Chapter 3 - A Window, A Way Out
953 Words
(Cole's Point of View)
“Who's there?” I asked as I pushed open the bedroom door and was hit by a cold wind blowing strongly into the room. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, and a low growl rumbled in my chest as I surveyed the empty room.
My gaze turned to the source of the wind—the windows.
“Why the hell are they wide open?”
I crossed the room in two strides and slammed the window shut, my claws nearly breaking the frame, which rattled under my grip. The wind ceased instantly.
“I feel like something is missing...” I whispered to myself, but the next second I told
myself that I didn't care, that she meant nothing to me.
She was just another traitor, one who had sold me out and spat on the name of the
Vance family and the BlackFang pack.
Still, I found myself staring at the bed.
The dark gray sheets where she used to sleep. I brought my hand to my temple and rubbed the dull ache throbbing behind my eyes.
“She made her choice when she left,” I muttered under my breath, my voice low and rough. “If anything happens to her out there, it'll be her own fault.”
At that moment, a faint, familiar scent wafted through the air: lavender and dark honey. Even though the wind interfered with it, I recognized it instantly. It was her scent, Elara's.
I clenched my jaw. The darkness inside me intensified.
“Who has been in this room?” I shouted sharply. “Guards!”
Elara's point of view
The night air bit at my skin as the old back door of the Vance villa creaked open.
Every sound seemed too loud.
“This way, Luna Elara,” Sandra whispered as she guided me through the narrow
passageway hidden behind the thorny hedges.
I clutched the small bundle in my arms tightly—my daughter. My little wolf.
Emma stirred softly but didn't cry, as if even in her dreams she sensed my fear.
Moonlight caressed her small face, peaceful and unaware of the chaos we were
fleeing.
I hugged her tighter, breathing in her faint, sweet scent to calm myself. The cold of the
night was no match for the warmth she radiated.
“Thank you, Sandra,” I whispered, my voice hoarse from exhaustion and tears that had long since dried. “For everything you've done tonight.”
The old housekeeper's eyes sparkled.
“Don't thank me, Luna Elara. If you hadn't given me that job years ago, I would never
have survived in this city.”
She wiped her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.
“You've been through enough. Are you sure you're not going to stay?”
I couldn't hold her gaze. My wolf stirred weakly inside me, wounded and silent after months of confinement.
My voice was calm when I replied:
“He destroyed my life, Sandra. They locked me up like a criminal, branded me a
traitor to my own mate and my pack. Now I just want freedom. A new beginning.”
Sandra nodded, her lips trembling.
“Did you take everything you needed?”
I touched the bag slung over my shoulder. My ID, my passport, my cards, and the three million I had earned when I was still a respected lawyer, before Cole ruined my name, my career, my life.
“Yes, I only took what was mine. Not a single coin of his damn fortune,” I said quietly, though I wasn't entirely sure because, just before I escaped, I had heard him close the door to his study and knew he was approaching. My heart almost stopped. I had barely managed to climb out the window with Sandra's help.
My God, what if he already knew I'd been there? What if the effect of the potion to mask the smell had already worn off?
A wave of panic ran down my spine.
Sandra must have seen the panic reflected on my face because she gave me a small, brave nod and gently pushed me toward the door.
“Don't be afraid. If anything happens, I'll cover for you. What Alpha Cole did to you was cruel beyond words. I couldn't bear to watch.”
Her voice broke. “Go now, Luna Elara. Take care of your daughter.”
Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away.
“Sandra... I need to ask you one more thing.” I wanted to tell her not to say a word to anyone about what had happened.
She understood before I could finish.
“Don't worry. Tonight, I never saw you or your baby.”
The door closed with a soft click, like the end of a lifetime. Through the narrow c***k,
I caught a last glimpse of her wrinkled hand waving goodbye, a silent blessing in the darkness.
I turned back to the road, hugging Emma as the wind carried the scent of roses. Petals floated around us, tangling in my hair.
“We're free,” I told myself, even though my heart was still trembling. “We're finally free.”
I quickened my pace toward the taxi waiting for us. The guards wouldn't check the back road at this hour.
I got into the car, my heart pounding as the villa faded in the rearview mirror. Emma slept soundly against my chest, her tiny fingers curled around the fabric of my coat.
I turned my face away from the Vance villa, from the man who had once been my mate, my Alpha, my ruin.
“Cole Vance, I hope I never see you again.”
- Writer
