Despondency

Chapter 22

*****VOTE AND COMMENT*****

It had been 4 months since Constantin had left. Usually she would rejoice, but she felt tired, bored and weak. Constantin had left a list of 'do and do nots' in his wake.
1. Aiyana was not to leave his room.
2. She is to be fed twice daily.
3. No one is to speak to her.
4. Two guards are to be posted at her door 24/7.
5. The windows must be locked closed.
Ai pinched the bridge of her nose as she argued with the guard through the door. It felt like arguing, but he hadn't even responded, yet.
The only relief Aiyana had was that Sonya silently slipped her the key to a window so she could stare at the moon all night. It had become a ritual for her. While she stared, she reflected on life in general. The moon constantly brought good memories of her childhood. She specifically could recall her mother's chastisement; "don't stare at the moon or it will be the only thing you see!"
But, the days of warm summer and family arms were gone now. She was left only in this dark, bitter place.
Ai shifted into her wolf and stomped about the room throwing things and shredding the bed. She would trash the place in oppositional defiance. They would not keep her from doing anything Constantin didn't like. They never saw her shift, that would be bad news. In her anger she flickered between wolf and human. They only heard her go wild and mess up everything through the door.
"SCREW YOU DEAD MOON PACK. THERE IS A ALWAYS A BIGGER FISH! A STRONGER PACK! I PRAY EVERYDAY THAT THAT PACK SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE. YOU LOUSY PIECES OF FILTH!" Ai grabbed the curtains and ripped them down in her fit of anger. They were the only untouched thing in the room.
She calmed her heavy breathing and stared out the window in curiosity. The wolves gathered at Beta Andrew's shoulder, spread out facing the forest. What was happening?
Suddenly the realization hit her. They were being attacked.
She went to the bed post and grabbed the nickel, she slipped into Constantin's clothes to hide her scent from the Dead Moon Pack. She tried to open the door, it was still locked, however.
Out of anger she raised her fist against it and quickly drew away from the door with bloodied knuckles.
She turned to the window, there had to be a way out.
She sensed the footsteps of her guards rush away to the exit doors. They were summoned away from her to fight!
She grabbed the bed posts broken limb and threw it at the large pane window. Hearing it shatter, letting the cries of battle reach her ears, and feeling the wind against her pale face was the most ecstatic feeling yet. She carefully climbed down the building, scaling the walls fearfully. Her foot slipped and for a frightening moment she thought she was to fall 5 stories down. Would that break her bones? Would she be able to get up if she fell? She pulled her muscles taught until he foot was safely back on the wall.
She reached the ground unnoticed by either group of wolves. Where was Sonya? This was their chance of escape!
She scurried through the main doors inside the pack house. She followed the fresh scent of her friend and found her in a kitchen hiding.
"Sonya! We have to go, c'mon while the battle hasn't resolved yet!"
"Ai, I can't go with you, I'll slow you down. I haven't run since the day I freed Constantin's brother. That was the last brave act I've dared to commit against him."
Ai scowled. She could mess with this drama later.
"You're coming with me now." Ai pulled the tooth knife she kept in Constantin's shoe.
"I never planned to go with you. You have to run and escape!"
"Sonya get up. We won't run, just get as far away as we can. Do you want to die for not stopping me?" Ai begged. Death was a possible punishment for letting the Alpha's mate get away. Sonya glanced between the knife and her friends desperate face.
"I'll go, but if they catch up... you have to leave me. I don't care if I die, but I need you to leave before you're broken."
Ai rolled her eyes.
"That's a bunch of bullcrap. Now get up!"
Ai stomped out the door with her close friend in tow.
Ai snuck out of the building easily, the entire Dead Moon Pack was distracted with the battle.
Before she knew it, she was in the forest with Sonya, following the very well hidden trail of the attacking pack.
It seemed better than just heading east on some random nonexistent path. Sonya started limp not far from the pack house.
"Aiyana, you need to leave me here, obviously I won't make it very far with my damaged leg."
"Are you kidding me? We are going to make it all the way to the east coast. What would take humans several months I bet we could do in a moon cycle even with your bad leg."
Aiyana eyed the leg. Underneath the scars of abuse the leg had to have been broken several times and not allowed to heal properly for it to appear so distorted. While Sonya's hips faced forward , her leg looked dislocated. Like someone took a barbie, popped it's leg out and glued it back on sideways. Then her calf just seemed... crippled like a raisin. The muscle wasn't connected to the ligaments properly.
Actually, Aiyana and Sonya might not make it that far after all. At least not with out external help. An idea popped into her head. Instead of going east, she would head south to the plains where her old pack and surrounding allies were still stationed. They could easily grab a car that they kept in the basements of the pack houses and use that to transport Sonya. She doubted Sonya could shift. A car would also help to hide her smell from Constantin's infamous trackers. It wasn't much, but it was more than Aiyana could dream of a month ago.
Aiyana and Sonya washed themselves in the cold winter river before the both of them shifted. It took Sonya a long while before she finally stood as a wolf. Sonnya smiled lightly to herself and her own 3 good legs. They traveled two more miles before settling in a clearing to build a fire.
Sonya and Aiyana stared onto the flames, deep in conversation.
"Constantin's going to kill us." Sonya mumbled.
"Not if he can't find us."
"You bear his mark. Anyone would glance at that and know you belong to him."
"Not really. They couldn't possibly know."
"Ai, normal marks are dark blue with pink on the edges. Your is black and red. Red from being forcefully marked... and black from Constantin's bloodline."
Ai frowned and looked at the mark. It was black. And her mother's was blue. She did figure it was because her mother's mate marked her and Aiyana's was forced on her.
"Why is it so different?"
"Because Constantin is from the Mikhail bloodline. The strongest wolves are always in the strongest bloodline and their marks are black. The longer the bloodline is the most strong the more powerful it gets, hence the reason it's black. That's why Constantin is Alpha of Alphas. His blood makes him that way."
"So if his spies in other packs see a black mark... we won't make it to the east coast."
Sonya slowly nodded and stared into the fire.
"And the mark is solidified. So at some point when you are too far he will sense where you are."
Aiyana pulled the dagger made from a wolf's fang out of her boots.
"What happens if another wolf marks me?"
"The mark is overridden. Why? Plan on selling your soul to another wolf?"
"Maybe...? I mean, this wolf is dead." Aiyana held up the knife. Sonya shook her head.
"Someone else has to mark you. And wolves know that dead or female wolves can't mark."
"Then you mark me with this." Aiyana passed her the blade.
"I can't do this. This is wrong."
Aiyana rolled her eyes.
"And you think Constantin hurting people isnt? We wanted to escape and now we have a chance. 100% or 0. Your choice."
Sonya took the blade in shaking fingers.
"I don't like to hurt people."
"I don't like others getting hurt."
Sonya took a deep breath to calm herself. What they were about to do was try to use a dead person's tooth to remove Ai's mark. It was strange.
"Do it." Aiyana stretched her neck open putting the mark in full view. The black raised and burned her flesh. It moved up and down trying to get Aiyana to stop. If the bond was threatened then that meant this could work.
Sonya buried the knife into Aiyana's shoulder. In the very center of the gruesome mark. Aiyana screamed out but Sonya hushed her by covering her mouth. Sonya ripped out the blade and tossed it to the dirt.
A small dark blue circle slowly formed on Aiyana's shoulder. It was pink on the edges, but soon died and became white and pink like a sad memory.
Sonya fell onto the ground as pain rippled up and down her leg.
Ai stared into the night also in pain. She could see the wolf's life through his eyes. Her eyes closed.

(A/n)
Happy new year ;)
Wink wink, stab stab
Elena