Bite of Rejection

Episode 4

~ Athena’s POV

Relia’s confidence was contagious. I wiped the tears from my face, the idea of escaping suddenly feeling like a real possibility. "Where would we even go?"

She grinned, her excitement growing. "Anywhere! We could go to the Sunstone Pack down south, or maybe the Riverclan to the west. They’re known for being adventurous. The world is huge, Athena, and it’s waiting for us!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious. For the first time in what felt like forever, a flicker of hope stirred inside me. Maybe this was what I needed, a fresh start.

We packed quickly, throwing in essentials, clothes, a bit of money, and a few keepsakes. Relia moved like a whirlwind beside me, her face serious, but I could tell she was just as nervous as I was. Every little sound, whether it was the creak of a floorboard or the rustle of leaves outside, made my heart jump. I could feel my hands shaking as I shoved more stuff into my bag, trying to stay calm.

“This is it,” Relia said softly, standing at the door. Her voice wavered, but her determined look told me she wasn’t backing out. “We can do this, Athena.”

“I know,” I replied, though I didn’t feel as confident as I sounded. I took a deep breath, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “Let’s just go before I chicken out.”

With one last glance around her room, we slipped out of the house. It was eerily quiet, and the cool night air made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. We were careful, sneaking past the borders where the guards were stationed. Every step felt like it could be our last if we were caught. My heart pounded so hard I thought they’d hear it. But after what felt like an eternity, we made it past.

Once we crossed into unfamiliar territory, a huge wave of relief hit me. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my chest. We did it. We escaped. I stopped for a second, turning to look back at the only home I’d ever known.

“Wow,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “We did it.”

Relia stood next to me, her face a mix of excitement and sadness. “Yeah, we’re free. No more Fridolf, no more pack members, just us.”

I nodded, feeling a strange cocktail of emotions swirling inside me. Part of me was terrified. We had no real plan, no idea where to go or what would happen next. But another part of me was thrilled, finally, I could be free from everything that had weighed me down. No more being the rejected omega, no more constant whispers behind my back.

“We should keep moving before someone realizes we’re gone,” Relia said, tugging my arm gently. “We’re not completely safe yet.”

I nodded, snapping out of my thoughts. We started walking again, the trees around us growing denser as we left the Snowwhite pack behind. The sound of crickets chirping and the occasional hoot of an owl was strangely calming. For a brief moment, it felt like we were untouchable like we had escaped every chain that had held us back.

But then, everything changed.

It happened so fast. One moment we were walking, the next, shadows darted out from between the trees, surrounding us. My heart dropped into my stomach. Tall, muscular figures loomed before us, their eyes glinting under the moonlight. They were guards, pack guards from a territory we had just crossed into, and they looked anything but friendly.

“Who are you? State your business here!” one of them barked, stepping forward with his spear pointed directly at us. His voice was gruff, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

I froze, my mouth going dry. My mind raced, trying to think of something to say. Anything that would get us out of this. But nothing came.

Relia tried to step in, her voice shaking slightly but still steady. “We…we’re just passing through. We didn’t mean to…”

Before she could finish, one of the guards raised his hand. “Silence. You’re trespassing on our land. You guys are spies, right?!”

“What? No! We didn’t know…” I tried to explain, but it was too late.

Another guard stepped forward, his eyes hard and cold. “Doesn’t matter. You’re coming with us.”

“Wait, please! We didn’t mean any harm!” I pleaded, my voice cracking in desperation. But it was useless. They didn’t care.

Without warning, something heavy crashed into the back of my head. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and the world started spinning. My knees buckled, and I felt the ground rush up to meet me. The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me was Relia’s terrified face, her mouth open in a silent scream.

As I fell into unconsciousness, one thought echoed through my mind—our freedom was slipping away. We hadn’t escaped at all. Instead, we had run straight into a trap.

Thrown into a dark, damp prison, the stench of sweat and blood hit me before I even opened my eyes fully. My head still throbbed from the blow I’d taken earlier, but the sounds around me were impossible to ignore, harsh shouts, the clanging of chains, and muffled cries. I blinked against the dim light filtering through a small, barred window. We were somewhere horrible.

Ironwood.

I could see it in the way the guards sneered at us when they dragged us in. And now, as Relia and I huddled together, our backs against the cold stone wall, the harsh reality of where we had ended up was sinking in. Ironwood was notorious for its cruelty, and now we were part of its nightmare.

From where we sat, we could see across the large prison yard. Guards moved through the crowd of prisoners like predators, their batons swinging at anyone who dared move too slowly or speak too loudly. I flinched every time one of them made contact with someone, usually a prisoner who had already been beaten so badly they couldn’t fight back.

“They’re… they’re treating them like animals,” Relia whispered beside me, her voice shaking with disbelief. Her eyes were wide, taking in the horror around us.

Women, especially, seemed to be the guards' targets. I watched as they were dragged around, forced to do the guards’ bidding, their faces hollow and eyes dead. One guard yanked a woman roughly by the arm, barking orders, and when she faltered for just a moment, he slapped her across the face so hard that she staggered.

“They’re slaves,” I muttered, the sickening realization settling in. “This is what happens here.”

Relia’s hand found mine, her fingers trembling. “Athena… what have we done?”