Chapter 13

A Vengeful Wolf

With Runt and Claws to her right, and Stinky and Mica to her left, Princess was finally sleeping peacefully, despite the events that took place two days ago about 140 miles away from where they were sleeping on this night, in a cave because it was raining. Claws and Mica were pressed up against her body, and Runt and Stinky were pressed up against their bodies. No one, not even Scava, was sleeping alone.

140 miles away from this cave was where Sweets gave her life so Claws could live another day. They'd been sleeping at the ledge of a canyon filled with a toxic gas known as carbon dioxide when the ground collapsed, and they'd fallen into the deadly canyon. Because of Sweets, Claws had made it to a cliff above the canyon before the Omega lost all strength in her legs and fell back into the canyon, right over an opening in the ground. Scava and Princess rescued Claws, but Sweets hadn't been so lucky. Hot steam erupted out of the opening and melted her head down to nothing more than the skull before lava rose out of the opening and took Sweets body with it.

Claws had been in shock after Sweets died so brutally, and she was still trying to get over her shock, as she slept by Princess, who could be considered Claws best friend, but not the only friend she had left. The events of two days and 140 miles away were why Claws was sleeping right next to Princess, fearing that if she left the wolf who'd saved her life, she would lose her life just like Sweets did.

Claudette, Fleet, and Magril were sleeping in one group, with Fleet resting his head over Claudette's head, and Magril resting her head over his back. Not far away from them were Kate, Lilly, and Humphrey, sleeping in a similar arrangement to how Claudette, Fleet, and Magril were.

Scava, although Claws had offered him a spot to next to her helping save her life, was sleeping alone, except for the crow perched on stalagmite, the pointed rocks rising from the floors of caves, not far away from him. He'd said that he didn't want to disturb Claws, Princess, Runt, Stinky, and Mica, as they slept, with his snoring. Scava was a louder snorer, according to wolves he'd slept near, his own made included, before the world ended, so he didn't sleep near other wolves.

Just like the last time he'd randomly woke up in the middle of the night, the night Candy was murdered, Scava's ears twitched, he whimpered quietly, and his tail stuck up. Scava lifted his masked head up and sighed. He still felt guilty about what happened to Candy, he thought now, but he was relieved that he'd helped save Claws life, yet he felt bad about not being able to do the same for Sweets. He'd never seen someone die in such a way Sweets died. Scava hadn't even known steam could get hot enough to melt flesh to the bone like it had to Sweets.

It wasn't raining now, so Scava figured he should get some fresh air or something while the others were sleeping. Even when he'd lived in Banff—not that any of this group, Marco included, knew he was a rogue—fresh air had helped him get some peaceful sleep. But, he now remembered Princess from his life in Banff. She was born the generation before him, in Jasper, and he'd been born in Banff. The bitch was why he had lost one of his brothers because he'd happened to compete against Princess when she'd been a loyal supporter to her father King—whom she hoped died when the world ended—in the Blood Sports. Princess's attack on his brother had been brutal, not even giving him a chance to hurt her before she tore him open from his throat to his belly, an action that had resulted in all of his guts spilling out of his body.

It was not because he knew her and because they were both rogues that he wanted to kill that bitch, Princess, but for no other reason than the fact that she slaughtered his little brother, and left him without any brothers. Because of Princess, he'd grown up with a bunch of sisters who hadn't been any less of bitches to him than he thought Princess was. They'd verbally, and physically, abused him because he was the youngest, and even raped him once by taking turns riding him when their parents hadn't been around. Any rogue passing bad had assumed it was just rough sex, and hadn't checked on him. No one knew it happened because he'd been forced to keep his mouth shut or his sisters would've murdered him. He was glad to see three of those bitches murdered by Princess when they were deemed old enough to compete. He'd never been happier to see his siblings die than when three of his sisters, who had been the most brutal in raping him, were mutilated by Princess. Luckily, it hadn't been mating season, but that didn't change the fact that Princess and the now deceased Melissa were two of the few female rogue wolves from Banff who weren't fucked up in the head.

The fact that she killed three of his seven abusive sisters didn't change the fact that Princess had also killed his little brother, who had been his only sibling who actually liked him, and that he'd liked in return. It was said that no one should hold a grudge, but Scava thought that unwritten rule was nothing more than a load of caribou shit. She fucking slaughtered, murdered, his little brother, the only member of his entire family who'd cared about him and he'd cared about.

That bitch has a big family who loves her, Scava thought resentfully, and I'm gonna take her way from them like she took my brother away from me. I don't care if it was tradition of the rogues—she had the choice of sparing him or not! She's a smarter and better wolf than that! I don't give a damn if she was young and stupid then—she was smarter than any of the adults in that pack. I'm glad they're probably all dead—it would've been better if that bitch Princess died like everyone else in Banff. Why the hell does she get to live when so many others died? She's the last wolf I'd want to be left alone in the world with, if it comes to that before we reach Baffin Island. I'll be damned if she makes it to Baffin Island, and I don't give a shit if she's pregnant with that runt's puppies. She's nothing more than Runt's whore in my eyes. She's stupid for marrying an Omega who is the runt of his little, no less.

Scava stopped thinking about Princess long enough to leave the cave and find a field that was out of hearing and scent range of the wolves since they were sleeping. He hoped that bitch would follow him here so he could kill her like she killed his brother so many years ago.

Payback is a bitch, and so is Princess, he thought when he laid down in the field. He didn't know if she'd follow him but he could hope she did follow him out of her suspicion or concern, he didn't care which. But she would be dead before sunrise and no one would suspect him. Not one of the wolves was familiar with his scent because he'd told them he thought it would be awkward of wolves he hardly knew sniffed him to learn his scent. They'd think it's that wolf who murdered Candy, the park rangers, and Max every time they stopped somewhere to rest for the night.

"Her name is Princess now," Scava whispered to himself, "but I'll call her DEAD before the sun rises in the sky. I swear I will."