Chapter 4: Escape Attempt

Selene

I was terrified. Absolutely, bone-deep terrified. But I'd be damned if I let any of them see it.

I lifted my chin and met Caelum's cold gray eyes, ignoring the shocked gasps from the crowd around us. Some of the unmated girls who'd been whispering about becoming his Luna were glaring at me like I'd personally ruined their lives.

Firstly, I’d like to declare that I absolutely didn’t ruin their lives, they did with their fakeness. Secondly, I would rather die mateless than have either of these two as my mate, talk less of both of them.

I wanted to look up to the moon and scream, howl and question it. ‘Is this some type of sick fucking joke you’re playing to mock me!?’

But then, I refrained from doing it because, aside from the fact that it’ll make me seem like a lunatic, I couldn’t afford to have a bad rep with the goddess. The werewolf race already hated me; it’d be tragic if the moon goddess started to hate me, too.

The truth was, aside from knowing they didn't want me, Caelum Veylor and Darius Thornveil were my enemy. They all were. But the both of them were worse than the pack members who'd spent years making my life hell.

At least they were my pack members. But Alpha Caelum was an outsider who had no business controlling my fate. Same with Alpha Darius.

My response to his question came out colder than I expected it would.

"I said," I took a step forward, my voice somehow steady despite my racing heart, "I'm a nobody, and I'm not fit to be your mate. You'd have to look for someone else. You both don't want me anyway."

Tears stung the backs of my eyes, but I blinked them away furiously. I would not cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

Caelum's expression didn't change, but something arctic settled in his voice. "Good. You know your place, and exactly what you are. Which is also why you should know that you don't have a say in this."

The tears threatened again, harder this time, but I bit down on my tongue until I tasted blood. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, I chanted silently. 

I'd made myself a promise years ago that I wouldn't let them see me break. So far, I’ve been able to keep that promise even in the most impossible and unbelievable circumstances. I wasn't about to break it now.

 

Now, it has been three days. I'd been trapped in Caelum's mansion that he forcefully brought me to without my permission because, by his analogy, I simply didn’t matter.

I’ve been here for three days, and he hadn't bothered to check on me once. But I wasn’t even angry at that. How could I be when the peace and lack of interruption gave me time to properly think of what to do next, and also hatch a plan.

If I’m gone, he’ll be able to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants, and I’ll be happy on my own. It still baffled me why he chose to drag me to his house instead of abandoning me.

I smiled at my messy handiwork—The broken window.

A sad smile graced my face when I remembered the way he’d taught me to do it. ‘Here’s me needing it to save myself now, Dad. ’

The glass from the bedroom window crunched under my feet as I squeezed through the frame I'd shattered with a chair leg. My hands were cut and bleeding, but I didn't care. Freedom was worth a few scars.

The fact that no one had noticed I was gone just proved my point. They didn't care enough about me to actually watch me. Caelum had probably forgotten I existed the moment he'd locked me in that pristine prison of a room.

I dropped to the ground outside, my legs shaking from adrenaline and three days of barely eating. For someone who sort of wanted death, you’d think it’d take it how it came to me, but the one way to die I’d never accept is dying via poison. The plan was simple: get to human territory. At least there, no one would know who I was. No one would care about my family's supposed sins or call me cursed. I could disappear and maybe, finally, have a normal life.

My chest ached as I thought about Mom and Dad. They'd been dead for five years, but the grief still hit me in waves. I missed Mom's laugh and the way she used to braid flowers into my hair. I missed Dad's terrible jokes and how he'd ruffle my hair whenever he passed my chair.

If they were still alive, maybe this mate bond would have been something to celebrate instead of a curse. Maybe there would have been a proper ceremony, negotiations between families, respect instead of rejection.

But they weren't here, and I was alone. And I was atoning for sins I didn’t commit.

I had to be careful moving through the forest. Caelum's territory bordered Darius's, and running into either Alpha's patrols would end my escape before it really began. I stuck to the shadows, following streams to mask my scent and avoiding the main paths.

For the first time in years, I let myself imagine what freedom might feel like. A small apartment in a human city. A job where no one whispered about my bloodline. Maybe even friends who didn't know about werewolves or mate bonds or any of the supernatural politics that had ruined my life.

I'd discover little coffee shops tucked between bookstores, spending lazy afternoons reading novels that had nothing to do with pack politics or Alpha dominance.

Maybe I'd learn to paint—something I'd always wanted to try but never had time for between chores and avoiding bullies.

I pictured having girlfriends who'd drag me shopping for clothes that weren't hand-me-downs, giggling over silly movies and sharing secrets that didn't involve life-or-death pack drama.

We'd go to concerts, try exotic foods from street vendors, and dance badly at clubs where the only supernatural thing was the terrible music.

I'd get a job—maybe at a library or a flower shop—somewhere peaceful where I could smile at customers without wondering if they were plotting against me.

On weekends, I'd explore museums, feed ducks in parks, and maybe even go on normal dates with human men who thought my biggest problem was choosing between pizza toppings.

I could be happy. I could be normal.

I was so lost in those dreams that I almost missed the sound of footsteps.

My blood turned to ice as I pressed myself against a tree trunk, holding my breath. A guard patrol. I could hear at least three voices; their conversation carried on the night air.

"...increased security around the borders..."

"...Alpha's orders..."

"...find the girl..."

So, they noticed I was gone. My heart hammered against my ribs as I waited for them to pass, counting the seconds until their voices faded into the distance.

When I was sure they were gone, I forced myself to keep moving. I was almost to the border between territories. Almost free.

But ‘almost’ is as good as never.

The forest started to thin out ahead of me, and I could see the neutral zone that marked the boundary between pack lands. Just a little further. Just a few more steps and I'd be—

A figure stepped out from behind a massive oak tree directly in my path.

Even in the moonlight, there was no mistaking that tall, scarred frame or those burning amber eyes. Darius Thornveil stood between me and freedom like a wall of muscle and barely contained violence.

Our eyes met across the small clearing, and I saw the exact moment recognition flashed in his gaze.

"Oh shit," I whispered.