The Wolf King is My Mate

The Desperate Leap

Liah's breath came in battered heaves as she tore through the thick underbrush, branches scratching at her skin, her heart beating so loudly in her ears that it overwhelmed the wails of the Iron Claws' security guards behind her.

She had never run this quick, the anxiety toward being captured driving her past weariness, past torment. Her main idea was to arrive at the boundary — the line a between the Iron Claw’s territory and the Outlands.

The evening glow sifted through the thick covering above, projecting long, scary shadows that moved across her way.

However, Liah couldn't have cared less about the haziness. All that mattered was the thin way forward, the one that would lead her to the steep hill denoting the end of the Iron claws' territory.

She could hear the pack behind her, their snarls and growls becoming stronger, closer. They were acquiring on her, and Liah realized she was running out of time.

Her thoughts dashed back to only a couple of hours prior, when she had crawled out of the pack house under the front of night.

The Alpha's mate had hit the hay early, certain about the security that encompassed the house. Liah had held on until the watchmen changed shifts — when their attention would be at its lowest.

With a little knife she had taken from the kitchen, she had gotten into a free board in her small room, just barely getting her body through the tiny hole and into the chilly night air.

She had moved quickly, keeping away from the guards who watched the grounds, her heart beating as she fallen through the shadows. Each step had been a potentially dangerous course of action, yet she had made it past the doors and into the forest without raising an alarm.

That was the point at which she had begun running, realizing it wouldn't be some time before her absence was taken note. And once when they understood she was gone, they would chase her down like an animal.

Presently, as she arrived at the highest point of the hill, Liah's lungs consumed, and her legs throbbed with the work of the trip.

She stopped briefly, peering down at the surging stream underneath, its dull waters beating as it wound through the rough landscape. The stream denoted the limit a between the Iron Claws' area and the Outlands — an untamed, perilous spot where no pack dominated. It was her only chance at freedom.

The hill was steep, the plummet slippery, and the waterway underneath was an irate deluge. Liah's heart skirted a thump as she understood how high the leap would be. She did not know how to swim; the prospect of diving into that cold, unforgiving water scared her. However, the alternative was much worse.

The snarls of the pack became stronger, and Liah realized they were nearly upon her. She had no chance to hesitate. It was either the stream or the hooks of the Iron Claws' guards.

Taking a full breath, Liah prepared herself.

"It's either the stream or them,"

She murmured, her voice scarcely perceptible over the thunder of the water. She took one final gander at the dull woods behind her, then, at that point, turned around to the waterway.

"I'd rather die free."

With a last eruption of boldness, Liah hurled herself off the edge of the slope, the breeze whipping past her as she plunged toward the water beneath. She hit the surface with a power that thumped the breath from her lungs, the coldness of the waterway shocking her system.

Briefly, she was submerged, the river currents pulling her down into its frosty debts. Panic held onto her as she battled to get her head above water, her limbs thrashing in dark churning current. She was unable to inhale, couldn't think, simply the intuition to survive drove her as she battled against the persevering pull of the river.

Liah's hand brushed against something strong, and with a frantic exertion, she grasped it. It was an enormous, drifting shaft, smooth with greenery and garbage. Gripping to it energetically, she figured out how to keep her head above water, panting for breath as the flow carried her downstream.

The river was harsh, the current and flow strong, yet the shaft kept her above water, permitting her to remain alive in the freezing water. The security guards' wails blurred into the distance as the river diverted her further from the Iron claws territory, further into the Outlands.

Hours appeared to pass as she floated with the current, her body numb with chilly, her mind scarcely working.

Yet, at last, the river started to quiet, the flow easing back as it enlarged and wandered through the Outlands.

Liah recognized a stretch of shore up ahead, and with the remainder of her strength, she rowed toward it, hauling herself out of the water and onto the sloppy bank. She lay there briefly, shuddering wildly, her chest hurling as she sucked in profound, appreciative breaths of air.

She had made it. She wasout of Iron claws area, beyond the reach of the pack that had held her hostage her whole life. The acknowledgment hit her with a rush of relief so serious that tears sprang to her eyes.

For a couple of seconds, she essentially lay there, permitting herself to feel the delight of her getaway, the opportunity she had contended energetically for. She had gotten it done. She had made due.

Yet, even as she praised her newly discovered opportunity, Liah realize that her journey was nowhere near finished.

The Outlands were a dangerous spot, loaded up with rogues, outcasts and other dangers she had never confronted. In any case, she was no longer limited by the rules of the Iron Claws. She was allowed to make her own way , to cut out a life for herself according to her own preferences.

Sitting up, Liah looked out over the stream, the waters that had almost killed her life currently quiet and peaceful under the radiance of the moon.

"I did it, May,"

she murmured, her voice delicate however loaded up sincerely.

"I made it out. I'm free."

As she stayed there, slowing down to rest and gather her strength. Liah recalled the occasions of the evening. She had gotten away from the pack house, outfoxed the security guards, and endure the river.

Presently, in the quiet of the Outlands, she felt a feeling of purpose getting comfortable her chest. She was presently not a slave, at this point not limited by the pack that had killed her family and taken everything from her.

"I'm a rogue now,"

Liah shared with herself, a wild purpose consuming in her eyes.

"And I'll no longer allow anybody control me in the future."

With that, she stood up, her legs still unstable yet her soul solid. Liah moved into the Outlands, prepared to confront anything that difficulties lay ahead. She was free, and nothing could at any point remove that from her.