Moonlight Sanctuary

The bruise on my ribs throbs with each breath I take, a constant reminder of last night's "disagreement." That's what Asher calls it when he loses his temper, a disagreement. As if the word could somehow soften the reality of his fists, his rage, his complete disregard for the mate bond that's supposed to be sacred. I stand in front of the bathroom mirror in our cabin, lifting my shirt to examine the damage. Purple and yellow bloom across my pale skin like some grotesque flower. It's not the worst he's given me. That honor belongs to the cracked rib from two months ago, when I dared to question why he smelled like another woman. "Willow!" Asher's voice booms from downstairs, and I flinch so hard I nearly drop my shirt. "Where the f**k is my breakfast?" My hands shake as I pull my shirt down, making sure it covers every inch of damaged skin. In the Blackwater Pack, showing weakness is dangerous. Showing that your alpha mate hurts you? That's not weakness, that's just normal. Expected, even. I hurry downstairs, my wolf whimpering inside me. She's been quiet lately, retreating deeper and deeper into the recesses of my mind. I don't blame her. The mate bond that should bring us joy and completion instead feels like a noose around both our necks. Asher sits at the kitchen table, his muscular frame taking up more space than necessary, legs spread wide in that aggressive posture of dominance he always adopts. His dark hair is tousled from sleep, or more likely, from whoever he spent half the night with. I can smell her on him. Jasmine and cheap perfume. "Sorry," I murmur, moving quickly to the stove. "I'll have it ready in just a minute." "You're always sorry," he sneers, and I can feel his eyes on me, assessing, judging. "Sorry doesn't feed me, does it?" I crack eggs into the pan, my hands still trembling. The mate bond pulses between us, but it's all wrong. Instead of warmth and connection, it feels like barbed wire wrapped around my heart, pulling tighter every day. "You were out late last night," I say softly, immediately regretting the words. The chair scrapes against the floor as Asher stands. I sense him moving behind me, and every muscle in my body tenses. His hand grips the back of my neck, not quite hard enough to hurt, but the threat is clear. "Are you questioning me?" His breath is hot against my ear. "Are you really that stupid, Willow?" "No, I just…" "You just what?" His grip tightens. "You just thought you had the right to monitor your alpha? To question where I go and what I do?" "I'm your mate," I whisper, hating how weak I sound. Asher laughs, a cruel sound that makes my wolf curl up even smaller. "You're *a* mate. One of them. And not even the most interesting one." He releases me with a slight shove, and I catch myself against the counter. "My father has three mates. My grandfather had five. You think you're special? You think this bond means I belong to you?" I flip the eggs, blinking back tears. This is normal in Blackwater Pack. Alpha males take multiple mates, have affairs, do whatever they want. The females are expected to accept it, to be grateful for whatever scraps of attention they receive. My own mother shared my father with two other women, and she always told me this was just how things were. "The pack hierarchy exists for a reason," my mother would say, her eyes empty of any real emotion. "Alphas are meant to spread their strength. We should be honored they choose us at all." But the mate bond was supposed to be different. When I felt it snap into place with Asher six months ago, right after my eighteenth birthday, I thought maybe I'd be the exception. Maybe our bond would be special enough that he wouldn't need anyone else. I was so f*****g naive. "Eat your breakfast," I say quietly, sliding the plate in front of him. Asher digs in without a word of thanks, and I stand by the counter, waiting. I learned early not to eat until he's finished. The one time I made myself a plate at the same time as him, he threw it against the wall and made me clean it up while he watched, laughing. My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out carefully, making sure Asher is focused on his food. It's a text from Sage, my only real friend in the pack. *Can you meet me at the border clearing? Need to talk. It's important.* I glance at Asher, who's scrolling through his own phone, probably texting one of his other women. "I'm going to go for a run," I say. "Clear my head." He waves a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Be back by noon. The pack meeting is at one." I nod and slip out the back door before he can change his mind or decide he wants to use me for something else. The morning air is crisp and cool, carrying the scent of pine and earth. For a moment, just a moment, I can breathe. I shift as soon as I'm far enough from the cabin, my bones cracking and reforming with practiced ease. My wolf is small compared to most in the pack, her fur a silvery white that my mother always said made me look weak. In Blackwater, strength is everything. Size is everything. And I've always been too small, too soft, too breakable. I run through the forest, letting my wolf take control, feeling the ground beneath my paws. This is the only freedom I have anymore, these brief moments when I can pretend I'm not trapped, not bound to a male who sees me as property rather than a partner. The border clearing is a small meadow on the edge of Blackwater territory, where the trees open up to reveal a circle of wildflowers and soft grass. Sage is already there in her human form, pacing back and forth. Her red hair catches the sunlight, and her face is creased with worry. I shift back, and she immediately tosses me the bag of clothes she brought. "Thank the goddess you came." "What's wrong?" I pull on the jeans and t-shirt, my heart already racing. Sage never looks this worried. "Willow, you need to leave. Tonight." The words hit me like a physical blow. "What? Why?" Sage grabs my shoulders, her green eyes intense. "I overheard Asher talking to his father last night. They're planning to complete the full mate bond with you at the next full moon." My blood runs cold. The full mate bond, the final, irreversible connection that would tie me to Asher forever. Right now, our bond is strong but not permanent. It could theoretically be broken, though it would be agonizing. But the full bond? That's eternal. Unbreakable. "No," I breathe. "No, he can't…" "He can, and he will. And Willow..." Sage's voice drops to a whisper. "I heard him tell his father that once the bond is complete, he's going to make sure you can never leave. He's going to break you, his words, until you're too afraid to even think about running." The world tilts beneath my feet. I've thought about leaving so many times, but the mate bond makes it nearly impossible. Even now, even knowing what Asher is, part of me is pulled toward him. The bond wants me to go back, to submit, to accept this as my fate. "Where would I even go?" I ask, my voice hollow. "He'd track me. The bond…" "There are ways to mask it," Sage interrupts. "Herbs, distance, time. It won't be easy, but Willow, you have to try. Because if you stay..." She doesn't finish the sentence. She doesn't have to. If I stay, I'll die. Maybe not physically, not right away. But everything that makes me *me* will be slowly crushed until there's nothing left but an empty shell. "I have money saved," Sage continues, pulling an envelope from her pocket. "It's not much, but it'll get you far from here. There are packs up north that don't follow the old ways, where alphas don't treat their mates like property. You could find sanctuary there." I take the envelope with shaking hands. Inside is at least a thousand dollars in cash. "Sage, I can't take this…" "Yes, you can. You have to." She pulls me into a fierce hug. "You're my best friend, Willow. I can't watch him destroy you. Promise me you'll go. Tonight, while he's at the pack hunt. He'll be gone for hours." I think about my life here. The constant fear, the pain, the humiliation. I think about my mother's empty eyes and the other females in the pack who've accepted this as their lot. I think about spending the rest of my life bound to Asher, unable to escape, watching him parade his other lovers in front of me while I'm expected to smile and be grateful. "I promise," I whisper. Sage pulls back, tears streaming down her face. "Go north. Cross as many territories as you can. Find a pack that will protect you. And Willow? Don't look back."