Escaping
Escaping
I don’t attempt to look back as I run. The weight of my bag doesn’t slow me down either, but my chest is tight and my legs are burning I don’t let it stop me though, I push forward because there’s no way I’m staying Not after what I heard
I don’t care if it was a conversation taken out context or twisted by pride or pain. He said it, he bought me as a weapon as a pawn. He still sees me as that, and he never wanted me, he still doesn’t.
Finding out I was his mate changed nothing at all, if anything, it made me worse inais eyes.
So I keep running. The trees thicken as I go deeper into them. I remember the path, and I can feel the bonds, so I keep following them. I find the hidden routes easily enough, and the old side trails that are now not used because they lead to the threadbare animals. It’s like my mind memorized the way to go. Maybe it did.
The wind rushes past me, chilling the sweat at the back of my neck. Every second feels to long, too loud and like something is going to shatter. Every crunch of leaves, every snap of a branch has me flinching. I’m waiting for the sound of someone chasing me, for Xander shouting and ordering me back like I’m nothing more than an object for him to use. There’s nothing, though, just the sound of my boots thudding against the floor and my heart pounding. Reaching the clearing where I first saw them, the ground is soft with moss, and the earth is slightly lower and shaded. There are no signs of movement first, just the rustle of wind through the branches. My chest is heaving as I come to a stop, gripping the strap of my bag tighter.
“I’m here,” I say, unsure if I’m speaking to the woods or to something watching from within it. “You said to come find you.” The Hollowfang Raven lands on a branch to my left, I don’t flinch though. It’s silver–feathered head tilts toward me, and it’s eyes gleam.
“You’ve chosen then,” it says.
“I don’t have another choice,” I whisper, because I don’t. “I can’t stay there.”
“You’ll be hunted for this.”
“I already am,” I snap, voice shaking. “Whether I stay or go, I’ll always be guilty in his eyes. Always a liar. Always a weapon. He’s planning to take me down when he takes down my father.”
The Raven watches me. “Then you’ll need more than courage. Wait.”
I don’t have time to wait, but I have no choice right now. I stand here, hands trembling slightly. There’s a shift in the air, like something bigger is moving through the trees. I feel the rumble of weight against the earth before I even see it.
From the underbrush, I start to see the massive Silvermane Hound as it steps forward. Its fur is gleaming like moonlight. It‘ s even larger than I remember, and it easily towers over me when it’s on all fours. Its shoulders are broad, and its presence feels weird. There’s no dominance, though, only a feel of submission from it.
It lowers it’s head as it approaches. It’s eyes never leaving mine, and I step forward.
“You’ll carry me?” I ask.
It doesn’t speak, but it shifts, lowering itself to the ground in a way that’s unmistakable.
This feels crazy but what choice do I have? I climb onto it’s back, gripping the thick fur at it’s shoulders. Why can I sense it?
I can feel it’s emotions. It rises again with ease, and the Hollowfang Raven takes flight again, circling above us.
The other Hollowfang Raven and Silvermane Hound come out of the shadows followed by the Stoneback Guardians. I hear it, an alarm, it starts low, and grows louder and louder. They know I ran.
The hound doesn’t wait, it lunges forward, fast enough to pull the breath from my lungs. We weave through the trees, the others following closely behind.
Voices rise behind us, faint at first, then sharper.
“Serafine!”
I freeze. I know that voice, it’s Xander.
I don’t look back, and we don’t slow. But the hound shifts, like it sense something, and I turn slightly just to see a glance over my shoulder.
I see him. He’s running after us, barefoot shirtless and fast. His body ripples and he begins to shift. It won’t matter, he can’t stop us. His wolf bursts through, and I see the Successfully unlocked! His wolf is different.
The breath catches in my throat, he’s a Silvermanent than the calling, from us mating and the bond growing? No one ever said he had a wolf like this, yes he was always powerful, but this is different.
He howls, it’s not a command, or a threat, just something wild. Something full of ache and desperation. I feel it slam through the bond hard, like a silent plea for me not to leave.
Escaping
It’s too late. I’m not staying anymore. Not when he made it clear I was nothing but a pawn to use
I see the border ahead, the shimmer in the air where the spells and wards are anchored. Two of the Bets we there positioned and ready, likely from hearing the sirens.
They tense and instantly shift into their wolves. The Silvermane Hound shifts like its preparing to barrels forward
“Hold on,” the raven calls above
The hound barrels forward without hesitation and the Betas move too late
The Silvermane hits one of them square in the side, sending his body flying into the underbrush. The other tries to leap in front of us, but the hound ducks, then slams its shoulder into him. We don’t stop
The border is right there. I brace myself as the energy pulses over us. It doesn’t slow the hound it Suckers for a second, Se it’s trying to push us back, then parts around us like a curtain and then we’re through. No more alarms, no more pack or even Xander.
I look back and see the other Silvermane hound along with the Stoneback Guardians and the other Hollowfang Raven blocking the exit and stopping Xander from getting through.
“They will stay behind to ensure no one follows,” the Hollowfang Raven says as it flies above us.
I’ve no idea where we’re going yet but I’m glad I’m finally free.
