NO ESCAPE 2
1627 Words
THE FIRST NIGHTMARE
2:14 AM.
Laura woke up gasping.
The room was dark. But not empty.
She could hear breathing. Heavy. Right next to her bed.
“Who’s there?” she whispered.
No answer.
Then the smell. Wet fur. Blood.
A low growl. Grrrr…
The window. The glass was fogged. And outside, pressed against it, was a face.
Not human.
A wolf. Huge. Black. Eyes glowing yellow. Its claws scraped the glass. Screech.
Laura screamed.
The lights flicked on.
Nathaniel was there in 2 seconds. Bare chest. Sweat. He must’ve run.
“What happened?!”
“There! The window!” Laura pointed, shaking.
Nothing. Just the forest. Dark and quiet.
Nathaniel checked the window. Locked. No marks. He turned to her. “You had a nightmare.”
“It wasn’t a dream!” Laura Tell
He sat on the edge of her bed. Careful. “The pack can sense you now. Especially at night. Some of them… they don’t like the idea of a human Luna.”
Laura stared at him. “So someone sent that?”
“Maybe.” Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. “Or it was your fear. The blood is waking up in you.”
“What do you mean?” Laura Confused
“Your mother’s blood. The Silver Moon. It reacts to danger. To fear. To me.” He looked at his own hands. “That’s why I need you. To control it.” Nathan Explain
Laura pulled the blanket up. “Get out.”
Nathaniel didn’t move. “Do you want me to stay?”
“No.” Laura Answer
“Liar.”
He lay down on top of the blanket. Far from her. Staring at the ceiling.
“I’m not touching you,” he said. “I’m just… staying. So nothing gets in.” Nathaniel Explain
Laura wanted to argue. But she was too tired. Too scared.
She fell asleep with the Wolf King guarding her door.
THE PACK MEETING
The next morning. 7 AM.
Mira woke her. “Dress, Miss. The King is waiting.”
Laura was given a dress. White. Simple. But expensive. Silk. It went to her knees.
“Why white?” she asked.
“Because you’re pure,” Mira said. “And because white shows blood the best.”
Laura’s stomach dropped.
The meeting room was huge. A long table. 12 chairs. In each chair sat a man. Or woman. All older. All wearing suits. All with the same cold eyes as Nathaniel.
The Alphas of the 12 packs.
The moment Laura walked in with Nathaniel, the room went silent.
“Everyone,” Nathaniel’s voice boomed. “This is Laura. My fiancée. The future Luna of Blackmoon.” Nathan Explain
Whispers.
“Half-breed.”
“Too weak.”
“She’ll die before the year ends.”
“The curse will kill her.”
Laura kept her eyes down. Like Rule 2 said.
Nathaniel pulled out the chair beside him. “Sit.”
She did.
The meeting started. Territory disputes. Money. A rogue wolf killed in Bali.
Then one Alpha stood up. Old. Scarred. “With all due respect, King Nathaniel. We don’t accept her.”
The room froze.
“She’s not one of us,” the Alpha continued. “Her blood is Silver Moon. The same blood that cursed us. If we bind her to you, the curse might spread to all of us.”
Nathaniel didn’t blink. “Then we break the curse.”
“And if you can’t?”
“Then I’ll die trying.”
Silence.
Then Nathaniel turned to Laura. In front of everyone. He took her hand.
“Anyone who touches her, hurts her, or even looks at her wrong… answers to me.”
He lifted her hand. And kissed her knuckles.
In front of 12 Alphas.
Laura’s face burned.
The meeting ended. No one said anything else.
AFTERMATH
Back in the east wing, Laura was shaking.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispered.
“Yes, I did.” Nathaniel poured her water. “They need to fear you. Or they’ll eat you alive.”
Laura took the glass. “Why do you care? I’m just blood to you.”
Nathaniel paused. “You’re not just blood.”
“What am I then?”
He didn’t answer. He just left.
That night, Laura couldn’t sleep again.
At 3 AM, she heard it. A whisper.
“Run… run before he bites you…”
She shot up. The room was empty.
On the floor, another note. Red ink.
> "HE’S LYING ABOUT THE 1 YEAR. AFTER THE BITE, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO LEAVE. THE BOND WILL CHAIN YOU FOREVER. - S"
Laura crumpled the paper.
Who was S?
And why did every word feel true?
THE OFFER
The next day. 4 days until the full moon.
Nathaniel took her to the garden.
It was beautiful. Too beautiful. Roses. Fountains. And in the center, a statue of a wolf howling at the moon.
“We have 4 days,” Nathaniel said. “I want to make a new deal.”
Laura didn’t look at him. “I’m not making deals with you.”
“Then I’ll make it for you.” He turned her to face him. “Be my wife for real. Not just on paper. Learn the pack. Learn me. And I promise… I will never force you. Not until you ask me to.”
Laura laughed. “And if I never ask?”
“Then I’ll wait forever.”
He was serious.
Laura looked away. “I don’t believe you.”
“I know.” Nathaniel stepped back. “But think about it. 4 days.”
He walked away, leaving her alone in the garden.
THE SECOND NOTE
That night.
Another knock.
Another note.
> "ASK HIM ABOUT YOUR MOTHER’S GRAVE. ASK HIM WHY IT’S EMPTY. - S"
Laura’s blood ran cold.
Her mother’s grave.
She remembered. When she was 10, she asked her dad to visit. He always said “later”.
Later never came.
The next morning, Laura confronted Nathaniel at breakfast.
“Where is my mother’s grave?”
Nathaniel froze. His coffee cup halfway to his mouth.
“Why?”
“Answer me.”
He set the cup down. “It’s… in the Blackmoon cemetery. With the other pack members.”
“Then why did my father say he couldn’t find it when he looked 5 years ago?”
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened. “Because he wasn’t supposed to.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Nathaniel stood up. “Some things are better left buried.”
He left without eating.
THE BREAKING POINT
3 days until the full moon.
Laura was done.
She couldn’t trust Nathaniel. She couldn’t trust S. She couldn’t even trust herself.
So she made a decision.
If she was going to be trapped, she would learn everything. Every secret. Every lie.
She started following Mira. Eavesdropping. Reading the books in the study when no one was watching.
And she found it.
In an old journal. 200 years ago.
“The Silver Moon girl must be bound by blood, or the curse will consume the King. But beware. The bond works both ways. If the King dies, the girl dies. If the girl dies, the King goes mad.”
Laura closed the book.
So that was it.
She wasn’t just a cure.
She was a hostage.
NIGHT 3
Nathaniel came to her room again.
“You’ve been asking questions,” he said.
Laura didn’t deny it. “About my mother.”
“What did you find?”
“The truth.” Laura stood up. “I’m not just your cure. I’m your leash. If I die, you go insane. If you die, I die.”
Nathaniel didn’t deny it either.
“So why lie?”
“Because I was afraid you’d run again.”
Laura stepped closer. “I’m not running.”
“Good.”
“I’m staying.”
Nathaniel’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I’m staying,” Laura repeated. Louder. “For 1 year. For my dad. For me. But on my terms.”
“And what are your terms?”
“1. You tell me everything. No more lies.
2. You don’t touch me unless I say yes.
3. After 1 year, you let me go. With the money. And my father is safe. Forever.”
Nathaniel was quiet for a long time.
“Deal,” he said finally.
He held out his hand.
Laura stared at it. Then she took it.
His hand was warm.
For the first time, she didn’t pull away.
THE DREAM
That night, Laura dreamed.
She was in a forest. Full moon.
And in front of her stood a woman. Her mother.
She looked exactly like Laura. But older. Tired.
“Don’t trust him,” her mother said. “Don’t trust anyone with claws.”
“Then who do I trust, Mom?”
Her mother smiled sadly. “Trust yourself, Baby. And run. Before it’s too late.”
The woman turned into mist.
And behind her, a wolf appeared. Bigger than any wolf Laura had ever seen.
Nathaniel.
But his eyes weren’t gray. They were red.
He lunged.
Laura woke up screaming.
Nathaniel burst in again. “What is it?!”
Laura was crying. “My mom… she said to run…”
Nathaniel pulled her into a hug. Tight.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered into her hair. “I swear on my life, Laura. I’m not going to hurt you.”
For the first time, Laura didn’t push him away.
She just cried.
Outside, the moon was almost full.
2 days left.
And somewhere in the mansion, someone was watching.
Writing another note in red ink.
- Writer
