Freedom?

Mia

The moon is half full, so I have a little light to guide me on my journey. I am not quite sure where I will go, but I am excited to finally be free. Anything is possible as long as I can make it past the border.

With the party starting, the borders will not be patrolled, and I can slip away easily.

I run up an embankment when headlights flash in my face, I scream quickly picking up pace as I miss being hit by a car by inches.

My heart races as I make it to the other side as I listen to the car slam on their brakes. Oh no. What if they look for me?

I hold my breath until I hear the car start and move on. I take a deep breath and turn around, quickly moving through the trees.

That was close.

The night air is cold, and I smile, letting every scent fill me. The trees smell like pine, and the night air is so fresh and clean.  I am never allowed to go out after dark to walk in the forest.

They say I am easy prey since I have no wolf, and I guess they are right; I could be mauled easily.

I have been walking for about thirty minutes when I see the red poles that mark our boarders. I crouch down, looking around, but as I suspected no one is guarding the boarders.

I smile, holding my knapsack closer to me as I run towards freedom… This is it!! But as I get closer, a warning howl comes from my pack and I gasp as I watch wolves emerge from the border, running towards me…. But they are not my pack.

I let out a scream, turning around to run but I already know I do not stand I chance.  I run as fast as I can until something heavy hits me in the head and everything goes fuzzy. I watch as the wolf shifts, laughing as drops me to the ground, “now what do we here?” he grins, circling me as I shake on the ground.

“Please,” I plead, let me go.”

“Let you go?” He smirks, his eyes trailing my body, stopping where my arm should be. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Tears fill my eyes, “I was born this way.”

He studies me for a moment before shrugging, “Are you apart of Menard’s pack?” My heart races as I think of what to say and he nods, “I see. Well, my Alpha has ordered we take every female from Menard’s pack for the breeding program.”

My eyes widen and I gasp, looking towards my pack as I realize we are under attack.

“But?” I begin, but what do I say? Do I tell him I don’t have a wolf? He may just kill me then. But who is attacking us? “Your Alpha?”  I ask, my voice shaking.

He chuckles, before bending down and picking me up in one swift movement, “Alpha Perez.” He says so smugly.

“NO! NO!” I yell. Terrified. I was supposed to be sold to him tonight. I was trying to avoid this, but he only laughs as he treks back towards my packhouse. I watch as flames fill the sky and howls of terror ring through the night.

Maybe we still have a chance. We have mighty warriors, but as we get closer to the packhouse, I gasp in horror as I see the bodies of pack members I knew.  “Don’t worry, sweetheart.” The giant man carrying me laughs. “You will carry many pups. Your story doesn’t end here tonight.”

“Put her over in the van with the others,” Another man says as he sees us and then I hear a blood curdling scream that I have heard many times before, only this time it’s one of terror and not authority,  “NO NO! Please.” Veronica shrieks as three men drag her towards my shed. “Alpha Perez said we could have you now.” One says, pawing at her. “You are the Alphas daughter that he was selling to Alpha Perez… and we were told we would get first dibs.”

My heart sinks as I watch them drag her away: that was supposed to be me. They don’t know who I am.

Veronica has always been evil, but I don’t want this for her.

“Please, don’t do this!” I shout, now my fist pounding against his shoulder. “You can’t do this!!!”  I start to fight back, but he only laughs.

“Maybe we should skip the van and go to that shed, too?”

The bile rises in the back of my throat as I realize I may not be going to the shed now, but I will be forced to be mated and become a breeder…. My family may have treated me poorly, but I was never forced to do anything like that before.

Tears fill my eyes, but as the van doors open, three more wolves emerge from the trees, and I gasp as they attack him. He growls, shifting quickly, dropping me on the ground, his claw grabbing my wig and pulling it off.

I gasp, as I reach for it, knowing if others see it, they will know what I am and they could kill me on the spot.

I whimper as one of the wolves who is attacking my captor, turns his eyes on me…. I knew it.

 This is the end.

He stomps towards me as I hear my captor’s neck snap. I close my eyes, waiting for death to come but instead, arms shake me, “Can you shift? Are you hurt?”

I shake my head, as I open my eyes, “No, I cant shift….” I begin but one of his companions cut me off.

“Kane, we have to go!” he shouts in human form, but his eyes widen as he sees me. “No, it can’t be….”

“You see it, right?” the one he called Kane asks.

“Yes,” he pauses, “I see it.”

“I’m cursed,” I blurt out, covering my hair with my one hand, “Please, just let me go…” I plead, but it’s no use.

“Take her.” Their leader commands and my heart sinks….

What do they want with me?