EPISODE 3

RAINA’s POV

I don’t know how long I ran. Hours? Days? A week, maybe?

There is no way for me to account for time, as all I see around me are green leaves, moss on rocks, and the peeling bark of old trees.

At first, I had heard whistles and dog barks, probably from the pack’s search party. It didn’t last long, though. I assume Xavier must have ordered them to stop the search after a few days.

Now I’m lost in the woods. I can’t go back, even if I want to, but I don’t regret running. I’d rather die out here in the cold woods than return to watch Xavier wed my sister.

As I chew on the remnants of sour wild berries I had plucked earlier, I hear a roar nearby.

Birds scatter away in groups, abandoning the canopy of tree branches above. My bones stiffen from the sudden disruption of the forest’s peaceful ambience, and I reach for the nearest rock I can get hold of.

“Who’s there?” I bark, looking around me to notice the slightest movement.

My first guess is a wild animal, as I have seen a couple since my time in the woods, but they never dared come close. I might be weaker without my pack, but handling a wild animal is easy for me. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself to keep the fear from swallowing me whole.

A twig snaps behind me, and I quickly do a one-eighty. There’s no animal behind me. I walk slowly and crouch to touch the muddy earth. There is a mark on the ground.

They are footprints. Could it be a rogue?

Before I can ponder on the thought, I hear the whooshing sound of a knife cutting through the air and stopping a centimeter away from my neck.

“Don’t move an inch,” someone warns from behind me.

My body freezes as I pause in time, balanced on only my right leg. “What do you want?” I ask, swallowing the anxiety in my voice. My throat tightens as fear crawls up my spine.

“We want money, food, and… well, more money,” another voice bellows from high above.

Without moving much, I tilt my head upwards to catch the view of a male rogue jumping from the branches of a tree.

He lands right in front of me, a wolfish grin plastered on his tattooed face. He’s young, probably in his late teens, although his eyes show he’s seen too much for his age.

Without wasting time, he searches me and groans after finding out I have nothing on me. “Another useless one,” he grumbles, stomping his leg aggressively on the ground. “Why can’t we just stumble on a rich one? Maybe even the runaway Luna from the Westmoon pack.”

His partner, whose knife is still at an unsafe distance from my neck, laughs. “We’re never that lucky, brother.”

I bite down on my lip, wondering how far the news of my rejection has spread. Even rogues from distant territories are aware of the betrayal. I’ve been ridiculed.

“Please spare me,” I plead, although the words taste like ash in my mouth.

The guy behind me swings his leg and knocks me off my feet. A scream lets loose from my throat as my face kisses the cold ground.

“Stop it!” a hoarse voice snaps.

An elderly woman walks out from the shadows of the trees. She looks old, but her eyes have a fire in them that suggests how long she has been a rogue.

The boys back away from me immediately, and I notice that the boy behind me is the exact replica of the other boy. Twin rogues with matching tattoos and flaming eyes.

“We can sell her to the skin trade,” the old woman says as she watches me writhing in pain on the floor.

I was hungry and sick. I’ve been sick for weeks now, tired and vomiting constantly. If not for my ailment, I’d have stood a chance against the three rogues.

I'm helpless and frustrated, and that feeling of vulnerability angers me. I refuse to wish Xavier was here to save me. I don't need him.

“Good plan,” the two boys say in unison, their eyes raking over me. “She’s young and pretty. One could mistake her for royalty.”

At the mention of royalty, my breathing becomes heavier. I hope they don’t notice the perspiration building on my forehead or how fidgety my hands are.

I’ve heard of people being sold to the skin trade and how their wolf never heals from the trauma. I love my wolf too much for that. I have to resist.

“Tie her up!” the elder woman orders.

The boys walk to my sides and attempt to grab my arm, but I push their hands away.

“Don’t touch me. If it’s money you want, I’ll give you something worth more than anything you’ve ever seen in your life.”

The three rogues exchange glances, and finally the woman speaks up. “Something like what?”

I exhale loudly as I stretch out my hand to pull out my wedding ring. “This is pure divine diamond. The last of its kind.”

Xavier had told me his father had told him to only give it out to the one he loves. I wonder why he gave it to me when his heart belongs to Jayda. A sharp ache spreads through my chest at the thought.

The rogues gasp at the sight of the ring. As though planned by fate, rays of the sun land on the ring's gem, and it scatters light all over, nearly blinding them.

“How did you get this?” the woman gasps in sheer delight as I pull it out and hand it to her.

I lower my gaze to the ground to conceal the single tear escaping my eyes. The loss of that little jewel hit harder than I expected it to. "Doesn’t matter. Just take it and leave me be.”

Silence follows, and then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I lift my head in fear and see the woman crouched next to me.

“For this wonderful trade, I owe you direction out of this endless woods.”

She smiles at me and digs her hand into her animal-skin bag. Seconds later, she gives me an old loaf of bread.

“For a woman in your condition, walking lost in the woods will be the end of you and the one you carry within you.”

I shake my head in confusion. “Thank you, but what do you mean by the one within you? My wolf?”

The woman bursts into laughter, her voice cracking through the woods.

My patience grows thin. The more the woman laughs at me, the more heat rises in my chest, replacing confusion with irritation. “What’s so funny? Tell me!”

She stops to catch her breath. “You don’t know you’re pregnant?”

My heart thumps in my chest violently and the world tilts for a second. “What?”

She begins laughing again, and this time around, the boys join her.

“I’m not pregnant,” I say firmly, although my mind begins to pick up all the signs. Maybe my sickness has been pregnancy all along.

“Even a blind man can tell you’re pregnant,” the old woman says. “Because of the priceless gift you gave me, I’d grant you direction to wherever you want.”

A million and one thoughts wander in my head, almost driving me insane. My heart keeps pounding, my lungs struggle to pull in air, and it feels like the sun has lowered right on top of my head.

Pregnant? The doctor had told me after my childhood accident that I'd never get pregnant.

The woman drops a map scroll. “That’s the road back to Westmoon. You can reunite with the father of your unborn child.”

I pick up the scroll and stare at the place I once called home. Then, I hand it back to the old woman, my grip tightening before I let it go. “I’m not going back to Westmoon.”

She narrows her eyes and stares at me intensely. “What about your baby?”

My hand rubs over my stomach and tears spill from my eyes. “I’ll raise my child alone, and I’ll make sure my husband never knows of our child together.”

The old woman stares at me longer, short of words. “Then where do you want to go?”

I lift my head to meet her gaze again, a new resolve settling deep within me. “To a place no one can find me.”

She thinks for a moment and then digs her hand into her bag to bring out another scroll. “Here it is.”

I pick up the scroll.

“But I must warn you,” the old woman adds before walking away. “Anyone who goes South either comes back successful beyond measure or never makes it to begin with. But one thing is certain, the South will change you in ways you’ll never imagine.”