THE MOST WANTED LUNA

Sabrina “Wolfless wretch…!” “You're such a shame to our clan…” “You would have been better off unborn.” “So worthless…” All the abusive words I heard while growing up in my pack came flashing in my head, as I was living the most decisive moment of my life. It felt like I was trying to prove every single one of those voices wrong, as I tried doing the very thing that had been on my mind ever since. “Don't let her get past those gates!” Kaleb yelled out his orders to his men, who were hot in their tracks. “You're going to watch me get through them, you bastard,” I cursed under my breath, as I ran as fast as quickly as my feet could carry me. The heavy gates of his fortress were slowly being shut as I made for them. Too bad for Kaleb that he had to reap the rewards of his insecurity in such a disappointing manner. He had been so insecure to the point of making gates that huge which took almost forever to shut, and I was about to take advantage of it. “Get her…!” he yelled, making me wonder why he hadn't joined in the pursuit. It had all gone from another usual day living under Kaleb's oppressive grip until I had decided that I wasn't going to live one more day in a place where my mate had debased me into a slave. “Later suckers…” I said as I made it past the gate before it shut with a loud bang. I had never felt that courageous, but I was loving the feeling. While I was outside Kaleb's fortress, I wasn't yet out of his territory. Then came the question of where I would be running from there. There was no way I could head back to my pack, as they had been one of the reasons why I had plunged into the hellish union with Kaleb. Besides, they wouldn't want the wolfless weakling back in the pack. I was totally out of options, but I kept running, as I wanted to be anywhere but where Kaleb was. He was one of the worst things that had ever happened to me, if not the worst of them all. No way, he can't be the worst, I thought to myself, as I refused to give him such priority in my heart, as the worst of them all. The worst of them was the death of my parents. If they had been alive, I wouldn't have to be treated harshly like some unwanted pet. I kept from thinking of my hurtful memories, as I kept racing into the night until I found myself drifting into the woods. That wasn't the time to brood and cry, as Kaleb's men still followed me. Their heavy but quick footsteps spurred me to keep going, as there was no telling what they would do to me if they caught up with me. Kaleb could have them take my life. His ego wouldn't want it to be heard that a weakling like me had been able to get away from his grasp. “Split up!” one of the men ordered the rest, which did as he had ordered them to do. I didn't need to look back to know what they were up to. My feet took on a new speed as they took on a new strategy. I couldn't imagine being dragged back into that fortress-like some criminal. All the romantic moments that Kaleb and I had shared came flashing through my head as I ran. Romantic moments which he hurriedly threw away when he rejected me in the most shameful manner imaginable while everyone watched. Like that wasn't enough, he made me watch him and his chosen mate, as they lived the life which I was meant to be living with him. Then also was the harsh treatment that I received from his malevolent mother. But that very day, I decided that I had reached the limits of my forbearance. As I was momentarily lost in my thoughts, I didn't know when I tripped over what felt like a log on the ground. My fall was bad— awkwardly bad. “That way!” one of the men yelled, as I rustled countless dry leaves and snapped many twigs as I fell hard and forcefully. “Oh no…” I whispered frightfully under my breath, as I could hear their footsteps closing in on me. My ankles hurt bad, but I couldn't let them get me, not after I had come that far. I crawled to the trunk of a tree and hid behind it. All I could do was say a prayer, and hope that the moon goddess would somehow keep me from being spotted. I held my breath as best as I could, as I didn't want to be given away by the sound of my heavy respiration. For a moment, it felt like my heart would explode from the unbearable horror, which had replaced the feeling of determination I had felt when I took off from Kaleb's fortress. The sound of the footsteps seemed to come to a stop when it came to the other side of the tree I was hiding at. I cringed, as he was so close to getting to me. “Fall back… immediately!” one of the men beckoned to his fellows suddenly, as if he had seen some sort of monster that scared him. I looked up as well, but I didn't see anything. Before I knew it, they began hurriedly retreating away from me. Had the moon goddess suddenly answered my prayers? It had to be, as the entire scenario was nothing short of miraculous. After a while, I let out a sigh of relief, as I was sure that the very last one of them had left. It felt like even the moon goddess didn't want me to be with Kaleb. Once more, I looked around before setting out on the run again, even though my ankles were hurting badly. I was willing to follow that path to wherever it would lead. The pleasant feeling of freedom filled me as I breathed free air for the first time in a while. But then, suddenly, I felt my feet step down on what felt like a lever hidden in the bushes. Before I could look down to see what I had stepped on, a metal cage closed in on me. Then the cage elevated from the ground, hanging from a tree branch. It dawned on me that I had walked into a trap. The horror returned, as my freedom was short-lived. I couldn't bear to look down due to my fear of heights. As I tried thinking of how to get free, my thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the low, scary growls. I looked around, trying to know where exactly the blood-curdling growls had come from. My eyes soon caught sight of some vicious red eyes that glowed dimly in the dark made me panic instantly. I was wearied by fear, as I finally realized why Kaleb's men had suddenly retreated. I had stepped into the last place a werewolf would want to step into.