Chapter 5

Chapter V

Freya

I opened my eyes to the sound of doors closing lightly, but no one else apart from me and Theo was in the car. The car had stopped.

My door opened, it was the female standing by the side, looking alert.

“We need to run,” she said.

I stepped out carefully, holding Theo close to my chest. “Run? To where? Why?”

Theo was still asleep and I was grateful. He was a curious one, more curious than I was and right now, I didn’t have the strength to answer any of his questions.

The male guard who rarely spoke finally broke the silence. “The Kingdom is still far ahead. We can't take the car any further.”

I looked around and recognised the spot immediately. Yes, this was the end of the human territory, the point where everything changed. Some things were not allowed beyond this line… not even phones. Even when I worked as a server at that high-end event years ago, I had started my run from this exact place.

Suddenly the female guard whipped her head around and sniffed the air. The others did the same.

“Someone followed us,” she said.

Before I could react, she shifted into her wolf form. A car came into view behind us. The female guard charged toward it at full speed.

“Stop!” I shouted but she didn’t hear me.

I gently laid Theo down on the ground and transformed into my wolf form. In seconds, I caught up to her and shoved her aside with my body. She turned to face me, surprised, then shifted back to human. I did the same.

“What do you think you're doing?” Thé female guard snapped, rubbing her arm where I pushed her.

“I know her, she’s my friend.”

The female guard stepped back and didn’t respond. I turned around just as Scarlet stepped out of the car, shrugging her shoulders like this was completely normal.

My heart pounded with a mix of fear and anger. “Calm down,” she said. “I told you I couldn’t live without you guys.”

I took a moment to be calm, reassuring myself that it’s fine, but the anger burned hotter. “This is not a place for you. How could you do this?”

“I don’t care what you think. I can handle myself, I keep telling you that.”

Oh! If my eyes could kill, she would be dead right now.

The male guard interrupted us. “We don’t have time to waste here. Let’s go.” He glanced at Scarlet. “Is she coming with us?”

“I suppose,” I muttered, still glaring at her. She was just going to stress me out because now I have to think about not just Theo but her protection.

I walked back to where I had left Theo. The female guard asked, “Do you want me to carry him?”

“I’ll hold my child.” I replied firmly.

I shifted back into my wolf form. I noticed the confused looks from the guards, but I ignored them. Carefully, I picked Theo up by gripping his shirt gently with my teeth, praying he wouldn’t wake up during the run.

It was still somewhat dark so I’m guessing it’s midnight. I watched as they told Scarlet she couldn’t go with her luggage and phone. She had to leave everything behind.

The female guard shifted first, followed by the guard who drove us up here. Scarlet’s eyes widened at each transformation, but I didn’t smell strong fear on her. She was brave.

The quiet guard didn’t turn, he just carried the luggage to the car. Maybe he wanted to clear everything and keep them aside, hidden and arranged away from other eyes… Perhaps he’d catch up with us later.

The male guard in wolf form lowered himself so Scarlet could climb onto his back. It was like she was finding it hard to make a decision. She hesitated, then stepped forward, touched his fur, and looked at me. I gave her a small nod. Then, she claimed on and held on tightly.

We started running.

My bones felt alive again and my vision was so clear. It had been so long since I had run like this. I kept Theo secured firmly in my jaws, making sure he wouldn’t slip.

I glanced at Scarlet. She actually looked like she was having fun… of course she would. She’s such a stubborn one. I was still angry at her but I couldn’t deny how brave she was being.

We ran for what felt like hours. The sky slowly began to lighten as tge sun rose. Then Theo wakes up. He turned his head, I smelt so much fear from him… He was scared… and then he wasn’t. He relaxed. “Mum… where are we going?” He asked softly.

He recognised me even in this form. My heart melted. I had never tried this before but I decided to give it a try… I spoke to him through my mind link.

“We’ll get there soon, my love and I’d tell you all about everything. Just relax.”

To my surprise, his whole body relaxed against me. I felt him settle comfortably. It had actually worked. I smiled to myself.

In the distance, I could finally see the tall walls that marked the border of the Blackmoon Kingdom. My legs were burning and my breathing had become heavy. I wasn’t sure I had enough strength left to make the final jump.

I pushed forward and leaped anyway, holding Theo tightly. He had fallen back asleep, thankfully.

As we entered the kingdom, the trees grew taller and thicker, their dark trunks stretching high and blocking most of the sky. What little lights slipped through came in silver streaks, like moonlight trapped in daytime. My vision started to blur.

I could sense the presence of the pack now, some wolves were going about their business, some watching with carefulness.

We had arrived. This was the Blackmoon Kingdom.

I tried to keep up with the guards but my energy was seeping through me. I slowed down… my grip on Theo tightened before I managed to lower him to the ground.

No one turned back… or stopped.

And then, my vision faded away, everything went dark.