A/N:

Sorry for the long break in between posts! >.< There has just been a bunch of things going on! I wanted to say thank you to all the readers who kept up with the story! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

-Tabii XD

I soon found myself short of breath as my legs buckled beneath me. The dried grass chaffed the skin on my cheek as I lie there getting my bearings together.

I had been running for hours. Though I had a head start, they had faster trackers. It was only a matter of time before they found me. Sitting up, I began to weigh my options.

Granny's house wouldn't be safe if I went there. I definitely couldn't turn myself in. I may have strength and wit, but they have numbers. How far does this forest stretch?

I sighed and stood on my worn legs. Grabbing my bag, I moved further into the foliage around me. There was a shift in the air around me. My nerves were on high alert, muscles taut, and hand on the butt of my dagger. Ears straining to pick up the slightest sound, eyes narrowed in preparation, I stood in plain sight. Though the odds were stacked against me I refused to go down without a fight.

"Release the blade," a gruff, masculine voice said from behind me. How did this man sneak up on me? Instincts told me to plunge my dagger into his jugular and escape, but I found myself restrained. I felt the faintest bit of fear creep down my spine and settle in the pit of my stomach.

"I won't repeat myself," the man hissed at me. I released my grip on my weapon. His deft fingers stripped me of all visible weapons. I felt my pulse racing and could hear it thumping in my ears. Oh how the mighty have fallen, my brain sneered at my lack of vigilance.

I could feel his warmth and rage radiating off of him in waves.

"Your kind isn't allowed in this part of the forest. I'd skin you alive but I doubt that it'd hurt you." He snarled at me before roughly grabbing my arm and turning me to face him.

He was a tower of a man. Rich brown skin, broad shoulders, thick arms, staggering height, and a cold glare. His hair was cut low and black, his face was chiseled, lips curled in a snarl revealing pearl white teeth, and piercing black eyes. He awaited my response with flaring nostrils, but I couldn't find my voice.

Noticing my lack of response, the man - who's name I have yet to learn - took a deep breath. A puzzled look crossed his features before he released my arm and looked me over.

"This isn't Halloween girl," he sneered at me. "Why are you pretending to be a demolisher?" The disdain in his voice was like venom. I cocked my head slightly to the side and narrowed my eyes. His face was impassive, but the air around him spoke volumes of his physical prowess.

Squaring my shoulders, raising my chin defiantly. "I am a demolisher."

His eyes narrowed and nostrils flared in disdain. Anger was coming off of him in waves. His movement was fluid and faster than anticipated. I gasped for air as his hand closed around my neck. He leaned in close to my face, close enough for me to see the veins popping out of the base of his neck.

"You disgust me. Turning against your own kind, that's worse than treason." He spat in my face.

Anger boiled within me. Finding the strength, I swiftly brought up my leg and kicked him as hard as I could in the chest. He stumbled back, releasing my neck from his vice grip. Instincts had me barrelling towards him, hitting him with what little strength I had left. We fell over and I didn't miss a beat as I began throwing punches. The ones he didn't dodge did minimal damage, and the ones he did took so much of what wanning energy I had left.

In one fluid motion, I was pinned on my back panting for air. I glared up into those dark eyes that looked back at me with nothing but ice. There was a flicker of curiosity in those eyes, but it vanished right before a punch was sent into my rib cage. I gasped for air as I felt and heard the bones snapping. I panted and turned my gaze away. He punched me again, in the collar bone, making me wince. He grabbed my chin with one hand and forced me to look into his eyes as his other, calloused, hand wrapped around my throat. The edges of my vision began to blur out.

"You should have never strayed into the woods girl," he sneered at me as darkness wrapped me in her arms.

I woke hours later to the sharp pain in my side becoming increasingly unbearable. My eyes adjusted to my dark surroundings. I laid in some kind of a metal cot with a thin blanket covering me. I moved to assess the damage done only to find my hands restrained. Slowly, I sat up while suppressing the urge to groan. The room around me was fairly simple: concrete walls, linoleum floors, bars on the windows, and solitairy lightbulb hanging in the center of the room. It was a few steps up from a torture chamber. I had no clue where the hell I was, but it was dark out. I looked to the plain wooden door. There must have been someone out there that could explain why a crazy man would beat me, knock me out, transport me somewhere I didn't know and had me locked into some strange holding cell.

Swinging my legs over the edge of the cot as gently as I could, I brought myself up to my feet and walked towards the door. Pressing my ear to it, I heard the faintest sound of a mumbled altercation. Raising my bound hands, I knocked loudly on the door then quickly pressed my ear to it. There was shuffling about before I could hear the sound of keys jangling. I moved away from the door as I heard the lock click out of place.

The door swung open and light poured into the room. Squinting against the harsh glare of light, I noticed a man with fair skin and hair - nearly as big as the one I fought with earlier - walk in with a neutral glare on his face. Looking past him and into the hall, I noticed a small framed woman with a disgruntled look to her. They were, obviously, the ones arguing outside the cell door. The woman glared at me but stalked off. The man looked down at me, although we weren't that far apart in height, waiting for me to say something.

Squaring my shoulders and setting my jaw, I looked at him without the faintest bit of fear.

"Where am I?" I questioned. Boredom was the primary expression on his face now.

"That is none of your concern at the moment," his reponse was clipped and hoarse. Anger boiled up within me as I processed what he said. I was beaten up, tied up, brought somewhere I have no knowledge of but yet it's none of my damn business! I felt the corner of my left eye twitch.

"I demand to know what the hell is going on here!" I yelled. "Where's the son of a bitch who brought me here?!"

The large man finally displayed another emotion than the perpetual boredom that was there not too long ago. Now, he was annoyed and teetering on the edge of agitation and anger. Grabbing me bound hands and tugging me forward, bringing me to my knees. I grunted at the unanticipated pain that jolted through my knee caps for a quarter of a second.

"Listen bitch, I'm not here to answer your trivial little questions. I'm here to watch this door and keep you behind it until Khan gets back. So, unless you're dying, shut the fuck up." He growled at me through clenched teeth.

Narrowing my eyes, I can feel something snap within me. Tilting my head back, I smirked at the distempered brute, and swiftly brought my head forward. The cracking sound of his nose breaking brought me satisfaction. As he clutched his face and roared in pain, I deftly moved my lithe body around his. Kicking him into the holding cell, I pushed the heavy door and darted down the corridor.

I did my best to conceal myself. Running so fast I felt as though my feet never touched the floor. I rounded a corner, finding several doors. Trying to open a door whilst my hands were bound proved to be a feat. Most of the doors were locked and I could hear the thunderous sound of a group of people running in my direction. At the end of the corridor were two doors, I tried prying the door nearest to me open to no avail.

I knew it was too late but I refused to go down without a fight. Attempting to get the restraints off didn't prove to be a possibility. Up ahead, I see the group of men rounding the corner and coming towards me as fast as bullets. In a final attempt at escaping, I kicked at the door to my left with all my force. I managed to get it open far enough to look inside.

I stopped, unable to move or even process what I've seen. Rough hands enclose around my neck and pull me away from the door. But it's too late, I saw the blood smattered across the floor, walls, and ceiling. There was nothing left of the person they mutilated, aside from the organs, that distinguished them as human. That was, without a doubt, a demolisher.

As I tuned back into what was going on, I realized I was surrounded by a group of men and faced with the man that captured me. In this light, I noticed how beautiful he was. This fleeting thought angered me so I silenced it before it could get any louder.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," he snarled at me. I took in the way his caramel colored eyes shone with his rage, offsetting his chocolate skin tone. Again, I silenced that thought. I glared at him before trying to lunge at him. The men around me, quickly, held me back.The man chuckled at my expense and grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him.

"You're a little spit fire, aren't you?" his tone was patronizing and I struggled against his hold. He dug his nails into my cheeks to keep me from moving. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "I can't wait to break you." I jerked away from him as much as the callous hands on me would allow. The smirk on his face enraged me. Turning his attention to the men around, his features hardened as he barked out orders. "Make sure you bind her feet as well. We don't want to have another incident like this when she meets Alpha Louvell."

With that said, he turned away and faded behind the line of hulking men blocking my vision. My feet were promptly bound and I was taken back to the room I'd escaped from. I was shoved in roughly by the same guard that I got passed.

So much for freedom, I thought to myself as the door shut with a clang and I was stuck in the dark again.