CHAPTER THREE

Madeleine’s POV

 

I stared up at the tall oak trees before me, glaring at the beauty of the skies. I noticed the gradual disappearance of the full moon. The deed had been done.

 

I'd been rejected by my mate. I'd been cast out by the same pack that I'd served for twenty-four years. The same guards who would give me instructions and watch me do what they would get paid for were now coming after my life.

 

An order had now been given to fetch me from the woods and make me face the rest of the shame I ran away from.

 

“Over there!” I heard the voice of the head of the guards. I could recognize his figure and voice, even from miles apart. I turned around quickly and saw several armed guards making their way into the woods.

 

They must have been instructed to either fetch me from the woods or stay in the woods and not return to the pack.

 

With the fiber of energy left in me, I ran as fast as I could, deep into the woods, panicking and breathing heavily as I jumped over stumps and fallen leaves. I felt the coldness of the damp leaves beneath my feet as I made my way into the darkness of the night.

 

Perhaps I would have found the best way to escape from the hands of these guards if this were happening in the morning. But the darkness of the night required me to trigger my night vision, which would definitely give the guards a clue as to where I was running.

 

“She's right over there, sitting on the root of the oak tree!” he commanded his troops as they divided themselves, coming after me from every direction. As soon as I realized that I'd been surrounded, I quickly grabbed the tree and made my way up. I would have to climb a tall oak tree for the very first time in my existence.

 

Even though I'd done a lot of hard labor as a maid for twenty-four years in the Stone Ridge Pack, I'd never climbed a tree. I'd never been allowed to step outside the pack and into the woods without supervision.

 

Not that they were worried I would fall and bruise my legs if I climbed it. That would even make them happier. It would be a fun time for them.

 

Damon had once summoned five maids from my district. He made them bare themselves before him and ordered the guards to flog them. When people close to him asked him why he did that, he said the groans of the weaklings were more melodious than any music ever sung.

 

And that day, I knew the rogues in the woods were not the real monsters but the same person who had control over all of us, the same man who could command the fiercest guards in the pack and make them execute anyone he would like to.

 

“You think you can escape from fate, little girl?” the head guard laughed as he saw the way I breathed raggedly while climbing up the tree. Some of his guards tried to come after me to pull me down into their midst, but he ordered them to stay back.

 

“Cut off the tree.” He gave a simple order. “Let her fall into our hands and cry out her fucking eyes.”

 

“No. Please, no. Don't cut it off... please,” I pleaded, tears streaming down my face as I watched the troops below me while the silent growls and roars of the rogues sounded in the distance. It felt like they were putting me between the devil and the deep blue sea.

 

“Come down,” he ordered. “If you cooperate with us, we're going to make this easy for you. Step down and surrender yourself to us. The Alpha has commanded us to fetch you.”

 

“He's going to kill me!” I yelled with bitterness in my voice. “I didn't do anything wrong. Or tell me, is it wrong to be bold? Don't keep quiet. Tell me! Did I make myself an Omega? Did I make myself his own mate?”

 

“You're blabbering,” one of them said. “You've heard the command. Hearken. Step down and surrender yourself if you're truly bold.”

 

“Who surrenders to death?”

 

“He's not going to kill you. He wants to have a private chat with you. That's what he told us.” The head guard lied before turning to one of his subordinates. “Pull out your gun and shoot her legs.”

 

My eyes glared at their faces in horror as I climbed up higher before jumping to the next tree. As soon as they saw that, they fired the silver bullets towards me, but I was able to avoid them narrowly because of how messy the top of the tree was.

 

“Come for me if you can!” I gave a hysterical laugh as I jumped even higher, from tree to tree. I never knew I could do this until this moment. I had to laugh at their attempts to convince my mind that I was still sane. I thought I'd died the moment he pulled out that gun.

 

All of a sudden, I felt a deep pain in my leg. I let out a shriek as blood oozed from it. I stared down at them, but they were not even close to me. I must have overtaken them because moving through trees was much faster.

 

I took a look at my leg and then quickly realized it was a sharp blade on top of the tree that had cut me, not their bullets. Words couldn't describe how relieved I felt.

 

And then, all of a sudden, I jumped down from the tree.

 

“Shoot. Fire shots. She's right there. We can't afford to return without getting her. Run, run!” the head guard commanded as sounds of gunshots filled the air. I ran like someone who was about to enter the next planet, hurrying up and calling on my wolf to increase my agility and strength.

 

We didn't wait to hear our mate reject us openly. We still had a little strength left to make it out of the woods.

 

At one stage, I turned around to look at them. They hadn't reached me, but I heard several thuds in the blackness of the night. I tried to keep my breath steady, but I could not. My panicked breathing was enough to track me to where I hid behind the tree.

 

And then I saw a rogue in the distance. That was the exact direction I was running towards. If I hadn't stopped, I would have run into it.

 

I heaved a deep breath and held my nostrils tight until it passed me by. Even though there was no light ahead of me to indicate direction, I kept running until I suddenly found myself in front of a remote road.

 

The lights from the passing cars brushed against my face as I tried to stop one of the vehicles to ask for help, but there was no energy left in me.

 

Before I could say a word to anyone on the road, everything blacked out.