Chapter 3:A Wolfless Flee

Freya's pov 

I packed as many clothes as I could into a small bag, nothing more. No memories, no gifts, nothing that tied me to this place.

They didn’t deserve that.

I only needed what could keep me warm and hidden and alive.

The sound of the car fading outside told me they were gone — my parents, off to chase Micah’s apology that never existed. I took one last look around the room, making sure I hadn’t left anything that mattered. Not that anything ever did.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and quietly opened the back door. The night air hit me sharp and cold, but I didn’t stop to feel it. My feet moved fast, down the worn path that led past the training field and into the woods.

No note. No goodbye. They wouldn’t care anyway.

The forest was darker than I remembered, every shadow moving like it wanted me gone too. I wasn’t supposed to be out here alone — not without a wolf. But I wasn’t supposed to be rejected either, and that had already happened.

Branches snapped under my boots as I moved faster. My chest burned from running, but I didn’t slow down. The packhouse lights disappeared behind me, and the sounds of the village faded until there was nothing but the rustle of trees and my own breath.

I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew it couldn’t be here.

Then, somewhere behind me, I heard it — a faint crack. Like someone had stepped on a branch.

I froze.

I turned, eyes scanning the dark, but all I saw were trees. Probably an animal. Or worse... one of the patrols already looking for me.

I started running again, this time faster.

Minutes felt like hours before I stumbled into a clearing. The moon broke through the trees, lighting the forest floor. That’s when I saw them.

Five men. Rogues. Surrounding one lone figure.

He was tall, broad-shouldered — and fighting like he’d been born for it. I ducked behind a tree, clutching my bag to my chest as I watched, barely breathing.

The stranger moved with lethal precision, every strike landing clean. But there were too many of them. One of the rogues lunged from behind, plunging a needle into his neck.

He roared — not in pain, but fury — slamming the attacker into a tree so hard the trunk cracked. The rest fled into the shadows, leaving him staggering, a hand pressed to the side of his neck.

Venom. I could smell it from where I hid. Thick, dark, and deadly.

For a moment, I thought he’d fall right there. He swayed, growling low, but somehow stayed upright.

I should have stayed hidden. Should have turned around and gone the other way. But instead, I took a small, careful step back — and my boot crushed a dry branch.

The sound echoed like a gunshot.

His head snapped toward me, eyes glowing through the dark — sharp, wild, and inhuman.

Our gazes locked.

And just like that, the forest went silent.

I stumbled backwards, my legs stumbling back, the woods crushing under my feet, while the stranger stared at me like I was a prey.

"N-no no," I muttered frantically, stepping back while he walked dangerously closer.

The air around us had changed and the thought of being rejected was nothing compares to the thought that was running through my mind right now.

Survive being a prey to this poisoned man.

I turned on my heels, the bag that was drapped across my shoulder fell down in an instant as I ran, desperately.

But there were limits to the strength of a wolfless wolf and even more worse, nothing compared to an enraged wolf.

Branches whipped against my face as I ran, my breath coming out in short, panicked gasps. Every instinct screamed at me to move faster, but my legs were already burning, trembling beneath me. I didn’t dare look back. I didn’t need to — the sound of heavy footsteps crashing through the woods behind me told me he was following.

“Please…” I whispered to no one, voice breaking as I ducked under a low branch. My heart hammered so loud it drowned out everything else. The forest blurred into streaks of silver and black, and still, I kept running.

A sharp growl tore through the air — low, guttural, and close. Too close.

My foot caught on a root, and I fell hard, pain shooting up my arm as I hit the dirt. Before I could scramble up, a hand shot out, gripping my wrist with bruising force.

“Let me go!” I cried, twisting, kicking wildly.

“Stop—” his voice came out rough, strangled, his breathing uneven. The venom. It was taking hold.

I turned, and the moment I saw his face in the moonlight, my body froze.

His eyes—those golden, glowing eyes—were dimming, flickering like dying embers. Sweat slicked his forehead, and veins darkened around the place where he’d been injected. He looked like a man fighting a battle inside himself.

“Please…” I whispered again, though I wasn’t sure if I was begging him or the Moon Goddess.

His grip loosened, fingers trembling before he collapsed to his knees, dragging me down with him. His breath was ragged now, heavy and pained.

“Damn it…” he growled, his voice cracking. His hand pressed hard against the side of his neck, but it was useless. The venom was spreading too fast.

For a long second, we just stared at each other — him fighting for control, me frozen in fear.

"Mate?" He muttered and I shook my head frantically.

I couldn't be anyone's mate, not at all.

For a moment, I thought he was going to let me go, until I felt his claws tug at my clothes, ripping them off violently.

"No! No! No!" I shrieked to no avail, writhing violently in his arms to no avail, the cold air of the woods hit my body as he ripped the last piece of, stripping me to nothing.

My world tilted before my eyes, the rejection, my parents, my brother and now, raped by a man...

I didn't have the time to finish thinking when he slammed into me, harsh, hard, monsterly and ravaging, tears streaked down my face, before everything turned black.