Chapter 80: Bared To You: Part Eight

When Esme next opened her eyes, she didn't cry, groan or shake from finding herself inside of the cage. She expected it and ended up staying there for two weeks, Ethan saw her daily, but she never interacted with him; she was overcome by grief and felt like nothing more than an empty shell. Surprisingly, Ethan let the walls to their mate bond down, and she could feel a slight sense of guilt bubbling up in him. He knew who Marcus was and didn't care for his death, but he never realised he had killed Esme's mother. However, that guilt would be replaced with anger, and she knew it was because his 'mother in law' stabbed him first. 

But by this point, Esme blocked the bond between them. She didn't want to feel anything. If she was to stay in this cage for the remainder of her life, then so be it. It was apparent now that the Moon Goddess was punishing her for her sins; she was living in hell, repeatedly tortured through a lover that needed her to suffer for him to feel good. When that wasn't enough, then she tortured herself, replaying the events that led to her mother's and Marcus' deaths.

If she had been stronger, then things may have been different. If she had run with Marcus instead of falling into the trap of the mate bond pulling her back to Ethan, then maybe Marcus would still be alive. If she had fought back and fled before, any of this would have happened.. Would they..

But 'what ifs' were never going to bring them back, and they weren't going to change this situation. 

Esme stayed curled up in a ball; in the two weeks she was left there, the only time she was allowed out of the cage was to relieve herself. Ethan would watch as she crawled out of the cage and to the bucket in the corner of the room. Ethan pulled her out of the pen on the fifteenth day and searched her eyes. His own was hard and unforgiving, but she didn't flinch and stared back at him emotionlessly, as though all the light had gone from her eyes. He clicked his tongue and carried her out of the basement. 

When the door opened to the first floor, she squinted from the blinding light and closed her eyes again. 

"You are lucky to have me as your mate, Es. If I did not punish you, then you would be killed as a traitor to this pack," Ethan spoke quietly in her ear, his tone was cold, but she did not care. He would make any excuse up now. Even before, when she loved him dearly and tried to be perfect for him, he justified his disgusting actions. "It is only because of me that you are alive. I told them how helpful you were and how you killed most of those rogues to prove yourself to me."

Esme gritted her teeth and whispered hoarsely, "Thank you."

Ethan kissed her head before she hissed at the sudden warm water on her back. She opened her eyes to see her in the bath; the rags she'd been clothed in was slowly pulled off from her revealing the dirtied white nightgown covered in dirt and blood on the back from the cut that was still healing. She knew Ethan wanted that claw mark to scar her back as a reminder of that day. Anastasia was by her side again, but this time Esme did not feel comforted; even her wolf that whimpered in her mind felt like being alone. 

Isana's distress was too much even for them to have a regular conversation. They'd spent their time in the cage in complete silence other than the dripping sound of water from a pipe. If it were not for that sound and the occasional whimper from her wolf, Esme deduced that she might have gone insane. 

Months passed after the Hellhounds attack, and the White Sands pack's territory had expanded. Any remaining rogues living in the woods were gone, and Ethan even managed to take over another smaller pack's territory, combining the two. But his plans to overthrow the Blue Moon pack were still blocked; he needed to either take over another pack or gain an alliance. The issue was, nobody wanted to go up against Blue Moon, not only because their pack was huge but because they were of a more peaceful nature.

While Ethan was distracted by such things, the invisible leash around Esme's neck seemed to have loosened, and she was allowed to leave the mansion again. She never walked along the beach again; the sight of the cliffs was too painful to bear. What was once her favourite place turned into her least, and she ended up walking into the high street more instead, keeping her eyes down. 

She didn't know what her pack members thought of her, but she no longer cared. Her mother was dead. Marcus was dead. She never cared about others' opinions before, so why should she now?

You are reading story The Fugitive at novel35.com

But somehow, even in her darkest time, she was still moving, and her legs brought her to the local library. She stared at the rundown structure emotionlessly and walked through the double doors. She had never been one to read; she never had the intention to dedicate some time outside of her training to relax with a book in her hands. Other rogues might think her guard was down, but it never was, and she'd be more annoyed at others trying to attack her than anything.

So, when Esme stepped into the library, she had no idea what she was meant to do, but the change in scenery and the quiet called to her. The smells and the serenity of the place, with only the sounds of birds chirping outside and the turning pages of books, seemed to calm her soul. For over a month, her routine of escaping the mansion for four hours four times a week turned into Esme heading straight to the library after a walk. Delta Bryant soon got bored and started to guard her, waiting outside of the library, while she didn't even open a book and merely slept in her new favourite spot on an overused, brown leather sofa in the corner of the building. 

The library was so rundown, only a few members entered, and they seemed only to return after a month to give back a book or two. Other than that, it was empty except for her and the librarian, Benjamin. At first, they did not speak to one another, only greeting with a single nod before he would continue with whatever he did on the computer, and she would head off for her nap. 

Benjamin seemed to be another weaker werewolf in the pack. He trained once a day, as expected of males in the pack, but then he would resume his usual job, which was to keep the library upright. He was of the same height as Marcus, his structure on the smaller side. His brown curly hair fell onto his forehead, and stubble flourished his jaw; to Esme, he always seemed to look haggard, his clothing dishevelled from overworking with his sleeves rolled up. 

The only way he knew his name was by checking his name tag. She wouldn't dare ask Bryant or Anastasia for fear of them reporting to their Alpha. This man, who was approximately six to eight years older than her, seemed extremely happy in his peaceful life. 

She should stay away from him, for his sake.

Yet, it seemed he had other plans because after months of Esme turning up with the occasional shiner and keeping to herself, curled up on the couch, Benjamin popped his head around the corner and introduced himself. 

"Without being rude.. Go away," Esme muttered, keeping her back to this quiet man. 

"Is that an order, Luna?" He asked.

Esme scoffed. "Am I still considered a Luna?" She asked rhetorically and in no means meant for an answer. She was still asked to go to the meetings, but now the leaders didn't ask her for her thoughts, and she just sat there silently. 

"You are from where I am standing," Benjamin replied. Then he picked up on her mood, and instead of making more conversation, he placed two books on top of the sofa. "Libraries are meant for reading, not sleeping. If you are looking for an escape, I suggest reading. This one is my favourite called 'Papillon', and the other is a fantasy novel."

With those words, he left and Esme though she'd never found the interest in starting a book, picked both up and read them within a week. The time when she used to nap to escape her tired life and scarred soul turned into reading books. Soon after, she began to speak to Benjamin more, delighting in his odd tastes and views. 

Speaking more than a few words a day changed into conversations with the librarian, and she found what little joy she had left in the world through reading adventurous books and chatting to someone she never thought to ever engage with.. But of course, her slightly brightened moods were noticed by her mate and what followed was the beginning of the end.

You can find story with these keywords: The Fugitive, Read The Fugitive, The Fugitive novel, The Fugitive book, The Fugitive story, The Fugitive full, The Fugitive Latest Chapter