Elisabeth/Eir's POV
I didn't know how to feel. Angry, disappointed, or just deflated. This is not what I planned or what I wanted. And the Alpha dud added another day? Can he really do that? That's so unfair. However, that means I still got time. This isn't over, and I haven't lost yet! I will use this time to charge up because this meat is fantastic, and I'm so hungry I felt dizzy earlier. I can still get out of this. I'll play his game for a little while. I can be that sweet, naive damsel in distress! If you haven't noticed, I already captured you. I mocked his voice in my head and rolled my eyes. Yeah, you wish.
"Where is my knife?"
"Somewhere safe.."
"The safest place is in my hand."
He laughed, and for some reason, my heart skipped a little beat, and I did my best to ignore it and focus on my food. I've always been weak for good-looking bad boys, I know. But goddamned, get a grip!
"It's mine."
"Actually, it's my mom's. And I prefer to have it safe here instead of launched into my shoulder."
Well, at least I didn't miss. I looked him over; he didn't have a single wound on him. No bruises and no scrapes. I looked down at myself. My knees were scraped, I had dried blood on my legs and arms, and my head was pounding and sore. I tried to jerk my foot back as his hand gripped my ankle.
"Hei! What are you doing? Let go!"
"Calm, your knickers, would you! I'm checking your wounds!"
He smeared some sticky stuff on the deep wounds and those that had to bleed the most. Without looking at me,
"The stem from the red flowers you used, you can use it against infections. But I guess that was new to you since you threw them away."
I watched him as he worked, how focused he was studying my leg. I wanted to hate him, hate what he represented, and I should have been scared to death. He is a werewolf, for crying out loud, but here he is. Tending to my wounds and feeding me, to be fair, that's more than even my mother did.
"Why?"
He cocked his brow, and his eyes met mine. My heart swelled, and I swallowed hard a couple of times. It was like he saw right through me, terrifying and so fucking hot. I blinked hard and stared at him. Crossed my arms over my chest and arched a brow back.
"Why?!"
"Why what? "
"Why, do you all this? Why? "
He sighed and looked back at my leg as he continued speaking,
"What else could we do? There are about 1-4 new girls born every second year here. Not in our pack, but in the whole world! Usually, they are usually born fay. It's been over 20 years since a girl was born here. The fay builds walls around their girls, protect them with their lives, and the rule is for them to have a minimum of 5 mates. Wolf, shifters, we need our mates. Not only for our species to survive but to keep our beasts from going feral. It may seem wrong to you, but all the girls are taken good care of here. The mate bond helps them connect to their man, and it makes it easier to adjust."
Okay, I could understand that. But it didn't make it right. They kidnapped girls and forced them to run for their lives and then to be with their capturer. What if our government found out about this? About this world? His jaws were clenched, and I had a feeling he was lying. Or at least hiding something.
"It's sick either way. You kidnap them! Force them to stay! Take them away from their lives, family, and friends and ruin all their future plans and dreams! You may take care of them, but I didn't see a single woman smile there!"
"None of the girls are picked randomly. But yes, I know. But this is the way it has been done for centuries. There is no other way!"
"How do you pick them then? Why me? "
"I can't answer that."
"But."
He interrupted me as he sat up straight, and our eyes locked again. I could disappear into those blue and intense eyes. I would let him devour me if he wa.. nope! Stop! I shook my head and looked away to try to hide the warmth in my cheeks.
"I can't, and I won't, so drop it. But, we can make a deal."
I didn't answer, looked at the rest of my meat, and plucked at it while I waited for him to continue. Two more days, I had two more days. This wasn't over, and to my surprise, he didn't seem that bad. At least he seemed a little smarter than an animal so far. He sat by my feet but turned towards me, and as he began to speak, I got very aware of his hand that still rested on my leg. His warm skin against my cold, sore skin. How incredibly warm he was by the touch, how it traveled up my leg and between my feet. I cleared my throat, casually moving my keg away.
"Fine, this is the thing. I'm the new Alpha of this pack. I was born and raised to be. My beast is born to it. Because of you, the rules changed. The one that catches you and brings you back will get that title. I didn't even want to attend this year!"
"What is Alpha?"
"Ehm, well, it's our highest leader. The one leading our pack, in your world, he would be some kind of spiritual king, I think."
I frowned, spiritual king. They seem more and more like a cult. Kidnapping girls to breed and spiritual king, or Alpha.
"Then why not just leave? "
"I can't. Without my pack, I would become rouge. That would not be a good thing if you were wondering. That's not important right now. The thing is, I need to take you back. But I don't want a human rabbit as my mate. Skittish weak creatures. You can't just go around here alone. You can't get home, and the portal won't open before the 5-year period is over. Believe it or not, we wolves are nice shifters compared to the bears, serpents, and cat shifters. If you fall into the claw of the wrong cat clan, you will be locked in a cell below ground and used purely for breeding purposes. And I guess that's not on your dreams for the future list. I suggest we spend the last few days here. I'll tell you what you want to know and need to know. Then I take you back as mine."
"Hah!"
I snorted out laughing,
"Bring me back as yours? No thanks, do I look like property to you? And what in this deal would at all serve me any good? That deal only makes your life better!"
"Help me secure my position, and I'll get you home when the portal opens again."