9

Warning: This story will contain violence and abusive themes. Read with caution and at your own discretion.

Three days. That's how long it took for the leaders of the pack to decide on her fate. That was also how much time she had to deal with the information she had learned. Her pack was dead. The whole pack. The Luna had just given birth two months before. They were looking forward to growing their pack.

During that time, Emily and Vincent spent as much time with her as they could. Vincent even snuck a copy of the photo to Ada so that she finally had something to hold onto other than memories.

She did her best to deal with what she learned, but it was like all of her hope had been shattered. Everything she'd hoped for was gone. She had no chance of being accepted now. This place would never accept her as a member, let alone their Luna.

Being brought back to the courthouse, Ada stared at the tabletop. She was not attached to it this time, but she felt no less chained. Weighed down by her grief and the hopelessness that was taking over, she was going numb to everything, including the feelings that she got from the bond she shared with Vincent.

It was decided that she would remain with them and be given a room in the home of the Alpha and his family. She would be slowly integrated into the pack, but she would always have someone watching her. She was given a job tending the gardens and orchards, and she did her work without complaint.

There was always someone watching her and even when she was in her room, she was never alone. Her room was across from Vincent's and she could always feel that he was there. It never seemed to help.

She was in her knees, the sun beating down on her back as she pulled weeds from the base of the tomato plants. There was a basket beside her that she would put the pulled weeds in so they could be taken to a pile later for compost or burning. This place was very self sufficient and if she was not feeling so drained, she would have been depressed.

Hearing footsteps come up behind her, Ada carefully controlled her breathing to better listen. Whoever it was had stopped behind her and was just standing there. She began to feel uneasy with them there. The strong scent of the tomato plants prevented her from smelling who it might be. Did they do that on purpose, knowing that she wouldn't be able to smell them? Where they just here to observe or was their another reason they were just standing behind jer without saying a word? She considered saying something, but in the end decided against it.

She picked up the basket and began to stand. Whoever it was quickly retreated and by the time Ada turned around once on her feet, the person was out of sight. This put her on edge, but she continued her work.

She was not bothered again as she finished the weeding. Someone else might have relaxed, but it just put Ada more on edge. She had no idea who they had been or what they wanted with her. Growing up with rogues that always had bad intentions made her always assume the worst.

The rest of her day went in peace, but she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. She was carrying the final basket of weeds for the day to the compost spot. There were five large depressions dug into the side of a hill. Three sides were lined with concrete and the final side was open where the items to be put in were able to be. Only one of them was to be filled at a time, then others kept wet and rotated as they composted.

Ada dumped her basket in and she heard footsteps again. They were moving faster and they were heavier. Someone was running g and from the sound of it, it was toward her.

Ada tried to turn around, but whoever it was clearly didn't want her to know who they were. She was shoved hard into the concrete wall and pain exploded in her shoulder where she hit, and in her back. She let out a snarl and whipped around to face her attacker, but once more they were already gone.

Ada groaned and as she shifted, she could feel that there was something in her back. The pain in her shoulder was dulling, but the pain in her back was growing, and she could feel something hot and wet was trickling down her back. She'd been stabbed.

Shifting so that she could look over her shoulder, Ada could see the handle of a kitchen knife. Who used knives in a wolf community!? She panted in pain and gripped her shoulder. The blade had hit the edge of her shoulder blade and she was sure it was lodged between the ribs in her upper back between her shoulder blade and her spine. It was painful but not lethal.

Slowly she turned and made her way back toward the house, saying nothing to no one even though she passed others, Ada walked inside and headed up to her room. By that time she made it inside, her entire back was covered in blood, the back of the light blue t-shirt and denim pants she was wearing now almost black with her blood.

She made it to her room and almost into the bathroom before she heard heavy footsteps. She didn't turn as she heard the steps enter her room, she just walked into the bathroom and flicked on the light. Her face was pale in the mirror, not able to see the blood or the knife that was causing her pain. She could also see Vincent in the darkness of her room. His amber eyes almost looked like they were glowing as he stared, wide eyed, at her back. Fear and rage were on his face, though she could not tell which one was going to break through first.

Ada turned to see in the mirror where the knife was. She was not going to be able to reach the handle. The angle was wrong and if she tried she was going to cause more damage.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help?" She asked. Her voice seemed to snap him out of it and he rushed forward into the bathroom.

"Who did this?" He growled. His anger had won out.

"I dont know. They were gone before before I turned around." She replied, a deep growl escaping him.

"Are you going to help? Or am I doing this alone?" He seemed to freeze on the last word and his eyes snapped to the mirror, their eyes meeting in the reflective surface. He moved forward and took a closer look, hesitating.

"Just pull it straight out. Do it fast." She took in a few deep breaths before blowing out a final one and she nodded her head. She grunted as the knife was ripped out, then something was pressed hard against the wound.

"I have to go get Emily." He told her, though she could feel him move closer.

"No yet. Just keep pressure on the wound. Stop the bleeding." She said to him. He said nothing and at first he didn't move. But as they stood there, she could feel him lean more into her and finally he lowered his face to her neck. She shuddered as she felt his nose gently brush her skin and he inhaled deeply.

She relished for a moment in the feel of him so close, but she knew they had something more important to do. She broke the silence before Vincent lost himself too far in her scent.

"Help me get my shirt off before the blood dries it to my skin." He moved back from her and helped her get the ruined shirt up over her head. He then helped her remove her bra and in the mirror she could see the wide eyed look on his face.

They first time they had met she was nude, however it had been dark and they had seen one another for only a few short moments. Now, in the bright light from the bathroom, and even under the blood, he could see the scars on her back that had not healed properly. Raised and rough, they painted a picture of her abuse and looked like a bloody landscape crossed with high peaks and snaking rivers.

"The bleeding has stopped, you can get Emily now." She said to him finally, and he stepped away with his phone.

Ada began to clean up the blood as best she can without being able to move her left arm well. It was difficult to do, but she was making good headway. When Vincent returned, he picked up a face cloth and wet it in the sink, wordlessly and carefully cleaning the blood from her back.

Emily showed up not long after with a bag of supplies and she walked into the bathroom. She didn't try and move Vincent out of her way. Instead, she stepped in and began to inspect the wound.

"It will need sutures, but it does not look like it went too deep." She looked at the k ife that was used. A pairing knife. Small but every sharp. She growled and grabbed her bag, getting to work on closing the cut up.

"Why would someone do this?" She snapped.

"A knife?! What are we, humans? This was a cowardly attack! Whoever did this is going to be found, Ada, I promise you that. The Alpha is not going to let this stand. You are under his protection and someone attacks like this!" She was rambling, clearly mad about what had happened.

"Its fine, Emily." Ada said, causing Emily and Vincent to look at her in the mirror.

"I knew I wasn't going to be left alone. I'm a rogue and a known one. I will be punished for everything any rogue has done. The only good rogue is a dead rogue." She said to them both. Vincent growled and Emily sighed sadly.

"This will continue to happen." Vincent growled before he stormed out. Emily watched him go before she got back to work.

"Do you need something for the pain?" Emily asked, Ada shaking her head.

"No. Pain killers made my brain hazy." Ada replied. Emily nodded, but in the mirror Ada could see the pained look there. Emily was a good person and she was trying hard to be friends with Ada, though Ada didn't want Enily to become a target. She didn't think that anyone in the pack would hurt her, but Ada had enemies outside of the pack as well, and they were likely to keep an eye out for her.

"Thank you for everything, Emily." Ada said, Emily giving a smile as she put a bandage over the stitches.

"I'm here for you if you need. Vincent will get this all sorted out. For now you should stay here in the house where it is safer." She gently patted Ada on her good shoulder, then left. Ada was now alone in her room, and tears fell down her face as she sobbed quietly.

She didn't care about being attacked, but the pain made her feel something and it brought out all of the emotions she had been suppressing. It hurt but felt good to cry, even if she didn't want to. She didn't leave the bathroom for hours, only leaving to finally go to sleep in her bed.

Her dreams were filled with pain and her sleep was not restful. When morning came she was exhausted and she knew that she was going to need more help if she was going to get some good sleep.