Two Days Later
After walking for what felt like an eternity, I decided to call it a day and rest, as night was beginning to fall. I collapsed under a tall oak tree where the moon was shining brightly.
That was all my wolf needed to regain its strength before we continued on our journey.
As I sat, my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten for a while.
I eyed the little berries I had managed to gather, tempted to take a bite, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. They were all I had to take me through the journey, and eating them now, with no backup plan, was a gamble I couldn't afford to lose. So I gritted my teeth and ignored the hunger pangs.
“Maybe leaving the pack without a plan wasn't such a good idea.” I sighed, letting my eyes wander up to the moon.
At that moment, it was as if the world around me just… faded away, taking my worries and anxiety with it. I hadn't felt this peace of mind since the day my father died, and I couldn't help but smile, slowly drifting off to sleep.
“What was that?” I jerked awake, my senses high on alert as I tried to locate the sound that seemed to be coming from all directions.
I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized that the footsteps were closing in, faster than expected. I quickly hid behind the oak tree, silently praying that the thick veils of leaves and vines would be enough to keep me hidden.
The footsteps stopped right in front of the oak tree I was hiding in, and I immediately held my breath.
“I could have sworn her scent came from this direction.” One of them growled.
“She's close; I can feel it.” The other replied.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, holding back a loud gasp. Those voices, I could recognize them even if I was asleep.
I stole a quick glance, my eyes easily making out the faces of Alex, the pack Beta, and Troy, the head of the pack border guards. Along with some other wolves.
“What's going on? Why were two of the pack's most powerful wolves tracking me down?” I wondered, watching anxiously as they continued their search.
I gritted my teeth in frustration as Troy's annoyingly accurate instinct proved once again why he was the best tracker in the pack. I could only watch helplessly as Troy took a slow, calculated step towards the oak tree, and just as he was about to look around the trunk, Alex's sharp voice cut in.
“We've got nothing here; let's spread out and keep searching,” Alex ordered, giving a signal to the others to fall back.
One by one, the guards began to disappear into the woods until I was sure there was no one left. I gave a short sigh of relief before slowly stepping out of my hiding spot.
If Derrick wanted to capture me alive, he could have just sent the border patrol guards to bring me back. Instead, he sent the pack's elite to come after me. The only thing I could think of was Derrick had given a kill-on-sight order against me. Which also meant he was willing to do whatever it took to keep me from escaping.
“Derrick, you scoundrel,” I spat, realizing that he had played me once again. “I really should have known better than to trust you… In the end, you couldn't let me get away now, could you?"
Freedom had a price, and I'd paid it in full. I wasn't just going to let anyone take it away from me without a fight. I took a moment to collect my thoughts. With my purebred abilities, trying to outrun them would be suicide since I wasn't really familiar with the forest paths.
The only thing I could think of was finding a good hiding place and creating a diversion. I could summon my wolf and have her run through the forest, carrying my scent to distract them.
Once they'd taken the bait, all I needed to do was find a good place to hide and wait for the perfect moment to make my escape. After that, I could recall my wolf without having to put any of us in harm's way.
The plan was simple, but it came with a cost: if my werewolf and I got separated for too long, we would become vulnerable to attacks.
I closed my eyes and muttered a few words. When I opened them again, I came face to face with my pure silver wolf-breed, Eliza. There was a part of me that always wished I could hear her voice in my head or maybe even understand what was going on in that beautiful wolf mind of hers.
But I guess that's the price I had to pay for all the power and abilities that come with being a purebred. I nodded to Eliza, and she took off. Immediately in the opposite direction, the noise she created from running would be more than enough to draw their attention away from me.
From high up in the tree, I watched as the pack of wolves ran after Eliza with full force, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Once I was sure they had lost my trail, I quickly climbed down the tree and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.
The more I ran, the more I felt like I was going nowhere; the trees just kept coming like a never-ending circle, and I was already starting to wonder if there truly was a way out.
The darkness was slowly giving way to the light of dawn, and my entire body felt like it would collapse at any moment. I was about to take a quick stop when my eyes caught sight of something from a distance. I used every last bit of my energy to make my way towards the clearing.
“You've got to be kidding me,” I said, tears welling up my eyes.
The entire forest was settled on high land with steep cliffs marking the edge. Crystal clear streams flowed over the edge into a lake below. Which meant that the only way out was down.
I'd never stepped foot outside Dawn Runner Pack before, so it was understandable that I wasn't familiar with the area. But how come I never noticed that we were living in the highlands this entire time.
I stared blankly at the edge, thinking of what to do next.
“Did you really think you could escape all by yourself?” a voice said behind me.
I felt like I was choking on my breath as I came face-to-face with Alex. “Wha… what are you doing here?” I stammered.
“Your little trick might fool others, but not me,” Alex said, confidently making his way towards me.
“Who, me? Playing tricks.” I chuckled dryly, taking a step closer to the edge. “I... I really don't know what you're talking about?"
“You can drop the act now, Samantha,” Alex said, firmly. “I'm sure you already know that we have orders to make sure you don't leave this place alive."
“You can't be serious,” I said, my voice shaking with fear. “Can't we just talk about this instead?"
Alex paused for a moment, as if struggling within himself. “If it's of any comfort to you, I wish things didn't have to end like this. But as the Beta of Dawn Runner Pack, I have to eliminate anyone and anything that will be a threat to the future of the pack”. He stated.
“How could I possibly be a threat to someone who has chosen to be the alpha of the pack? I mean, there is absolutely no reason for Derrick to be so afraid of me unless…” I paused, realization dawning on me. “… it was all a lie.”
Before I could react, I felt a sharp claw rip through my stomach. Leaving me gasping for breath. The last thing I could remember was a silent whisper of “I'm sorry” and then I felt myself falling through the air. The next thing I knew, I landed in the cold, dark water, slowly drifting away from reality.