Failed Escape
887 Words
Maya didn't wait more than five minutes after the heavy oak door clicked shut. The moment she was sure Kaelen’s footsteps had faded down the hallway, she threw back the silk duvet and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her head throbbed, a sharp reminder of the ravine, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins acted as a temporary shield against the pain.
She was a scientist, a woman of logic. Logic told her that men didn't turn into wolves, and "fated mates" were the stuff of fairytales. She had to get out, find a phone, call the police, and get as far away from this mountain as possible.
The room was a masterpiece of rustic luxury, but to Maya, it was a golden cage. She scanned the area for her clothes, but they were nowhere to be found. Instead, she found a pair of soft leggings and a hoodie in a walk-in closet that was larger than her entire apartment. She pulled them on, her skin prickling as that strange, electric heat from Kaelen’s touch lingered in the fabric.
"Focus, Maya," she whispered to herself, her breath hitching.
She headed straight for the massive floor-to-ceiling window. It wasn't locked. She slid the heavy glass pane open, and the scent of the forest rushed in... pine, damp stone, and that same primal musk that belonged to Kaelen. She was on the second floor, but a thick trellis of ivy crawled up the stone pillar just outside.
Taking a deep breath, she climbed over the railing. Her hands shook as she gripped the thick vines. She moved slowly, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves sounded like a gunshot in the quiet morning air. When her feet finally touched the grass, she didn't stop to celebrate. She bolted toward the tree line.
The estate was sprawling, a sea of perfectly manicured lawns surrounded by a wall of ancient, dark timber. Maya kept to the shadows, her eyes darting between the trees. She could see the main gate in the distance, a massive iron structure guarded by two men who stood with an unnatural, predatory stillness.
She turned away from the gate, heading for the denser brush to the east. If she could just reach the creek she’d seen from the window, she could follow it downstream.
She was nearly at the edge of the woods when the air suddenly changed. The temperature seemed to drop, and a heavy, oppressive weight settled over the clearing. Maya stopped, her lungs seizing.
"You're faster than you look," a voice drawled from the shadows of a towering pine.
Maya spun around, her hand flying to her throat. It wasn't Kaelen. It was a man she didn't recognize, leaner than the Alpha, with jagged scars running down one side of his face and eyes that held none of Kaelen’s strange warmth. He leaned against the tree, tossing a small bone dagger between his hands.
"I’m just... I'm going home," Maya said, her voice trembling. "You can't keep me here."
The man laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "The Alpha says you’re his mate. I say you’re a liability. If it were up to me, you wouldn't have made it past the porch."
He stepped toward her, his movements blurring with that same terrifying wolf-speed. Maya backed away, her heel catching on a root. Before she could fall, a blur of grey and black slammed into the space between them.
A low, thunderous growl vibrated through the ground, so powerful it made Maya’s teeth ache.
Kaelen stood there, his back to her, his shoulders hunched in a defensive crouch. He wasn't in his wolf form, but the transition was close; his fingernails had elongated into claws, and his skin seemed to vibrate with a suppressed rage.
"Back away, Jace," Kaelen warned, his voice a primal snarl.
"She was trying to leave, Kaelen," the scarred man spat, though he took a cautious step back. "The council won't like this. She’s a flight risk."
"She is mine," Kaelen roared, the sound echoing off the mountains. He turned slightly, his golden eyes locking onto Maya’s terrified face. The anger in them softened for a split second, replaced by a possessive glow. "And she isn't going anywhere."
Kaelen walked toward her, his presence looming over her like a storm cloud. He didn't grab her roughly. Instead, he reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His touch sent a fresh wave of that addictive heat through her, paralyzing her will to run.
"You want to see the world outside these walls, Maya?" he asked, his voice a low, dangerous velvet. "Fine. I’ll show you why you need to stay. I’ll show you what is waiting for you in the dark."
He gripped her waist and lifted her easily, throwing her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing at all.
"Put me down!" she cried, pounding her fists against his back.
"Later," he grunted, turning back toward the fortress. "First, you're going to watch the Pack training. You're going to see exactly what kind of world you’ve stumbled into."
- Writer
