Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 12

If only I could manipulate air the way grandma could, she was a mystic when it came to elements,almost as if they spoke to her; she could manipulate them all to do her bidding. I tried to master theelements but was never as good at it as she, plants I can to some extent, even water, but air is notan element I ever picked up in her teachings, same as fire. The most I could do with fire was make acandle go out or make the fire pit blaze, but controlling it was never my thing; I had caught far toomany things on fire, and burned way too many rugs before granny all but gave up teaching me thatone, plants though, she insisted on mainly because I kept killing her herbs, so I know secretly it wasto prevent plant deaths. My hands brush the hedge, searching for its source of energy.

I can't part it, but maybe I could get it to accept me within it, absorb me into it. I press back furtheras the wolf eagerly sniffs the air, his fur caked in blood, his ears prick listening intently and I know Ionly have seconds before it turns its attention to me. Sucking in a breath, I grip the branches, thornsdigging into my hands and slicing them to pieces.

Shutting my eyes, I envision the hedge absorbing me, forcing my own aura and frequency out,asking it to accept me. The branches rustle slightly, and my eyes open. When I do, I see the wolfsniff the ground, turning slowly to look for my scent, which I know must be emitting fear as I try tofocus on the hedge and its energy.

At the last second, and just before the huge beast turns, the hedge swallows me whole. Thebranches and thorns scrape my skin and cut me to pieces while I hold my breath through the painas the branches close around me, covering me from view completely and hiding me from thesavage beast. The branches and leaves that encase me rustle as the vines twist around my body in astranglehold; the plants does not like me within its confines at all, it wants me out but feel myenergy and decides it can tolerate me for how long I do not know as its vines snake around mybody like a serpent, warning me not to hurt it or it will strangle me. Just as the hedge stops testingme, the wolf pivots and faces my direction, eyes scanning for the intruder before it looks at thehedge.

The huge beast sniffs the air, stepping closer and searching for me; it growls, knowing something iswatching it yet unable to see me within the branches and thick leaves. I just have to hope the rosesperfume covers me enough because right now, I am a sitting duck, and if it attacks the hedge, Ihave no doubt the hedge will spit me out to become dog food.

It sniffs the hedge, huffing breaths and grunting as it searches frantically. Seconds before burying itsnose in the thorny hedges, a howl rings out, and the wolf lifts its head in its direction. Its tonguehangs out the side, and its tail wags in the air excitedly before it takes off in the direction of thesound.

“Thank you,” I whisper to the hedge, knowing it wants me out of its confines. The hedge forces meout, practically tossing me out onto the thick grass. I muffle my gasp at the stinging of my skin. Myarms, face, and legs are cut to pieces, but not as bad as the dress that is now barely clinging to myframe in tatters. The skirt, or what's left of it, is sitting high on my thighs; the long sleeves of thedress are the only thing holding it to me and barely covering me.

Walking over to the wolf's newest victim, I see it is one of the older women. Her throat had beenripped out; her satin blue dress is covered in blood. Her vacant Jade green eyes were wide withshock, and she lay drenched in a pool of her own blood.

Shaking my head, I continue into the maze when I hear the woman's shrill screams, making me stoponly to hear the savage sounds of flesh being torn to pieces, her torturous screams. I cover my earsagainst the noise, the scent of her blood thick in the air, when eventually, the screaming stops andthe maze turns deadly silent.

And then there is one.

Looking up at the moon, it almost seems taunting as it peers back at me. The stars littering the skyfilled with constellations, Granny used to tell me you could read the past, present, and future withthe stars, you just needed to know what to look for. To me, they were just balls of gas floating in thevast space. I never understood her obsession with them but would always listen to her speak andenjoyed watching the moon cross over the sky at night when we would sometimes watch the moonfor her rituals.

No matter how much I didn't understand her musings sometimes, I have always been drawn to thenight, to the moon. Like some part of it was calling to me on a deeper level, one I could neverunderstand. Or maybe it was because it was a full moon when I received my runes

Yet peering up at the midnight sky now, I wonder what my future would say if it were rewritten inthe stars as granny claimed. If only she saw her death, maybe then we would have escaped theirclutches. In a way, she did, a way I was now envious of.

My runes tingle on my arms, drawing my attention away to see them glow beneath the thin,tattered fabric. “Why must you taunt me so?” I whisper to the moon.

Shaking my head, I continue walking, although I am beginning to think there is no end to this mazeand that the only way out is the way we came in. Yet replaceing my way back almost seems impossiblenow when I step into what must be the center of it; this space was the biggest I've come across sofar in the maze; it is an odd octagon shape. Different branches of the maze split off in all directionslike some intricate root system.

Was it too much for them to put some signs saying the direction from this point to the exit, someclue, each narrow corridor branching of this part looks the same as the others, each looking eerieand doomed. Sighing, I move to the center, trying to pick one, maybe do Eeny, meeny, miny, moeto decide which path to take.

Glancing around, I try to decide which direction to take when I hear a savage growl behind me,making me spin to face it.