6

ELARA

“ You have no scent… ” His scorching gaze dropped to my rapidly beating chest. “ What are you really? ”

I almost thought he would figure out something about me. Several answers instantly ran through my head, but not even one of them seemed to be perfect for this situation.

“ I… ” I swallowed, my throat going dry. “ I am— ”

Suddenly, Alpha Alaric grabbed my right shoulder. A gasp escaped my mouth as a shot of electric current ran down the length of my body.

My gaze dropped to his hand, but before I could figure out what this was, he pushed me aside and opened the door.

“ Stay here. I have something to deal with. ” He said in a hurry and moved out of the door.

I turned around, watching his bare back and his fast pace as he rounded the corner and disappeared from my sight altogether.

Pressing a hand to my chest, I took a few deep breaths. The tension in my shoulders eased a little.

Where did he go in a hurry? I wondered, but that was not the important thing right now.

The more important fact was…

The coast was clear. There was no one around.

My heart started pounding again. I needed to escape before he returned or before he sent someone to take me back to the dungeon.

I glanced towards the corridor, but gave up on the idea of stepping out of this room. What if someone stopped me on the way out? I didn’t think they would let me leave that easily, or it was simply impossible for me to make up a convincing excuse, given my situation.

Frantically, I scanned the room. My eyes stopped at the big open balcony door in the distance. Without waiting for a moment, I sprinted towards the balcony and stepped out, only to see dense forest on the other side.

My eyes sparkled as I observed the area. There was not even a single warrior in sight here.

This was my best chance. I had to get down and escape through the woods. But…

I leaned against the railing and almost felt my heart jumping out of my throat. This room was two storeys high.

If I jumped, I would end up breaking my neck or my legs. Both cases were not ideal for my condition.

I leaned back and stared at the woods again. Unconsciously, I nibbled on my right thumb.

What now?

Without a wolf and healing abilities, this was much harder than I thought. Why did the Goddess curse me this way? I could heal others, but couldn’t heal myself either.

Sighing, I turned around, my shoulders drooping. But then my eyes landed on the black bedsheets on the King bed.

My eyes lit up with a victorious glint. I ran for the bed and pulled the sheets off.

I grabbed the duvet too, and bound its edge with the bedsheet's corner, making a makeshift rope. Running back to the balcony, I wrapped one edge of the bedsheet around the railing and threw the rest of it down.

Excitement made my pulse quicken. Grinning, I looked down, only to find that my so-called lifeline didn’t reach the ground yet.

But it was close. It was just the difference of four or five feet. If I jumped, I might sustain a strain or something, but wouldn’t break a bone.

I gritted my jaw and stared at the ground for a moment. The choice was clear, and I had no time to waste.

I gripped the sheet and began descending. My shoulders and arms burned with the effort of keeping myself wrapped around the sheets, but I slowly slid down. Just as I reached the end of it, I took a deep breath and let go.

A short scream errupted from my lips when my feet made contact with the ground. My left foot twisted, sending waves of pain up my leg. I supressed another scream as I stumbled and fell back on my butt.

A second wave of pain hit my spine, making me roll on the ground while still holding my hurting ankle.

Tears sprang to my eyes as I nibbled on my lip, doing my best not to make any sounds, or else I might end up alerting others.

At the thought of getting caught, I pushed myself to stand once more. The moment my left foot touched the ground, a sharp pain crept up.

The tears I had been holding slid free. I sniffled, taking my heel off the ground.

The pain was too much. It felt like someone had driven a knife straight through my ankle and was twisting it every time I tried to move. I squeezed my eyes shut and sucked in a shaky breath.

No, I couldn’t stop now. If I stopped, Alpha Alaric would do what Lucien had been doing to me my whole life. He would turn me into a blood bag for his people and drain me dry until there was nothing left to give inside me.

And what if that didn’t satisfy him either? What if he started doing experiments on me?

I shuddered at the thought of getting dissected and cut open so that others could see what made my blood so special.

My fingers dug into the fabric of my dress as I forced myself forward. I took one step ahead, and the pain exploded up my leg.

I bit down hard on my lower lip. I took another step ahead, and a whimper escaped despite my efforts.

Silently, I stared at the sky and prayed. Moon Goddess, please give me the strength!