Runaway Male Bride: Tell Me Your Secret

A loud shout rang in the darkness and startled the running boy. He immediately stopped to crouched down. His scrawny frame taking cover behind the maze of tall grasses. Agitated, his light hazel eyes darted around, trying to make out the position where the sounds came from. At such a moonless night, he can barely see anything from where he was hiding. Nevertheless, the teen, Riley, knew they are looking for him. In fact, they are his brother Anton's men. Men sent out to drag Riley back home. And once Riley returns, by his brother's plan, he will be married off to the highest bidder. Like a rare item on display, he will go to whoever can pay the most. A very costly male bride. Riley shuddered at the thought. A sorry reminder why he is on the run. With increased vigor the youth blindly move in the dark. After a while, Riley felt his lungs started to burn from the effort. His pale lips bloodied from his own bites, his way to stop his cries whenever the excruciating pain from his injured leg shots up to his brain. Then may be because he lost a lot of blood and had been running all night, exhaustion finally caught up and Riley's vision began to blur. In the end, he stumbled and fell face down; bumping his forehead on a protruding rock. Its sharp edges cutting his skin. "Argh-!" Riley had to stifle his cries, afraid that he would be discovered. Eyes brimming with tears, he laid on his side curled up in a fetal position. The teen continued to sobbed in silence, more so due to the agony of the helplessness he is experiencing, than the actual pain from the wound. To calm himself after that breakdown, the youth took a few deep breaths and began to chant quietly, "Mind over matter. Mind over matter. I can do this." Comforted a little by his own words, Riley wiped his tears and began to crawl among the bushes. The jeans he is wearing becoming wet from the combination of blood, sweat and mud. When he had covered quiet an expanse, he surveyed his surroundings. Ahead, he can only see a vast grassland. Turning to the side, his eyes came to life when he saw a thick cluster of trees and a momentary flash of light. A highway! It must be! Riley choose to believe so. Willing his self, Riley endured the pain. Bending to keep himself hidden, he began to run as fast as his injured leg can allow. The wild beat of his heart was so loud that it was almost all he can hear. Out of breath, Riley reached the edge of the forest. One step. Two steps. He trudged on mindlessly. His body heavy from tiredness. The buzzing on his head is getting stronger, coupled with dizziness that made him see doubled of everything. Everywhere he looks, it was all trees. Then out of nowhere he heard a faint sound of a roaring engine. It was getting louder by the minute. Riley began to shout. "H-help!" But his throat was dry that it came out as weak croak, barely audible even to himself. Riley saw the approaching white pick-up truck on a two-lane street between the line of tress. "Arghhh! P-please, help me." Riley kept shouting. But as if to play a joke on him, the car instead reeves its engine louder drowning away his cry. Its red tail lights seemed to taunt him as it speeds past him and slowly disappeared into the night. Devastated, Riley slump on the ground as darkness reign around him. Overwhelmed with panic, he shivered. The thought of being captured and taken back to his brother, brought a sense of hopelessness to the teen. Like a reverie, he was brought back to that eventful day several months ago. With a bitter smile, Riley recalled feeling overjoyed, at first. After so many years, his brother had finally summoned him back to stay at their family's main house. The Santillan's. Prior to that, Riley, since the age of ten had lived at the country side, under the care of a few servants. As for the reason why, his brother made such decision, he did not know. Riley did not put much thought into it, anyway, he was happy and at peace to live separately from his brother. On that night, Riley entered the study, smiling and saw his brother occupied with signing papers. In a soft voice, he said, "Brother, I'm here. I was told you wanted to talk to me?" Not even bothering to raise his head, Anton just hummed in acknowledgment and told him to sit down. Riley was about to take a seat, when he heard Anton offhandedly informed him, "I called you here to tell you that I have arranged your marriage. So, you don't need to unpack unnecessary things here, anyway you'll be moving out soon." He was momentarily stunned and remembered that it took him a while to stammer his response. "W-wedding? But brother, I'm still young. Barely seventeen. I'm not in a hurry." Anton, as if not hearing him, continued to busy himself with documents not once giving him the decency of looking up. "The wedding is next week. It's settled." "Next week?! Why so fast? I just came back. Brother, please I don't want to get married yet! B-besides, I have not even met my bride?" Riley was getting frantic. It was too much for him. He doesn't understand why his brother is doing this. However, Riley did not expect that he has yet to hear the worst part of it. He stared somewhat stupid, when his brother, amid laughter finally looked at him and mockingly declared, "Your bride? Whoever told you that? You are mistaken. You, my dear little brother is the beautiful male bride. And I hope, you'll be a very expensive male bride." Expensive. Male. Bride. The words echoed at the back of Riley's mind as he listened in horror to Anton discuss in detail how he plans to auction him with a promise of marriage to the highest bidder. The few candidates, he was told one of which would be his future husband, were all wealthy individuals personally handpicked by Anton. Riley wanted to scream his objection. He felt sick in his gut as unconcealed greed gleamed his brother's eyes. It was unbearable to watch. His insides hurt as if someone had punched him on the stomach and twisted his heart. The whole evening passed in a haze. Riley did not know how and when he reached his bedroom to lie down for the night. When he finally came out of the mist shrouding his senses, he decisively vaulted out of house and escaped. Truth be told, Riley was not totally against marrying a man, that part he can accept. But he refused to stay and be used as a mean to satisfy his brother's own greediness. Or be sold like an object without a life or will of his own. For three months, Riley had been successful in evading Anton's clutches. That is until yesterday when he was found and shot at by his brother's hired men. It was only by sheer luck that he was able to escape from the abandoned building where he was held captive. Now, wounded and scared, Riley was contemplating if it was all for nothing. If eventually, his brother will get what he wants and Riley would be sold off. Just as he was beginning to think that no help will come, a convoy of three cars came into view. Riley thought he was having a hallucination due to dehydration and blood loss. But soon the unmistakable sound of engines reached his ears. Riley scrambled to stand and dragged his feet with the intention of blocking the center of the road. Unfortunately, he was already too late as the first car was about to wheeze passed him. Heaven must have pitied the youth, for a moment later, Riley watched in astonishment as a deer jumped in and crossed the road. Then all three vehicles came to a sudden halt one after the other in front of him. He stared dazed for a second, then run up to the nearest car and desperately tapped on the window. "Help! Please, help me. I beg you."