Run or Break
855 Words
By nightfall, every part of Arianna’s body hurt.
Not the familiar ache she had learned to ignore. This was deeper. Sharper. Like her bones themselves had been bruised.
Training had turned into punishment. Punishment had turned into humiliation.
Keith had watched it all with a quiet smile.
Now the pack was asleep.
Or at least pretending to be.
Arianna lay on her thin mattress staring at the ceiling she had memorised over the years. Moonlight slipped through the broken window, painting silver patterns on the dusty floor.
Her breathing was shallow.
Her mind refused to rest.
Mate.
The word kept echoing inside her head like a curse.
Her wolf — still new, still fragile — stirred restlessly beneath her skin. The bond hadn’t disappeared after the rejection. If anything, it felt more painful now. Like an open wound that refused to close.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
“I won’t stay,” she whispered into the darkness.
The decision was no longer just about freedom.
It was about survival.
Keith would not forgive her.
She had seen the promise in his eyes.
Slowly, she sat up.
Every movement felt like dragging broken glass across her skin, but she forced herself to stand. Tonight was her only chance. If she delayed, the guards would tighten patrols. The Luna would find new ways to keep her busy.
And Keith…
Her stomach twisted.
She didn’t want to imagine what he might do next.
Arianna wrapped her shawl tightly around herself and moved toward the door. She paused, listening carefully. Silence. No footsteps. No drunken laughter from late-night warriors.
Good.
She slipped outside.
The cold hit her instantly, stealing her breath. Snow crunched softly under her worn sandals as she moved along the shadows of the pack houses. Years of living like prey had taught her how to be invisible.
She kept her head down, her steps light.
The forest waited beyond the last row of huts.
Freedom waited there too.
Her heart pounded harder with every step.
She was almost there.
Almost—
A hand clamped over her mouth.
Arianna screamed, but the sound was swallowed by rough fingers.
“Going somewhere?”
Keith’s voice brushed against her ear like poison.
Terror exploded through her.
She fought instantly — biting, clawing, kicking. Survival instinct roared louder than pain. Her wolf surged inside her mind, desperate and wild.
But Keith was stronger.
He shoved her against the wall of the storage hut, his body trapping hers completely.
“You really thought I wouldn’t be watching?” he murmured.
Moonlight revealed his face.
There was no amusement now.
Only fury.
“You embarrassed me today,” he continued. “In front of my warriors. In front of my father.”
Arianna’s chest heaved as she struggled to breathe.
“Let me go,” she rasped.
He laughed softly.
“You’re my mate.”
“I rejected you.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Keith’s expression darkened.
His hand slid from her mouth to her throat, not choking — just reminding her how easily he could.
“You think words change fate?” he asked.
Her back pressed harder against the wall as he leaned closer. Panic clawed up her spine. She could smell alcohol on his breath. Rage. Possession.
“I don’t want you,” she whispered.
Something snapped in his eyes.
His grip became rough.
Her shawl tore as she tried to twist away.
“Stop fighting,” he growled. “You’ll make this harder.”
For a split second, fear threatened to paralyse her.
Then she remembered flames.
Screams.
Blood in the snow.
No one had saved her then.
She would save herself now.
Arianna drove her knee upward with all the strength she had.
Keith cursed and loosened his hold just enough.
She shoved him back and ran.
Branches whipped her face as she sprinted toward the forest. Her lungs burned. Her ribs screamed. But she didn’t slow down.
Freedom was only a few steps away.
She could already see the border line — marked by tall stones glowing faintly under the moon.
Just a little more—
Something hit her from the side.
She crashed into the snow.
Hands grabbed her arms. Voices shouted.
Guards.
Her vision blurred as they dragged her upright.
“No!” she cried. “Please— just let me go!”
They ignored her.
Minutes later, she was thrown onto the cold floor of the Alpha’s hall.
Keith stood nearby, breathing hard, his eyes blazing with humiliation and fury.
The Alpha himself watched her like she was nothing more than an inconvenience.
“You tried to run,” he said calmly.
Arianna lifted her head.
“Yes.”
The word surprised even her.
She was too tired to lie.
Too broken to beg.
His expression hardened.
“Then you will learn what happens to traitors.”
Chains closed around her wrists.
The dungeon door opened with a groan that sounded like a death sentence.
As darkness swallowed her, Arianna realised something terrifying.
Freedom hadn’t died tonight.
Hope had.
And somewhere deep inside… her wolf howled.
- Writer
