The Runaway Luna

CHAPTER 5

Anna

“Stella, I don't want this baby. I can't possibly have a child with Damon.” I sank onto my bed, my tears spilling down my cheek. Stella sighed, sitting down beside me.

“But what do we do now? Damon will find out soon, and there's nothing we can do once he does. It's already been done, Anna.”

“No! I can't…I simply can't.” I replied, my voice breaking in anguish. How could I give birth to Damon's child? “I thought I was fine when I slept with him, and I prayed I wouldn't get pregnant. But I am, and now…there's a life growing inside me. A child that was born from a night I regret. I don't think it's right to punish an innocent soul by giving them a worthless murdere as a father.”

Stella's face fell, her eyes carrying a hint of regret. “I shouldn't have let you sleep with him. It should have been me. This is all my fault.” She began sobbing silently, and I wrapped my arms around her, gently patting her back.

“No, you did nothing wrong, Stella. I know you hate him too, I could never let him touch you with those vile hands of his. We'll find a way out of this, I promise.” I said reassuringly, and she smiled sadly.

“Will you keep the baby? I mean, Damon's bound to find out soon. It's only a matter of time.” Stella said in worry, and I bit my nails in a frantic manner.

“I won't have this child. I just can't. The heavens must have blessed Damon and Sophie, but I have to take that blessing away. I will never give them the joy of being parents, never. They don't deserve it, not after the hell they've put the Nightcrawlers pack through.”

I said in conviction, gently touching my stomach. I immediately felt bad for rejecting this child, but I had to put myself first. There was too much at stake to have a child, and I couldn't give Damon a reason to be happy. He didn't deserve happiness at all.

“I feel bad for the poor little one. It didn't deserve this.” Stella said sadly, breaking into fresh tears. I wept as well, already mourning the loss of this new life, but it had to be done.

“We have to hurry. Let's go find the Danderlily in the forest, it should help.”

Stella looked at me as though I had gone mad. “Danderlily? You could die, Anna! I thought we were going for wolfsbane? What the hell do you mean Danderlily? Not only will the child die, you will too! Have you forgotten the origin of that flower? Witches made it for wars during the 18th century, and you know how many people died from eating it. You will not eat that, Anna.”

“Stella, we have to be quick. Wolfsbane isn't gonna work as quickly as it will. I'll only eat a tiny piece, okay? We need to hurry up, the flower closes its petals at sundown.”

Stella shook her head, not wanting to give in. “I won't let you walk till your death. I'd rather we tell Damon that you're pregnant!”

“Stella, come on! Don't be like this.”

“No! You'll die, Anna. Don't you want to save this pack one day? Why would you even think of poisoning yourself?” She said, her voice rising.

I sighed in defeat. “Fine, I'll stay. I'll think of something else.”

She smiled and hugged me. “Good. I'll be back, okay?” I nodded, and she left my room.

As soon as she disappeared, I slipped out of the house and headed into the woods in search of the orange, spiky flower—the only way to erase the child in my womb.

I knew Stella wouldn't let me do it, but I had to before Damon found out. I felt really bad for lying to her, but I promised to come back alive. Just one petal was enough to kill 20 people, so I had to be careful, or one wrong move could go wrong.

I ventured deep into the woods, shivering because of the chill of the dark forest. The smell of wet earth filled the air, the sounds of owls hooting adding to the mystery of the woods. It was almost sundown, yet the forest was as dark as nightfall.

I hoped the flowers were still out, and when I eventually found them by a cliff, I sighed in relief. The bright orange flower sparkled in the sunset, the petals so glittery I wanted to have them all.

But that was only an illusion set by the witches to lure creatures to their death. It was widely grown for weapon purposes, and the people who harvested them needed to wear iron gloves or else they would die. That was how powerful the flower was, and I dared to use it to get rid of my baby.

“Anna?” A voice suddenly stopped me in my tracks, and a chill went down my spine. I half expected to see Stella with a betrayed expression on her face, but I calmed down when I saw Damon's mother, Naomi.

She wasn't like him or his father, she was calm, and she often bought stuff for Stella and I. She was hardly home, always keeping herself busy in the pack hospital. We all knew the story of how Alpha Victor had taken her hostage and forced himself on her, producing Damon as an heir.

Somehow, our stories were similar, but in different circumstances—she wasn't Alpha Victor's real mate. He killed his mate by accident during a war, and he took the strongest mate he could find, which turned out to be her.

“What are you doing in the Dander fields? Only authorised wolves are allowed access here.”

She narrowed her eyes, and they slowly stopped at my stomach. “Are you pregnant?” I nodded.

Her eyes widened in shock. “Were you trying to kill yourself? Anna, why? Why would you come to this place?”

“Luna Naomi, I can't carry this baby. I want it gone, so I came here instead. I need to do this now. It's almost sundown, please, don't stop me!”

“No! Please, don't. You're not the only one who's used this flower, and let me just break it to you. You'll die, Anna. This flower is more powerful than you think. Not only will it kill the baby, but you instead.”

I began to sob hard, sinking to the floor in defeat. She came over quickly, pulling me into a hug. “What do I do now? I don't know if I can do this.” I cried softly.

“Don't worry, Anna. I'll help you escape this pack. For the safety of you and your child, I will do my best.”

I looked at her in surprise and disbelief. “You'll help me escape?”