3. Escaping

“Jessy, Jessy! Come on baby, open your eyes. It’s time.” I whispered to my three years old.

There was no one around and I knew that I didn’t have to whisper but it suddenly felt like the walls had ears and like there were eyes watching me in the dark of my room.

Jessy moaned softly, sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her small hands, the action made me smile.

Jessy brought so much joy into my otherwise sad life, and I would never regret bringing my baby into this world, she was more than I ever wished for.

“Mommy is it time?” Jessy whispered back to me and I nodded my head in agreement, putting her into warmer clothes and making sure every inch of her body was properly covered, the night air could be brutal sometimes.

“Put this on.” I whispered again to her, sliding a small backpack through her arms, adjusting the straps until they stayed firmly on her back.

I had taken only the necessary things that we needed, the less bags we had to carry, the easier and faster it was for us to move.

Once I was sure that we were set, I carried Jessy into my arms holding her tightly against my chest.

Pulling the door slightly open, the night air greeted me, the only sounds that floated through the air were of the crickets and toads. Everything otherwise seemed calm and quiet, the perfect atmosphere that I had hoped for.

Slipping out of my room, I made a dash for the tree line that led out of the pack.

My heart thudded heavily in my chest. If we were caught at this point, it would be the end of us. I knew the risk of what I was doing but I was willing to try, to go through it all for the sake of my child. If I succeeded with this then it meant a better life for Jessy, and that was all the motivation I needed to keep going.

I kept my ears pricked for any sound, but none came so I continued deeper into the woods until I reached the pack borders. Setting Jessy carefully on the floor, I turned her around and began to strip out of my clothes, stuffing them into the small bag that I had carried with me.

Once I finished with that I closed my eyes and concentrated on shifting.

Since I was barely fed and overworked, the process took longer than it normally should. But soon my beautiful white wolf was standing in my stead, my wolf was one of the prettiest in the pack and the other omegas usually gave me hell for it.

It was after all very rare to find a pure white wolf that was paired with sparkling cerulean eyes.

Since my human form was small, it was no surprise that my wolf was also small, nudging my daughter gently with my snout. I encouraged her to climb on my back without speaking, Jessy immediately understood the message and she climbed onto my back holding me as tightly as she could.

I picked the small bag that I had carried in my mouth and once I felt a balance with everything I began running. I had no sense of direction or any particular destination in mind, all I wanted was to escape the SilverMoon pack and put all of the memories and pain behind me.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, moving past trees, shrubs and bushes. Dodging through fallen logs. There were no signs of danger yet but I stayed alert, stopping occasionally to listen or to take in a breath of air, before dashing madly again.

After what felt like hours of running, I finally stopped, looking around me. I was tired and thirsty and Jessy was starting to weigh heavier on my back. Laying on the floor, I let her slip from my back before I shifted back again.

I shivered slightly as the night air attacked me immediately the furs were gone. Opening the bag, I pulled out my clothes and hurriedly slipped back into them, pulling the small bottle of water that I had packed and giving it to Jessy.

I tried to figure out where I was, but the darkness of the night didn’t allow me to. It was my first time being in the wilderness alone and now that the initial excitement of escaping had worn off, all that was left in its place was fear and dread.

I looked to my side and some fresh leaves caught my attention, plucking a few I chewed on them in an attempt to kill my thirst. They weren’t as effective but I felt a tiny bit better.

“Mommy, where are we going?” Jessy suddenly asked after we remained in a particular spot for a while.

In truth, I had no idea where we were going.

There had been no clear destination in mind from the moment that I had left the pack, but I couldn’t tell Jessy. I also couldn’t let her see the fear that coursed through me.

She would only feed on it and become scared too, I was all she had and I knew how much Jessy looked up to me for strength and guidance.

“We’re almost there honey.” I said instead, fixing the hood of her shirt that had slipped off properly before carrying her and then picking the small bag.

I began walking through the woods, hoping to find a source of water soon. I wasn't sure how much time had passed but it seemed like a half hour later when I caught sight of a clearing up ahead that held a stream.

Pricking my ears I could hear the voices of people but the trees around and the darkness prevented me from being able to see their owners.

The closer I got the clearer it became, there was a campfire by the stream and a group of people were sitting around it.

A surge of excitement went through me, I was happy to see other people in the wilderness.

As I drew nearer I could hear them talking, the firelight finally revealed the group to me: it was a set of three men and some young girls. The group looked completely harmless but I knew I couldn’t judge just by looks.

I stood in my spot hiding behind a large tree, and thought carefully, I wasn’t sure whether or not to approach the group, they looked to be having a good time by themselves but I wasn’t sure how that was going to change if I chose to reveal myself, but I was thirsty and hungry and I knew that I couldn’t carry on for much longer, especially with Jessy in my arms.

So carefully I walked out from behind the trees, stepping into the clearing and revealing myself.

The conversation immediately ceased and all eyes turned to look at me. I bowed my head slightly hoping to show the group that I was harmless and didn’t intend to cause any troubles.

Jessy had different plans though, because she turned around in my arms and waved her little hands in the direction of one of the men. Before I could scold her for it, the man smiled at the action before waving back to her.

“You look tired. Care to join us for a meal?” The man that Jessy had waved at asked and I don’t even stop to think the offer through before I’m nodding my head in response.

They looked nice enough and they had just offered us food, that was enough to calm me.

“Yes, thank you so much.” I approached them carefully, taking a seat on the makeshift log that was currently in front of the campfire. It had a single occupant, and it was one of the men, I maintained as much distance as the small log would allow between us, still not feeling entirely comfortable in their presence.

A bowl of soup was passed to me, along with some bread and a bottle of water, I let Jessy drink the water first to her fill before I drank from the bottle, enjoying the way the water trickled down my parched throat, quenching my thirst.

Once I had drank half the bottle, I covered it up and began to feed myself and Jessy. I could feel myself relax around the strangers that had returned back to their conversations, continuing to feed my daughter and myself.

As long as I didn’t reveal who I really was or where I was from then, I would be fine.

“Where are you headed?” One of the men suddenly asked, and once again the attention of the group was turned back to me.

My heart lurched at the question and I swallowed, trying to push down the knot that had formed in my throat.

“I’m visiting my husband at the Red point. He moved there for work and since he usually comes to visit, I wanted to surprise him with a visit for once. I wanted him to wake up to our faces but I didn’t realize how long the journey actually was.” I lied, biting my cheek and hoping that they bought the story.

No one asked any further questions and instead the men chuckled to my last sentence, nodding in understanding. I let out a small breath of relief, going back to feeding Jessy that had successfully managed to smear soup on her face.

I reached into the bag beside me to pull out some wipes so I could clean her face, unknowingly exposing the burned sign at the side of my neck.

All omegas carry a mark like this and it was burned so long ago that I almost forgot it existed.

As I lowered my head to clean off Jessy’s face, the man beside me suddenly reached out to grab a handful of my hair, forcing my head up and revealing the sign. I whimpered from the action.

“An expelled omega?” He smirked

“We are in luck! This one is worth a fortune.”