Escape to Midnight

I quietly lower myself out of my bedroom window and sprint through the neighborhood. I have about an hour until my parents wake up, I want to spend it talking to my brother, Edward. I run to the park, to the familiar play castle.  As children Edward and I would play in the park for hours. When things were too scary at home we would hide under the castle together. Edward was one year older than me. He always tried to take care of me. As we grew up the castle became a memory, but now I come here to be close to him. I reached the park quickly. The sun was not up yet, making it easier for me to run undetected. I don't need a nosy neighbor tattling to my parents. I crawled under the castle and looked around. I know it is crazy for me to think he would be there. It has been more than a year since anyone has seen him. I rested my head against the side of the castle and felt tears forming in my eyes. I did not want to cry, not today on my birthday. I just wanted to see him and tell him goodbye. With any luck I will meet my mate and leave this pack forever. I closed my eyes and began to speak as if he was there, “Edward, it’s my birthday. I hope I find my mate today. I hope you found your mate. Maybe one day we can be together again, without Warren ruining everything. I need you to take care of yourself until I find you. One day we will make Warren pay, and this pack will have to acknowledge they knew and did nothing. I love you Edward.” I Cried for a few more minutes before crawling out from under the castle and heading home. My heart was heavy. Edward would never abandon me, we always used to talk about getting away  together. I refuse to believe he ran away and left me to suffer alone, but the only other option is too sinister to even think about. Finding A Mate   The Moon Goddess, Selena, has selected one mate for each wolf. On our seventeenth birthday we are able to find our mate. We are drawn to them mentally, physically and through our wolf. Once you find your mate, and get to know them, you mark one another. This gives you the ability to feel what they are feeling and mind link them.  The mating bond compels you to care for and love your mate. My wolf Sarai and I have been eagerly waiting for our seventeenth birthday,  hoping today would be the day we find love.  Nothing  can bring me down, not even the hateful way Warren, my father, is glaring at me.  “Are you ready to be rejected?” he asked with a menacing smirk. I cringed. Fear of my mate rejecting me was palatable. With less than 10 words my mate could reject me and sever our bond forever. I only know a few wolves that have experienced it. Breaking the bond feels like a death. It’s the permanent separation of two souls meant to be together.  I tried to ignore Warren, but he stepped closer to me speaking in a low growl. “Don’t you look pretty all dressed up looking for a mate. “ He was taunting me, trying to break my spirit. I would not give him the satisfaction. I focused on calming my nerves. I prayed to the Goddess, “please let me find my mate and escape this place”. I tried to push past my father and leave my room. He blocked my exit and grabbed me by my chin, squeezing my face until my eyes began to water. My Mother, Eliza,  appeared behind him.   “Let go of her.” She whispered. She rarely intervened; I was surprised to hear her voice.   My Father’s eyes got wide and he turned to face my Mother, shocked that she would dare to speak against him. I saw my chance and squeezed past him and ran out of the house. I heard him yelling at my Mother from 3 houses away. If I can hear it, so can everyone else. Everyone acts like nothing is happening. They are all afraid of my father, Warren Blair, Brother of  our Alpha.  Knowing what I do about Mates, I don’t believe my parents are true mates. I have never asked my Mother, but our mates' happiness is as important as our own. Mates feel each other’s pain, both physical and mental. My Father would not be able to torment my Mother if they were indeed mates. Hurting her would mean hurting himself.    As I approached the school I decided to make one big lap around the school hoping to catch the scent of my mate. My wolf, Sariah, should be able to pick up his scent if we are within a block of each other. I did not smell him right away, causing my heart to sink in disappointment. “Be patient, we have only been looking for ten minutes." Sariah warned me. “How can you be so calm? We might not find him, He might not like us, We might be trapped here forever. Our entire future depends on who was chosen to be our mate. We need someone who will love us and be strong enough to stand up to Warren.” I sighed, the thought of finding such a perfect mate seemed impossible. “ The Goddess knows exactly who that person is. She has chosen someone strong and courageous.” Sariah sounded very confident.     I went into the bathroom and waited for the first bell to ring. I would not find my mate if I was trapped in a classroom. I needed to walk the halls until I smelled his scent. Our school was not large. We only have one campus, The halls form a square and the playground is in the center. The school was designed this way for protection. Our pack was attacked by rogues before we grew strong enough to defend ourselves. We have grown in size enough to prevent more attacks, but a rogue wandering in is always a possibility.  I had already walked the campus several times with no sign of my mate. I was watching the clock and feeling a little desperate.  It is 11:15, time for lunch. I knew my mate was not at the school, I would have already found him. “He must be older.” Sariah said. “The Goddess would not give you a mate still in high school. His wolf would not be strong enough to stand up to Warren. He must be older.” She repeated. I liked the thought of an older mate. None of the boys in my school had ever shown an interest in me. I hope the bond only enhances what he feels for me. I don’t want the bond to be the only reason he likes me. Typically mates are no more than ten years apart in age. My mate could be twenty seven years old. I would definitely need to expand my search area, I need to search as much of our pack boundaries as I could. I needed to go to the training grounds, the café, and the pack house for sure. I could not creep around houses in neighborhoods looking for him, I needed to be inconspicuous.  I don’t want someone to tell Warren I am not at school. He would claim I was shaming his name playing hooky. It would just be another excuse for his specialized discipline.   My first stop was the training center. If I have a warrior mate, this is the place to find him. Hanging around the training grounds would be tricky. Warren is captain of the guards. He is responsible for training and weapons. He determines patrol schedules and rank within our pack elite warriors. I cautiously entered the building. Warren should be in the arena leading training.   I walked the corridors quickly and quietly. Cautiously avoiding a group of warriors warming up and stretching.   I did not sense my mate anywhere in the building. I quietly opened the door out into the arena and slipped outside. The warriors were sparring, fighting in groups of 3 and 4. We train and prepare to fight  uneven battles. One wolf fighting multiple rogues would be common. I realize my mate is not among the warriors. The round of sparring was over and the warriors all stood at attention, looking at Warren.  Suddenly, I heard Warren start to yell, “What the hell are you doing?”   I cringed as my heart rate quickened. I immediately began to sweat. He never yelled at us in public. He always wanted us to look like the perfect family. I slowly looked up as he continued. “I don’t know why anyone thinks you are good enough to train with this group. I should move you down with the younger pups. Waste of my time. Get out of my arena.” Warren jumped up and kicked a warrior in the chest. The Warrior fell onto his back and rolled towards me, springing back to his feet in a defensive stance.  I was so relieved Warren had not seen me. I recognized the warrior that fell as Daniel. I was frozen in place and shocked as Warren continued. “You don’t want to put in the work that is why you are so weak. You will never be a part of the elite squad” He was standing in front of Daniel menacingly. I did not realize he treated the warriors the same as his family. None of the other warriors looked surprised by Warren’s behavior.  Daniel had been a good friend of my Brother Edwards’. I wonder if that made my father single him out. Daniel started backing away from the group. My Father turned away and Daniel saw his chance to leave. Daniel ran out of the arena and I followed closely behind. He ran straight into the men’s locker room. I had thought about going into the locker room to check for my mate, I decided against it. If Warren found out I went into the Warriors locker room I would have Hell to pay. If my mate was in there I would already know. I decided to wait out front for Daniel.   I did not know Daniel very well even though he was Edward's best friend. They had been friends since they were pups. Edward rarely brought him to our house. He never brought friends home to hang out. I only saw them when they came by for a few minutes here and there.  No one really ever came to our house. It was one of the main reasons I did not have friends.   I made the mistake of bringing a friend home when I was little. She had witnessed my father slapping my mother across the face. She ran home and told her parents what happened. They decided she should not be friends with me any longer. Of course no one ever talked about it or explained anything. I just suddenly had no friends and no one would ever come over to my house again. I was okay with that, attachments make you weak.  I am not sure why I was waiting for Daniel, maybe he was as close as I could get to seeing Edward. When Daniel exited the training center he looked shocked to see me. The shock was soon replaced by the look most people gave me; The look of pity. I brushed the look from my mind. “Hi Daniel.” I said.  “Hi Charis, um why are you not in school? Does Warren know you are here?” He asked I looked away, I had waited hoping he would go to the café with me. Now that seemed like a really stupid idea. I shook my head no, but did not answer him out loud. “Are you okay? Do you need help?” His voice sounded a little concerned.  “Ask him to go to the café with us? The worst he will do is say no” Saria encouraged me.  “Do you want to go to the café for a snack?” I asked warily.  “First you have to tell me why you are not in school and how much trouble we are in if Warren catches us.” He said suspiciously.  I felt my face begin to flush, “I am not at school because today is my seventeenth birthday and ……” I was not sure how to finish my sentence without sounding like a silly little girl. I looked down at the ground. Daniel began to laugh lightly. “Well then, let’s see if your mate is eating a late lunch at the café then.” I smiled as we walked towards the café together. Daniel bought me a piece of cake for my birthday. I glanced around the café nervously looking for any sign of my mate. “I never realized before how much you look like Edward. I’m really sorry I have not come to check on you. Edward would be pissed at me for not making sure you were okay.” He said. I was not sure how to respond, I never am when someone mentions Edward. I gave him a slight smile “I miss him all the time.” Daniel continued. “We had so many plans for after high school, none of them included Warren riding my ass at training. We planned to find our mates and move to a different pack together.” As Daniel started speaking about my brother, a lump formed in my throat. It felt impossible to swallow the bite of cake in my mouth. It felt more like peanut butter than cake now. “Edward was just 2 months away from 17. We had planned to help each other find our mates. He wanted to take you with us to a new pack. He had big dreams for all of us.  He would be glad I'm helping you.” I took a sip of milk to try and force the cake down but only ended up choking. I began coughing and spitting cake and milk all over our booth and Daniel. My face burned red with embarrassment. I really was as useless as Warren said I was. Tears started to burn my eyes as I felt everyone staring at me. I stood up and started trying to clean the mess up. The waitress came over to help. “I’m sorry Daniel, I have to go!” I turned and rushed out of the café. I needed to pull myself together. I decided to run the pack perimeter; it would take at least six hours, as a human. I knew It would be faster if I shifted and let Sariah run the perimeter, but if I found my mate I would be naked when I shifted back. We are not usually embarrassed by nudity, but this felt different. The only thing that sounded worse than being rejected was being rejected naked. I started walking trying to convince myself there was still hope.    It is almost nine o’clock in the evening. I know in my heart my mate is not a member of my pack. I am dreading going home. Warren will be so glad I have failed. As I stand on the boundary of our pack land I think about running away. Could I live as a rogue? No family or friends? I have no friends now, so I would just be giving up my parents. The thought was intriguing, but living as a rogue is dangerous. I would be required to renounce my pack, to keep Warren from finding me. Rogues are hated by pack wolves and The warriors in my pack train to kill rogues on site. Rogues tend to be feral, completely wild. By refusing to be part of a pack they become 100 percent predator. They kill anything and everything. Being a rogue might mean never finding my mate.   I thought about begging my Uncle for help dealing with my father. He is the Alpha of our pack, Crescent Bay; he is the protector of the pack. I only let myself wish for that briefly.  I knew he wouldn’t help. He never tried to help my brother and I. Like everyone else he pretended not to see what was happening.  I stayed away from the house as long as I could. It was close to midnight and even though I was hoping my parents were asleep, as I walked up the front steps I could tell they were awake. Walking back through the door was soul crushing. I hoped to go straight to my room and avoid them. My Father was waiting for me in front of my bedroom door. He had a giant smile on his smug face. “Well, well, well, look who came home just like I said. I’m sure the Goddess never picked a mate for you. You are just an ugly b***h like your Mother.” I felt my wolf growl inside my chest, but I suppressed it like always. I had to suppress Sariah around my Father. She wanted to kill him. If she ever got the chance, it would be a fight to the death, Probably mine.  I just wanted to pass the monster in front of me.    My mother came out of her room. I hoped she was going to help me, but looking at her face, I knew I was on my own. She had dark circles under her eyes. To most people it would look like she had bags under her eyes. I knew the truth though. My father had beaten her this morning after I left. Our wolves have the power to heal our bodies much faster than a human body heals. The dark circles are what is left of two black eyes given by my Father. I cringed and turned away. I could go sit outside until my Father went to bed.  “Charis,” My Mother said, “Maybe we should find you a pretty dress to wear to the Moon Ball.”  My pulse quickened. Every Unmated wolf over the age of seventeen is required by pack law to attend the moon ball. It is held annually to help unmated wolves find their mates. It is one of the few ways wolves from other packs ever see each other. Hundreds of wolves would be there. I was sure my Father would try to stop me from going to the ball. I tried to slow my pulse and act unconcerned. My Father scoffed, “Buy her a dress? She needs more than a dress. She needs a new face and body if she wants a mate.” I tried again to push past my Father and go into my bedroom.  My Father reached out and grabbed me by my hair. “You don’t have a mate!” He yelled. “You just want to run around like a rogue slut. I will kill you before I let you bring shame to this family.”  “Enough!” My Mother was growling. “You took my son from me; I will not lose my daughter too. She will go to the ball. She will have a life!” Tears were burning my eyes. My father had lifted me off the ground slightly with my hair.    My parents did not speak of my brother. My Father turned around and grabbed my mother by the neck, releasing me as he turned.  He slammed her body into the wall. She was gasping for air. I turned and ran out of the house. I hated them both for what happened to my brother. My Mother was weak and we paid the price. I would get away from both of them. The moon Ball was a month away. I just had to stay away from Warren until I could go.  One Month Later Moon Ball  I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom speechless. My mother was putting a few final pins in my hair. For the first time in my life I felt beautiful. I felt like a princess. My Mother bought me a beautiful blue dress, it clung to my curves. I always thought I was chunky, but looking at myself in this dress, the way it hugged my body, I realized I was curvy.  The short heels I was wearing accentuated the muscles in my legs.  The blue color of the dress made my eyes look deeper blue than normal. My mother had applied my makeup and pulled my long curly hair into an updo with tendrils framing my face. I had always hated my hair. It was strawberry blond and naturally curly. My father called me the red headed slinky and I hated it. The final piece was a sapphire diamond necklace that belonged to my Grandmother, Eliza’s mother. I was ready to meet my mate. I knew tonight had to be the night.   Eliza’s POV  I laid the new dress across Charis bed. I was excited for her to see it. I decided to buy the dress without her. She was at school the same time Warren was at work. I could not take her shopping without him making it into yet another unbearable family memory. We had enough of those to last three lifetimes. I bought her pretty little pumps to wear, I thought about heels, but just in case her mate  is short I opted for pumps. I had little pins to put her hair up with; they were the same color blue as her dress. My favorite piece for tonight was the necklace. I had the necklace the women in our family handed down to each other. It was a beautiful Sapphire pendant shaped like the crescent moon. It was always handed down before our mating ceremony. I decided to give it to Charis tonight before the moon ball. If she finds her mate tonight, I may never see her again. I doubt she would let her father and I visit her. I’m positive Warren would never permit me to visit her alone. I sighed as I sat down on her bed, waiting for her to finish her shower.   Looking around her room, I missed the little girl she used to be. There was a time when we were a happy family. I shuddered as I thought about how much I failed my children. Our lives were slowly destroyed by Warren’s jealousy and anger. I prayed to the Goddess that she would let Charis find her mate tonight. I want so much more for my little girl than this. I want her freedom more than she does. Even if it means I will never see her again. I want her to be happy.   Charis entered her room. As soon as her eyes saw the dress I knew I had picked the right one. I had staged an area of her room like a beauty shop. I was about to give her a makeover that would make every man wish they were her mate. Charis was one of the most beautiful girls in our pack. She is the only one that does not know it. After tonight I hope she will.