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Word Count: 1894

~Dawn

"You don't have to do this," I reason through his fingertips, my stomach turning at the feeling of the young male's lips against my neck.

He ignored me, his free hand roaming wildly across my body, which he had pinned against the wall. I'm done for. As he tightened the grip of his hand around my mouth, it dawned on me that there is no escape out of this. I am at his mercy, and that feeling may possibly be the worst I have ever felt.

That was until a hand came from the darkness behind him, and tapped his shoulder.

Already being on edge from what he was doing, the boy jumped away from me. I remained against the wall, wondering what was happening. Someone has saved me. Someone is wrestling him to the ground.

There was a single punch, and it was over.

Looking to my left, I contemplate slipping away undetected before my saviour could be another witness so Rylan's mate. However, I only could take a step before the mysterious figure stood, wiping his fist along his clothes. I can tell it is a male, with his broad shoulders and muscular arms. He covers himself in a dark trench coat, which is perfect for patrolling the night without being seen.

As he turns around, I realise instantly that he isn't from this Pack, which is a relief.

His features are dark, with ebony eyes and obsidian black hair. His facial features are sharp and refined, and I recognise him as someone from the Vengeance Pack.

The Purity Pack's worst nightmare.

The two Pack's have been at war for a long time, and it was only recently that everything between them mellowed out. Still, it is very rare to see a Vengeance Pack member in the Purity Pack, since they don't follow their religion. In fact, they ridicule it for the most part. We have that in common.

He grinned slightly, noticing the way I was inspecting his gloves. They are leather, still with a sheen of blood around them from where they struck the boy's nose.

"You're welcome."

For whatever reason, it made me a little mad that he had done it. As grateful as I am, he is staring directly at my bare chest that I'm covering with my arms. I came from the Desire Pack, so I know a douchebag when I see one.

"I'm Kace, by the way," he told me, holding his hand out. Noticing the blood, he quickly retracted it.

Maybe I should make a run for it. He may have saved my life, but who knows what he is going to do next. Being from a Pack almost everyone despises, I'm apprehensive to be around him for another second. By the looks of him though, he's probably fit. In my state, I would make it a few metres, and he would catch me again. It's best to figure out what he wants.

"Thanks," I say softly. "I think I'm going to go."

Clenching my teeth, I begin a slow walk toward the escape, trying to make it look as if I'm not running from him. He follows me briskly, and I fight the urge to cringe.

"Let me escort you back to your home," he offers delicately. This time, I do cringe.

"We would be caught by an Elite in a few moments," I remind him, thinking of the swarm of them that would be out there.

Kace grabs my arm, and I flinch. "Running from something."

When I looked at his eyes, I had a feeling he knew exactly who I am. How could he not? Rylan has been parading pictures around of me for people to find, which suggests there isn't a person in this Pack who doesn't know me at this point. So, with Kace's coy comment, I have a feeling he is about to drag me over to an Elite for a reward.

"Only males who think it's okay to take advantage of innocent females," I mutter, resuming my walking. I'm hoping Lucy doesn't come back soon, otherwise she is going to be caught up in this.

"Lucky I'm not like that then," Kace comments.

I roll my eyes. "You were trying to look at my chest a few seconds ago."

"Only admiring...Come on, it's cold out, and you need to get home. The Elite's and I...Well we are okay with each other," he tells me, which makes me stop. At this point, I don't care about a ripped shirt, even though I still am covering it with my arms. I'm curious about this Kace guy, and how he could possibly be 'okay' with the Elites.

Or even how I could use that to my advantage.

"Okay fine, I'll let you take me home," I say carefully. In actual fact, I'm letting him help me past the Elite's to somewhere I can find food.

He offers his trench coat and I gratefully take it, wrapping its warmth around my body. He wore a dark shirt underneath, which clung to his chest, I noticed, but refused to look at it for more than a few seconds. I have no intentions of giving the coat back either, if I am perfectly honest. He looks wealthy anyway, so I don't see his need for it.

Turns out, the Elite's don't even look twice at us when I'm beside Kace. I keep my hair under the collar, my head down so they wouldn't recognize me. When we first glided past, I thought Kace would thrust me at them to claim the reward, however, he surprised me by making no move to do so.

"So where do you live exactly?"

"This way," I murmur, pulling him down a small side road at the delicious scent of food. Right now, I can't concentrate on anything else. If I don't eat something in the next hour, I'm sure I will collapse and who knows what Kace would do then.

We pause outside a quaint little restaurant, having come around the back of it to not be seen. Kace seems confused, watching me while I begin to pick the lock of a door I knew must lead to a storeroom, with a piece of metal wire I found on the ground of the alleyway. I wish I could have shaken Kace a while ago, but he was keen to keep walking beside me like my pet.

"Wow, I'm witnessing a crime," he mutters, yet makes no move to stop me.

I hear the satisfying click of the lock. "You can go if you like."

He remains in his spot, much to my dismay. I'm risking being caught, but my want to food for both me and Lucy is too high. Kace doesn't bother to say another word as I slowly open the storeroom door, hoping no one was inside. When I see my silent wishes have been answered, I exhale in relief.

Even a strange man from the Vengeance Pack can't ruin this.

Inside, I realise it's primarily a cool room for bread and cheese. I stuff some under the coat, and wander back outside. Kace still stands there, watching me carefully with his hands shoved in his trouser pockets.

Either he has a lot of patience, or he is here for another reason.

"You don't have a home, do you," he says pointedly, and I shrug. The feeling is weird, with my pockets stuffed full of food. I just want to reach in and eat it now, but I refrain in front of Kace. He thinks I'm strange enough as it is.

I shake my head. "Look, you should probably go."

Kace watches me silently for a moment, as if he was about to say something, but changed his mind. Something about him just seems to...deliberate. I keep my mouth shut though. It is easier to shake him off before he finds out I'm Rylan's mate, if he doesn't already know.

He takes a few steps backward, the shadows of the alleyway almost eating away at him. "Keep the coat."

And then, he was gone.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I take my time heading back to the marketplace where Lucy should probably be waiting. It was much harder to evade the Elite's but keeping to the shadows is something I know, and with a little luck, I managed to make it past the majority or the guards.

Slipping through the part of the wall that lead back, I paused. A loud, horrified shriek caught my attention.

Peeking my head around the corner, my heart skipped at the sight.

"Tell me where Dawn is."

An Elite had a girl ceased by the collar of her shirt, having lifted her feet off the ground completely. I couldn't see much of her, apart from her brilliant shock of blonde hair. A typical Purity Pack feature. I have never seen her in my life, so why is the Elite threatening her? She won't know me at all.

"I-I have no idea...I swear," she begged, her voice laced with fear. I could imagine her crying, her fingers clawing at the hand he held her by.

"Don't lie," the Elite growled, pushing her back so she stumbled back against the wall. "Tell me where she is, or you can deal with Rylan yourself."

There was a whimper. Rylan has to be doing something to these poor people to freak them out. If he dislikes Alpha Kaden of the Vengeance Pack so much for the terror he causes, he should probably look in the mirror. Right now, I'm fighting with an Alpha, and with his attitude toward this means I'm best hiding.

'I promise I haven't seen her. Someone is trying to get me in trouble!"

"Then why are you out here at night?"

A pause.

"I was going to visit my boyfriend. That has nothing to do with Dawn! I would give her in the second I saw her, I swear. I respect Rylan-"

The sound of her being slapped filled the alleyway, and I ducked back into the wall. I need to go there and stop it. She doesn't know who I am, which means she doesn't deserve to be beaten by an Elite. They are such powerful people...

"Dawn," I hear from behind me. "We need to go."

Lucy had my arm, gently pulling me away. Hot tears stung my eyes, as guilt consumed me. This is my fault. If I handed myself into him, then everything would be fine.

And for the first time in over a year, I'm seriously considering it.

💚••💚

Want more and don't want to wait!? More of Rylan is available now on Radish! (:

Also, feel free to check out Asher now on Radish if you're interested!

🌵••🌵

So, my school has been cancelled as there is a cyclone heading toward New Zealand.

I guess this means more time to write. Even though it's officially my school break right now, and I didn't get to hand in any assessments.

Let's hope I don't fail this year! :p

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~Midika 💜🐼