Chapter 6: A Life in Hiding
881 Words
Lena’s POV
The first few weeks were the hardest.
I had no real plan, no destination—just the overwhelming need to keep moving, to stay ahead of the pack that might still be hunting me.
Every night, I fell asleep listening to the sound of pursuit, my fingers curled around the small dagger which my father had given me before we parted ways.
The darkness no longer brought comfort but fear, a constant reminder that I was alone, truly alone for the first time in my life.
Each morning, I forced myself forward. The rogue lands were vast and unforgiving, filled with dangers that lurked behind every twisted tree and shadowed path.
I learned quickly to keep to the edges of civilization, scavenging food when I could and bartering what little I had when I ventured into human towns.
It wasn’t much of a life, but it was survival.
And then, the sickness came.
It started as exhaustion—nothing I wasn’t already used to.
But when the waves of nausea hit, when my body rebelled against the simplest foods, I knew it wasn’t just stress or fear.
It was the life growing inside me.
Killian’s child.
I stared at my reflection in a cracked mirror in a rundown inn, pressing a hand against my still-flat stomach.
My mind warred with itself, tangled between anger and sorrow. This baby was a piece of him, a reminder of the mate bond that had nearly destroyed me.
And yet, when I thought of walking away, of giving up, I couldn’t. The child inside me was innocent, untouched by the cruelty of fate.
They were mine. And I would protect them with every last ounce of strength I had.
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Building a New Life
Months passed in a blur of struggle and solitude.
I settled in a small, quiet town tucked deep within human territory, far from the reach of any pack.
It was the kind of place where no one asked questions, where people kept to themselves and didn’t pry into the pasts of strangers. It was exactly what I needed.
I found work where I could—cleaning rooms at the local inn, helping in the kitchens of a small café when the owner took pity on me.
It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept me fed, kept a roof over my head. The exhaustion of working long hours while carrying a child weighed on me, but I welcomed the distraction.
As long as I was moving, I didn’t have to think about what I had lost.
But the nights were the hardest.
When the world was quiet, and there was nothing left to do but sit in the small, creaky bed of the room I rented, the memories crept in.
Killian’s voice, the way he had held me once, the way he had looked at me with a promise he never intended to keep.
The pain of rejection still ached, a wound that time had yet to mend.
I told myself I didn’t miss him. I told myself I hated him. But hate was still a tether, a connection I wanted to sever but couldn’t.
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A Mother’s Strength
As my belly grew, so did my determination. This child would never know what it felt like to be unwanted.
They would never feel the sting of rejection, never be cast aside as if they were nothing. I would love them enough for two. I would give them the life I never had.
I scraped together every coin I could spare, buying blankets and baby clothes from a small market in town. I learned from the older women who worked at the café, listening to their advice about childbirth, about motherhood.
I had no family to guide me, no pack to rely on, but I wouldn’t let that stop me.
One stormy night, as rain pounded against the window of my tiny rented room, I whispered my first promise to my child.
“You and me, little one,” I murmured, pressing my hand against my stomach. “We’ll be okay.”
And for the first time in months, I believed it.
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The Fear Never Fades
Despite the quiet town, despite the months that had passed without sign of danger, I never let my guard down.
I avoided conversations that veered too close to my past. I made sure never to stay in one place too long. I changed my routine often, just in case.
Because deep down, I knew the Shadowfang Pack didn’t just let people go. Especially not people like me.
Killian’s mate. Killian’s child.
I didn’t know if he was looking for me, if he had moved on, if he even cared. But the risk was too great.
If he or his pack ever found me, they wouldn’t let me go a second time. And I refused to let them take my child from me.
So, I remained a ghost. A shadow of the woman I used to be.
And I waited for the day I could stop running.
For the day, I could finally call somewhere home.
For the day when fear wouldn’t be the only thing keeping me alive.
Until then, I will keep fighting.
For me. For my child.
For the future we both deserve.
- Writer
