007: FIND HER AND KILL HER

~Valerie~

No one returns to my room till dusk. Sebastian doesn’t show up either. My thoughts have been tumbling over each other since Helen and Celeste dropped the bombshell. Hours pass, and I stay still on the bed, planning my escape.

I wait until the sun sets completely before swinging into action. Tearing off the curtains hanging by the windows, I tie the ends together to form a rope long enough to let me own the building. Jumping off the first floor is risky, but staying in this pack is riskier. Guards are stationed at my door. There’s no way I can slip out without getting noticed by them.

My nose stings. I have spent the last three years in this house. It’s sad to leave in this way. Blinking to push back the tears threatening to fall, I make my descent. Cool air slaps against my skin. My legs burn as I try to find stable ground. My bump brushes the wall. With great difficulty, I let myself down the building, landing into a patch of grass beneath.

There are no guards around. Crouching, I make my way to a secret passway in the fence, hiding behind shrubs. It’s a small opening Sebastian made a few weeks after our wedding when I joked about having secret doors and rooms for our  kids. I never thought the first time I'd use the passage would be in an emergency like this. 

Before I can slip through the small space, an alarm rings through the premises. My pulse roars in my ears. They have discovered my escape. I didn't even get far before they found out. Hastening my steps, I push the door open and dash through it, tearing into the woods. I know it’s a lost cause. Sebastian would catch me if I'm not fast enough, and my pregnancy is slowing me down, but I don’t stop. 

A contraction in my lower abdomen causes me to sink to the floor. Tripping over a stump, I tumble downwards, rolling down a slope. Twigs prick my skin. Clamping my hand over my lips, I hold back a scream, panting heavily.

“Find her!” Sebastian’s loud voice echoes in assistance. “Don’t let her get away.”

He’s about four hundred meters away from me, yet the woods shake with the urgency in his tone. If he comes any closer, he’d be able to pick up my scent. My eyes drop down to my leg, and a curse leaves my lips. There’s a cut on my ankle. I rip off the hem of my skirt, tie it around the wound and drag myself up to continue my journey.

“Valerie!”

The voices are coming closer. He must be with at least a dozen guards, because the sound of dried grasses being trampled upon is quite sharp. “Valerie!” he yells again. “Where are you?”

I just have to get out of his pack. As long as I am in here, he’d have the upper hand. There are four borders. The one closest to me is the north. I head towards there, grateful for my knowledge of the pack’s geography.

“Valeriw!” This time, it’s Celeste's voice I hear. She must have followed Sebastian to prove to him that she’s kindhearted, that she cares about the woman who is in the position she covets. A bitter chuckle escapes my lips. I press a hand to my belly and move  on. “I’ll take some guards and go this way, Sebastian,” she says. “You should continue searching for her in the opposite direction. 

The harsh wind slaps against my eyes. My stomach clenches, and I slump against a tree stump, releasing a groan. Footsteps march away from me. Sebastian must have listened to Celeste's decision to split up. I am way too exhausted to continue running. Hiding behind a large stump by the slope, I squeeze my eyes shut and make a silent  prayer for my safety.

Suddenly, the footsteps stop. Then Celeste's voice follows.

“Find her and kill her,” she orders fiercely. “I want her corpse to be brought back to the Alpha’s residence at sunrise. Make sure she never returns to the pack again.”

My vision blurs. Tears sting my eyes. I press my hand harder against my mouth, holding back my moans. I don't know what hurts more. The sharp pains in my stomach or her schemes.

I left just as she wanted. I gave her the chance to become a luna with no plans of coming back. Why isn’t that enough for her?

“I don’t want disappointments," she goes on. “I’m paying you all too high a sum for you to give me flimsy excuses. If she is not found dead tomorrow, you’ll take her place in the afterlife.”

“Yes, Miss Celeste,” two unfamiliar voices chorus. Then they continue their search. 

Thunder cackles in the sky. I flinch, releasing a small gasp as lightning illuminates the grounds. All of a sudden, birds flee from trees. Thick branches snap off and fall to the ground. A gust of wind appears, sweeping up a thick blanket of dust. I grip the trunk I'm leaning on tightly, trying- and failing to ignore the increasing agony in my stomach.

“A frenzy,” one of the guards murmurs, his tone filled with fear. His voice rises in alarm. “It’s a blood moon frenzy.”

I don’t know a lot about werewolf lore, but I have heard about blood moon frienzies before. It’s dangerous for wolves, as their senses can heighten to an uncontrollable degree and cause them to wreck damage. If ignored, casualties will be recorded. Relief floods through me. Surely, Sebastian would never allow his guards to continue with the search till the frenzy passes. Since I am a human, I'll be safe from the adverse effects. All I have to do is hide in a safe place, and my escape will be successful.

But the relief doesn’t last.

“We should go back to the pack, Miss Celeste,” the guard continues. “The Alpha has sent messages through mindlinks demanding that we return.”

“I don’t care,” Celeste snaps. “Blood moon frenzy or not, find her. I don’t care if you die doing so.”

“Miss Celeste, it’s dangerous to be away from the pack–”

“Are you challenging me?”

The guards go quiet. I listen in on their conversation, my heart in my mouth. “I will be your luna whether she’s found or not. Trust me, you don’t want to get on my bad side. Kill that lowly human and bring me her corpse as evidence.”