NADJA
*****FIVE YEARS LATER*****
(…)And what was that place like? — Nadja asked with bright eyes.
— It was beautiful, surrounded by trees. There was a large bonfire in the center, and we would sit around it. I can still feel the warmth coming from the flames. My grandmother would tell us how she met my grandfather and the connection between them. She promised to me that one day I would meet my mate, for, even if it took time, the Great Goddess would bring us together. — Rebeca said with a tired expression.
Those words were spoken almost every night; however, Nadja seemed never to tire of hearing about the world she had already forgotten.
— Do you believe in that? That we have mates and they will find us someday?
She was sitting on the floor, her hands gripping the metal bars that separated the cells. Rebeca was lying down, turned away from her, eyes closed. Rebeca placed her hand on her abdomen, trying to calm the cramps that had been bothering her since that morning. She knew what they meant, and the little hope she had left her.
— We'll talk more tomorrow, I need to sleep!
Nadja moved away from the cell bars and curled up in the corner. The change in her friend's mood over the past few days was evident, and at that moment, even her voice overflowed with melancholy.
Five years, that was the time Nadja had been confined in that cold, dark cell. She could not remember anything before waking up in that gloomy, desolate place. The fellow captives called her Nadja, not because they remembered her name, but due to the necklace around her neck, the only object belonging to the past erased from her memory.
The only known routine was to work during the day and be locked up at night, when she rested her tired body on an old mattress on the floor, in the corner of the cell. At first, there were dozens of them, divided into categories by their tormentors. She did not know what those categories meant, only that Omegas did the heavy work, Lunas and Betas did domestic tasks. None of them, however, could leave the confinement area, so, their scent would not attract "nosy" ones.
As time passed, the number decreased. Three Lunas were sold last week, some omegas died due to the abuse. Lunas did not suffer physical abuse; they were worth more if untouched, however, omegas did not have the same luck…
Only two Lunas remained, her and her cellmate. Neither of them remembered much of the outside world before they arrived at that place, but Rebeca had dreams. Dreams that could be memories of her grandmother teaching about soulmates, how destiny always took care of making mates find each other.
Nadja awaited those stories whenever they returned to the cell after a day of work. She listened closely to every word capable of filling her heart with hope. The promise that somewhere, her soulmate was searching for her, eager to find and save her.
*****
— Wake up! Come on, we don't have much time!
Nadja opened her eyes, startled by the urgency in her friend's words. To her surprise, Rebeca was in her cell accompanied by one of the male guards.
— What happened, what's going on? — She asked, confused, as she got up and followed the couple outside.
— We have to go! The herbs didn't work, my cycle came, and soon they'll smell me!
— What herbs, what cycle, what are you talking about?
Rebeca pulled Nadja by the arm and practically dragged her through the hallways. The male followed them silently, his eyes alert to their surroundings.
He was visibly anxious about the risk of being caught.
Nadja heard her friend's increasingly panicked words. According to Rebeca, the females bled when they became "mature," and a few moons ago, that male who accompanied them helped her with herbs that prevented "maturity," but over time, the tea lost its effect and Rebeca felt cramps, that indicated the approach of the bleeding.
Rebeca revealed to Nadja that the reason they had not yet been sold was that they were younger, still did not bleed, and their "market value" increased after "maturation," as their hormones would be perceived by any male approaching them, and even an omega would be able to identify them as Lunas.
There were several bodies on the ground, the result of the poisoning carried out by the mysterious male who saved them.
Nadja was even more frightened when they left the concrete confinement. The darkness of the night enveloped them, cold and damp. The male held Rebeca's hand and pulled her towards the dense forest.
Nadja had to run to keep up with them.
— Let's go that way, once we cross the river, we'll be safe.
Nadja looked back at the camp that had been her prison for so many years with a strong sense of unreality. All of this seemed more like a dream. A strange nightmare that would end in suffering. She was afraid of what that dark world would offer, and even more afraid of what would happen to them if they were caught by their tormentors.
After a few minutes of running, Nadja could barely stand.
— Can't we rest a little? — Rebeca asked, worried about her friend.
— No, Luna! The leader of the pack has noticed we're missing and I can hear them! They are on our tail!
— Nadja is weak, she hasn't eaten in days as punishment, she won't last. — Rebeca looked back again, feeling pity for her friend, who struggled to keep pace.
Nadja had been punished by the leader of the criminals for spilling his drink. Two days without eating anything, doing all the household chores, left her weakened. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep up with them.
A loud and fierce howl was heard closer, indicating that the wolves had picked up their trail. Just a few meters away was the river that marked the territory of the degenerate kidnappers. The male accompanying them bent down, picked up Rebeca, and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
He ran towards the river without looking back.
Rebeca panicked at losing sight of her friend.
— Don't run, Nadja can't keep up!
— Then we'll have to leave her behind! — The male responded without the slightest remorse.
— We can't do that! If you really are my Gama, you have to obey me! We need to save her!
— Since I identified you as my Luna, my instincts scream to protect you, even though our village has been destroyed. Your safety is above hers and anyone else's! If they catch her, we will have a better chance of escaping!
*****
Nadja lost sight of Rebeca and the sounds of wolves running in her direction were the most despairing noise of her young life.
She was alone, in the middle of a dark forest, being chased by beasts, and her only friend had vanished from view. Her weak body barely managed to keep moving, but she knew that if she gave up, she would never have another chance to escape.
Her bare feet insisted on moving beyond her strength. It was a wintry night, and she was wearing only a thin, long servant's dress, yet sweat was dripping from her cold forehead.
Despair was the only emotion that inhabited her being. Everything happened so suddenly that she had no time to think. She headed towards where she believed she would find the river, unaware that she was going in the opposite direction of her friend.
— There she is, get her!
The voice of one of the cruelest guards reached her ears and her body found the strength to run faster. A small trail of blood was left by her bloodied feet. She suddenly stopped and let out a scream of terror. She was at the edge of a cliff, with nowhere else to run.
She turned towards where she had seen, and a tall male emerged from the dense forest with a cruel smile on his lips.
— There's nowhere to go, little girl! It's better to come quietly; if you obey me properly,I may convince the boss to go easy on your punishment!
That man terrified her even more than the so-called "boss." His gaze was predatory in a way that her innocent mind could not comprehend, but her instincts knew it was wicked. She could not go back with him; if she did, the malice he exuded would hit her freely before he handed her over to the gang leader.
Nadja took a step back without taking her eyes off of the cruel wolf. He raised his hands as if surrendering and spoke in a mocking tone: — Be careful, you might fall and you don't want to hurt that beautiful little body, do you? Not before daddy here gets a taste, right?
Nadja felt her heart tighten with the images her mind produced of what that man intended to do with her. In an instant, she turned towards the abyss.
— Girl, don't be crazy, come here!
Nadja closed her eyes and jumped towards death.