Chapter 4 Departure

Yvonne fell to the ground screaming. She clamped her hand over her wound and shivered like a victim.

"What are you doing, Lucilla?" Zacharias strode up to us and held up Yvonne like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then he saw the dagger I was holding. It was covered in silver nitrate. The 'realization' drove him into a bout of rage.

"You attacked Yvonne with a silver weapon? How could you! I thought you were better than this, Lucilla!"

His gaze was colder than the winter winds, yet they burned me like the flames of hell.

"I didn't…" I was going to explain myself, but Zacharias was already taking Yvonne away. Then something silver shone in Yvonne's hands.

A dozen silver needles pricked my throat. The agony made me black out, and I fell to my knees. Zacharias ignored this. Instead, he told me, "Reflect on what you did. You're not coming back until the bonding ceremony!"

He picked up Yvonne and held her in his arms, then he leaped into the distance. I saw the triumphant smile curling Yvonne's lips.

And then only silence was my companion. The sun was already setting. Night only made the woods more treacherous. No werewolf would enter the woods alone after sundown.

The man who would never let me wander alone left me to fend for myself. I scrambled to get myself back up, then I ran as fast as my legs could take me.

Something was rustling behind me. I sensed them. They were coming. They were gaining.

My hair stood on end, and I ran faster, my hand clamped against my throat. The needles buried themselves against my throat, and the silver was stopping the wounds from closing up.

Blood was pouring down my skin, and it drenched the soil underneath. The rustling was getting louder, more violent. The sweet scent of blood was exciting the Rogues in the woods.

I ran and ran, even when exhaustion was catching up to me, even when my body was screaming out to me. Eventually, I hit the limit, and I fell to the ground, but my mind shut down before I could hit the soil.

I woke up finding myself in a healing pod. The healer told me the patrol squad saved me and took me to the healing chamber.

"The pod healed your wounds, but the silver ate your vocal chords. You might be…"

The healer's voice trailed off. I knew what it must be. Then she consoled me, "The silver's already taken out. Maybe your healing factor can help with the vocal chord problem."

All hope was lost. Then the healer grabbed my hand. "Your baby is strong. It fought the silver off. It still lives. It's waiting for the day it can see you."

That stunned me. I put my hand on my flat belly. Something warm soothed my heart. This child was Selene's gift for me. With it around, I was no longer lonely.

I went through the paperwork and left the hospital. Before I did, I handed a gift box to the healer who helped me. 'Hand this over to the Alpha,' I wrote on a piece of paper.

The healer was a gentle lady. She said yes to my request and gave me a ride to the airport.

The day my status was stripped, I boarded the flight that would take me away from the pack.

…

The ceremonial altar of the Dawn Pack. It would witness the most solemn bonding ceremony now. Zacharias could not overstate the importance of this ceremony. He spent a month decorating the altar until it was perfect.

Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine moonroses circled the altar. These roses came from the Dark Forest by plane.

The ceremony was about to begin. The pack members were all gathered. Yet I was not there.

"Where is Lucilla? She's supposed to be here!" Zacharias was getting uneasy.

"Maybe she's still throwing a tantrum. She expects you to say you're sorry," said Yvonne. She was still trying to paint me as a childish person. A smile curled her lips. She wished I would never show up.

She thought Zacharias would fly into a rage, but all he did was stay silent. Then he strode off.

"Where are you going, Alpha?" She followed him in confusion.

Zacharias said, "I'm taking her back."

They ran into an elder a moment later. Confused, the elder stopped him. "Alpha, I thought the ceremony was canceled. Lucilla has returned Luna's keepsake to us. Her details are deleted from the database. She has left the pack."