Prologue

Trigger Warning - Themes of physical and emotional abuse, rape, manipulation, and other traumatic themes are featured in this story, so proceed with caution.

Corinna

Once again, I am in the bathtub, silently crying, scrubbing my body raw to get his touch, scent, hell, his whole disgusting essence off me. I’m also trying not to be too loud; I don’t want to set him off.

This has become my nightly and morning routine ever since he brought me to this awful pack.

After 40 minutes, I enter our bedroom and stare at my so-called ‘mate’ from the doorway. It makes me want to vomit that I have to share a bed with him.

I need to get out of here, somehow, as time is running out for me, for us. That’s my last thought before sleep takes me, and a lone tear falls.

I am Luna of the Dark Shadow pack and the official mate of Xander Woods, the new Alpha of this so-called pack. It means everything to him, but I couldn’t give two shits as it’s awful being here.

I should have listened to my family’s warnings, but didn’t. I believed my mate, something I didn’t even know was a thing, was the most loving, caring person I had ever met. But I was soon proven wrong.

So horribly, utterly wrong.

Luna, my wolf, healed me overnight, only for my torment to carry on the following day when Xander woke up and had his way with me. Consent be damned! As his mate, I should be ready for him no matter what. Apparently, that is the law from the stupid council, no wonder Lunas and females look miserable and broken.

“You’re fucking useless.” He spat as he pulled out of me, and I turned away from him.

What did he expect after all this time? Gratitude for the pain? Whether it’s direct, or when he cheats on me? Fuck that.

He’s lucky Luna is so weak that we don’t have the strength to fight back anymore. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I wish he would go back to fucking other she-wolves, then I wouldn’t have his full ‘attention’.

I’d rather deal with that pain. At least it’s not direct.

He only stopped cheating recently because he knew I would feel it through the bond, and I am pregnant with a boy, his so-called ‘precious’ heir. That’s his fucked up version of caring, yet he still torments the living shit out of me every chance he gets.

He ultimately doesn’t give a flying fuck as long he gets what he needs. Asshole.

‘I know I should love him because he’s our mate, but if we don’t do something, Rina, we will lose this pup, and you will lose me. I don’t know how long I can keep doing this.’ My wolf says, and I tearfully agree with her.

I don’t want to lose my child or my wolf, and I refuse to let my sweet, innocent baby grow up and get corrupted in this fucked up environment and turn out like him. I need to reject him, this pack, and run. I just hope I can pull this off without anyone catching on.

Not everyone is bad in this pack, like Xander’s brother Noah and his mother Brooke, but that’s not enough. I have to go for my safety and my son’s.

These are my never-ending thoughts as I prepare for the day and apply makeup to cover the marks around my neck and chest.

Luna is slightly weaker this morning as she’s been using a lot of energy to heal us, making sure our pup is safe in our belly. In the last 2 years, Luna has weakened considerably due to the abuse Xander has inflicted on us.

I mind link my maid, Gia, to come to my room, and within five minutes, she’s knocking on my door.

She told me to keep our real relationship a secret, and now I am massively relieved that she gave me that advice because we can probably use it to our advantage.

The moment Gia enters my room, her eyes go to my latest collection of fresh bruises, and she briefly looks down in shame and sadness before coming over to hug me gently and carefully.

“When?” She whispers in my ear.

“Last night and this morning. Luna has been using most of her energy to keep the pup safe. She needs a little more time before she can heal the rest of me, provided he gives me a break.” I tell her as I pull back and bring her to sit on the bed with me.

“How long, Rina? You can’t keep doing this. He’s killing you.” Gia pleads with me.

“I know.” I whisper, feeling broken in more ways than one.

‘Which is why I have decided to run. Reject him, the pack, and go. You with me?’ I ask her in the mind link.

She perks up with hope, and her eyes start glistening with relief.

‘Oh, thank Artemis! Of course, I am! When? It needs to be soon.’ She answers back excitedly.

‘Yes, it does. I was thinking possibly this weekend when Xander goes to the brothels. He always comes home late; however, there is a chance of me being weakened even more if he gives in to his arousal while he’s there. But it might be our only chance since most of the men go there with him.’

‘Will Luna be strong enough to handle that?’ Gia asks, and her eyes slightly change color, indicating that her wolf, Penelope, is also present.

‘It won’t be easy, but I have to protect this pup no matter what. I can't lose another, I won’t survive it.’ Luna answers this time, and I nod my head in agreement.

Gia hugs me one last time before quickly collecting herself, not wanting to raise suspicion, and walks out of my room.

I take a few moments as well, then head out to get breakfast.

I see Brooke and Noah sitting at the table in the private dining room. They notice me and smile at me, which I return as I take my seat.

Brooke is what my future looks like if I stay here, broken and powerless after years of mistreatment. I think the only reason she is still alive is because of Noah.

Noah is an absolute sweetheart despite being bullied by the pack, with the exception of his mother, and I suddenly have a thought.

I don’t know if he will go for it, as it means leaving his mother behind, but I will ask nonetheless.

“Good morning, Corinna. How are you this morning?” Brooke asks as the maids, Gia included, serve us our breakfasts.

“Oh, the usual.” I chuckle, rubbing my tiny bump.

“Yes, I remember Xander being a nightmare when I was pregnant with him.” Brooke says fondly with a soft smile.

I just nod my head with a tight-lipped smile. ‘You have no fucking idea what a nightmare your son is’ I think to myself. Noah looks at both of us with a somber expression, saying nothing.

“What about Noah?” I ask to change the subject slightly, taking a bite of my eggs.

“Um, Noah was exactly how he is now. Peaceful.” Brooke answers somewhat nervously, taking a sip from her coffee and avoiding eye contact.

“Noah, can I talk to you later?” I ask as we eat.

Noah turns to look at me, his head tilted to the side with a curious look. Brooke notices and immediately orders everyone out, leaving just the three of us.

“What is this about?” She asks with narrowed eyes.

“Nothing bad, just want a private word.” I tell her casually. I can’t have her suspicious of my plans.

“Is this about what you and Gia were talking about this morning?” She asks me and though I'm surprised, I know there’s no way she heard our plans as we mind linked that part.

“In regards to what? And how do you know we talked?” I replied casually, leaning back in my chair.

“You know what. The other maids reported it to me. I told them it was nothing to worry about and not to mention it to anyone else. How long has my son been hurting you?” She asks point-blank, and I am stunned. What?!

“Corinna, I am not blind. I know what Xander is like. Sadly, he’s just like his father.” She says in a sad tone, turning away from me.

Guilt and shame are written all over her face. I can’t help but feel empathy, sadness, and a little resentment. Why not interfere or help?

“It’s been happening since he brought me to the pack, but it got worse when I got pregnant the first time.” I say, looking down. My sorrow hit me like a ton of bricks.

Brooke is silent as she gets up, walks over, and hugs me, whispering, ‘I am so sorry’ in my ear.

“That is why I have decided to leave. I’m sorry, but I can’t anymore. If I stay, I will lose this baby and, quite possibly, my wolf. But I wanted to ask if Noah would like to come too,” I ask, pulling back and looking at them.

Noah looks surprised while Brooke takes a deep breath before turning her gaze to him.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. How? You know Alpha and Father will go apeshit.” He turns to look at his mom and then at me again. “Who would look after Mom if I were to leave with you?”

“Oh, baby, don’t worry about me. If you have a chance to escape this hell, go.” She tells him softly, cupping his cheek before turning to me.

“He does have a point, though; how?” She asks.

“Wait a minute, you're not gonna beg me to stay?” I ask, confused.

Brooke shakes her head ‘no’ with tears falling.

“No, sweet girl. You are right. If you carry on like this, you will lose this child and your wolf. You will become like me, powerless and broken.” She whispers the last part.

She cups my face, looking deeply into my eyes.

“I care about you, and I love my grandson too much to let that happen again, even if it means I may never see him.” She closes her eyes, placing her hand on my slightly swollen belly, letting out a quiet sob at the thought of never seeing her grandpup.

“Thank you. I promise to tell him all about his brave grandmother one day,” I say with a grateful smile, placing my hands on top of hers.

I then proceeded to tell them about my plan, with Brooke adding that she could obtain the guard schedules for that night, so we could decide which route and border would be easiest to run to.

Brooke also asked me about the condition of my wolf, and I told her the truth, but we were prepared, despite knowing the huge risk we were taking. Wolves know the pain of rejection and what it could do to your wolf, but pregnant? It could kill the pup.

Essentially, I’m damned no matter what I do.

‘I will try my best in the next few days to gather as much power and strength as possible so we can escape this hellhole.’ Luna tells me confidently.

~ A week later ~

Tonight is the night.

We’ve spent much of the week reviewing plans and putting things in place, even money, thanks to Brooke. Gia and I also have the ability to hide our scents, something else we never told anyone, which will definitely come in handy later.

I get a mind link from Gia saying it’s time and asking if I’m ready. I tell her I will be there in 5 minutes and that I will meet her at the back of the packhouse. I quickly dress in comfortable baggy clothing since I can’t shift due to my pregnancy, and I will most likely have to ride Penny if we run into trouble.

I leave my room silently, only to bump into one of the warriors stationed on my floor. Shit!

“Luna, why are you up this late?” He asks me as we put some distance between us.

“Oh, uh, I wanted to get a snack. You know, cravings.” I let out a nervous chuckle.

“But why are you dressed like that?” He eyes me up and down curiously.

“You know what Alpha is like. Imagine what he would do if I came out in my pajamas.” I said, trying to keep my nerves at bay.

After evading the guard, I quickly headed to the meeting place and saw that only Gia was hiding behind a pillar. Where’s Noah?

“He’s not here, but we can’t wait,” Gia says, emerging from the shadows, and I gasp.

She’s black, blue, and purple, one eye slightly swollen shut, and I let out a small whimper, tracing her eye and bruises with my fingers.

“Enough!” Gia growls, slapping my hands away.

She’s right; run now and worry later. After 20 minutes of running, we suddenly hear the howls of alert, and one of the howls is Blake, Xander’s wolf.

What the fuck is he doing back?! We need to hurry!

We picked up the pace and ran as fast as we could to the other side of the border. Then, we quickly climbed up the trees, hiding behind thick branches and leaves.

The warriors underneath us don’t even think to look up. I silently scoff, looking down at them. Stupid wolves.

Gia and I give each other a nod before I turn to look up at the moon and take a deep breath.

“I, Corinna Woods, reject Xander Woods as my mate and Alpha, and I declare myself a lone wolf.” I yell.

I smile with relief, even though I feel pain, because of the sheer gratification I get seeing Xander and the rest of the warriors incapacitated, writhing, and howling in pain over my rejection as their Luna.

“I, Gia Harris, reject Xander Woods as my Alpha and declare myself a lone wolf.” Gia says with a pleased growl, looking at the sight below.

We jumped down with huge grins at the sight around us. Gia started running off, and I was about to follow when I heard….

“You will pay for this.” Xander stutters through the pain, clutching his chest.

I turn and face him long enough to flip him off smugly before I start running, disappearing into the night.

I’m free….