THE ATTEMPTED ESCAPE

Chapter 5 – The Attempted Escape

Jenna’s POV

I didn’t sleep.

The fire had long burned down to embers, shadows creeping over the walls, but my eyes stayed open, fixed on the heavy oak door. Every creak of the mansion, every howl outside in the forest made me flinch.

I was trapped in the Alpha King’s lair.

But I wasn’t going to stay.

As dawn broke, a soft light crept through the tall windows. I pulled myself off the floor, my body aching, my neck still burning from his mark. Every time I touched it, the bond pulsed, like it was alive, whispering in the back of my head: His. His. His.

I shoved the thought away.

Pacing the room, I searched for a weakness. The window was barred, the glass reinforced. The door was solid, but maybe… maybe when the servants brought food, I could slip out.

My stomach knotted. I didn’t even know where I’d run. The pack lands stretched for miles, guarded by wolves who would rip me apart before letting me escape. But staying meant surrender. And I wasn’t surrendering.

Hours passed. Finally, there was a knock. The door opened just enough for a tray of food to slide in — fruit, bread, water. A girl’s hand trembled as she pushed it forward.

“Please,” I whispered. “Help me.”

Her eyes darted to the hallway. “I can’t,” she whispered back, voice shaking. “He’d kill me.” Then she was gone, the door slamming shut again.

Despair clawed at me, but I forced myself to eat. I needed strength. I needed a plan.

By nightfall, I had one.

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When the moon rose, I waited until the guards changed shifts — I’d counted their footsteps outside the door. Timing was my only weapon.

I slipped into the corridor the next time the tray came, shoving the door before the servant could react. She gasped, but I bolted, sprinting down the hall barefoot, heart hammering.

Corridors blurred, marble and portraits rushing past. Wolves’ heads mounted on the walls glared down at me. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to get out.

Then I found it — a side staircase leading down. I took the steps two at a time, lungs burning, the sound of shouts erupting behind me. They knew.

I burst through a set of doors and into the courtyard. Cold night air slapped my face, carrying the scent of pine and smoke. I ran. My legs pumped harder than ever before, the bond screaming in my veins, pulling me back, but I fought it.

Almost there.

The iron gates loomed ahead. Freedom.

“Jenna.”

The voice stopped me cold.

He stood in front of the gates, arms folded, eyes glowing like molten gold. Brock.

Terror rooted me in place. My chest heaved, tears streaming down my face. He’d been waiting. He’d known.

“Going somewhere?” His tone was calm, almost amused, but the danger beneath it made my stomach twist.

“I— I can’t stay here,” I stammered. “I won’t. You can’t just keep me like this.”

He moved toward me, slow and deliberate, every step radiating raw power. “You think you can run from me? From this?” He touched his own neck where his mark mirrored mine. “Foolish little mate.”

“I’ll never be yours,” I spat, even though my voice cracked. “I don’t care what the bond says.”

In a flash, he was in front of me, his hand slamming against the gate beside my head. The metal shuddered under the force. His other hand gripped my chin, tilting my face up.

“You already are.”

His voice sank into me, dark and final. Sparks flared from the bond, flooding me with unwanted heat, making me dizzy. My body betrayed me again, trembling under his touch, but my eyes stayed defiant.

He studied me for a long moment, then exhaled, jaw tight. “You’re strong,” he admitted. “Stronger than the others.”

The others. The word made bile rise in my throat.

Without warning, he swept me into his arms, ignoring my kicks and screams, and carried me back through the courtyard, up the stairs, down the endless hallways.

“Let me go!” I thrashed against his chest, fists pounding uselessly.

He growled low, the sound vibrating through me. “Never.”

Back in the room, he dropped me on the bed and leaned over me, his gold eyes burning.

“Try again if you want,” he said softly, almost a dare. “It’ll make breaking you all the sweeter.”

Then he was gone, the door locking behind him.

I curled into myself, tears soaking the pillow.

I had tried. I had failed. But deep inside, one thought remained.

I would not give up.

Not yet.