Eden pov
“Leave me and run. You have a bigger chance to get out of here alone. Head to North, that’s where you will find a safe shelter. Run and don’t look back.”
Although his words were barely louder than a whisper, they held so much power, bravery and selflessness I knew I couldn’t leave him behind. A person, who was willing to put his own safety in jeopardy deserved salvation as much as I did.
I knew we couldn’t outrun the patrol or fight them off, but what we could do was use anything we could to our advantage. I looked around and tried to figure out which route would be the best.
So far nothing worked like I had planned, but somehow, the very thing I feared the most turned out to be the distraction I needed.
The growl I expected was so powerful, it might have shaken the ground around the pack house. The sound alerted the patrol and they instantly took off towards the building, leaving us behind.
I glanced at the old man and grinned. “Think you could run until we get over the border after all? There won’t be a better chance to get out than the one we have now.”
There was a hint of doubt in his eyes, but stronger than that was his drive to get out.
When he nodded his head, I winked at him. “You owe me your name as soon as we step over that border, my friend. I’m Eden, by the way.”
He didn’t answer, didn’t acknowledge my words. Intread, he got out of my hold and took off. This had to be the first time I saw someone as old as him run that fast. Truth to be told, I had some difficulty keeping up with him, but we managed.
I knew we stepped over the pack border but didn’t alert my friend. He deserved a moment to sit down and rest, but we didn’t know how far the patrol and the Alpha were willing to go, so I took advantage of him, still running.
Once we got far away, we could rest.
By the time my lungs started burning and I couldn’t feel the muscles in my legs anymore, I realized we had run for longer than a couple of minutes as I initially planned.
I was close to collapsing while the old man, the same man who claimed he was too old and slow, kept running without breaking a bead of sweat. How?
“I think I’m about to die,” I blurted out. My voice didn’t sound like mine, it was so hoarse, almost like I had been choked for hours and finally got a chance to speak.
“Shoot,” the old man finally stopped. “I forgot you’re not a full-blood shifter, sorry,” he muttered the apology as I ran into him.
I tried to stop, I really did, but my muscles didn’t listen to me so…
To his credit, he didn’t pay attention to it and focused on our surroundings. “Oh, I recognize this place. We’re about fifteen miles away from the pack territory. Although I believe this is unclaimed land, we should be safe here for now. I’m Richard. It’s nice to finally exchange names, Eden.”
“Indeed, it is,” I grinned and offered him my hand for a handshake.
Unlike other people I had met before, Richard didn’t pull a face of disgust and gladly shook my hand. Both of us grinned like fools until the realization sunk in. We were out. Free.
“So, what now?” He asked.
At first, I just shrugged, still unsure of how to feel about freedom. This was the first time I had left the territory after I moved there. I didn’t know the world out there, the laws and rules of survival.
If anything, I almost felt like an infant that had barely left the womb and faced the fact that now, I had to learn how to breathe without assistance.
“Oh, how about we rest a bit and figure out a plan? I got some food in my backpack. If you want to, we can cook something or stick to snacks until morning, maybe?”
Richard laughed at me as he sat down. Then, his eyes focused on something in the distance and a loud, heavy sigh left him. “I don’t remember when was the last time I breathed in fresh air.” He muttered.
The words took me off guard. What was he trying to tell me?
“In fact, I have no idea how much time I spent in that cell. It has to be years.”
“Wait,” I gasped and sat next to him. “You were there all that time and never tried to speak to me? Why didn't you try to connect with me before today?”
Richard shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t want to scare you. Sometimes, just the thought of having someone nearby helps you… Not to feel that lonely, I guess? Anyway, I saw many things in that cell but every time they came downstairs to berate you, you left the cell stronger, more determined for some reason. I didn’t know why you stayed there, but I also didn’t want to intervene without knowing anything. Until today, of course.”
“I hoped that my mate would get me out of there,” I admitted.
Technically, Richard and I were strangers, but I trusted him enough to admit that much. It was the truth, after all. While I had no idea there was someone watching me every day, hearing me cry, the thought made me feel warmer. I wasn’t as alone as I thought.
“Look at you, princess. You endured so much waiting for your prince charming and ended up escaping on your own. You even brought the wicked ogre with you,” Richard chuckled.
I had forgotten how it felt to have a father, to enjoy moments of joking around with him, but I had a suspicion that this conversation was pretty close to that.
I reached into my backpack and pulled out two protein bars. I hated the taste, but they were a great source of energy and easy on the stomach.
As we snacked on those, we let the silence take over for a bit. Neither of us seemed adamant to insist on more discussions until we were done eating and washed the dry protein bars down with some water.
“I suppose now we should come up with a plan, right? The first night of our freedom. Tell me, Eden, is there anywhere you ever wanted to go to?” Richard questioned me.
Right when his eyes focused on me, I started wondering how pathetic it would sound if I admitted that I had never really thought about it. My life was in that pack, it was the center of my universe. I didn’t know anything outside it, not to the level to dream about visiting places.
“Nope,” I finally admitted, thankfully sounding somewhat light-hearted.
I probably was feeling too relaxed and didn’t pay attention to anything until Richard’s body froze next to mine. My heart started beating so fast, I heard the pounding in my ears. It had to be the trackers that crazy Alpha sent, right?
Richard grabbed my wrist and shook me. “Fire.”
Eden povWhat was the chance that two people who managed to escape hell kept running into more danger? Seriously, fate? Ever since I turned twenty-one, every step I took brought more danger. Like a never ending tale of misery.And now, I was fearing that the misfortune of my life might stick to Richard. He was a nice old man who didn’t bother anyone, and because of me, he was in danger. I had no idea how he was treated by the pack members, but if it weren’t for my insistence to run away, Richard would have a roof over his head. Oh, yeah, and he wouldn’t stand near a forest fire, a detail I shouldn’t forget. “Where?” I asked once I got back to my senses. Unlike me, although old, Richard was a werewolf and his senses were way better. I bet he could smell the smoke from miles away while I could notice that only if the fire was very close. “Close,” he muttered and scrunched up his nose. I watched Richard as he closed his eyes and let out a silent ‘shh’ sound. I held my breath while R
Lucius povFrom the moment we stepped on this territory, I knew the underground market was worse than my spies reported. Every building we passed was another orphanage or hospital. There was no way that a pack with such wealth and infrastructure as this one claimed to have had nothing but abandoned children and injured warriors. “They lied,” Titus, my second in command, whispered. I nodded my head, letting my eyes roam the surroundings. All suspicions aside, what had my senses alerted was that by now, I had counted thirteen orphanages, but no schools and there wasn’t even one playground for the pups they claimed lived here. Not only did this place look suspicious, but it also had a stench of something I couldn’t put in words. I felt like I stood in the center of everything wicked, cruel and malicious.Worst of all, the feeling sunk deeper and rooted itself when a very pregnant looking woman wobbled her way towards us. She had a wide smile across her lips, but her eyes were empty,
Lucius povThe moment Titus ran away, the so-called Luna slowed down until we walked side by side. She did her best to rub herself against me. When she tried to place her hand in mine, I took a step to the side and glared at her. Maybe she understood me, maybe not, but once she opened her mouth, I realized she was very well aware of everything she was doing. “Oh, don’t be like that. I’m somewhat human and loneliness without my Alpha around has its toll on me. I just want some company.” Sure, to someone else, she might sound like a lonely woman, but in my eyes, she was nothing but a power-hungry mutt. She didn’t have an Alpha, she wasn’t a Luna and there was no saying whose child she was carrying. If she was carrying any. “I will show you the Alpha suite. You will fall in love with the bed, it’s so comfortable, like clouds,” she beamed as she opened the door to the massive building and let me inside first. Just like in the rest of the territory, I didn’t hear any sounds. If there w
Lucius povMy heart started racing while I couldn’t suck in a breath. Titus, the forever observant asshole, noticed the change in my demeanor within seconds. He shoved the man he was holding in a headlock towards one of the warriors and ran to my side. Titus tossed my arm around his shoulders as if he feared I might lose my footing. “Lucius, what is it? Are you getting worse?” He whispered the second question to ensure my men didn’t hear him. I shook my head as I struggled to fight Xabat’s attempts to grasp the control. If the hothead were to succeed, he would surely scare our mate away and I wasn’t willing to risk it. The Goddess had forgiven the family sins, she had granted me a soulmate, I was willing to go down in flames along this place if it meant I could keep her. “Mate,” I choked out, only for Titus to hear. We had once discussed the possibility and the risks that were most likely to follow, especially with the brainless fool that resided within me. “Xabat, calm the fuck
Eden povLazily, I blinked awake and realized I needed to use the bathroom really badly. The thought of running around the forest to find an area I could use sickened me, but it was what it was until we found a proper living space, I had to suck it up. Only… That wasn’t quite the case. I had no idea where I was, but there was a weight pressing me down into something soft beneath me and it felt like limbs were tossed over my body. On top of that, whatever was obviously lying nearly on top of me was so hot, my clothes were sticking to my skin, I was drenched in sweat. Holding my breath, I tried to wiggle out of the vice-like grip someone or something had on me. It stirred and I froze while my heart was beating against my ribcage at such speed, I feared it might stop any moment. Then, came the sharp intake of breath and deep, husky voice. “Where do you think you are going?” A man asked. My head was spinning - where was I and why did I sleep next to a complete stranger? The surviva
Eden povAs the water hit my skin, a sigh of relief left my lips. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a proper shower, or to be fair, any shower. I spent years using a bucket of semi-dirty water and a rag to wash myself, so this feeling truly was like an out of this world experience. Since Lucius told me I could use the shower, I doubted if I could use any of the products lined along the wall, so I stuck to a bar of soap. When I looked down and noticed how dirty was the water that disappeared down the drain, I understood why he was mumbling about changing the sheets - I was, in fact, filthy. By the time I stepped out of the shower, the bathroom was filled with steam and my skin was bright red. Then, I noticed that there was a neatly folded towel left next to the sink basin. I frowned at it - when did someone enter the bathroom? Did they see me… naked? The very thought of anyone seeing me exposed like this terrified me, so I grabbed the towel and quickly wrapped it around my b
Eden povNo matter how hard I tried to make sense of his words, I still couldn’t understand why this man kept addressing me as his mate. Then, there was the detail that nagged me - Diana addressed me as majesty and Lucius as the King. Did that mean I was in the presence of the King himself? No, it couldn’t be. My guess would be that Lucius was someone crazy rich pretending to be the King, not the man himself. No one really knew much about the King besides the things that were common knowledge. For example: he was a crazed maniac, extremely powerful, literally a one man army no other supernatural could take down. There was a reason why the King ruled over everyone. He wasn’t the King of werewolves or shifters, no, he was the King of supernaturals and everyone feared him more than death for the man was the one who brought it, slowly and painfully. Even the Elders Council didn’t hold half as much power as the King. That man was above everything and everyone, close to a God of a sort.
Lucius pov I needed her close. It was so selfish of me to use the moment and give into my urges, but I needed her more than I needed my next breath. The only way to calm down Xabat was to be as near to her as possible, and that was exactly what I did. After I heard Titus mention that my beautiful, fragile mate had been fated to someone else before I found her made my blood boil. To be honest, as grateful as I was to that fuckface who was incapable of appreciating the gift the Goddess had given him, I was outraged that he had hurt my Eden by rejecting her. But then again, if we were paired, if I was given to her as the second chance, it meant she was strong enough to face him and accept the rejection to break the bond. That thought made me feel such immense pride in her strength and self-control, I nearly lost it. Once I was sure I was calm enough to carry on with our day, I finally looked at Eden and smiled at her. The way her cheeks turned bright red at the simple action made