Chapter 6: Escape

Cora's POV

A few days later, Liam and my parents join me for my first baby doctor appointment — not to support me, of course, but to make sure everything is perfect for Iris’s cure.

Ever since I uncovered the truth, a strange, stifling tension hangs between us, thick and suffocating, and no one knows how to break it.

“We should have a baby shower!” Iris’s excited voice bounces off the sterile walls of the obstetrician’s office.

She’s the only one untouched by the tension, beaming with the pure certainty that she’s the center of everyone’s love.

“Of course we should,” Liam agrees indulgently, shooting her a warm smile — even as it’s my baby’s silhouette glowing on the ultrasound screen.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Iris,” my mother adds, her voice saccharine.

I clench my jaw as the cool gel slides across my exposed stomach.

No one even asks what I think. Why would they? I’m just the vessel.

It’s fine. I’ve been preparing for this.

If anything, a public baby shower gives me the perfect window to disappear.

“That sounds lovely!” I chirp, injecting fake cheer into my voice as I stare up at the screen.

I need to get out of here. For me. For my baby.

“I’m glad you’re finally on the same page as the rest of us,” Liam says, his voice steel under velvet.

“Your child appears perfectly healthy so far,” the pack doctor cuts in.

“Seven, maybe eight weeks along. Vitals are excellent. Development is fully on track. We’ll schedule another checkup in a couple weeks, but for now, everything’s perfect.”

My parents sag into each other, tears of relief brimming in their eyes. Liam flashes Iris another brilliant smile.

Meanwhile, I lie there, feeling like a ghost at my own child’s celebration.

The doctor switches off the machine, wipes my stomach, and the appointment ends.

***

That evening, the party kicks into full swing.

The pack house’s ballroom buzzes with the mingled scents and chatter of Snowcrest and Bloodthorn members.

I spend the beginning of the night on Liam’s arm, smiling mechanically as strangers offer their congratulations and reach for my stomach like I’m some communal talisman.

Each touch makes my skin crawl. I blink rapidly and step aside, feigning dizziness.

After about half an hour, Liam finally notices.

“Are you alright?” he asks sharply. “If something’s wrong, you should see the doctor immediately—”

“Just tired,” I assure him with a small, exhausted smile. “Pregnancy is taxing, you know. Would you mind if I went upstairs to rest?”

“Whatever you need to do for the baby’s health,” he replies.

His gaze has already slid past me, locking onto Iris across the room.

Of course.

We all know this party isn’t really for me.

Without waiting for his permission, I slip away.

This moment — the moment I’ve been waiting for — has arrived.

In our bedroom, I swap my gown for loose pants, a tunic, and soft-soled shoes I stashed away days ago.

I pocket the small bag of essentials I’d hidden under the bed — some money, an old map, and a vial of protective herbs Elder Maren once gave me — and head out through the servants’ corridor, heart hammering in my chest.

The front foyer is empty.

Everyone is too busy celebrating.

I cut across the courtyard and head straight for the Bloodthorn border.

Almost there.

Almost free.

Only a few guards stand watch, shadows against the treeline.

I slow from a frantic run to a confident stride, shoulders squared. The small pouch hidden beneath my jacket presses against my ribs — everything I need for the road ahead, packed days ago, just in case.

“I am Luna Cora. I need to retrieve something important from the Bloodthorn pack,” I announce, my voice sharp and commanding.

One of the guards hesitates, brow furrowed.

“Luna, I think I should confirm with Alpha—”

I cut him off coldly. “Are you questioning my authority?”

They stiffen. Lower their heads. Step aside.

But as I move forward, a flicker of hesitation roots me to the spot. If I waste another second here... Liam will realize I'm missing from the pack house. He'll come after me.

Jaw tight, I shove the doubt aside. No more waiting. No more second chances. I surge forward, pushing through the border before they can change their minds.

I don’t waste a second.

I’m through the border before they can react.

But just as my foot touches Bloodthorn soil, a voice slices through the night.

“Cora!”

My heart leaps into my throat.

Liam.

“Stop!” he roars, his voice laced with Alpha power.

I run harder.

I’m not stopping. Not for him. Not for anyone.

His footsteps thunder behind me. I can almost feel his hand reaching for my wrist—

Suddenly, a mind-link tears through my thoughts — the Beta’s voice, urgent but deeply respectful, speaking to both of us at once:

‘Forgive me, Alpha, Luna. Iris just collapsed. You are needed immediately.’

I glance back.

Liam’s eyes blaze in the darkness, torn between two instincts.

For a single, suspended moment, we lock eyes.

The wind howls between us. My lungs burn.

And then he makes his choice.

Without a word, he turns and sprints back toward Snowcrest.

Leaving me standing there, breathless and alone.

Relief crashes over me so hard it leaves me dizzy.

I’m free.

But in the same heartbeat, a jagged pain tears through my chest.

He didn’t choose me.

He never chose me.

I was never his mate, not really. Just a means to an end.

A sob chokes in my throat, but I push it down.

I run, deeper into the woods, farther from the pack and everything that ever hurt me.

***

The forest is endless.

Each step pulls me further from the life I once knew.

But somewhere between the trees, I lose my bearings.

The towering pines blur together, identical and unyielding. Panic claws at my chest.

I force myself to stop. To listen.

My own heartbeat thrums wildly in my ears.

And then—

Something else.

A scent.

Crisp fir, earth, and something unmistakably male.

It cuts through the woods like a blade, unfamiliar and alarming.

I tense, instincts flaring.

I’m not part of a pack anymore.

I’m just a rogue now.

And rogues are prey.

A sick realization knots my stomach.

The undergrowth at my feet — thick with silverleaf vines — only grows in one place.

The stories flood back, chilling my blood.

I’ve wandered into the Moongrove Pack’s territory.

The strongest, most ruthless pack on the continent.

A pack that executes trespassers on sight.

Cold sweat beads along my spine.

I have to get out. Now.

I whirl around, breath hitching, ready to bolt —

When a figure steps from the shadows.

Broad shoulders.

Unhurried stride.

Moonlight catches the edges of him — all darkness and danger wrapped in effortless grace.

Before I can even draw a breath to scream, a voice — deep, rough, velvet-edged and lethal — slides through the gloom.

“I’ve been waiting for you, mate.”