Cals POV
“Allison?” I whispered in disbelief. I didn’t expect her to be here. I thought all of Damon’s soldiers had lost track of me. “You think you can run from me, you little rat?” Allison sneered, stepping closer with that familiar cruel smile I had seen too many times before. “You’ve always been trash… just like your parents.” My body tensed. My breaths came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding in my chest from the run. I hated the way she spoke about my parents. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice shaking. She laughed like a maniac. “Surprised? Thought you were getting away?” She was just like her father. “I told Dad I wanted to come along for fun. He thought I’d slow him down, so I followed him in secret. Guess who was right?” I just stared at her, my mind scanning through a list of things I could do to get away. I was too weak to fight—I didn’t even have a wolf. She made a clicking sound with her tongue, and two other girls stepped out from behind the trees. They smirked just like Allison, closing in on me like predators circling a wounded deer. “Trina… Elina,” I whispered, surprised. These three girls had made my life a living hell in the pack. They mocked me, made everyone laugh at me, spilled their drinks on my uniform, and I was too weak to defend myself. But this time had to be different. I had to fight for myself—especially with Allison speaking about my parents like that. She had no right to. They were good people compared to her monster of a father. “Do you really think a mediocre person like you deserves to live?” Allison said, tilting her head mockingly. “With your ugly face, your stupid hair color, your deadbeat family, and your wolf that’s too weak to break free? You should’ve died—just like your good-for-nothing father.” Something inside me snapped. I had to fight for my parents. “You don’t get to talk about them!” I spat, my fists clenched at my sides. “You think you’re better than me because your daddy’s a monster in a crown?” I asked, my confidence finally kicking in. “You’re nothing but a coward hiding behind a name. You’re rotten—just like your beast of a father.” Trina and Elina stiffened, their eyes wide. They weren’t used to me talking back. Allison’s face twisted in rage. “How dare you speak about my father like that?” “How dare you torment me for years and think I’d still be scared of you?” I shot back, stepping forward now, refusing to back down. “You bitch!” Allison screamed, lunging at me. She grabbed my hair and yanked hard. “Let go of me!” I shouted, struggling. “Not until you take back what you said about my father!” she yelled, still pulling. “Not anymore, Allison!” I screamed in frustration. “No more being your punching bag!” I grabbed her shirt, and a burst of energy surged through me. I shoved her away with all the strength I had. Allison stumbled backward, tripped on a thick tree trunk lying in the grass, and slammed her head against it. A sickening crack echoed through the forest. Her friends rushed to her side. “Allison!” Trina cried, her voice full of panic. I froze. Allison wasn’t moving. I rushed over, heart pounding in terror. “No… no, no, no…” Blood trickled from a deep gash on Allison’s temple. Her eyes were shut, her face pale and still. I dropped to my knees, hands trembling as I tried to press against the wound. My palms were soon covered in blood. “Wake up,” I whispered desperately, shaking her. “Allison, wake up! I didn’t mean to—” “She’s not waking up,” Elina whispered, horrified. “She’s dead!” Trina cried, backing away. “You killed her!” “No. She’s not. She can’t be—” I choked on my words. My mind raced as panic blinded me. Damon would definitely take my life if he found out. I was still shaking Allison, trying to wake her, when I heard footsteps—heavy, measured steps—getting closer. I couldn’t let him find me here. My eyes widened in terror, and without thinking, I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Branches whipped at my face as I tore through the woods. My heart raced, lungs burned, hands still covered in blood. My body begged me to stop, but I couldn’t. I had to get away—before Damon found out what I’d done. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know if Allison would live. All I knew was if I stayed, I’d be next. So I ran. The forest grew darker, thicker, and colder. My vision blurred from exhaustion and the tears I could no longer hold back. My limbs shook. My feet bled from thorns and roots. But I didn’t stop. Until finally, I saw it. A tall iron gate with thick stone markers and a border wall. I had reached the edge of another territory. My knees gave out and I collapsed onto the dirt in front of it. Two guards stepped forward, their black armor glinting under the moonlight. They raised their weapons, tense and alert. “Stop right there! Who are you?” one barked. I lifted my trembling hands. “Please…” I croaked, my throat dry and raw. “I—I need help.” The guards hesitated. One sniffed the air, then exchanged a look with the other. “She’s from Lunar Crest Pack…” one muttered. “Damon’s territory. If we help her, we might get into trouble.” My heart broke. They weren’t going to help me. I crawled forward on my knees, blood dripping from my temple, my face caked with dirt, eyes swollen from crying. “Please, they’ll kill me if they find me. They killed my parents and now they’re hunting me. I have nowhere to go.” Still, they didn’t move. Tears streamed down my face as I clasped my hands together and begged. “Please. I have nowhere else to go. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just want to live.” One of the guards finally stepped toward me. Maybe it was the desperation in my voice, or maybe he saw the truth in my eyes. Either way, the tension in the air softened. He stopped beside me and signaled the other one. The older guard narrowed his eyes, studying me, then stepped aside and murmured something into his earpiece. “We’ll take you in,” he said. “But if this is a trick…” “It’s not…” I whispered, already slipping into unconsciousness. “Thank you…” The last thing I heard before the world faded to black was the guard’s voice calling for backup. And for the first time in my life… someone was trying to protect me.
