I could hear it clearly. The deafening sound of my heart beating in its little cage, yearning for the freedom it never truly had. My eyes searched through the darkness of the quiet woodland. I could see nothing in the dark- except the tall logs that lined every part of the undergrowth, and trees that seemed to shield that one crow up above as it followed me. The thud of my bare feet running with force was too loud to be disguised in the quietness of the moonlight. I was barely breathing, with my face pale from the air I couldn't feel. Everything around me were trees- and the earth beneath my dirtied soles were murky and damp, entailing the downpour that had begun a few hours before my escape.
What misfortune had I escaped from?
The brutal mercies of Alpha Kai, the monster I had been forced to call my husband. Even my death in these woods would be much more gracious than one more second spent living with him.
I limped in pain with each step I took further away from the Blood Moon pack. Even as their Luna, I knew no one would miss me.
Subconsciously, I placed my hand over the little bump that had grown over my stomach. I wasn't sure I cared if I lost the baby. I only wanted it all to end.
It was impossible for me to shift into my wolf while pregnant, but I could still run faster and stronger than most wolves could. A mile further and I would be somewhere within the nearest human town.
Maybe I would have a chance to start afresh with my baby if the moon goddess was kind enough to me- and no one would question what they knew nothing about.
As I moved, sudden contractions shot up my abdomen in intense tightness and made it almost unbearable for me to continue walking. For a moment, I stood still in extreme pain and waited until the pain subsided. It didn't. I struggled to move my feet forward but then a sound came and I stilled.
My ears pricked up at the sound of a stick breaking somewhere in the dark distance, and fear gripped me. My eyes widened in horror as I smelled them all together. They smelt of complete rage and bloodthirst- and he was with them.
I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes in defeat. They had finally caught me- and there was no escaping him.
A pair of glowing umber-coloured eyes glared at me from behind a thicket, barely five feet away and I heard the faint sound of wolves snarling hungrily. They emerged from the shadows one after the other, about fifteen of them, baring large yellow fangs and pitch black hair. These wolves would spare me no mercy at the command of Alpha Kai, yet he withheld the orders. That was when he came closer to me, his giant wolf hovering over me and demanding that I submit. I simply glared up into his darkened eyes. He could've torn me apart right there and then, and I wouldn't have cared. His snarls were threatening and promising of a cruel fate, and that was when I had to think - not just for myself, but for the fetus I carried.
Slowly- reluctantly- I knelt before him, bowing and giving him the satisfaction he craved.
"There," I heard him grunt out. He had shifted back into his human form- a form he could only imitate.
I was afraid to look up into his cold eyes and so I stared down at the soil in my fisted palms, my head bowed until I felt him lower himself over me.
"You will regret this," he said, devoid of empathy.
He rose to leave but ordered the betas first to pick me up from the ground and drag me back to the pack house.
"No, let me go!" I fought back, but the strength of these wolves was nothing natural. The bigger wolf, Gentry, simply hauled me over his arm as the others followed behind. I didn't want to imagine what new evil awaited me at the pack.
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They threw me face flat on the ground, making sure I was at the feet of Kai Russo and pleading for mercy. He was a devilish man, with hair as black as tar and eyes as clear as grey crystals. As he looked down on me, I found the unmistakable trace of a smirk plastered on his face.
It was the night of the moon festival, and I had been mistaken, thinking that I would have all the distraction I needed to run away. The celebration had long ceased after the younglings had received their wolves. There was no more loud cheering and singing, the elders of the pack weren't chanting their ancient songs anymore. The bonfire had burnt out and everyone was now at rest in their homes, except those who watched from the blinds of their curtains- and the bloodthirsty betas that now surrounded me outside of the pack house. This type of humiliation was not new to me.
He stood in the middle of them, ensuring that his feet were directly beneath my mouth. I knew he would've delighted in the displeasure it would cause me to kiss them.
"Tell me what you were thinking," he mocked.
I didn't reply, only held my stomach tightly as I silently prayed that he would spare me at least for the sake of his child.
I could tell that he had read my thoughts as he simply laughed and kicked me in my face. I grimaced in pain as blood spurted out of my busted lower lip.
"You bitch! Did you really think you could run from me?!" He thundered as he grabbed me with a single arm by the neckline of my dress. "The very scent of the thing inside of you repels my nostrils-"
"Then let me go for crying out loud," I sobbed.
I couldn't endure one more second of torture from Alpha Kai. He would kill me and my baby eventually if I didn't leave. He was bitter and cruel, and it was unfortunate of me that I reminded him of something he could never have.
"You have never loved me, not for one second.. so why do you-"
"Take her inside and lock her up" He commanded Gentry, who simply obeyed with an ugly twitch of his face.
"No!" I screamed, flinging my arms in any direction it went, hoping I would hit someone and be free from their tight grip.
Gentry didn't flinch and soon enough I was taken down to the basement where it was dark and airless. The seven feet tall beta dropped me easily and I scrambled to get out of there as he walked out the door. Before I could get out, the door closed behind him. I heard the key turn in the lock. With despair and anger and hatred, I balled my fingers into fists and began banging on the door, screaming for Alpha Kai to let me out.
"No! You cruel monster! Let me out," I sobbed, "please... let me out."
I kept banging and screaming until hours went by, and I completely understood that I was speaking only to myself. It seemed the whole pack had turned its back on me and wanted nothing to do with an outlaw.