Twice Rejected, Once Accepted

The Escape

DALI'S POV

Trees, leaves, roots and annoying branches were all I could see, not that it was weird since I was running in a thick, dense forest like my life depended on it.

No, literally, it does depend on it. My breathing was coming out harsher than the last with every step I took. My hands were swinging by my side and sometimes darted across my forehead to wipe away the beads of sweat that had accumulated there. Occasionally, I would glance behind me in fear, and when I didn't see anything but dense bushes, relief would wash over me, and I would increase my pace.

Freedom! Free at last. Happiness coursed through my veins as the fresh, sweet night air blew past my face. I was finally out of that cage, although not fully out yet.

I was glad that this was the night I chose to escape. The bright full moon illuminated my path as I continued running, using my hands to push away any strand of leaf that could block my vision.

I didn't want to cry; I couldn't afford to because it made my eyes blurry, and I wouldn't be able to navigate properly, but I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. The pain and the rage that I've accumulated over the years and the relief of finally being out of that devilish pack made my emotions scatter all over the place.

The emotional torture and the trauma I had to bear in his hands were enough to have convinced me to take my own life, only that they weren't mine anymore. They were his, and only he decides what happens to me.

Alpha Alaric!

My body burned with submersible rage as the name echoed in my mind. My body literally shook with it, and at that moment, I was torn.

Torn between halting in my tracks and walking back into that damn pack to give him a piece of my mind or just running…running from everything I've ever known in my entire life.

But I wasn't a fool. If I did the former, heaven knows what kind of miserable unfortunate fate awaits me, so I ran. I never stopped, not even to think. But I was careful. No matter how thoughtless I was as I dashed through the forest, I was very careful. My slender arms continued to switch from holding my baby bump to clearing the pathway.

My unborn child, that Alpha Demon's heir… I had to protect my baby no matter what, and if anything, it gave me more morale booster because I couldn't afford to stop.

“ I'm sorry, baby. Just bear with mummy, okay? We're almost there. Just hang on.” I cooed to my baby as I caressed my stomach.

Slowing down would only delay the time I get to my destination, the border, and to make my final escape. No matter how badly I wanted to catch my breath because I was losing oxygen quicker, I couldn't.

For all I know, his men were already chasing after me, even if it was to the ends of the earth, ans if I ended up getting caught and taken back into the clutches of that vile, evil man… my body shuddered at the thought of what he would do to me.

Somewhere far away, I could hear the hooting of an owl and the cry of an eagle. It sounded almost like a warning—a warning of some sort.

My heart was pounding like a fast rap beat in my ribcage, and a shudder ran down my spine as I remembered what happened, what he did to me the first time I tried to escape. I hadn't even gotten over the wall he used to barricade his castle, and I ended up in the dungeon for five days without food or water. Rats feasted on my body like it was damn cheese. When he finally released me, he locked me in his room for days, using and abusing me sexually. I wasn't given proper food, except scraps, for almost a month, and I would have done something about it if I wasn't wearing a f*****g blocker chain.

It is a special kind of freaky necklace for freaky people like me.

If that is my punishment for escaping, even though I didn't get across the wall, I couldn't begin to imagine what he would do when I'm so close to the border.

“ I won't let him catch. I won't…let…him,” I chanted in my head continuously as I silently prayed this second time was successful.

To the world, Alpha Alaric, as wicked as he is, is very endearing to his mate. He protects her with all his heart, and although he may appear cold, he burns like an inferno of desire and love for his mate.

So why am I, his so-called beloved heavily pregnant mate, running away from him?

Simple. Because what the world thinks of him has never been farther from the truth.

He doesn't love me like everyone thinks. That stupid giant wall isn't to protect his precious mate like his pack members are being made to believe, and it's to keep me in, to lock me in the castle with him forever. Nothing would make me go back to Nightshade Pack, not even if his guards caught me because I'm ready to fight till my last breath.

Today was the day of the festival, a joyous occasion for everyone but the opposite for me. I have been sad, weary and miserable ever since I woke up this morning. I sat down on my vanity chair, staring into space as the maids did my make-up and adjusted my jewellery. My dress, I would have gawed at when I saw it because Alaric had picked it out himself now sickened me to no end.

The night before, I had gone to his office to see him because I missed him. Although I had tried to escape before, that was a while after I started living with him, but later I grew fond of him. I showered him with all the love I had. He was nice, and I was fire. We were compatible, or so I thought because I was about to receive the biggest shock of my life.

Just when I raised my fist to knock, I heard his voice. He was having a conversation with his Chief Guard; they were planning an attack on the Gemini Pack, which wasn't surprising because Alaric loved power. What shook me to the core and terrified me was the fact that he was planning to siphon my powers and use them to win the war. The height of the betrayal was outstanding.

I almost crumbled right there and then when I heard him. He knows that my power is the core of my soul, the source of my living existence. Taking it away from me would lead to my death. I realised then that that was his reason for being nice to me. His sudden change towards me now made sense.

Tears blurred my eyes as I remembered the mocking laughter and words that he exchanged with his Chief Guard. My mate, the man I loved and respected despite his ill-treatment towards me, was ready to end me for my powers.

I couldn't see clearly because of my teary eyes, and my foot got stuck in an elongated tree root, sending me tumbling to the ground. My hands wrapped around my bump. I maneuvered my body and ended up landing on my side.

“ Darn it!” I yelled and tried to cradle my injured foot when I saw that my dress was stuck on the sharp end of the root. I tried yanking it, but it wouldn't budge.

The position I was in was very uncomfortable, and my feet were aching, so I shuffled closer to the bark and laid my back against it. I tried to massage both my feet to reduce the ache. It felt swollen. After regaining my breath for a second, I reached over to slowly pull away my dress when I heard a howl.

I paused, looking around frantically, trying to see if it was just a normal wolf or if the wind had whistled and I'd just heard it wrong.

I stayed perfectly still, slowing down my breathing. My eyes closed, and all I could hear was the chirping of birds and the singing of crickets. I was just about to release a sigh of relief when I heard the first loud thud.

The kind of sound that is made when heavy paws hit the ground, and then I heard it: barks, growls, loud thuds.

I gasped…

Oh no! They found me.

“s**t! s**t!! s**t!!! What do I do?” I panicked, yanking harder on my dress, and as I tried to stand on my feet, I fell back due to the pain that shot deep into my brain.

The sound of rustling leaves continued to grow louder.

This isn't good!