(22 The Escape
- The Escape
Ara’s POV
The moon hung like a silver dagger in the sky, its cold light slicing through the trees as I crept through the silent packhouse. Damon was gone for the night, along with Aurelia and Sailas. Probably another one of their hunts. This had been the routine for last week. Most warriors followed them leaving only a few in the
packhouse. I had observed the pattern for the past one week.
One week had passed since I’d discovered the prisoners in the basement.
One week of stolen glances at the hidden door. Of restless nights listening for Damon’s return from his hunts, of watching the way his jaw tightened whenever our eyes met.
One week since we talked properly. Words hung heavy between us.
One week since he had been in his own room.
The vial of sedative in my pocket felt heavier than it should have. Sailas, ever the big mouth, spouted about having different medicines and had been careless with his medical supplies. My hands still shook as I’d
taken it.
Was I betraying Damon?
Was this wrong?
But then the memory of that woman and her feverish pups chained in the dark screamed in my mind. The way the youngest had whimpered in his sleep, his tiny fingers clutching his mother’s torn sleeve. The way her voice had cracked when she begged for help.
She was broken.
She had no one!
She was just a mother, not a threat.
She was still fighting for her pups, for her.
Just like I was once- alone and broken.
The basement door loomed ahead, unguarded. Damon’s arrogance was a flaw I could exploit. He never imagined someone would dare defy him so openly. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
The prince who hunted rogues had let one sleep in his bed.
The lock gave way with a soft click.
The scent of damp earth, rotten eggs and unwashed skin hit me like a physical blow. The woman jerked awake, her chains rattling as she pulled her children closer. The oldest pup, a boy, peered at me with wide, distrustful eyes.
If I can’t help them today, he will lose faith in humanity! He will become one of those who attacked me a week
back.
“You came back,” she whispered, her voice raw with disbelief.
I didn’t answer. My fingers fumbled with the lockpicks I took from Aurelia’s room. The metal bit into my skin
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< 22 The Escape
as I worked. The first shackle fell open with a groan.
“There’s a hidden entrance in the woods,” I murmured, yanking the second chain free. “Marked by a crescent
moon carved into stone. The Rogue Luna will take you in.”
“Rogue Luna?” Her eyes widened.
“Yes, a rogue pack. They are… like you,” I whispered.
She clutched her youngest to her chest, her arms trembling, “why are you helping us?”
The question hung between us, heavier than the chains had been.
Because I didn’t want these pups to suffer a cruel fate.
Because I knew her pain.
Because… I was one of them.
The words lodged in my throat.
I couldn’t answer her. Instead I said, “we need to move fast. Before Damon comes back.”
We moved carefully while Damon’s hunters prowled these woods. We left the packhouse, passing the drowsy guards and ran straight to the woods.
The forest swallowed us whole, the trees closing ranks like silent sentinels. Every snapped twig, every rustle of leaves sent my heart into my throat. The pups stumbled behind me, their small legs struggling to keep
pace.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Myra,” she whispered.
Myra carried the youngest, his flushed face pressed against her shoulder.
“Almost there,” I urged, my voice barely above a whisper.
“How do you know about all these?” She asked./
I looked at her once.
The river glinted ahead, moonlight dancing on its surface. The crescent moon symbol was there, just as I remembered, hidden beneath a veil of moss.
“Because this is my home,” I whispered.
I knelt, brushing away the moss with trembling fingers. The hidden door groaned open, revealing the dark tunnel beyond.
“Go,” I ordered.
“And you?” She asked.
Before I could answer I sensed him. Damon was close by.
Oh no! If he found out… If she knew about the entrance. I would lose everything!
“RUN!” I shoved Myra toward the tunnel, my voice cracking.
She hesitated, her eyes wide with fear. “But…”
The Escape
“GO!” urged.
The pups scrambled into the dark, their whimpers fading as Myra dragged them deeper. I didn’t wait to see K they made it.
“Tell Celestine the second lycan prince is hunting rogues with royal warriors. She needs to be prepared. Tell her Ara sent you,” I said before I closed the door.
A branch snapped.
Too close.
I whirled, my blood turning to ice.
No.
Not here.
Not like this.
If he saw the entrance, if he followed… no time to think.
I ran in the opposite direction.
Branches lashed at my arms as I crashed through the undergrowth. Damon’s snarls chased me, closer with every heartbeat. My lungs burned, my legs threatening to give out. The cancer’s relentless grip tightened around my ribs, stealing my breath.
Faster, Ara.
Faster.
Until a hand closed around my wrist.
I twisted, driving my elbow back with all my strength.
“Ara!” Damon’s voice was raw, furious.
My heel connected with his knee. He grunted but didn’t let go.
“Let me GO!” I screamed, thrashing like a wild thing. His grey eyes darkening.
“What are you doing here?” He growled.
His arms locked around me, crushing me to his chest. I clawed at his skin, my nails drawing blood, but his grip was iron.
“Why do you smell like a rogue?” he growled into my ear, his breath scorching.
He sniffed the air around me again and soon realisation hit him, “you helped them escape!”
“They were children!” I protested.
“They’re rogues!” He snarled.
I went still, my chest heaving. His body trembled against mine, his heartbeat a frantic drum against my back.
“You’re a monster,” I whispered/
His grip tightened. “We will talk once we reach the pack house.”
“Let go of me,” I protested.
22 The Escape
“You want to leave again? Dream on,” he growled.
He dragged me back to the packhouse in silence, his fury a living thing between us.
The warriors watched, their eyes wide as Damon stormed past, me locked in his arms like some stolen prize.
He carried me upstairs directly. Into his room.
The door slammed shut behind us.
“You betrayed me,” he said, his voice dangerously soft.
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze head–on. “I saved them.”
“Save them? They are rogues,” his word was a blade.
“So what? Were they the greatest threat for the great lycan prince?” I yelled, frustration boiling my blood.
“You went against me, Ara. You have disrespected me,” his voice was colder than winter winds as he stepped closer. My heart sank.
“You will stay here and repent,” his words suffocated me.
“You can’t cage me,” I protested.
“Don’t test my patience little wolf. It won’t end well for either of us.” His eyes bore on me, making me flinch. “You are not to leave this room unless I say so,” he turned and left, the lock clicking into place behind him.
Alone, I sank to the floor, my body shaking.
Myra had made it.
The pups were safe. Luna Celestine would know about the hunt. It would give them time and maybe, just maybe they would find a way to survive.
But me?
I was trapped.
By my mate!
He would never let me go.
I was now his prisoner.
Why couldn’t I find a mate among the outcasts? Goddess, why would you write him in my fate? Was it really a blessing?
I probably would have been happier if I never met him!
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