"Dealing with backstabbers,

there was one thing I learned

They're only powerful when you got your back turned

I yearned for the day that we

finally met again

So I can give him a taste of

his own medicine

He shed his skin, then

he promised to come clean

I took his butcher knife and

jabbed it into his spleen."

"Hello, Chance? This is Ryder. I am coming back, rightnow. Just a few minutes away from the pack. Where are you? Felt like there was something going wrong. Please tell that me I'm crazy and everything is fine. Is Olivia alright?"

"Ryder!" I replied to him, in a shocked voice.

I had never thought that I'd be happy to hear from this person in my life. Trust me when I say that I disliked him from the core of my heart. Not only because my mate seemed to have always liked him a bit more than me, but also because he was always more calm and composed than I am. The only time I remember him losing his temper was when it came to his mate, but other than that, he has always been the wise one.

But at this moment, it literally was like rain on my drought to hear from him. Because he seemed like the only person who'd be there for Olivia no matter what. Even if no one agrees to fight, I will at least have him with me to fight and I won't be alone.

"You're able to hear me, right? I asked if Olivia is alright. I'm nearing the borders, Chance. Where are you? Wait, you haven't hurt her again have you? I swear to God, Chance, last time it was just a punch, this time I'll literally kill you-"

"She's kidnapped." I told him and his voice froze from the other side. I heard him inhale sharply and then, he growled.

A loud, ferocious one as if his wolf was in control. I was kind of happy to hear that, it told me that he was passionate about it, confirming my hopes on the fact that he'll help me rescue her.

"Where is she?" He said in a deep, threatening voice and I sighed.

"We have a slight clue about the location, but I am certain that I'll be able to track her scent in no time. I'd request you to reach the pack house as soon as possible, I'm on my way, go meet Katherine, she'll tell you the entire plan."

"I'm there." He said and I hung up, speeding up my car, so that I could reach as fast as possible.

When I reached the pack house, I immediately knew that I had to go to the Park Warrior's Chambers in order to meet Ryder. Because I'm certain that's where Katherine would have taken him.

Katherine was the first and the only person who didn't even take a second before willingly volunteering. It made sense because Olivia is her best friend, but her determination and courage is definitely remarkable. Something every pack member should have.

But unfortunately, doesn't.

If we don't stick together then anyone will snap us, when will they understand that?

Shaking my head in disappointment, I pushed open the door of chamber to see Ryder standing by the window with his palms fisted as Katherine sat on a chair, telling him everything.

"-she wanted to go meet her parents and stay with them for a while, so she took the Alpha's permission. But somewhere along the way, sh-she got taken. She got kidnapped and-and now that sick Alpha of the other pack is denying ever getting the message of her arrival. It took us a few days to realize that she didn't even reach the other pack-"

"What were you guys doing?" Ryder growled, clearly angry. "A girl disappeared from your pack- from your pack house- and you didn't even realize? Didn't you feel her absence? What kind of a best friend are you, Katherine?"

"I-I..." By now Katherine was in hysterics, with tears constantly flowing down her eyes.

Ryder's eyes would have softened had he not been so mad. Katherine furiously wiped off her tears and continued in a shaky voice. "I did know that she was gone and I did ask the alpha. He told me that Olivia looked highly upset and that had wanted to meet her parents. I thought- I thought that she'd need space and that her parent's presence would be the best for her, so I didn't try to pry further. Reece also confirmed the same. But it was when Chance told us that she never reached the pack, that we realized-"

"Whatever. Tell me what we are doing now. What are we planning to do to rescue her?" Ryder asked, I could already tell his mind was buzzing with strategies and ideas he had learned and experienced in the past years in Alaska.

"No one wants to help us." Katherine said in a dejected voice, surprising Ryder immensely.

"Wha-what do you mean? Aren't we going to attack?"

"No. The pack at first had refused to fight because they feared the rogue pack - but, now that they've found that she's the beta female, they have agreed to fight, only if we assure victory."

"What?" Ryder sounded flabbergasted, "what the hell? How are supposed to do that? How can we assure victory even before putting a fight? Hell, we don't even know the strength of their pack yet. We can't just let them kidnap our pack member and do nothing! What kind of dignity will we be left with?"

"Don't worry, a pack might be ready to help us. Chance has gone there only, to negotiate. He called Reece too, Reece is persuasive, I'm pretty sure they'll find some way-"

"Reece is a son of a bitch." I interrupted them, walking up to the chair placed next to Katherine's.

Katherine looked at me with horrified eyes. "Chance, he's your alpha-"

"I don't care, he's a bastard." I growled at her, surprising both of them.

"What happened?" Ryder asked, as if he could tell that I wasn't joking.

I clenched my jaw and looked away. It was hard to talk about this. It made me feel like a fool because I let that bastard use my mate and she's gone. I should have known that he's a leech. A snake. A poison in the group.

"He set this up. He knew that Olivia will get kidnapped. It was his plan."

My statement certainly didn't satisfy the two, as they prodded for more answers, and I told them, everything.

"Oh...oh my god," Katherine said, holding her head as she sank into her chair. Her eyes wide, as if she just couldn't take in the information.

Ryder's reaction was however completely different. He looked angry above all. Furious, ready to fight. His eyes turned black and he clenched his jaw. His palms fisted and he looked mad enough to kill someone.

"Where's the fucker?" He said, in a dangerously low voice. He started moving towards the door. "Which pack is he in? Tell me!"

I opened my mouth to asked him to calm down but Katherine did it for me but grabbing his wrist and shaking her head. "This isn't the right time, Ryder. Rightnow, Olivia's safety is m-more important. We can deal with Reece later."

Ryder narrowed his eyes at her and let out a sigh. It took him sometime before he finally nodded and went back to where he was standing before.

"Please tell me we are going to do something now and not just sit around." Ryder said, his hands literally still shaking with fury and there was clear agitation in his eyes.

"Of course we will." I said. "But now it's just the three of us—"

"Five." Katherine said. "My brother and my father will fight too. My father has always looked after Olivia like his own daughter, my family will fight for her with their life."

I looked at her with a little bit of surprise and a lot of gratitude. I was honestly a lot less hopeful these days— now that I knew how ugly people could be in the inside.

"Thank you," I said.

Ryder nodded, sternly. "Just the five of us?"

"Yeah," Katherine said.

"Do you think we'll win?" She asked, looking at us with uncertain eyes.

"We can't always fight to win, Katherine. Sometimes we fight, just because we have to." I whispered.

Ryder nodded his head and stood straighter. "Alright then, let's not wait anymore time, we've got to prepare a lot. We have less people, so we need more planning."

"Ye—" Katherine started saying.

"That won't be needed." A sudden voice said from behind us and we all turned around to see the most unexpected figure standing at the door.

<><><>

--

I have never really liked being out in sun for too long.

However, being stuck in his little room with little to no light, made me appreciate sunlight way more than before.

Sun signifies so much to so many people, but for me, sun is what picks us up from the dark and the cold, and brings us in the light and the warmth.

Looking at the small window at the the top on my room, I let out a sigh and I leaned back against the wall. I don't know for how long I laid there. Just looking out, wondering about things.

I didn't want to think though. Because thinking drove me crazy. I wanted to do something. Keep myself busy. I wanted to run around, be happy, be carefree, have friends, laugh and smile like I used to before. Sometimes I wonder what changed. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get the life I had before my 18 th birthday back. If I'll ever be that happy again. I hate my birthday now. That day changed everything for me.

I close my eyes, a tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

I was thinking too much, I told myself. I should maybe, sleep.

But I couldn't sleep either. Because as soon as I closed my eyes, images danced in front of my eyelids. Images of unpleasant experiences. Images of horrific times.

Images of yesterday.

Hastily, I opened my eyes, my heartbeat had fastened. I breathed through my mouth, casting my eyes downwards to the tattered bits of clothes that covered my body.

They barely covered anything. It was so hard to manage to get myself cover after...after yesterday that it hurt my heart.

There was no one here anymore and I was abandoned alone, but still I felt most insecure I ever have. Bringing my arms to my chest, I tried to cover myself up and brought my knees to my chest as if someone was watching. But in reality, no one was.

I hide my head between my knees and tried to calm my breathe down but scenes from yesterday came back to me making me want to cry all over again.

But I won't cry again. I had promised myself. Or at least, I'll try not to.

Because crying is not going to help. If anything, I'll feel weaker than I do.

With what happened to me, I had known I'll feel broken. I known that I'll feel numb and disgusted in myself.

But I had never thought that I'll feel this hopeless. This useless.

What I remembered— and will always remember more than anything was how I was out powered and how I just couldn't do enough to protect myself.

Of how I had to let his hands touch me in places I didn't want to and how I had to let him do things to me that I didn't want to— just because I wasn't strong enough to hit him and kill him and make him go away.

Only if...

Self pity doesn't help, does it? But self is all I have now.

Long gone is the Olivia who thought someone's going to come to save her. Now I'm pretty certain that my pack doesn't give a shit about me and that no one is going to rescue me.

I'll have to fight my own fight.

Even if I end up giving my life to the electric fences or cyanide cylinders, I'll die knowing that I fought.

I regret not doing that before. Because I would have at least had the satisfaction that I tried.

Because right now I feel like I never fucking tried.

No use crying over spilt milk right? I'm going to fix that. I'm going to fight now. As I said, I know that I won't succeed, there's no way. But I can't stay waiting anymore either. Especially when no one's coming. I'd rather fight my own battle and die.

As if goddess was finally with me for once, the door if my little room slammed open and a very worried face of Patricia peeked inside.

She obviously carried her doctor's bag as she entered and her eyes turned agonized as she saw me.

"Oli..." She whispered, as she closed the door behind her and dropped her bag on the ground.

"Oh my goddess, Oli!" She said, her voice turning shaky as she ran towards where I was and literally fell on her knees in front of me.

"I-I..." She started saying but nothing came out as she choked on her own tears.

Seeing her cry like that, with tears running down her face, incomplete sentences coming out of her mouth— the reality hit me.

I realized what I really happened to me.

And I didn't like that. I didn't like the bitterness of reality. I was happy pretending that I was alright and I was happy blaming myself.

People like blaming themselves because then they can convince themselves that they'll correct it.

"Don't cry..." I whispered, my voice coming out like I hadn't drank water in centuries.

I really hadn't. But rightnow, more than that, I wanted water to bath. I wanted to scrub my skin and pretend like I'll be reborn that way.

"I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "So so sorry I wasn't here to save you...to protect you....I never knew..."

She started crying and I felt little tears of my own forming behind my eyes but I shook my head and instructed my body to not cry.

"Don't cry, please." I repeated and she looked at me with shiny eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes falling on my 'clothes' and she gasped.

"Oh my..." She whispered, her hand going up to cover her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears again.

"I'll just... I've got clothes." She hurried to her bag, almost falling twice in the little way and she produced a shirt.

"Here." She said, standing in front of me. "Wear this." She instructed.

A day younger Olivia would have worried about that monster finding out but this, a day older Olivia, didn't care.

I didn't say anything as I put it on and Patricia rambled on as she sobbed some more.

"Do you want some medicines? I have this, emergency pill...I just... I know it hurts to remind you about it again and again, but you need this. This is necessary. You can only take this upto 72 hours, else you can..." She gulped, "You know, get preg—"

"Give it." I said, shuddering internally. She was right. It hurt to think about it. But she was also right when she said that needed it and I should have it for my own betterment.

She nodded quickly.

"Here," she gave me a tiny pill which I took with shaking hands and swallowed with water that she also gave me.

"Oli—" she started but I cut her off.

"I need a syringe and some poison." I told her, making her eyes widened.

"What..."

"Yes. The strongest poison you have. Stronger than wolfsbane. Something that will kill him in an instant. I want it. I'll kill him even if I die."

She looked severe and she pursed her lips. "Alright, I can do that. I don't care about getting caught anymore either. But, remember Oli, his people are very loyal. If you kill him, they'll kill you."

I nodded. "I know, but I'm ready for it."

She looked at my face for any signs of uncertainty before nodding.

"Alright, then."