27. Beast

Marley tailed behind Tristan with careful steps, trying not to trip on uneven surface of the forest in the dark of night. Her mind still failed to soak in the sudden danger that befell on their pack. This night was supposed to be special, an occasion to celebrate her finally becoming the part of Eden's pack.

*How it all turned into this...mayhem?*

The only thing she wished right now was for her mate and pack's safety and their unharmed return. However, the ear-numbing howls and shrieks from the other part of woods told her different story. Her face was smudged and wet with tears. She really didn't want to cry but it was just too much to handle.

"Tristan," She called out between her sobs. "What about Sanjay? Where is he? We should go get him." Now that her mind had slowly started returning to its normal state, she thought about her friend. She felt guilty to be too preoccupied in her shock and forgetting to bring Sanjay along. However, she was ready to turn back and get him, at least she could be somewhat useful.

"Do you think Beta will leave him unprotected?" Tristan replied in his gruff voice. "Another guard Zach is with him. You don't have to worry."

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" Marley just couldn't help herself from asking.

"Yes!" Tristan snapped and Marley flinched at his harsh tone. He sighed to calm himself and this time spoke in a lower tone but the firmness was still there. "Don't worry about him Marley. For now, just focus on yourself."

She nodded, letting herself to not get offended by his temper. She understood the pressure that Tristan was in. Her mind too was in haywire.

As they walked deeper into the forest, the sound of the howling wolves and whimpering cries faded. This part of the woods felt very strange and she didn't like that strange.

"Where are we going?" She asked gingerly, looking at the unfamiliar surrounding.

"Somewhere safe." That's all Tristan replied in his sober tone.

Marley wanted to ask more but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to irritate her protector. A voice of fear was nagging inside her head to turn around and run away, but she chose to ignore it and let Tristan guide her. After all, it was Eden who chose the guy himself. If her mate trusted him, she did too.

After about thirty minutes of walk through the dense forest, they finally stopped. Marley's eyes scanned the area and it looked far from safe. Anyone could attack them from any direction. The tall, lush trees and dark night provided a perfect spot for any being to hide within the vicinity.

*What are they doing here?!*

"Tristan, are you sure this is where we should be?" She spoke again, cutting the awkward silence between them.

"Yes, this is exactly where we should be." He turned around. "Where you should be."

Marley saw something dark in his face. He looked a lot different from the man she saw in the pack house. His eyes now gleamed with something sinistrous.

*No, he's supposed to protect her.* She thought.

But her instincts screamed at her to get away from this man. This time she didn't ignore the voice and with little steps, she started backing away.

"One more step and I will not hesitate to use my hands on you," Tristan said menacingly, with a villainous smile.

What was happening?!

Marley stopped, knowing fully she cannot outrun the supernatural being. "What do you want Tristan?" She hid the fear which was bubbling inside her. His betrayal felt like a big kick on her gut. She was at loss; *what to do? Where to run? Where to hide?*

"Don't worry Alpha's mate I don't want anything from you?" He sneered. "He does."

At the exact moment another figure came out of the dense darkness. The man was muscular and taller than anyone Marley had ever seen. His dark skin glimmered under the faint moonlight. His stature and deadly sober face were enough for her to know he wasn't a human.

He was far from a normal human.

She looked at Tristan again, whose wicked smile made her tremble in fear. Suddenly, she felt cold and numb.

"You didn't tell me your Alpha's mate is human," the large man said in his grave tone.

"I didn't think it was important. All you said was you wanted her," Tristan replied. "I did my part of the deal. Odis, Now it's your turn. Change me."

"I think I should," Odis said and walked up to Tristan with large steps. "You did good."

Tristan smiled proudly, like a kid who just had been patted at his back by his parents.

"You betrayed your pack, your Alpha."

The smile on Tristan's face faltered.

In one swift movement Odis had his fingers wrapped around Tristan's neck. The smug look was wiped off from Tristan's face and now he was gasping for air, limping under his captor's hold. "You did too good but not for yourself." The man's hold tightened and his victim's face turned red, then blue. Odis's fingers didn't leave Tristan's neck until a loud snap was heard and the werewolf stopped struggling.

"Unfortunately, we don't take in traitors." Odis threw him away as if he was a trash which he couldn't wait to get rid of.

Marley just stood there, frozen at the spot. She had just seen a man die right before her eyes.

*Tristan's dead!* It was all that echoed inside her head.

Could this night get anymore traumatizing?

Odis turned to Marley, his eyes taking her all in with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. "Now you girl have two choices: either come with me willingly or I'll make you." He threatened.

She eyed the man warily and responded with nothing. She could definitely not outrun him. He just killed a freaking werewolf, maybe he was one too. But...

Odis took her silence as a sign of compliance and started taking cautious steps toward her; she looked so fragile. He felt relieved to not to put up with petty resistances of a feeble human girl.

As Odis reached within the hand's distance from her, Marley ducked and threw a fistful of wet soil right into his face. The man stumbled back, rubbing his eyes and Marley found the perfect opportunity to get away from him. She turned around and ran back, tracing the tracks where Tristan and she came from.

She had to get back to her pack.

There was no way she was going to be an easy prey. However, she knew that Odis would be on her heels in no time. The best chance she got was either to get to the pack house or hide somewhere. With her normal human speed, she knew the first plan wouldn't be working. All she could do was hide but if Odis was a wolf too, he could sniff her out in seconds.

She was dead either way.

She desperately rummaged inside her brain for any idea to get her away from the man.

Her breath grew ragged with each step. Her body was exhausted and so was her mind, trying to come up with any plan for survival.

A loud growl came from behind and the faded adrenaline again pumped into Marley, quickening her steps. She was very much aware of the loud thumps that followed behind her.

In the midst of her panting, Marley spotted a large bush. It was covered with jasmines. *Finally a glimmer of hope*.

She didn't waste a second and quickly hid behind the bushes. She had learned somewhere that jasmines emitted the strongest scent and decided to put that theory to test. She could only pray that their scent was strong enough to hide hers. Her hand immediately found her mouth to muffle her rapid breathing. And She waited.

Few seconds later, she heard heavy steps and the similar deadly growl. The anticipation of what was going to happen next was eating her from the inside.

However soon the sound of footsteps faded and she breathed a sigh of relief.

What happened next was too quick for Marley's mind to register. One minute she was hiding and the next moment she was thrown out of the bushes, making her land on a hard stony ground. Her head hit a large rock.

Her blurry vision allowed her to see the bright glowing red orbs, implanted on a demonic face. Its bulging body was covered with bluish-black hair.

*The kid wasn't making anything up, Eden*.

The beast that stood in front of her stared right back at her, challenging her to make another move. When she didn't, he changed back into a man, into Odis. His eyes still shone red.

"That was quite a trick that you pulled. Good to know that you're not stupid, girl." He smirked staring down at her limp figure.

Marley was too drained of energy to get away. Hell, she knew she wasn't going to succeed anyway.

Her hazy vision started turning black. The last thing she saw was bright red eyes before losing herself into darkness.

******