Chapter Two: The Escape
1159 Words
The forest stretched endlessly ahead, dark and unfamiliar. Twigs snapped beneath my boots, and branches scraped my arms as I pushed forward, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
The air was heavy, colder than usual, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
With every step away from the Crescent Moon Pack, I felt a strange mix of freedom and fear. My heart beat so loud, I thought it would alert every rogue within fifty miles.
But I kept going.
I didn’t have a plan, just instinct.
Get out. Stay hidden. Protect the babies.
My stomach churned again — not from sickness this time, but from the anxiety of what I had done. I was an unmated Omega, pregnant with the Alpha’s pups, and I had just run away without permission.
If I were caught, the punishment would be brutal.
Alpha Damon didn’t show mercy.
He had made that clear the moment he chose Talia over me. The moment he stood there in front of the entire pack and declared her his Luna while I bled silently in the crowd.
Talia would make sure I never stepped foot near him again. I had seen the way she smirked when I walked in. She knew.
Somehow, she knew what had happened between us. And she loved it.
She’d always loved taking what was mine.
⸻
I crossed the eastern border just before dawn.
The sky was turning pale orange when I stumbled onto an abandoned hunting cabin near the edge of the Pine Hollow woods. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years — the roof sagged, and vines crept up its sides — but it had a door. Walls. Shelter.
That was enough.
I collapsed inside and locked the door behind me. Dust covered every surface, and the air smelled of rot, but I didn’t care. I curled up on the wooden floor, holding my stomach.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should’ve been stronger.”
Tears welled up again, but I held them back. Not now. I had cried enough.
The babies didn’t need a broken mother.
They needed someone who would fight for them.
⸻
For the next few days, I stayed in the cabin, only leaving at night to look for food or water. I was careful, quiet, always watching the wind for unfamiliar scents.
Rogues were everywhere this far from pack territory. Wolves who had been exiled, wounded, or worse. Some formed their own groups. Some hunted anything they could find.
If they caught me alone, weak, pregnant…
I didn’t want to think about that.
⸻
On the fifth day, the sickness came back harder than ever. I barely made it outside before throwing up everything I’d eaten.
I was dizzy, pale, and burning up.
I needed help.
But who could I trust?
I couldn’t go back to Crescent Moon. And I had no ties to any other pack. No family. No allies.
I was truly alone.
A rustle in the trees snapped my attention. I stood quickly, heart pounding.
A low growl echoed through the clearing.
Rogues.
Three of them.
Men in ripped clothes, dirt smeared across their skin, yellow eyes flashing in the morning light.
“Well, well,” one of them sneered, stepping closer. “What do we have here?”
My body froze. I could barely move, barely breathe.
One of them sniffed the air.
“She’s pregnant,” he grinned. “Smells like Alpha blood.”
My knees wobbled.
No. Please, no.
“Must’ve been some Luna’s little secret,” the second one chuckled. “Guess we hit the jackpot.”
I stepped back slowly, trying not to show fear — but they could smell it. They always could.
“Stay back,” I warned, my voice shaking. “I—I’ll scream.”
The first one laughed. “There’s no one out here to hear you, sweetheart.”
Then they shifted.
The first wolf lunged.
I screamed and turned to run — but I was too slow.
My ankle twisted on a rock, and I crashed into the dirt with a cry. Pain shot through my side. I curled protectively over my belly, bracing for claws and teeth—
A blur of white fur exploded from the trees.
A massive wolf slammed into the rogue mid-air, snapping his neck in one clean motion. The other two barely had time to react before the white wolf ripped through them like they were nothing.
I lay there, breathless, watching in horror and awe.
It was like watching a storm — fast, brutal, and blindingly powerful.
When it was over, the rogue wolves lay unmoving in the dirt, and the white wolf turned to me.
Blood matted its fur, but its golden eyes were sharp — intelligent.
Not feral.
I flinched as it stepped closer. “Please… don’t hurt me.”
The wolf sniffed the air, then let out a low whine. It stepped back and shifted.
A man stood in front of me now.
Tall. Bare-chested. Scarred.
But his eyes were gentle.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly. “I heard your scream.”
I stared up at him, stunned. He was… beautiful. In a wild, untamed way. Like the forest itself.
He knelt beside me, his hand hovering near my shoulder.
“You’re injured,” he said. “And pregnant.”
I tried to sit up, but my vision blurred. “The babies…”
“Shh. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
Then everything went dark.
⸻
When I woke up, I was in a clean, warm room.
The scent of herbs filled the air. A fire crackled nearby.
I blinked slowly, confused.
Where was I?
“You’re awake.”
The man from the forest sat beside the bed, a bowl of water in his hands. He dipped a cloth in and wiped my forehead gently.
“You had a fever,” he said. “It’s going down now.”
“Who… are you?”
“My name’s Elias. I live off-grid, mostly. I help wolves in need.”
I looked around. The place was simple but cozy. Handmade furniture. Herbal jars lining the walls.
“You’re a healer?” I whispered.
He smiled. “Something like that.”
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach.
“Your babies are fine,” he said quickly, seeing the panic in my eyes. “I checked. You’re carrying twins. Strong ones.”
Tears flooded my vision again — but this time, they were from relief.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You don’t have to tell me your story,” he said, handing me water. “But if you ever want to… I’ll listen.”
I looked into his eyes — warm, calm, honest.
It was the first time in weeks that I didn’t feel like prey.
Maybe… I could stay. Just for a little while.
Just long enough to protect them.
- Writer
