had no faith in whatever they were doing or planning.

"Here, take these. Between those two mountains and to the left. Stop by the cave."

Ezra handed over the horse's reins to Jacob before turning back to face me. He looked down on his sister first, and I have no idea why, but I waited for that flash of regret or hurt by seeing his sister like this, but nothing. I studied him so hard, but there was nothing, not even a glimpse in his eyes. Nothing. Nothing at all. The man is cold as ice, and it honestly freaked me out when his cold eyes pierced mine.

"Listen up, Princess, there is no need to pretend we care about anything we don't. You hate her as much as we do and don't even try to deny it. Pretending to care if she lives or dies like you do now makes you even more hypocritical than me. So, spare me the drama and fake concern. She is not our sister. We are not family, and we certainly do not share any blood. She is born from the same vessel as my brother and me, that is all. Our father is a weak man; he let that woman walk all over him and accepted this girl as his own after she was born. But she cost him nothing but sleepless nights, expenses, and heartache. Just like her mother. She finally served her purpose, and we have no more use for her. So why should I care if she lives or dies?"

"How can you be so cold-hearted? No matter who birthed her or who her real father is, you all grew up together as a family! Family is not determined by blood or genes! I never said I hated her, never said I didn't care if she lived or died! How can anyone in their right mind look at someone in so much pain and need for help and don't feel anything?!"

"Well, I guess we are not in our right mind!"

He grinned, Jacob snickered, and I had no answer to give. Even I could see this was a lost cause; no matter how hard it was for me to accept and understand, he would not change his mind here. They would not change their minds.

"Look, I am tired. Even if you understand this didn't go exactly as planned, so let us just cut to the case. If you want to drag that half-dead human after you, go ahead, but she is your problem. Not mine or Jacob`s, and no, you can't appeal to our compassion. Because there is none. She had one job, one job only, and she failed. Just like last time, and this was her last chance. If she can't pull her own weight or follow simple instructions, she`s of no use to us. You see that, don't you? Why carry dead weight if you know it would cost you nothing but grief? In a way, it is nothing different than you did when you threw that mate of yours aside. Right?"

My mouth opened and closed a couple of times. I was stunned at first to get a single word out, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. How did he even know about Toke?

"You have no idea what you are talking about, it is not the same at all! "

I stuttered out between clenched teeth, and all I got in return was laughter.

Mockingly and almost amused before he theatrically dried away tears that were never there and continued,

"Of course, it is. He had no value for you, you didn't need him anymore, so you dumped him. Simple as that, and we are doing the same. But why are we wasting time and oxygen on this? We both know we are right on our own, and we both know nothing will change the other's opinion. Typical females waste time and energy just to have something to do or in a desperate struggle to have the last word. So wasteful and predictable."

My blood was boiling, but I didn't say a word. Only looked down on Lydia. Her skin was pale, so pale it almost had a blue shine to it, and for a second, I thought she had passed away. But she was still hanging on, maybe by a thin thread, but she was still here. Barely.

"Anyway, you should make her as comfortable as possible while you can. We are almost there, and this time, the hunt will go on and be successful. There is no other alternative."

He shrugged like this was obvious. I frowned, remembered when they asked me to run, and a flashback from my first days here popped up in my mind. Run, little bunny, run! I shivered just thinking about it. Back then, the hunt was the dreaded main event; now, it seems so long ago. So little compared to everything else that has happened here and is still happening.

"Hunt... Like... The mate hunt?"

Jacob scoffed, but Ezra grazed me with a pitiful smile.

"Aw, sweety! Do not flatter yourself. No. But also, yes. We are not hunting to earn our mate, but we will hunt you, torment you, and push you to the edge. Force you to balance the fine line between life and death. Oh well, it's a bit dramatic for my taste. The point is, we will do whatever it takes to push your wolf to shift. How far it goes is entirely up to her. "

"She won't shift!"

He paused for a second and looked me over before nodding slowly,

"So she knows, good. Maybe she`s smarter than I gave her credit for, but doubtfully. She will shift eventually; that or watch you die."

My blood turned cold, and small lightning bolts of sharp ice struck down my spine while he smiled.

"Why?"

"Why what? Why do we hunt? Because it is so much more fun than a torture chamber, and frankly, and our wolf loves the chase."

"No... Not that, why do I have to shift?"

I tried not to show the horror I felt. Did my best to hide how his words crept under my skin and how the meaning of it made my heart slam against my ribs.