Chapter 7

I took a deep, shaky breath. I was done chastising myself for not listening to my wolf.

Why did I think he’d ever choose me over his birthright in the first place? I thought Malric was a saint in the midst of the darkness that clothed this world, always striving to do the right thing no matter the criticism…but I was wrong. He was just like everyone else, a shadow thriving in the dark.

I sniffled and picked up my bag. My stomach grumbled with hunger, but the light pulsing of my shattered heart was all I could hear. A reminder of the feelings I harbored for Malric. It broke me, and I let it. I didn’t want to cry at all tonight, maybe when I was out of the pack’s borders.

To leave the pack, I had to be stealth, sober in fact. One wrong move could lead to my death. I should have taken Lyra’s help when she offered it. Leaving on my own was far more dangerous…but I had to.

‘But no, stupid, you just had to go and dismantle whatever was left of your fragile heart by meeting that monster.’ A voice in my head scoffed.

My wolf whimpered, its sad, heavy heartbeat throbbing in my chest. I had to leave it all behind now. The apartment, school…my mate, the one person my entire life revolved around, the fulcrum of my world.

“I’m sorry, Ginger.” I mumbled to my wolf and went on to mask my scent right before heading for the gates.

I maneuvered through the darkest corners of the night, hiding behind buildings and barely missing patrolling guards from time to time. My heart was racing, a cold trickle of sweat ran a beeline through my back, making me shiver. I was so close to the border now, where it will all end between Malric and I.

But the moment I stepped out of the borders, an alarm went off.

I froze instantly, my heart jumping to my throat. How did they know?

The loud alarm rang in my ears, accompanied by the bellowing barks of the guards. I felt an adrenaline rush soaring up in my body, breaking through the ice that held me frozen.

“There he is, get him!”

I glanced behind me and before what I saw could register in my mind, my body was already moving. The guards were right behind me, but how? No one knew that I was leaving! Not even Malric!

I could feel the ground vibrating beneath my cold feet as I dashed forward blindly. I didn’t know where I was going, but all my frenzied mind could contour was, “I’ve been caught! I’ve been caught!”

I ran as fast as I could, my insides curled with a cold looming sensation. I felt the same cold at the back of my neck, they were closing in on me! I could almost hear their breaths over my shoulders! My legs dragged like they were filled with molten metal, why couldn’t I bloody move any faster?!

I took a detour around a building, and something sharp struck my left thigh viciously.

“Ah!” I screamed in pain and staggered forward.

I felt my body crumble to the ground suddenly and the next second, I was surrounded by the towering, deadly frames of the guards. I swallowed, my entire body shaking with terror. My trousers are suddenly soaked by a warm, gory liquid and my eyes widen when I see the blood stained spear held by a guard. The chief guard growled at me with a nasty, sweat-gleaming snarl and petted him on his shoulders. He had cornered me perfectly and struck me in the thigh.

I gnashed my teeth, the biting pain in my left thigh made me whimper shakily.

“That must be it!” one of the guards said, “The rogue that the future Luna had alerted us about.”

Through the excruciating pain, I gasped. My heart crumbled like a folded paper, I was shocked to my bones. I suddenly felt like a pawn in a chess game Lyra had been in charge of right from the very beginning. It was a crime to leave the pack’s borders without permission from anyone in the royal family. I had even masked my scent so I wouldn't get caught while leaving…but she had never intended for me to leave.

A fist suddenly flashed before my eyes and a white light obscured my vision. My jaw ached badly, right before another punch is delivered to my guts. I shield my face with my arms, trying to mitigate the impact of their vicious blows, but it was useless. They tore me into shreds with their punches and kicks, laughing, sneering and tears poured out of my swollen eyes when two of them pissed on me.

“A fucking rogue!” The chief guard snarled and spat right on my forehead. “Throw it out!”

I was too weak to move, my entire body was on fire, the open wounds on my body felt like lava tearing into my flesh. My bones were crushed, gnawed by a throbbing pressure, every inch of my body ached with a deep, relentless pain. They didn’t bother to carry me, I was dragged to the gates, the rocky ground leaving more scars and wounds on my already battered body.

“Stop!” A deep voice rippled through the atmosphere suddenly and everyone froze.

My blurry gaze prevented me from seeing much, but I could sense a large crowd around me now and a face suddenly appeared above me, peering down curiously.

“Your grace.” The chief guard bowed.

“What is this?” Came the deep, authoritative voice whose owner I suddenly recognized.

It was the Alpha himself!

Malric’s father! Sabeleon Blackthorn, the most feared man in the entire region far beyond the Vanthier pack.

I could barely make out his face, but those burning, smoked-gold eyes were a perfect replica of Malric’s.

“A rogue, your grace. Caught sneaking out of the borders. He must be a spy for one of the other packs or-”

“Or nothing.” The calm, lethal voice cut in. He suddenly paused and mentioned a name that turned my blood cold, “Malric, get over here.”

I might not have been able to see anyone else clearly, but I saw him. Through the blood that soaked my eyes and the pain that plused through my eyelids, I could see my mate clearly, staring down at me with a grimace.

“What do you say we do about this rogue? You’ll soon be the one making the decisions around here…so go on,” his father urged with a pat on his shoulder, “make the decree.”

Malric’s eyes met mine for a few seconds. Through my wolf, I could feel his thumping heartbeat. He still felt something for me! My wolf cooed softly and a heat pooled at the base of my stomach. Malric was going to save me! I saw the spark in his eyes!

Or did I?

Those eyes grew cold all of a sudden and he looked at his father.

“It doesn’t look like a threat. We do not want more bloodshed on our grounds, father.” He said in a metallic tone I couldn’t recognize. “Throw it into the forest. The beasts of the wild can feast well tonight.”

The crowd roared its approval and my skin littered with goosebumps. Not from the fear of impending death, but the chill of this bitter betrayal. I tried to scream, but the soundless cry was only a voice in my own head.

Malric couldn’t do this to me…he had to come back!

That was all I could think about when I felt my body being lifted up. I was hanging on to a very thin thread of consciousness when they dumped me onto the damp debris of the thick forest. Malric loved me…even just a sprinkle of emotion he harbored for me would make him come. He had only done that out of pressure. I was sure about it, reassuring my wolf.

The minutes dragged by and the darkness set in, but still…no Malric.

Tears welled up in my swollen eyes, burning down the cusps of my broken jaws. My entire body was sweltering in pain, but it was nothing compared to the pang that strangled my heart.

I gave up on waiting for my mate and the cold hands of death that had been lurking around, wrapped itself around me, engulfing me fully in its darkness.