Trained to Kill

Chapter 11

Scarlett 

"Was he really just a figment of my imagination?" I can't get over how real Mica seemed. I must've imagined him from the blood loss. 

After I was discharged from the hospital, I indulged in a much needed shower and changed into a pair of Kelly's sweats. I am currently on a walk in the woods, attempting to clear my head, but I just seem to circle back to Mica. 

"He is dead Scarlett."  

"I know, Ares, but he just seemed so real."

"You need to let this go, mate said there was no man. Mate wouldn't lie." 

"You're too quick to trust him. What if-" My conversation with Ares was cutoff by the sound of crying. I follow the sound, until I find a little boy sitting on the ground crying softly into his hands. 

I kneel down next to him. "Hi kiddo. I'm Scarlett, what's wrong?" 

He looks up at me and stares at me before sniffling and answering "they stole my lollipop." 

"Aw, I'm sorry. Come on we can find another one." 

He immediately perks up at what I tell him. He jumps up and grabs my hand and starts pulling me. I stifle a laugh at his actions. I've always had a soft spot for kids and he was absolutely adorable. He has black shaggy hair and the biggest brown eyes I've ever seen. He's missing one of his front teeth, which only makes his smile more contagious. 

"What's your name, toothless?" He giggles at the name I called him.

"My name is Thomas, not toothless." He says through his laughs. 

"Well, I'm gonna call you toothless." I say as I ruffle his hair, with the hand that isn't holding his little hand.

"If you're gonna call me toothless, I'm gonna call you...LETTY!" He yells as if he's just found the best name he's ever heard. 

The walk was brief before we started to see the pack house. 

"Wanna race the rest of the way, toothless?" I ask the boy in an excited tone. 

He nods his head excitedly before yelling "GO!" and racing off to the house. He can't be older than 4, so his running is very peculiar and off-balanced. But, nonetheless, he is giggling at the top of his lungs and running quite quickly. I, on the other hand, am more chasing him- being sure not to catch him- and giggling lightly being him. 

"Hey! That's cheating." I cry with mock hurt and continue to run after him.

When we finally barge into the kitchen I scoop the hysterically laughing boy up into my arms and begin tickling him. 

"LETTY! NOO!" Thomas yells through giggles. 

"Oh no toothless, I can't let cheaters get away with no punishment." I say through my own laughter. I was so consumed with the little boy in my arms, I didn't notice the other people in the room that were now staring at me. 

"And what might he have cheated on?" I froze when I heard the familiar voice. Slowly raising my head to meet my mates eyes, before scanning the room and seeing it full of various pack members. 

The pack members were all staring at me with confusion, humor, joy, and...respect. Respect surprised me because rogues are not often respected by packs. They are sooner killed off before even allowed on pack territory. 

I was snapped back to reality by Thomas' greeting to my mate.

"Hi Chawse" Thomas yells and flashes his best smile. 

"Hi Tommy. Why don't you run along." 

"Bu-but Letty promised me a lollipop." Thomas whines in response. 

Chase simply walks over to the cupboard and plucks out a lollipop.

"There. Now, Tommy, I think mom is looking for you." Chase says as he looks at Thomas with pleading eyes. I'm too focused on the fact that Chase had said "mom is looking for him" as in they have the same mother, to notice Thomas scamper off to somewhere else in the house. Had I just been playing with Chase's brother. I didn't even know he had a brother. 

I am brought out of my thoughts by the clearing of a throat. I look up to see my mate standing in front of me with fury burning in his eyes. I look around to try to see why he's so angry, but the room is completely vacant, with the exception of my mate and me. 

"Where have you been?" My mate demands through clenched teeth. I remain silent as I stare at him with confusion written over my normally blank face. 

"Scarlett, where have you been?!" He is becoming increasingly more angry. "You have been gone for hours. I have looked everywhere." 

"I went for a walk." I state simply. I don't quite get why he's getting so mad, but it's starting to piss me off. 

"You went for a walk! OH LOVELY. I am glad you got to enjoy a stroll while I was going mad with worry." His deadly calm is almost worse than being yelled at. 

"I don't understand what the problem is. I just went for a walk." I have once again built back-up the indestructible walls that hide my emotions. 

"YOU ARE NOT TO WALK AROUND WITHOUT A GAURD OR ME!" He has moved passed deadly calm and is full on yelling now, and I do not take kindly to being told what to do nor being yelled at. "YOU MUST NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM MYSELF!" 

I am so startled and enraged by his words that I feel my emotionless mask almost falter, almost. "I will tell you this once, and only once. I am not someone you can control and order around. I stayed here willingly because my wolf begged me to, but do not mistake my compliance for submission." I am seething now, my words laced with venom. He flinches back at my words, regret and guilt swimming in his eyes, but I am not finished. "You may be the alpha of this pack, even this land, but you are not my alpha." 

My last words must've added a little gasoline to the once diminishing flames of fury within him, because as I turned to leave they came back full throttle and he grabbed my forearm roughly,  slamming my back into the wall as he grabbed my neck with his hand. 

"YOU WILL SUBMIT TO ME!" His wolf growls out to me. 

"I WILL NOT!" I yell in his face, as I push him off of me, and he stumbles back. 

The stinging on my face and the resounding smack from his rough hand making contact with my cheek are all that register before I begin to fall within myself.  

He slapped me. My mate just slapped me. Although I could not feel physical pain, this was pain I haven't felt in a long time, possibly ever. This felt as though the final blow had been delivered to my already shattered heart and soul. I am finally crumbling. There is nothing left of me. Even my mate couldn't resist hurting me. I have nothing left. The one person who was supposed to love me, was the same as the men in the facility. 

I am brought out of my daze by the whimpers of Ares in the back of my mind. In that moment my mind is made up. I am leaving. 

I look to my mate for a brief second, not daring to fully concentrate on him, for the fear that I may not be able to hold my crumbling walls from breaking and exposing just how undeniably broken and hurt I am. 

"I will not be controlled again." I breathe out before exiting to my room.