The Mating Run

Chapter 56

Drug The cold seeps into my bones, a relentless chill that sends shivers down my spine.

The ground beneath me is unforgiving, cold and rough against my restrained body. | can feel the coarse texture beneath my fingertips, confirming my suspicions — must be in some cave, a dark cavern where the echoes of my silent struggle reverberate in the shadows.

I've lost track of time in this bleak abyss.

The blindfold denies me the privilege of witnessing the passage of days, and the cold becomes a cruel companion in this isolation.

How long has it been since | was forcibly dragged into this ominous darkness? Hours? Days? The question lingers, unanswered in the void that surrounds me.

A sudden jolt interrupts my contemplation, a brutal yank on my hair that tears through the veil of my thoughts. | gasp, my scream muffled by the fabric pressed against my mouth. The captor’s grip on my hair is a vise, a painful reminder of their omnipotent control.

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I’m forcibly pulled into a sitting position. The blindfold denies me vision, leaving me to confront the darkness with a heightened sense of vulnerability. The cold seeps into my skin, intensifying the tremors that rack my body.

The cloth is yanked from my mouth, a sudden liberation that leaves me gasping for air. I'm parched, my throat dry and pleading for relief. The captor’s hand hovers near my lips, a sinister presence that lingers in the shadows.

I'm yanked into an even more upright position, the cold ground biting into my skin. | can feel the captor’s breath against my ear, a sinister whisper that sends a shiver down my spine.

“Drink.” the captor commands, their voice a low growl that sends a shiver down my spine. “Every last drop. You hear me?”

| nod, the desperation for water eclipsing any semblance of defiance. The captor’s fingers press against my jaw, forcing my mouth open. The liquid spills into my mouth, and | gulp it down with a thirst that borders on desperation. The water cool, a fleeting respite from the suffocating dryness that has plagued me. | swallow, each gulp a momentary reprieve from the torment of thirst.

But as the last drops linger on my tongue, a bitter taste creeps in. “What's that?” | manage to croak, my voice barely audible. “What did you make me drink?!”

Before | can protest, the cloth is stuffed back into my mouth, silencing any attempt at vocalizing my fear. I’m left to grapple with the lingering taste of the mysterious drink. The captor releases their grip on my hair, allowing me to slump back onto the unforgiving ground. | pant, my breaths erratic as | struggle to regain

composure.

Panic tightens its grip around my chest, my heart beating a frantic rhythm against the cage of my ribs. | should be foaming at the mouth by now if it’s poison, right? But I’m not. | don’t feel anything, and that’s even scarier.

My mind races, a whirlwind of thoughts and fears colliding in the confines of my bound and blindfolded existence. | try to rationalize, to find a shred of comfort in the midst of this consuming dread. Maybe it’s not poison, | tell myself. Maybe it’s just a sick game, a psychological torment crafted by my captor.

But doubt gnaws at the edges of my reasoning, a persistent voice that echoes the possibility of a sinister truth. What if it’s a slow-acting poison, one that takes its time to wreak havoc within me? The uncertainty festers, a poison of its own kind, spreading through the corridors of my mind.

| strain my senses, searching for any signs of impending doom. The cave remains an impenetrable shroud, its secrets concealed in the darkness that surrounds me. | try to listen for changes in my own body, a desperate attempt to decipher the enigma of the drink.

No foaming at the mouth, no convulsions—just an unsettling stillness that amplifies the terror within me. My breaths come in shallow gasps, the air heavy with the weight of the unknown.

| tug at the restraints binding my wrists, as if the physical act of resistance could dispel the growing unease.

| try to recall the taste, dissecting it in my mind like a forensic investigator examining evidence. Bitter, yes, but with an underlying note of something foreign and unsettling. The realization sends a chill down my spine. There was definitely something in that drink.

| can feel the beat of my heart reverberating through my body, an erratic rhythm that mirrors the chaos within. The silence is punctuated by the haunting echoes of my own fear, each breath a reminder of the fragile boundary between existence and the unknown.

I strain my ears, hoping for any signs of an approaching presence. The captor’s footsteps remain absent, leaving me to confront the deafening silence. The minutes stretch into an agonizing stretch of uncertainty, each moment laden with the weight of impending doom.

| attempt to regulate my breathing, to quell the rising tide of panic that threatens to consume me. But the fear persists, a relentless adversary that refuses to be subdued. I’m caught in the grip of an invisible tormentor, the boundaries between reality and nightmare blurring into a disorienting haze.

| wonder if my captor is watching, reveling in the psychological torment they've unleashed. The taste of the drink haunts me, a spectral presence that casts a shadow over my every thought. | close my eyes, seeking refuge from the oppressive darkness that surrounds me.

The minutes drag on, an unyielding procession that brings me no closer to understanding the nature of the drink. I’m suspended in this limbo of uncertainty, my mind a battleground of fears and conjectures.

Was this the beginning of the end, or merely a prelude to a more insidious torment? brud

Sweat beads on my forehead, a testament to the fevered tumult within. | try to wipe it away, but the restraints hold my arms ina cruel embrace, denying me even that small solace.

Drool escapes the confines of my mouth, an involuntary release that adds to the humiliating tableau of my distress. | can taste the saltiness, a bitter reminder of my vulnerability. | want to swallow it back, to regain a semblance of control, but the taste lingers like an unwelcome specter.

My breaths come in ragged gasps, each inhalation a struggle against the suffocating air. The cave becomes a labyrinth of shadows, the darkness pressing in on me from all sides. | try to calm my frantic breathing, but the air feels thick and heavy, a stifling presence that only exacerbates the unease.

Muscles tense and quiver, a symphony of discomfort that plays across the canvas of my bound and blindfolded existence. The restraints offer no reprieve, and I’m left to confront the relentless assault on my senses. | try to flex my fingers, to regain a sense of agency, but the bonds hold them captive.

Apeculiar itch dances just beneath my skin, an elusive torment that eludes my attempts to alleviate it. | squirm within the confines of my captivity, the urge to scratch and claw at the invisible assailant intensifying with each passing moment.

I clench my thighs, a desperate attempt to anchor myself amidst the chaos that engulfs me. The sensation between my legs intensifies, a disconcerting awareness that adds a layer of shame to my already compromised state. | want to resist, to deny the arousal that coils within me, but the relentless onslaught of physical distress blurs the lines between resistance and surrender.

Dizziness descends like a suffocating fog, obscuring my thoughts and leaving me disoriented in this cavernous prison. The world spins, a dizzying carousel that adds to the disconcerting symphony of my torment. | want to cry out, to voice the anguish that courses through me, but the cloth stifles any attempt at articulation.

| realized that what my captor made me drink wasn’t poison. The taste of the aphrodisiac lingered on my tongue, as its effects began to take hold, filling me with

an overwhelming sense of lust.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Hunger gnaws at the edges of my consciousness, a primal need that amplifies the desperation within. | feel a yearning, not for sustenance, but for Zeke. The hunger transforms into a visceral craving, an ache that resonates through the very core of my being. | whimper and cry, the sound muffled by the oppressive silence that envelops me.

f

My body feels like a battleground, a war between the physical and the intangible. I’m swept away on a tide of sensations, each one a merciless reminder of my helplessness.

Droplets of tears mingle with the sweat on my cheeks, a silent testimony to the emotional tumult that accompanies the physical ordeal. The itch persists, an insidious presence that burrows deeper into my psyche. | clench my teeth, a futile attempt to stave off the rising tide of discomfort.

The blindfold lifts, and my vision swims through a blur of tears.

| squint, trying to make sense of the shapes that materialize before me. Faces, twisted and malevolent, emerge from the shadows, their features contorted into smirks that deepen the horror etched across my expression.

| blink through the tears, and the nightmarish reality solidifies. It’s not just one captor — there was five.

Four men, their sinewy muscles glistening and their visages smeared with blood, dominate the scene as they hover above me. They wear smirks like prized treasures, finding pleasure in the taste of my pain. Among them stands a woman, exuding an equally menacing aura, her gaze resembling a frigid ember that radiates with sadistic intensity.

| writhe on the cold ground, a puppet in the hands of these tormentors.

The echoes of my cries bounce off the cave walls, a haunting symphony that accompanies the malevolent dance of my captors. | try to crawl away, to escape their leering gaze, but my movements are feeble, and the restraints mock my futile attempts at defiance.

One of the larger men, a towering behemoth with muscles rippling, seizes my jaw in a grip as strong as iron.

| feel his hands on my chin, forcefully tilting my head back, leaving me feeling violated. The widening of his smirk allows me to see his teeth, stained with the same darkness as our surroundings. With the taste of bile lingering in my throat, | am further humiliated by the man’s laughter, which only grows more intense.

| try to speak, to beg for mercy, but the thumb in my mouth silences me completely. Reduced to whimpers, my pleas for help go unheard under the oppressive hold of my captors. In the darkness, the woman's eyes gleam with an untamed intensity, foreshadowing the horrors yet to come.

“Don’t blame us, blame him.”

The woman hisses, her voice a cruel serenade that dances on the precipice of my understanding. The woman crouches in front of me, her eyes cold and unforgiving. She drags the hood of my hoodie down, exposing my neck to the cruel scrutiny of her gaze.

| can’t help but shiver as her fingers explore the curves of my skin, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed.

Then, she tugs the collar of her hoodie, exposing the soft, vulnerable curve of her neck. As she lifts her hair, a delicate pattern of bruised skin becomes visible on her neck, a distinct mating mark. The mark holds my gaze, and a sudden wave of dizziness overwhelms me, as if the cave walls are constricting, amplifying the shadow of revelation upon my understanding.

As our eyes meet, | catch a glimpse of malice lurking within the depths of her gaze. Leaning in, she exhales a noxious whisper that sends a shiver down my spine.

“He killed my mate,” The woman confesses, each word a heavy anchor that drags me further into the abyss of despair. “And so I'm going to kill his.”