Wolf Read Free

fought to steel my ragged breaths. Sweat mixed with death and a week’s dirt filled my nostrils as they entered the small glade.
    How many times had I inhaled that scent when our villagers returned battle weary? How many times had it filled me with solace and love? They’d kept us safe from harm. But those village men weren’t here now, and that scent would never offer the comfort it once had.
    Silence gave way to their laughter as they scanned the area in a circular pattern. My lungs burned, but I refused to take the breath I knew I needed. My crouch behind the large tree had gone unnoticed so far. My body pressed snugly against the mighty tree now covered by layers of moss and new growth.
    I shuddered in revulsion as I noticed their scraggly beards. Blood-stained hands grasped swords still coated with the crimson remnants of their last encounters. Bile rose in my stomach as I studied the trophy scalps each of the men hung from their belts. Dry heaves threatened to ensue, but I fought them back.
    Visions of my fate terrified my mind, freezing me in place. Their methodical steps neared my sanctuary, and I knew my chance to continue my desperate sprint to safety was lost.
    “She’s here. She has to be.” The man skimmed the forest behind me. I dared a breath as he moved, his step crunching twigs two paces from where I hid. “Damn this darkness.”
    Blessed darkness. I wished it were darker, but small rays of light sprinkled in the glade—just enough for my eyes to acclimate to my surroundings. Soon theirs could as well. My pulse quickened.
    “Maybe some of us should return to the village and see to our wounded.”
    The leader sneered. “We’ll have no wounded. Sluts and children don’t make formidable enemies. We find her. She’ll sell for a worthy sum.”
    The men laughed. I shuddered in revulsion. I’d overhead enough whispered stories of the slave market a day’s travel from the village to know I’d rather die than face the horrors there. Women sold for the most, depending on their age and comeliness. Few in my country—or in theirs—had my fiery-colored hair. Would that seal my fate?
    Each waning second agonized me. My skin burned where I pressed against the bark. I wished I could dig away enough of the moss and undergrowth to crawl under the downed sanctuary.
    My memory played tricks with my head as I suddenly found visions of myself lying beside a young boy so long ago. They drifted through my mind as it focused on the naïve chatter of that night, which was far more welcome than the crude amusement of my tormentors.
    Pain shot through my head as one of the men dragged me up. One hand grasped my long hair and the other wound around my waist. He dragged my body flush against him. I screamed, my throat throbbing.
    Laughter filled my ears.
    “Scream all you want. No one will hear you.”
    The truth he taunted me with bored into me as I let out another terrified scream. The two men sandwiched me between them as the others clustered at my sides.
    I closed my eyes, terror keeping me from looking at the man. Pain rushed through my cheek as he struck me. “Open your eyes, slut.”
    Tears welled, clouding my vision as I obeyed. My pulse leaped with desperation. A matted black beard masked a thin mouth, but I could see his lips turn upward into a smug grin as his hands cupped my breasts and squeezed so hard I let out a pained cry.
    I clenched my fists and struck his face hard. He stumbled and I kicked. My knee hit him between the legs. He bellowed his fury, and I steeled myself for another blow. Cool air rushed across my skin as he ripped my chemise, exposing my breasts.
    Part of me wanted to tremble and beg for mercy, but my mother’s cries had gone unheeded and had only fueled their lust. I refused to fall victim to their evil. Cramps sprinted up my arms as I moved my body, trying to angle myself for another kick.
    The man raised his hand to strike me again. Flashes of grey filled my peripheral vision. Growls