Chapter 111 - SAVED

Jeremy's POV:

I became frantic, watching Olivera heave in and out, slowly but loudly, shaking violently as she held my arms for support.

"Where are your drugs?" I asked, tapping her pockets frenziedly.

But she couldn't say anything, she was slipping into an unconscious state, and it was driving me crazy. This wasn't good at all for our stay here.

I looked up ahead, the man was still walking, not aware that the people he was leading to God-knows-where weren't behind him.

"Vera, do you want me dead?" I asked, trying to implore a tactic which had just popped up in my head. It might be seen as emotional blackmail; but I didn't care at this point. I just wanted her back to her normal self.

But it didn't work. She was still shaking.

"Hey!"

I heard the man call, and soughed. We were really in trouble. I thought, holding her tightly while slipping slowly to the floor; expecting and ready for the worse.

"What's going on? What's wrong with her?" He asked, as he drew closer  to us, staring at the shaking Olivera with skeptical eyes.

"She experiences seizures sometimes. And I can't find her drugs." I replied, hoping that he wouldn't be as vile and wicked as the man from last night, who had beat me up mercilessly for something I knew nothing of.

He had also touched Olivera. I was sure of it. She just didn't want to tell me. But I would get the truth, soon. She had to get up from this first.

"Drugs? Is she human?" The man questioned, bewildered totally by my statement.

"Not really. She is wolfless." I muttered, knowing he would still hear me.

"Wolfless? And still has seizures? Very unfortunate." He muttered, staring at Vera pitifully, whose shaking has decreased a little.

And I couldn't agree less. I didn't understand why she could be befallen with two no-good dates. The moon goddess knows better, or so they say. Since my parents died strangely, I've been aloof on the whole moon goddess stuff.

Not seeing my mate yet, wasn't aiding the issue either. But at least, I had Olivera. And I wish there was a way to stop her seizures completely. 

She had told me at my first sight of it, that she had been experiencing it since she turned ten, for no reasons. Her parents did all they could to treat it, but to no avail. And then at 18, it was discovered that she was wolfless.

I knew her parents, although they still cared for her a bit, still see her as a burden or a mistake, even though she came first, before her younger sister, Lisa.

"What were you guys doing then, on our grounds?" The man asked, interrupting my thoughts, peering at me, like he could see through my entire being.

"We were trying to escape. Our pack was being attacked. We didn't know we were on your grounds. We were just  running." I replied.

"What's the name of your pack?" He asked, and I became mute.

We were actually rogues, us and some fifty others. We had escaped from my uncle's pack because of his wicked reign. We had run into some area in the forest, settling there, trying to figure our next move. We had agreed to move into the city, to live among the humans, before we were attacked by our previous pack.

I'm sure of it now, since the man who's leading us to somewhere, seems sincerely intrigued and suprised by our story.

"You're a rogue?" He asked, thinning his eyes in scrutiny.

"Yeah, we left our pack." I answered, casting a furtive glance at Olivera. Her seizures were stopping now. I was grateful for that, but we still needed the drugs.

"Which pack?" He asked.

"Red Moon Pack." I stated, staring at him, and sighing when I sensed that he knew the pack I was talking about.

"I see." He muttered, and I knew he did see.

I don't think there was a pack that hadn't heard of my previous pack. Our Alpha's wickedness went far and wide.

"I can't promise a better stay here still." He added, before turning to walk off; causing my fears to resurface.

What did he mean by his statement?

" Wait!" I called, still sprawled on the floor with Vera's weight totally on me. She would be waking anytime soon, from now. So I needed to get the answer to this question, in her absence. I didn't want a repeat of her seizures again, if the answer turned out to be correlative.

"Yes." He replied, turning back to face me.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"Your pack.. what's the name?" I asked, praying that it would turn out to be some pack I've heard nothing of. It would be better than being in the Dark shadows Pack.

"I think you know already." The man replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't." I stated monotonely, keeping a bland face so that he couldn't read off my facial expression.

"The Dark Shadows Pack." He replied, turning away. "When your friend gets up, follow the narrow straight path till you get to an open field. You would see me and the others when you arrive." He added, before walking off.

"Did I hear that right?"

I heard Olivera mutter fearfully, and soughed. She had been awake for a while.

"Olivera.." I called, in a placating tone, not wanting to set her off again. We had to get going. Although the strange man had been kind enough to let us stay back for a while, I wouldn't want to prey on that. Who knows what might happen then?

"We are going to die." She muttered, as she scratched an itchy spot on her jet black hair which laid on my lap.

"No, we are not." I said, in a fake brave tone. I was scared myself. I've heard stories about the pack and its ruthless Alpha; more ruthless than my uncle. And I know she had heard them too; the reason why her seizures had started. But I have to be brave for the both of us.

"We have to be going." I added, looking ahead at the narrow path, wondering how long we had to walk on it before getting to the field.

"Yeah, I heard." She replied, raising her head up from my lap.

"Okay." I said, before standing up from the grassy ground. 

Stretching out my right hand toward her, I beckoned on her with my eyes, to place her hand in mine, so that I could help her up; and  she dutifully complied.

"Do you think we will live past a week?" She asked, as we trudged down the path.

"Yes, we will." I answered, not even for a second, believing my own words.

Author's POV:

The sun was totally out in its full capacity, shining like it was warring against the city and its inhabitants when Olivera and her best friend, Jeremy, walked tiredly into an open field filled with a large amount of bricks and sand, and of course, labourers.

"I'm thirsty." Olivera muttered, wiping off bead of sweats from her forehead. She could also feel a pool of sweat at her armpit and chest region. She needed water, to drink and to swim. She needed to cool off.

"We will find water soon, perhaps from the man." Jeremy replied, swallowing his spittle to quench a growing thirst. He hadn't even be sure of his words. He just wanted to make her hopeful. A hopeless Olivera was not needed now.

"Okay. What are they doing?" She asked, referring to the labourers working their strength out in the field.

"Seems they are building something." Jeremy noted, citing the throng of labourers working effectively, mixing sands, breaking bricks; though some sighs of fatigue could be seen on their faces. He could also tell that they were prisoners, this was part of their punishment; working endlessly for the Alpha till he releases them, if he ever would.

And for this, he was scared; but he didn't let this known to Olivera yet. Her last seizure attack had been too nerve wracking for him.

"Wickedness.." He muttered, as he saw the silver bracelet on each of the labourers' arm.

"Did you say something?" He heard Olivera ask, and shook his head negatively.

"No, I didn't say anything. It must be the wind." He replied, looking ahead,into the field; fearing for their lives. The silver bracelet was to weaken and cripple the strength of werewolves. In larger amounts, it could kill them off. He doubted it would have any effect on Olivera though. But then, He wasn't seeing any female yet. Were there no female prisoners? or were they given some other work. He thought, hoping for the latter. He didn't think, he could bare to see Vera doing this strenuous work. She wouldn't last three days.

"Yeah, it must be." Olivera said, noting the far away look on her best friend's face.

"Penny for your thoughts.."She asked with a smile.

"Nah,it's nothing." Jeremy mentioned, putting up a faux smile, which of course Olivera noticed.

"At least we are together." She said finally, locking their hands together, already putting up herself ready for whatever the Alpha of the pack would throw to them.

She had of course heard stories of the ruthless Alpha of the Dark Shadows Pack.

His name rang far and wide the whole continent in werewolf regions. It was rumoured that he had affliation with notable humans, that is, president and governors, and that kind of calibre. He was known for his all round fighting and business skills, and then his ruthlessness; she had heard one time that he had wiped off an entire village of humans because their king had disrespected him. And how could she forget? His love and disrespect for women. He treated them like trash, but of course they don't care. 

She had heard tales of his pride and riches. He was handsome too. She had heard. Girls falling over him, daily. Girls of different calibre and realms.

She couldn't wait to have glimpse of him. To see whether the stories about his beauty and build were true. Perhaps he might even notice her. She thought, now in the fantasy realm. Perhaps he might like her.

"What!" She suddenly shrieked as she snapped herself out of it, smacking her forehead, totally forgetting that she was still with Jeremy.

"Olivera, what is that?" Jeremy asked, his face clothed with sheer worry and concern.

"Nothing. Just some useless thought trying to have its way in my head." She said, with a shrug.

And Jeremy laughed.

"You were fantasizing again?" He queried, finding it funny but okay, that her mind could conjure up fantasies in this perilous time.

"No, I wasn't." She lied vehemently, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, yes. You were. Tell me about it." He said, actually curious to hear; curious to hear anything that would take his mind off an impending doom.

"I said it's nothing." Olivera whined, trying but failing to hide the blush which painted her cheeks red.

And Jeremy noticed. He always did.

"What the hell were you thinking that got your cheeks red as tomatoes? He asked, laughing out loud. 

"I told you nothing." Olivera stubbornly said, secretly happy that Jeremy could laugh.

She was totally aware of their bad situation, even though her best friend had been trying to reduce the effect for her. She also knew that the labourers working in the field were all prisoners.

"You finally made it."

A voice said, cutting into their thoughts.

It was the man that had led them out of their cell. When had he come here? She thought. She never noticed.

"Yes." She heard Jeremy say, and sighed. This was it. Their enlistment into slavery.

"Good. So..."

The man was saying, before motioning Jeremy with his eyes, that he didn't know his name.

"Jeremy." Jeremy answered. "My name is Jeremy."

The man just nodded, before casting a glance at the girl whom he thought was unfortunate enough to be here, apart from her frail nature. 

"My name is Olivera." She muttered.

"Okay then. Jeremy..you see those people out in the field. You will join them to work daily. If you behave well, I won't have to make you wear the silver bracelet." He said, staring at Jeremy.

"I will behave well." Jeremy replied, his lips quaking at the thought of doing this hard labor, everyday of his life.

"Off you go then." The man said, eyeing the interlocked hands of the duo in front of him.

Their hesistation to part ways, almost brought a smile to his face. It reminded him of someone, somewhere, in a better place.

"Are you mates?" He asked, looking at them unassumingly.

"Not really." Jeremy answered, unentangling his hand from Olivera's reluctant one.

"I would be going now." He said, actually referring to Olivera, and walked away towards the worksite.

" Can I go with him?" Olivera asked, while watching her best friend walk to the worksite.

But the man smiled.

"You can't work there. You won't last for long." He replied.

"I'm strong. I will last." She said, her eyes totally involved in the plead, her thirst totally forgotten.

" No, you won't. Don't worry. You will see him at the end of each day." The man said.

" Okay." Olivera muttered, even though she thought 'the end of the day' was too far.

"Follow me then.." The man said, before walking away, towards the other side of the field.