2|Candle of Hope

~Serena~

The raging sentiments of the townspeople, the blistering heat of the sun, and Gerald’s protest on the podium became trivial as Declan served me a one-way ticket to my death on a silver platter. We stared at each other, our eyes conveying what our mouths couldn’t utter.

Mine was a culmination of confusion and anger. While Declan had already detached himself somewhere no one could reach him, hiding behind a mask of indifference. I knew a way to reach that side of him, but there was only one way we would be touching again, and that was me shoving a dagger in his heart.

Anton and Mike grabbed my arms, ushering me at their alpha’s command. Declan’s eyes were heavy on my back as I stepped down the platform. It was like stepping back into reality. I became aware of the outraged pack members in the arena. Words were thrown at me, demeaning my rights in this pack.

Behind the double door, more soldiers joined my entourage. For a sentence given seconds ago, I say they were more than prepared to escort me out of Embercrest.

‘Did Declan plan all of this ahead of time?’ I shunned that thought. 

He can’t possibly predict that I wouldn’t beg for his leniency. But when I saw my best friend Lia at the other end of the hallway, I knew something wasn’t right.

After being locked up in a dark cell for a week, with nothing on my mind but my execution, Lia’s familiar face brings a mayhem of emotions to me.

Lia was one of Embercrest’s best warriors. She sported her usual training attire, purple leggings, and a gray zip-up top, the zipper was undone to the top of her cleavage. She pushed off the wall, popped a bubble gum, and faced us.

“Lia,” Mike addressed Lia, confused. “I wasn’t informed you’d be joining us.”

Lia jutted her chin up. “Alpha’s orders. I need to make sure none of you will try to kill ‘her’ before you reach the border.”

Mike’s shoulders went rigid, clenching his fist on his side. Lia smirked, stepping aside and letting us pass. She inserted herself beside me. Her strawberry-flavored bubblegum was a welcomed scent my stomach really liked. A thunder rumbled from my stomach, my mouth salivating. They don’t serve proper dishes in prison. It was a bland porridge day after day.

“You want one?” she offered the bubblegum packet to me. Her tone was rather friendly.

I pursed my lips, paying her no mind. As a lieutenant, she could’ve easily slipped into my cell to see me, but she chose not to. She abandoned me.

Lia came from Declan’s pack, orphaned by the rogue siege. She didn’t blend well with Embercrest, was named the outcast, and was bullied by the popular girls at school until she showed incredible skills in basic military training. She played the victim and waited for the right moment to unleash her anger. She was smart enough to know when to keep a low profile and when to show off her excellent skills.

As a teenager without a wolf and the only child of the Alpha, Dad made sure I always had security shadowing me. I put in a word that I wanted Lia to be in my close in security. That’s when Lia and I became friends. The three of us, Declan, Lia, and I, were inseparable. That’s also why their betrayal hurts the most.

They knew me. They knew I wouldn’t take someone’s life without reason, especially Declan’s family.

One thing was clear: They shunned me because the bond they had with their previous pack was stronger than the one they had with me. I was still an outsider in their family.

“Alright,” Lia hummed and dropped her hand, shoving it in her jacket pocket as we reached the parking lot. They thrust me into the back seat of the Renegade. Mike placed his hand on my head as if I were a fragile princess. It was a force of habit. Anton took shotgun and Rob, another familiar face, was behind the wheels.

Lia slid on my left and Mike on my right. We were in a convoy of three cars. I was riding the middle one. The excruciating three-hour ride to the border was broken by Lia’s bubble gum popping and Elle King’s I Told You I Was Mean on low volume from the speaker.

Lia bobbed her head up and down, her fingers tapping on the car’s window pane.

“I love this song,” she nudged my shoulder. “Come sing with me, Serena.”

“Will you please cut that out?” Mike grunted.

Lia ignored him and kept singing at the top of her lungs. “I warned you before, oh honey…”

Lia has a decent singing voice, and I admit I would miss her. I would miss our nightcap while watching classic movies. And since I was exiled from Embercrest, I can’t be the maid of honor to her wedding anymore, just like she was to mine.

Reaching the border, the car slowed to a crawl. Mike slipped out first and put his hand on top of my head as I slid out, Lia following behind me.

While Mike uncuffed me, I stared at the tree line across the clearing. The air was eerie, and no animal or insect sounds pervaded the air. Once I crossed that tree line, my life and safety lay in my own hands.

“Why did you do it?” Mike asked. His voice was low and sad.

I stared at Mike, searching for animosity and hatred, but found none. Genuine curiosity and sadness shone in his blue eyes.

Mike was one of my father’s most trusted soldiers. Although he was only thirty, he rose through the military ranks because of his dedication and remarkable skills in keeping our pack safe.

“I… I had my reasons,” I murmured as his men dispersed into the clearing.

Mike pursed his lips, subtly looking left and right, then slipped a paper into my hand, his eyes conveying secrecy.

I swallowed hard, narrowing my eyes at Lia. She was mindlessly typing on her phone.

“Our order was to deliver you to the border,” Mike spoke, gathering his men’s attention. “Once you cross that treeline, we have orders to shoot you if you ever come back. You are now considered an enemy of the pack, Luna Serena.”

“I am not your Luna anymore,” I said.

Mike’s smile was somber. “You were never stripped of your rights, Luna.”

I hadn’t even noticed it until I looked over my shoulder. Mike’s team, my father’s men, formed a line behind us. Their eyes held no hatred towards me but respect. I stared at them one by one, committing to memory how they regarded me like Oliver’s death didn’t happen.

My father handpicked each man on this team. Tears sprang from my eyes, and I allowed them to fall as they bowed their heads.

I was wrong. Not everyone in this pack abandoned me.

I held my head high and nodded at them. My courage to survive and fight lit up anew. As I took each step towards the tree line, I promised to come back and take back what was mine. I didn’t look back until the forest’s eerie silence swallowed me. The thick canopy shadowed the entire forest into dimmed light.

The air was cold. The shirt and jeans I had on were no match for the chilly air pervading these woods. I kept walking, looking for shelter before night came, not stopping until my feet were aching and my legs screamed for rest.

I haven’t actually set foot in these woods, but my father owned a map of this land. From what I recall, there should be a river to the east of the border. A smile crept to my lips when I finally heard the sound of gushing water in the distance. Finding a huge tree, I stopped to take a breather, remembering the paper Mike slipped into my hands.

‘Follow the river to the east. Jon will be there.’

I swallowed hard, my eyes misting. Just when I have already given up on trusting people, here comes Mike, lighting up the candle of hope inside me. 

I let my tears fall. My hope grew as I reread Mike’s neat handwriting. John was a tracker- the best in my father’s security details. He’s the guy you send to hunt wolf hunters who came close to finding out Embercrest’s whereabouts. He knew the woods like the back of his hand.

Wiping my tears, I rose from my resting spot, freezing at the sound of twigs breaking. I listened closely, ignoring my pounding heart as I leaned against the tree trunk. The quiet wind carried the sound of calculated footsteps. 

I ripped Mike’s letter to shreds, my sight and hearing on high alert as I looked left to right before stepping out of my hiding spot, freezing when the air brought a rancid scent in my direction.

Rogue wolf.