AMELIA’S P.O.V

I had no idea where I was going or where I was.


Once I got out of the house, I ran west. Growing up, I was always taught to find a river because most often than not, a river led to a town and from a town, I could find my way home. With tears in my eyes, I ran. I just wanted to be free, I didn’t care where I was going and I didn’t even realize how long I had been running.

I didn’t know how long Blake was going to be out and I knew I had only a little time before the guards came back so I ran. Thankfully, I still had my sneakers from when I was taken and it was well equipped for running.

I ran for hours and until I saw the sun begin to rise. It was only then that I rested a little and slowed down. I knew I must have given enough of a distance between Blake and I so I opened the bag and pulled out a bottle of water. It did little to soothe the burn in my throat but at least it would be enough.


I knew I should sleep but I couldn’t find it in myself to do it. My skin was buzzing with nervous energy. This was the closest I had been to Kaden in a very long time and I could almost see it, I could almost taste it and I would be damned if I allowed myself to be taken again.

“I can take over for a while,” Tara whispered in my head. She wasn’t at her full strength yet but she was almost there.


I hadn’t taken the potion in a while so I could feel her but I still couldn’t mind link anyone and I wasn’t sure if I could shift yet. If she was to take over, it would exert her even more and I needed her strong so that I could mind link Kaden.

“No, you need to gather your strength,” I told her and I could feel her annoyance buzzing. “I need you for the last leg of the journey, when I am close to the pack. I need you then because we might encounter rogues and I can’t fight them off myself.”

That seemed good enough for her because she relented.

“Can you sense water nearby?” I asked but she shook her head.

She started to speak when I saw a bird fly overhead. It brought memories of Clara to mind and tears gather behind my lids. I missed her, I missed Caleb and I fucking missed my mate. I hadn’t given myself the chance to miss then since I had been taken and now, the smothered emotions were gathering to the surface.

“I don’t have time for tears,” I whispered to myself picking up my bag again. “Chances are that the bird is flying towards a stream. I will follow the birds.”

I decided to walk this time. My legs were burning from all the running and I needed to rest. I made sure to keep an eye out and a listening ear for any sign that someone was following me. I knew they couldn’t smell me, I had lathered myself in mud and flowers that I had seen on the way and while that was a slight advantage, it wasn’t everything.

By the time the sun rose fully, I heard the sound of rushing water. Relief filled me and I could have sobbed as I rushed towards the water. I found myself in front of a massive stream and with tears in my eyes, I dipped my hands into it. I knew the rule of thumb was to follow it downstream, so I did.

I had never felt so close and maybe that was why I let my guard down a little. I just wanted to get home and I felt as if I was getting close so I pulled out a snack from my bag and munched on it a little as I went. When I found what looked like a good resting area, I did. I had been running all day and I knew that I needed to conserve my strength.

I didn’t sit directly in front of the river, that would have been stupid. Instead, I found a small enough cave and I hid inside it. My original intention was to rest a little but I didn’t even realize when I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

It was the sound of footsteps that woke me up. I clutched my bag close to my chest worried that Blake had found me. I cursed myself for even stopping in the first place.

“Tara, can you sense the people?” I asked and she nodded.

“They might not find us, all we have to do is-” she had barely finished her sentence when I noticed a man poke his head into my cave.

I had never seen him before and he didn’t have any insignia of Blake’s men. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a threadbare shirt. His hair was cropped close to his head and his eyes were a molten brown color.

“Rogue,” he hissed grabbing my leg and pulling me out. I kicked and screamed desperate to get away from him when I felt cold metal at the base of my throat. “I should kill you right now and be done with it. It would be one less rogue on the streets.”

“Please,” I begged, tears gathering in my eyes. “I am not a rogue, I swear it.”

“That’s what they all say. Where are you from then?”

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it. I couldn’t be sure if he was an ally of Kaden’s or not. The last thing I wanted to do was go from one enemy to the other.

“I can’t tell you but I am not a rogue, I swear it. Do I smell like one?”

“I can’t smell you at all,” he gritted his teeth. “And rogues lie-”

“Jackson!” I heard a woman yell and another set of footsteps made their way over to us. “Leave the girl alone, she is terrified.”

The man- Jackson- gritted his teeth but pulled himself off me. The woman gave me a small smile and held out her hands to me. She seemed to be around his age with salt and pepper hair and kind eyes.

“I’m Darla, this brute’s mate,” she helped me to my feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I was kidnapped,” I managed out. I knew I could trust her, to a degree at least.

“You poor thing, come, we live in a settlement not far from here. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Darla-”

“She needs help, Jackson. We can’t just leave her here,” she hissed at her mate before turning back to me. “Come.”