8

HILARY

For the next following days that morphed into weeks, I avoided Lucas as much as I could, and I felt a lot lighter not being burdened by the turmoil of emotions even his presence seemed to evoke in me.

I hadn't met Layla in days now, but that was okay; I preferred being alone anyway but as the time stretched on, I found that being alone, especially in a strange place, left with virtually nothing to do, leaves one alone with thoughts they might've been trying to avoid all along.

It was the most bored I'd been in a long time and being idle for so long wasn't something I was used to.

Since I decided to cut off all contacts with Lucas, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the only human contact and interaction I had was in the form of the maids he sent in to bring platter after platter of food, as if he was fattening up a cow. I guessed it was something of the sorts, seeing as I was sold off like one.

I rolled unto my back on the bed where I'd been rotting all day, sighing heavily as I started back at the unchanging ceiling. This isn't working at all; I needed to do something, anything at this point.

'Well, we could start by doing Lucas.’

I rolled my eyes at the unwanted suggestion of my wolf that seemed to have been on an unending drool fest with Lucas as the object of it's thirst ever since that night.

‘Is that all you ever think of, Snow?’

‘Of course, that's all I think of. We're so close now, yet, you've decided to stay as humanely far away as possible from our mate and-'

‘I thought Dawson was our mate.’ Of course I didn't anymore. It would be stupid to think of Dawson as anything than the manipulative, cowardly bastard that he was. I said that more for the sake of an argument than anything and I hoped Dawson was having the worst days of his life wherever he was. Of course, my wolf countered immediately, tone dismissive.

‘No, YOU thought Dawson was our mate. I didn't."

Ugh. I had to stop with this continuous back and forth with my wolf, I hadn't even met her yet. This was the only way I could communicate with my wolf because of how difficult it's proven for me to shift.

I knew I had a wolf and that she was always just there, below the surface, but the shifting process was excruciatingly painful, and mine only happens during a full moon. When I turn, I black out and remember nothing of the process.

‘Now,’ she starts, obviously hoping to continue where she'd left off. 'Let's say you mate with Lucas-'

That was my cue to end this.

‘Okay, thank you for the advice, Snow.’

I said, cutting her next words off. I could feel her irritation at my disinterest at the subject, but she stays quiet anyways.

Now, with her yapping out of the way, I had other important matters to focus on. If I'm going to stay here forever, I needed to find something to keep myself occupied. Maybe I could go back to my former workplace and continue my job there. Yes! That's it!

“Now, I just needed to get this guard off my back.” John? Joe? Whatever his stereotypical bodyguard name was, he was practically breathing down my neck! I may not be seeing him the whole time but he was always right there in front of my door no matter the time of day. It was as suffocating as it was annoying.

“Maybe I could scare him off? Yes! That should work."

I sighed, now I was talking to myself and even giving answers. It was obvious I was going stir crazy and that was all the push I needed to get my plan into motion.

With a final determined exhale, I walked towards the table in the room, taking the flower vase and throwing it right unto the floor. Obviously, it shattered into pieces, expelling a loud noice with shards flying everywhere.

"Luna? Luna? Are you okay?" In what was no less than a second, I heard frantic knocks on my door.

Looked like step one was done. He had to think something was wrong with me, so I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled my shirt off, leaving me in a bra only.

After a series of knocks that grew more panicked with each second, the door burst open, and the guard rushed in, but as soon as he entered, he immediately skidded to a halt, his ears turning red and eyes looking everywhere except at me.

"Ar... Are you okay, Luna?" He finally got out, his eyes fixed on the glass shards on the floor and I nod, keeping my voice a little pained.

"Yeah, I think so. I just need a band-aid for this cut I had."

“Right. I should go find one." he said and immediately lept out of the room, too flustered to even confirm if I truly did get a cut.

Albeit not in the way I expected, it looked like my plan had worked. With him fully out of sight, I hurriedly threw my shirt back on and ran out of the room. Now, I didn't know where I was going, but after days of staring outside my window, I figured there had to be a way out of the pack territory behind the wall of trees surrounding it.

My heart raced with excitement as I bounded into the forest, happy to be free again. As I walked deeper into the trees, I felt a sense of freedom I had never experienced before. The sunlight filtering through the leaves felt like a warm embrace, and the rustling of the leaves was like music to my ears.

But as I walked further, the trees seemed to close in around me. I looked around, trying to get my bearings but everything looked the same. I had been so focused on my escape that I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings.

"Damn it," I muttered to myself. "I'm lost."

I walked for what felt like hours, until my feet throbbed with a dull ache and my throat felt dry. Just when I thought I couldn't go any further, I saw it - a barrier that seemed to stretch on forever, shinning with what looked like an eerie glow.

"No, no, no," I whispered, my heart sinking. "This can't be happening."

With a newfound burst of energy, I rushed towards it, trying to push through the barrier, but it was like hitting a brick wall. I was trapped.

Just then, I heard a rustling in the bushes behind me. I turned around swiftly only to lock eyes with Lucas, his eyes blazing with anger.

I gasped sharply, tearing my gaze away from him and starting to walk away briskly before finally breaking into a sprint. I could feel his eyes on me and his anger and frustration sat thick in the air.

Even when I seized to hear his heavy footfalls, I didn't dare look back, fearing what I might see. I didn't need to see to know he was closing in on me.

Suddenly, fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling me to a stop. Fueled with adrenaline, I fought against the grip, trying to shake him off, but his grip only seemed to grow stronger until he spun me around with an almost violent tug.

Lucas's eyes blazed with intensity, his expression fighting to remain blank as he questioned me in a low growl “What did I tell you about trying to escape?"

I struggled against his grip again, holding his gaze with defiance, “Let me go, Lucas.”

But he just shook his head. "Now, I am Lucas? You're going to get yourself hurt, or worse, killed. Why can't you just listen to me for once?"

I glared at him, trying to mask my fear with anger. "I don't need your protection, Lucas. I can take care of myself. It's better to get killed by whatever is out there than to remain trapped here with you!”

The snort he let out is completely devoid of amusement, and so is the laugh that follows, "Oh, really?” he asked, his tone bordering on mocking. “And that's why you're running through the forest like a wild animal, with no idea where you're going or what dangers you might face?"

I glared at him, defiant, but my knees were just a few seconds from giving up at the dominance he exuded. "I just wanted to go for a walk," I lied, deciding I should be trying to get out of this instead.

Lucas clicked his tongue, shaking his head "Save it, Hilary. You're not even a good liar. You're going on house arrest. You're not leaving this mansion until I say so."

I felt a surge of anger at his words, but it wasn't like I hadn't put myself on house arrest for the last week already. I would just have to think of better ways to escape, it seems.

Lucas's grip on my arm tightened, pulling me out of my reverie. "You're coming back with me, Hilary. And this time, you're going to stay put."

I seethed with anger as he dragged me back, different thoughts of how to get past the barrier filling my mind.

"You'll pay for this, Lucas," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

Lucas just smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm shaking in my boots, Hilary. You're not going anywhere until you learn to behave."

I struggled against him, but he just tugs me along even harder without breaking a sweat. He dragged me back through the forest, his eyes never leaving mine. I knew I was in trouble, and I had no idea how to get out of it.

I almost felt a sense of Deja Vu as I heard the locks on my door clicking into place from the outside as Lucas all but tossed me in and left me to stew in my own anger and frustration.

My heart pounded as I listened to Lucas's footsteps fade away. Alone in my room, I paced back and forth, my mind racing with thoughts of escape. I couldn't stay trapped like this, under Lucas's control. But as I glanced around the room, my options seemed limited.

Approaching the window, I considered climbing out of it. But a quick glance outside revealed guards patrolling the perimeter of the mansion. There was no way I could slip past them unnoticed.

Frustration bubbled inside me, mingling with the fear and anger that had been simmering beneath the surface since I arrived at the mansion. I hated feeling powerless, like a bird in a cage. It brought forth the ugly memories of all the time I had spent in a dark, damp basement during my childhood. I sat down with my back against the door, my head colliding with the woody surface with a dull thud.

I could feel them, my demons. They have been there since I was little, their hands gripped at every inch of skin and their tainted whispers polluted the surrounding air and clogged up my airways.

But just before I could succumb to the darkness, a gentle knock interrupted the suffocating silence of my room.

"Go away!" I called back immediately, thinking it to be Lucas without even considering why he'd be knocking on doors he had the keys to.

"Hilary?" Layla's voice filtered through the door and my eyes widened in shock.

"Layla? What are you doing here?" I asked, rushing to my feet like she could see me.

"I can't believe he actually did this," Layla said seething with indignation. "I'm so sorry you're going through this. No one should be locked away like some prisoner."

I was surprised at her unexpected outburst. I wasn't really expecting her here seeing as I hadn't given her much of a chance to get closer.

"H- how did you know I was… locked in?” I wanted to know. I had spent the past few days refusing to leave my room of my own volition so I was quite surprised to know she'd found out that was no longer the case, and so quickly too.

"One of the best ways to get news in this pack, apart from the Internet, is through the gossiping maids. The whole pack has heard about how the Alpha's new Luna had tried to escape and is now locked up in a room."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the obvious misinformation, "I wasn't even trying to escape; I just wanted to do something."

"So you chose to leave the pack?"

"I just wanted to go back to my work and I... I didn't expect anyone to care," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

There was moment of drawn out silence where I thought she'd quietly left, until she was speaking up again, her voice soft around the edges.

"Of course, I care. You're my friend, Hilary. And no friend of mine deserves to be treated like this."

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as her words washed over me. In that moment, I realized that I really needed this, someone to tell me that they cared.

"You know what, this isn't a conversation for now. I am going to get the keys from Lucas, and I won't let him get away with this," Layla voice is tinged with every trace of determination. "I'll get you out of there, even if I have to break the door down myself.”

As I sunk back to the floor, I felt a familiar warmth in my heart towards Layla. She was the only one who had been kind to me since I stepped foot in this new, somewhat scary environment. I whispered a silent "thank you" even though I knew she couldn't hear me. Just knowing someone cared about me made me feel a little better.

As I heard her footsteps recede, a small smile crept onto my face as for the first time in days, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't be stuck here forever. Okay, I was stuck here forever, but not in the sense that Lucas would've wanted right now, and atleast I wouldn't be alone.

After what was only a few minutes that felt like an eternity, I heard the jingle of keys outside my door. My heart skipped a beat as the door finally creaked open, and Layla slipped inside. "Come on, Hilary," she whispered. "We're getting out of here." She said, extending a helping hand now in a literal sense.

I couldn't help the disbelief that laced my question as I followed her almost breathlessly, "I can't believe he actually gave you the key.”

She spared me a glance, her lips curling at the corners. I noticed once again, just how light on her feet she was despite all the weight she was physically carrying. “Oh he didn't give it to me.” She scoffs, finishing in a mutter, “Lucas would never.”

"So how...?"

"I stole them.”