Hybrid Aria 1-4

Ryker’s POV

I have lost count of the amount of times I had been to this part of the forest, not once did I ever pick up her scent. Tate and I weren’t expecting to find anything, we haven’t in months, she was good at evading me, yet I always felt this strong urge to come back to this spot, like something was telling me she was close.

“We have been here so many times, maybe they have moved on” Tate says as we walk through the dense forest. “Last place then we will head home” I tell him and he sighs. We stop at the river looking up and down stream, nothing. Always fucking nothing.

“Come let’s head back” Tate says, turning around to head the way we came.

“You go back, I will keep searching a little longer” I tell him and he nods before shifting and heading home to his mates. Deciding to go check out the caves I walk through the water coming out across the other side of the river. The only sounds that could be heard were owls high up in the trees and the crunch of rocks and twigs under my boots.

Some urge forced me in this direction, I decided to follow it for once, nothing much was out here besides caves. Moving through the dense forest I stop at the caves listening for any sounds when I hear the soft murmurs of voices in the distance. Barely audible, they sounded like they were on the other side of the mountain only just able to pick up the noise as it was carried to me through the draft of the cave in front of me.

Stepping inside the cave, I could smell bat shit, and stangment water. My eyes adjust to the darkness as my vision changes adapting to it. I followed the tunnels of the cave when it suddenly ended. The voices were a lot louder, I could almost hear what they were saying and I could smell the burning wood of a campfire. I look along the cave walls finding a gap between the rocks. Too narrow for me to fit through. Walking back the way I came I decided to go over the mountain racing over the rocky terrain effortlessly before jumping over the side to my feet to find another entrance. My heart skips a beat when I pick up the scent of rogues.

“She might be in there?” Brax my wolf says urging me to enter, pressing beneath my skin trying to force me forward. Though I couldn’t smell her scent, only the decaying scent of rogues and blood. I could tell one of them was injured.

Walking through the cave the voices and chatter suddenly stopped, they knew someone was in their hiding spot, my scent definitely would have wafted to them by now. I see the glow of a fire on the cave walls as I draw closer, smell the wood burning and the smell of burning flesh like they were cooking something. Turning a corner in the cave, I come across their campsite. I smile when I recognise the rogue sitting closest to me, frozen in place as he stared with his one eye wide.

“Well what do we have here?” I ask, stepping into the small space. I see a man and a woman in the forties in one corner huddled close, the man’s leg was bleeding and would explain the strong scent of blood. But that wasn’t all, I noticed it was the lingering scent of my mate, she had been gone for a while but I couldn’t be mistaken, would know her scent anywhere.

“You what’s your name?” I ask the rogue whose eye I removed.

“Tim” He stutters out and I step closer, loving the fear in his eyes so strong it fills the cave smothering the scent of the fire sitting in the middle.

“And who are you?” I ask the curly dark-haired woman hiding behind her wounded mate.

“Estella, this is my mate Josic” She whimpers, putting her head down. Good by the fear in them they know exactly who I am.

“Is this everyone in your camp” I ask knowing it wasn’t. The woman nods and I growl I hate fucking liars. The man watching me, his eyes not leaving me as I approach him. I see the star picket in his leg.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

“How did you get this?” I ask, tapping the steel going through his thigh. He hisses in pain as I tap it, a smile spreading across my face.

“Please we mean no harm we are just camping here” She begs her hands trembling on the man’s shoulders.

“I asked you a question and you lied, I don’t like liars” I tell her.

“Who else is with you” I ask and they both shake their heads. I hear movement behind me and I turn facing Tim.

“Sit down or I will make sure you never walk again” I tell him and he drops on the ground as he shakes in fear. Looking back at the man and woman, I reach past him grabbing her by the hair and jerking her to me. She screams trying to free my grip on her hair.

“Now this is the last time I will ask nicely, who else lives here?” I ask the man, his brown eyes on his mate as she sobs clutching at my hand trying to get me to let go.

“You will never have her” The man spits at my feet.

“You do know who I am looking for then?” He smiles and I tug on his mates hair again and she lets out a cry, his eyes darting to her.

“Where is she?” I ask him.

“Screw you” He says, glaring at me. I would have commanded them to tell me but I was enjoying playing with them, nothing better than watching the fear in another’s eyes, before watching the light leave them completely I had no intentions of letting them live they helped hunt my family and they would pay for that mistake, and this would ensure Tim comes running when he hears anything.

Standing up, I drag the woman with me, Josic trying to stand but his injured leg preventing him as he falls back on the cave floor, his blood pooling onto the floor more from the movement. I force her on her knees, in front of her mate, clamping my hands on the side of her head before giving a sharp twist, her neck snapping as I turn her head so it now faces me and I relish the sound of her neck breaking. Josic’s eyes turn glassy, the agonised scream of her mate as he watches her fall limply at my feet make goosebumps raise on my skin delightfully. I kick her to the side before kneeling in front of the man.

His sobbing makes my heart swell with happiness, my wolf pressing beneath my skin wanting to unleash on the man that has been helping our mate hide from us. Grabbing the star picket I twist it, his blood curdling scream bouncing off the cave walls and I hear Tim whimper behind me.

I jerk him to his feet, grabbing him by the back of the neck. I hold his face over the flames of the fire, the smell of his burning flesh and hair leaving a foul taste in the back of my mouth.

“Where is my mate” I ask him, his screams telling me he was incapable of answering, he thrashes in my grip and I force him closer to the flames, pressing his face and against the glowing embers of wood, his screams getting louder and I could feel the flames licking at my arm holding him in place. The man’s screams die out completely when a new sound echoes throughout the cave. The menacing growl of a wolf.

Letting the man go he falls onto the fire, the wolf stepping closer, her scent filling my nose as I look at her beautiful white wolf. Her eyes darting to the dead woman behind me and she whimpers rushing toward her, nudging her with her nose. An agonised howl leaving her making me wonder who the woman is to her. She didn’t seem that fussed by the man’s death.

She continues nudging the woman’s face. I growl annoyed that she hasn’t even acknowledged my presence. Does she not know I am her mate, not know who I am?. She pivots remembering I am here before baring her teeth and growling at me, she lowers her head stalking toward me. And I find it amusing how angry she is over some bitch of a rogue.

What I wasn’t expecting was her to attack me, her canines tearing into my leg as she rips a chunk of flesh off. I shove her away a little too hard as she goes flying into the cave wall. She bounces onto her feet, and I lunge at her trying to grab her. Her teeth slicing through my arm before she shakes her head viciously. I groan at the pain searing through my arm.

“Fucking let me Shift Brax” I scream at him. He doesn’t refusing to hurt her but she was fucking tearing shreds off me. I manage to grab the fur on the back of her neck ripping her head away, her teeth pulling away from my arm painfully.

“Enough!” I scream at her forcing my Alpha aura over her to make her submit. She whimpers going limp. My blood stains the cave floor as it runs down my arm.

I let her go and she drops her head in her paws whimpering. Standing up, I reach down to grab her and force her to shift when she turns on me, her teeth snapping at my hand before she takes off running from the cave.

I growl annoyed at this game of cat and mouse, she won’t be escaping me this time. Turning around I find Tim still frozen on the ground having not moved an inch. “Help me catch her and I will set you free of me” I tell him and he nods getting up.

“She likes hiding in the caves” he says and I nod walking out.

“The others, who are they to her?” I ask him. He looks behind us as we walk from the cave.

“Her parents” He says softly. Fuck!