Chapter 23

Alyson's POV

One morning, Ryan had already gone off on some Alpha duties with Michael, and I was home alone. Even Donna had left to retrieve some meat order from the butcher. I hadn't thought of Dylan in a while, in fact, with all going on between Ryan and I, the fight games seemed like a distant past.

I had almost forgotten about Dylan and those herbs for a few days.

But finally, I remembered that I'd invited Dylan to visit, and I had not yet told Ryan about it either. I also had not heard from Dylan, so whether he'd take me up on the offer remained to be seen. I wondered about those herbs, and definitely couldn't wait to learn more. Secretly, I considered that they could also help me give blood to Ryan if only he would accept it.

I was sitting in the main room for a while before it dawned on me that I could go out by myself and look a bit in the woods for herbs. I wasn't quite sure what they looked like, but after drinking that tea so often in my past life, I was certain that I could recognize the scent.

I thought of Ryan, and his disapproval. I knew without asking he would not like the idea of me wandering alone off in the woods, especially without telling a single soul. But even Donna was gone, so there was no one to tell, and I grew impatient. I was sure that I would be fine out there. I could take care of myself.

The woods were lovely. Sun beams trailed down through the trees in long streaks of light. Birds sang around me. The world smelled of moss, dew and dirt. It was fresh and alive out there, and I wondered that I'd been so hesitant to go out before.

I thought of my childhood when I used to play out in the forest. Jennifer and I would play together all the time. We fought a lot too. It was too hard to remember even one sweet moment when they were all tainted by her betrayal of me.

I remembered one time, when we fought over a stupid stick. She determined that it was better than any other even though it was just a stick and I'd found it. In the end, I gave it up to her, angry that she'd made such a big fight about it.

When I was 12, I felt old enough for a lot, but looking back I was just a child then. I could have still played out in the woods with friends for a few more years, but that was taken away from me. My childhood felt like two lifetimes ago instead of one. Sometimes, it felt like I was actually on my third life.

I meant to do things better. I would stay in control and safe with Ryan. Eventually I would tell him of my past, but it was even harder to explain than his was to me. Did I trust him? I might have started to trust him. I loved him more than myself even, and he felt the same for me. But the vulnerability of that scared me too much to admit it to him.

The breeze hit me. I was free. Life seemed good now. I still wanted my revenge, but I could enjoy a few moments in this new life. I had been so determined not to have a mate… was Ryan? No. He was not a mate. I reaffirmed as if that would prevent him from betraying me.

My cheeks grew warm as I thought of all our love-making. Since we'd started, we'd hardly been able to stop. Unfortunately, the call of duty beckoned him away from me daily. I was already looking forward to the night, and grateful I'd found a preoccupation to pass the time.

I traipsed through the forest, my mind in pleasant places. I smelt some plants but did not find any of that herb.

Suddenly, I heard a branch snap.

I paused. "Hello?"

Someone was there. I whirled around, aware how far I had wandered from Ryan's cabin and any sight of Starstream pack. Would anyone hear me if I screamed? My voice was caught in my throat like a bad dream.

No, I calmed myself with a deep breath. I unclenched my fists determined that I had to be panicking for no reason.

Another noise drew my attention to the other side of me.

"Hello? Ryan? Michael?" I said. Perhaps they were scouting. "Michael, if this is your idea of a joke, this isn't funny. At all!" I was backing away from where the noise had originated. My nostrils were filling with air.

Ariana took grip of me. I shifted to flee fast towards home.

"It's her." I heard someone say. My ears were pricked. As Arianna, the smell of many strangers overwhelmed my senses.

I turned fast to flee. As I spun, men grabbed me by the neck. I snarled and lashed out at them, but they had surprised me. One had already grabbed my head and neck. The other placed a wet cloth over my nose. The dreaded revolting smell of wolfsbane flooded into me.

I lurched in pain; my senses shredded by the awful nightmare of my past. My body wretched forcefully back to human form.

There were four men, one for each limb, tying my arms and legs. They had a small donkey pulling a wooden trunk on wheels, and they chucked me inside it. My body landed like a dead weight on the hard wooden capsule.

I screamed, but they had already stuffed fabric in my mouth. Tears were streaming down my face. No one could hear me. No one even knew where I'd gone. I was so stupid. What would Ryan think? That I'd left him? Would he suspect that someone took me? How could he know.

Ryan? I thought desperately, my heart aching to lose him. Panic raged inside me that I would be imprisoned and tortured again in this new life. My worst fear had manifested.

I was screaming at them, but my voice was muffled, so the words, "Let me go! Who are you?" were incoherent.

They could not know who I was, or rather who I had been. So, what could they want? Did it have anything to do with Ryan's past?

I squirmed and struggled, and finally, one of the brutish men came over, lifted his hand and knocked me out.