Chapter 1 : Run

CW: Mentions of domestic abuse and sexual assault

Seraphina's POV

A nightmare.

Recurring every time I closed my eyes. My stomach would drop and my fingers would go cold. My husband, the bane of my existence, would stand over me, a cruel grin on his lips. Madness gleamed in his eyes. A glinting silver blade in his hand.

The hilt was off-white like dried bone. Ancient runes carved into it. Old magic.

Dark magic.

Magicks my family warned me to steer clear from time and time again. Dark as the abyss beneath us all. The magic you can't ever come back from.

A shrill cry from the corner of the circle. My daughter. Her wails like a warning. Begging me to get up.

Move.

Fight.

My limbs felt heavy. My screams fell silent. Like trying to wade through waist-deep water soaking into garments. Sinking me with every step. Deeper and deeper into the muddy silt. But I tried. I fought. I clawed my way through it, but every time, I failed.

He caught up to me before I could get to my daughter, tearing me backward. In this dream world, I was uncoordinated. My knees buckled.

I fell into the mud, dirtying my clothing as I was cast in red.

A scream lodged in my chest as the bloodied light from the Blood Moon washed over the forest, basking everything in crimson. Like a naval ship stealthily taking to the seas as soon as the sun set.

He took both of my wrists and pinned me down to the sacrificial stone. Jeers of the audience I couldn't see encouraging him to continue. Chain me down onto the bloodstained stone.

My husband, William, King of the Shifters, Conqueror of anything with a beating heart, brought the blade down, splitting open my chest. His fingers were slippery with red ink as he stole what was mine right from my chest.

And I couldn't do a damn thing to stop him.

Then I succumbed to my greatest fear…leaving my daughter with a monster of a father.

***

"Queen Seraphina…Wake up. Wake up," the sound of my guard's voice stirred me from my nightmares. Or were they warnings? Prophecies?

I didn't know. But if they were prophecies, then there was nothing I could do to prevent them from happening. I was doomed the moment William forcefully put that ring on my finger, binding my power, and binding me to him.

Forever.

My eyelids fluttered open, a knot raised against my temple from the last time my husband returned. Drunk and biligerent. But what was new? I'd had four years to understand that the only thing my husband ever changed was the potency of his drink. And how hard he wanted to hit.

Always worse when he was drunk.

"Sera, wake up, sweetie." Abe gently shook my shoulder. He was the only person that I ever liked calling me terms of endearment.

Because he meant them. He didn't say them to inflict cruelty. Belittle me. He said them with all the heart of a loving father. But, even if his touch was light, it reminded me of the throbbing pain under my skin. Blisters and welts that only reappeared shortly after they healed.

Sometimes William would take to a belt. A red-hot poker. A knife. But as bad as it was, he didn't want to kill me. William wanted me to suffer. He took joy in it. Delighted by the fact I could never fight back.

Didn't matter what I did. If he was in the mood for violence, there was nothing I could do.

Because if he would do that to his wife, what would he do to his child?

I didn't want to find out, so I took it.

I took it and prayed for the moment the enchantment on this ring would falter, and I would finally reap what was sown.

"What is it, Abe?" I whispered, careful not to awaken my daughter, Annika, barely a year old, sleeping in her crib. Sometimes in my nightmares, I'd dream that William was standing over my child and then I'd hear her scream.

Thankfully, those were just nightmares, but I'd wake up, take her from her crib and cradle her. Tuck her in the crook of my arm and make nighttime promises to save her from this place. Kiss her little dimple and swirly hair and know she was the only good thing to come from any of this.

"It's time," Abe murmured, backing away from me, and giving me space to get up. The comforter slid down my shoulder, revealing a nasty handprint from the previous night. I gazed up at Abe, the only person I could trust in the city. Wrinkles aged his face, creases in his forehead, and a long history of scars from his service.

Everyone else followed William. King of Shifters, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, like cattle. A lot of titles for a man as rotten as a worm in an apple. Eating its way through the core until the rest of the apple was as soft and rancid as the slimy creature tainting it.

"Time for what?" I asked, rubbing grit from my eyes. I glanced out the window, the moon high in the sky. "Y-You should get out of here. William will be back soon. I-I don't want you to get beaten because of me."

Abe reminded me of my father. Graying hair. Kindness in his eyes. But, like my father, he was also a self-sacrificial idiot. Eager to jump in the way if it meant someone would be saved.

Unfortunately for Abe, I took after my father.

My guard sighed and took a small vial from the satchel on his belt, one of which he also carried his firearm and his inhibitor herbs to stop him from Berserking.

Shame, I'd love to see a bear rip off William's face. If I had my magic, I would have done it myself a long time ago. Then maybe he might look as horrible as he was inside. Rotten to the core.

"He won't, Sera," Abe promised, bringing attention to the small vial again. "I've slipped this into his drink. He'll be distracted at the club until sunrise. Now is your chance to take Annika and run."

I must've not heard him right? It couldn't be that easy. "R-Run?" I echoed, glancing over at Annika's bassinet again. The sweet little child tossed and turned before settling into a quiet sleep again. My heart ached to hold her.

But I always wanted to hold my little Annika.

"Yes, I have a car waiting for you. No plates. You're going to take it to the Outskirts," Abe determined, forcing a car key into my hand. "You will find my daughter, Rosie, and you will be safe."

I couldn't hear him. His words weren't connecting with me. This time I glanced out the window again and saw a car idling just outside. Through an open window, I saw a car seat for Annika and a bag packed.

My eyes started to well with water. "What?" I looked back at Abe, my throat thickening. With hope or dread, I wasn't sure. A shaky breath fell from my mouth.

Gently, Abe dipped down to my height, both thickly calloused hands holding my shoulders. His touch would've hurt, but it didn't feel like I was tethered to my body anymore. The pain only whorled in the deepest depths of my mind.

Red hair curled over his forehead, dampened with sweat. His lips tilted into a reassuring smile. "You're getting out of here, Sera."

I'd dreamed of running. So many times. But as my spirit fluttered just over my body, my legs became tree trunks, roots tangling into the bedspread. "I-I can't go…" I whispered, my stammer weaving its way through my voice.

He gave me a firm nod. "You can and you will. I love you like a daughter, and now I finally have the chance to protect you."

My lower lip trembled. "Then come with me, Abe. Let's leave together."

He released my shoulders, relaxing his hands by his sides. "I would love to see my wife and Rosie again, but I can't. I can't leave these borders. A requirement of my servitude." He guided my attention to an armband secured around his bicep. Charmed, like my ring.

A tear slipped down my cheek. "I-I can't leave y-you to face William."

A quiet moment passed between us until he said, "If you were Annika, and I were you, would you want Annika to hesitate?"

"No. I wouldn't," I breathed.

He dipped his head again and retrieved another vial from his satchel. "Use this to cover your scent."

I took the vial, making my choice. Not just for me, but for Annika. I needed to build a life for her outside these four walls. The cell of her father's making. But if I had my way, Annika wouldn't even know William's name.

I dipped the clear fluid along my pulse points, unsure if it was working. I didn't have the senses of a shifter, but by the look on Abe's face, it was working.

"Annika too," Abe directed.

I approached my sleeping girl, dressed in PJs, sleeping on her hands, butt in the air. I couldn't help but smile, my heart fluttering with all the love I felt. I dipped my fingers into the vial, rubbing it on her neck.

Annika made a noise, moving as I disrupted her but it wasn't surprising. She was a half-shifter, so her nose would pick up on the alteration. Her eyes flew open as if I were a stranger, but she settled again as soon as she saw me.

Just her sweet smile, and little wheeze, cracked the roots binding me to this place. They splintered and my spirit dropped back into my body.

"Good. Keep the vial. Do not stop driving. When you reach Rosie, she will give you something that'll affect your scent for the long term," Abe said.

"What about the other Blood Moon pack wolves?" I asked, looking over my shoulder. "Wouldn't they notice someone leaving?"

Abe tapped on his temple, inferring he already gave that some thought. "They are out with their Alpha. Partying. The packhouse is currently empty aside from me and a few allies."

Time to move.

I put my shoes on, not caring about the pajamas I wore. No time to linger. I'd done enough of that. I gathered Annika in my arms and Abe led us down the stairs, keeping an eye on our surroundings. Sniffing the air to ensure we wouldn't garner the attention of unwanted shifters.

I got Annika in the car seat, and she immediately fell back asleep. She always did sleep well in the car. Loved the few trips we took.

I turned to Abe and threw my arms around his neck, voice thick. "T-Thank you, Abe. I will never forget this," I promised against the scratchy hair of his gray beard, fighting to get the words out.

Abe hugged me back before catching my eyes. "You don't have to thank me, Sera. Now, I will be writing to you soon. Rosie and I will keep you and Annika safe. But be careful, the Outskirts is the safest place for you, but it is not a safe place."

I nodded. "I understand."

He opened the door for me, shutting it once I got inside. "Run, Sera. Don't stop under any circumstances. Take the South Road to the border. Rosie will be waiting for you."

I gulped thickly again and nodded. He backed away from the car and I shifted the gears, backing down the gravel pathway. Abe stayed in the driveway, watching me leave until he disappeared from sight.

With the packhouse behind me and my husband behind me, I drove into the unknown. Exhaustion bore down on my body, but I didn't stop driving.

I didn't stop driving when the sun breached the horizon.

Or when Annika roused awake.

I hummed Annika's favorite lullabies, and even if she cried, I knew I still couldn't stop.

Not for hunger or exhaustion.

If I stopped, I'd be beaten and tied on a pole to be spat at for stealing the Alpha's child. But Annika would never be William's.

She was mine.

Mine to protect.

Mine to love.

For her, there was no room for failure. I would protect her until my last breath. My baby girl. I adjusted the rearview mirror to watch her little feet kick. That was all I needed for reassurance. We would be okay.