Chapter 16 – Broken
CRACK! I let out a scream and tried to shield myself from the whip. I was panting hard and looked around for Ranger, but all I could see was darkness. There was nothing. No Ranger. No whip.
I heard the sound of the CRACK again and realized it was only thunder. I was still in the hole. The earth around me was cold and moist from the heavy rains. I was beyond hunger pains and dehydration. I had lost a lot of blood and felt so weak.
"Please Moon Goddess, bring me home." I prayed as I shivered from the cold. "End my suffering." Everyone I loved was gone, I had nothing, and I didn't belong here.
"I'm here Lucy." I heard Lia's broken voice.
"Lia? Where have you been? I thought you left me?" I cried, relieved I wasn't alone.
"I sent all my energy to our pup, trying to protect it. I'm sorry Lucy, I let you down." She whimpered with grief.
"Lia, it's not your fault. It's his. He never deserved us or the pup."
"I'm too weak to heal you, I think we're dying." Her voice was labored, and she was struggling.
"I feel it too. I love you Lia. You're the best wolf I could have ever had. I'm sorry I wasn't stronger for you." I told her as I felt her fading.
I was ready, I wanted this to be over. I wanted to be with my parents. To leave this cruel world where no one loved me, and no one wanted me. Shivering, I thought about everything Ranger put me through, the abuse, neglect and punishments. He broke me because he wanted more power. He was too blind to see; the Moon Goddess had paired him with the strongest wolf known to our kind.
There was just one last thing I knew I needed to do. I needed to accept the rejection to set Rex free. It will weaken Ranger, but if Rex was still bound to us, our death would be much harder on him. I took a few more breaths to gather all of my strength.
"I, Lucy Michaels, accept the rejection of Ranger LaRue, Alpha of Dark Moon Pack, as his mate and Luna, I sever all connections through the mate bond."
My head fell back, and I heard the thunder roll again. In the distance an Alpha howled in pain and I knew Ranger felt the mate bond completely break. My eyes closed and I felt a gentle peace wash over me.
I saw a bright light shining through my eyelids and felt droplets of water on my skin. Someone was shaking me. "Lucy, Lucy, take it back Lucy. Wake up! You have to take it back! LUCY!" Ranger was frantic. He can't even let me die in peace I thought slipping unconscious again.
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
I heard a beeping noise and my eyes fluttered open. I looked at the ceiling and white walls and recognized the pack clinic. There was a familiar scent in my room that was fading. The scent belonged to Ranger and it didn't have the same effect on me like it used to. I heard a voice outside my room door that I never wanted to hear again.
"How much longer until she wakes up?" Ranger asked.
"Her healing is very slow Alpha; she lost a lot of blood when she lost her pup. It could be a few more days." Dr. Baker was telling him.
"Is there any way to speed up her healing?"
"Unfortunately, not. We don't know the state of her wolf. She may have lost her wolf entirely, it's hard to tell. She's also been malnourished for so long; it could be attributing to her slow recovery."
"I want to know the moment she wakes up. The guards will remain at the door, no one visits her, not even the Luna."
"Yes Alpha." Dr. Baker responded.
He had some nerve, acting like he cared all of the sudden. I wasn't ready to face him yet and still felt exhausted. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep. A few hours later, I felt a warm heated blanket being placed on top of me and opened my eyes to find Max hovering over me.
"Lucy!" He leaned down to gently hug me.
"Hey Max." I croaked.
"Lucy, I've been so worried. I can't believe he threw you in the hole. I'm so sorry, we should have gotten you out of here sooner."
"How long have I been here?" I looked at the tubes connected to me.
"Three days."
"How long was I in the hole?"
"Six days." He said with a sorrowful look on his face.
"I thought I was going to die there."
"You almost did. When he went in to get you, I lowered the ladder to lift you out. You were covered in dirt and blood. You looked lifeless and your pulse was faint. Another hour and you would have been with the Moon Goddess."
"Why didn't he just let me die?"
"He needs you for his wolf. Rex has been demanding his true mate. I was in town when he took you to the hole. Gamma Blake told me what happened. Everyone knows you're his true mate and some thought you looked pregnant. Lucy, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" He sounded hurt.
"I'm sorry Max." I fought back my tears, as guilt flooded me. "I was scared. I thought because the pup was technically the next Alpha of Dark Moon pack, it might change things or compel you as the Beta, to tell him." I sheepishly admitted.
Max looked pensive and then he exhaled. "I understand. I'm just sorry I didn't get you out of here sooner. Now Ranger isn't going to let you out of his sight."
"Why not? He has his Luna and mate now, I felt it when he marked her" I said. "I've accepted the rejection and broke the bond completely."
"Lucy when you broke the bond, Ranger's wolf Rex, went crazy. When he pulled you out of the hole, he realized you were pregnant and that the pup had not survived. He completely lost it and Rex has shut him out. Ranger can't even shift."
"He deserves to lose his wolf." Lia said to me.
"Lia! You're okay. I thought I had lost you." I was so relieved tears rolled down my face.
"Lucy? Did I say something wrong?" Max asked.
"No, I'm sorry, Lia just spoke to me. I thought I had lost her."
"I'm glad Lia is okay." He smiled.
"I always did like Max." Lia said.
"Don't let anyone know that Lia is back yet, not even Dr. Baker, she might tell Ranger." Max said with a serious tone. "You need to heal and get your strength back, but you also need to drag it out. Pretend to still be weak, so we can work on the escape."
"What's going on?"
"Ranger is going to try and force you to take back your rejection because Rex needs you. He's weak and it makes the pack vulnerable. He might get desperate and try to forcefully mate with you."
"But he went through with the mating ceremony. The bond is completely broken, I don't think you can undo that."
"He's certainly going to try. He needs his wolf."
"I'm sorry Max. You're second in command of the pack and now there's going to be added stress to the pack because the Alpha can't shift. Hopefully Rex won't be upset too long and return to Ranger. I will not take back the rejection. I would rather die. I know it makes the pack more vulnerable, I'm sorry, but I can't. What he did, was unforgivable." I lowered my head.
"I understand. You don't need to apologize to me Lucy. The way you have been treated over the years, the abuse and neglect. It's unacceptable. This is going to be a hard, but necessary, lesson for Ranger to learn."
"Does Miranda know?"
"She's trying to figure out how to kill you. Half the pack and the elders are insisting on the true Luna."
"But, why would the elders care about a lowly slave?" I asked.
"They understand the significance of a gift from the Moon Goddess. They also understand consequences of disrespecting the Goddess, so the elders are worried. Lucy, the Moon Goddess chose you as the Luna and they have all turned a blind eye while you have been abused all these years." He replied.
"I have to get out of here!"
"Take it easy Lucy, you're safe here for now. There's a guard outside your door around the clock to make sure nothing happens to you and so you don't escape."
"Who's guarding the door now?"
He smiled. "You're looking at him."
"So, we secretly build my strength up, tell no one about Lia and I make a run for it before Ranger can torture me again." I recapped.
"Pretty much. Except there's also one more little detail." Max grinned at me and handed me a zippo lighter.
"What's this for?" I looked down at the zippo.
"Now you're armed! Anyone tries to hurt you again and you burn their ass!"