2

Kaya

I stood there, listening keenly to them as they decided my future like it was up to them. I gripped the tray nervously, making sure that I didn't make a sound so they wouldn't know of my presence. 

“B-but Serena, I don't think that's a good deal.” Jackson stammered. 

he always acted like a fumbing fool when he was needed to step up and do anything. Like now, he knows she is wrong and what she is suggesting is nothing but evil. But as always, he couldn't be a man and say it as it is.

“What do you mean?” I could imagine that ugly frown on her face right now. 

“I mean, I've heard rumors. The Lycan King is a fifty year old man and he already has a kid older than you and I. That’s not fair.” 

I momentarily removed my ear that was pressed up against the door and looked around to see if the guards were coming. 

“That’s nonsense. All those rumors are lies." 

I didn't even know who to believe. Nobody had ever been to the Lycans lands because it was forbidden. Wolves and Lycans shared nothing in common except a border. 

“I got this from a very reliable source, I even heard that one time, he cut off a guard's arm because he distracted him from work.” 

Jackson's brother was a border guard so that was probably his “reliable source." 

So this was the meeting Serena wanted to have, they were planning on selling me off to the Lycan King. Making my life hell wasn't enough, they wanted me gone for good.

I knew Serena hated me and she would do anything to see that I suffered. I wasn't putting much hope on Jackson either because he was a coward and he was afraid of Serena. 

The only person I could hope on now was my father although he cast me aside as soon as my mother died, I was still his daughter and I hoped that that fact alone would save me from Serena's evil plan. 

There was silence in the room and I bit my lip, waiting for someone to say something. 

“But who cares how old he is? She's the one marrying him so that's her problem. Dad, all that matters to us is that we get to have a relationship with them. Wouldn't that be good for us?”

The man I call father sighed.

“Yes it will, but I think there are other ways to make peace with them." 

Serena slammed the table.

“No! There is no other way. This is the best way is to make sure she marries him, that way, he would think you gave your most prized possession to him. You really need him to sign the treaty. Else, there would never be peace.” 

So she wanted me to be the sacrificial lamb and be shipped off to a foreign land to marry a man who was old enough to be my dad? 

No way. There was no way my dad would agree to this. 

I heard another sigh and my heart dropped. 

“Fine. But you get to break the news to her.” 

The tray almost slipped out of my hand. I stood there, in utter shock, recounting those words over and over again. He had just agreed to it. 

Tears gathered in my eyes as though called on and I felt the dull ache in my heart at the betrayal. The people I had thought would be there were the ones plotting my downfall. 

I dropped the tray back in the kitchen and ran into my room. As soon as I closed the door, I let out the tears I had been holding back, collapsing to the floor in defeat. 

“Lia! Lia!” I called for her but there was no response. 

I would take any comfort I could receive right now but there was none. The pain was too much to bear. The people I had thought would be by my side were happily planning against me behind my back. 

Serena, my own sister. She may have never acted like it but she was still my sister. 

My dad. My own father. 

Jackson, my boyfriend. I had trusted him more than anyone. 

And now, Lia. Had I really thought someone I had met just today would be faithful to me when the people I'd known all my life hated me? 

They'd all left me, to deal with life myself. 

The only person who could have helped me was long gone. 

My mind flashed back to the last time I'd spoken to mum, just moments before she passed. 

“Always be yourself, Kaya. Never shed tears for unworthy people. Your heart would tell you where to go, it would lead you to the right place.” 

Sometimes, I wonder if my mum knew how much I was going to suffer and cry but her words were enough to get me on my feet. 

If they could plan, so could I. 

I have had enough of Serena and her evil doings. This was the last straw. I stood up from the floor, brushing the dust off and looked at myself in the mirror. 

Serena and the rest weren't worthy of my tears so I should be thinking of a way to get out of this situation instead of crying over it. 

I reached under my bed and pulled out my small bag of money. I'd been hiding it for a long time, hoping for the day I'd be in an emergency and get to use it. 

Today was that day. 

Quickly stuffing the few things I had into a bag, I put together essentials that would help me on my mission. I was finally going to take the bold step and run away. 

I won't let Serena's bitterness ruin my life as she saw fit. In the meantime, I mapped out my escape route, taking into account every factor that may try to ruin the plan. 

Then when it was time, I made my move. 

It was evening and I knew that at this time, the back door to the house would be left open because this was when the guards change shifts. 

The first thing was to pass through the living room without anyone seeing me. With that successfully done, I looked behind me one last time before stepping into the cold evening breeze. 

This was it, I was finally doing it but I couldn't fully celebrate because the major obstacle was getting over the border.

I began running as soon as I gained some distance from the house. Despite being out of breath and carrying a heavy bag, I didn't stop. 

It won't take long for someone to notice I was gone because Serena was always calling for me to do one thing or the other. And as soon as she realized I was gone, she would send out every guard to look for me. I had to get away, and fast.

My breath comes in ragged gasps as my feet pound against the earth, pushing me forward through the dense forest, leaves rustling with each hurried step.

My heart races in my chest. Not just from exertion but from the thrill—or perhaps fear—that drives me to keep moving.

I can hear the wind whistling in my ears, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. My muscles burn, but I ignore the pain, focusing instead on the rhythm of my stride, the thud of my heartbeat, and the sound of my breath as it blends with the rustling leaves and distant bird calls.

I feel the roughness of the ground beneath my shoes, every root and stone a challenge to overcome, but I’m driven by a force I can’t quite name, something that urges me to push harder, run faster, and leave everything behind.

Night had fallen and the moon was nowhere to be found so I was basically walking in the darkness. I couldn't see the ground before me but even if I could, I wouldn't have been able to see the well hidden net trap before me. 

As soon as I stepped on it, it dragged me into the net and dangled me from a tree like some prey. 

Damned hunters and their traps. 

I should have brought a knife. As I looked for ways to get out of this stupid trap, I heard footsteps behind me. Five figures approached me and as they got closer, my heart sank. 

From their appearance, I could see that they were rogues. Oh no, I had heard rumors of Rogues capturing girls and selling them as sex slaves. 

One of them stepped forward, I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a mask. It seemed like he was the leader.

Except, as they got closer, I realized it wasn’t a he, but a she, and—

“Hello, sister.” 

That voice. 

“Serena?”