My Cursed Mate's Revenge

Chapter 11: A Fight for Freedom

Two Weeks Earlier

Freya:

I sprinted down the halls, praying my rooms were unlocked and unguarded. I reached what remained of my door. It was shattered, pieces hanging from the hinges.

I stepped over the debris and made my way to my terrace. The relief as I grabbed my pack from its hiding spot and found the supplies undisturbed was nearly indescribable, and the victory gave extra speed to my actions as I grabbed a few changes of clothes, my warmest winter cloak, my leathers and boots, and the hunting rations I kept in my closet.

I ripped the sheets from my bed and stuffed the scraps into my pack, knowing I would need the fabric for my back when I had a moment to stop.

I ran from my rooms and towards the pack hall, knowing the typically crowded main entrance was my best chance at leaving without notice.

—

I neared the hall and slowed my pace, knowing a frantic dash to the exit would not pass unnoticed. I tucked my pack under my cloak and pulled the hood up to obscure my face. My hair color, though darker than most in our pack, was much less recognizable than my face.

I pulled the cord binding my hair back and allowed it to fan over my face, dropped my head and shoulders forward, and began the long walk across the hall.

Each step toward the exit as the pack carried about their typical daily routines and gatherings felt wrong. My pride and honor fought me with each step, and each member that I passed left a stabbing pains of guilt shooting through my stomach.

Would they be the one to replace me in the dungeons when Moira discovered I was missing? Would it be the guards that failed to escort me to the court? Would it be a child…

I almost stopped, threw my hood back, and challenged her right there and then in the pack halls as our traditions dictated.

But I could not bring myself to do it. She was a full shifter, the pack Luna, my father’s second chance mate…

And I was the disgraced fallen heir, a wolfless embarrassment, a murderer in the eyes of my pack.

The future of my pack hung in the balance and my next move could not be a gamble, could not end with a shortsighted challenge shouted through the halls at Moira, my body still broken and healing from her tortures and cruelty.

I was in no position to stake my claim. My body was in no shape to fight. My only chance was to run and hide, to bid my time and form a plan.

I neared the Great Doors that led from the pack hall into the wilderness beyond.

Carved from an ancient wood, the details of the carving depict the history of our pack and how the island we live on was formed long ago.

My timing could not have been worse. Nearly everyone that was passing through the open door was walking inside the pack hall. Fighting the flow of the crowd would only draw attention to me, but I could not risk the doors closing for the night.

Better they see exactly when I escaped than for me to miss my chance entirely. It was now or never.

Ducking my head down further, I walked along the wall until I stood even with the edge of the door. The sounds of laughter and music echoed through the hall, many wolves returning from their outdoor duties and relaxing with friends and family. It was a scene that had always brought me so much happiness.

I tried to soak in every moment, every joyful embrace, the smells and sights, not knowing the next time I would be able to return.

A small gap appeared in the bodies and I pushed my way outside, colliding on the other side of the door with a slightly smaller body.

Startled, I look down and see Clara sprawled on the ground before me. Our eyes meet and time seems to freeze for the briefest of moments.

Will she scream? Alert the guards? Try and bring me to the courts herself?

Instead, the look of surprise on her face quickly shifts into a look of steely determination. She nods at me, stands up, and slowly rejoins the crowd as if she had never laid eyes on me.

There was no better time to learn that I had an ally within the pack still…maybe even a friend.

My heart swelled with gratitude as I turned from the crowd, quickly crossing the clearly leading to the entrance of the hall and entered the woods.

Once my presence was hidden by the trees, I stopped and quickly cleaned, then wrapped my back as best I could.

I changed out of the dungeon clothes but did not discard them. I could not afford to get rid of anything right now with how few supplies I had been able to bring with me.

A mix of emotions overcame me as I looked back at the mountain that held my home, my pack, my people…

Moira’s people now.

I could not allow myself to be distracted or paralyzed by sadness.

I knew they would come for me, and soon, that I had mere moments to get the head start I would need to survive.

If I wanted to solve the mystery of my father’s illness, find his killer, and save my pack, I could not afford to linger in one place for too long.

A whispered instinct told me that all of these events were connected somehow, I just needed to be brave and strong enough to find what exactly that connection was.

But still, I could not move another step.

The grief I had been bottling up for weeks began to pour out. Tears streamed down my face, my legs gave out and I landed hard on my knees, scrapping my hands on the rocks and branches littering the floor.

My breaths turned to gasping sobs, shaking my entire body. I clawed at the ground, needing to anchor myself to something, to feel the fresh dirt under my jagged fingernails.

I had escaped.

My mind was unbroken, but the horrors I had been put through in the dungeon still played over and over again when I closed my eyes.

My body was healing, but the scars covering my body would be carried with me the rest of my life.

My father was murdered, and I did not have the slightest idea how I would find his killer. I did not know if I would ever get to see his resting place in the catacombs of our family.

If I would ever have a chance to honor his memory as our traditions dictated and sacrifice a small offering at his place of resting to the Moon Goddess to keep his memory alive in my mind.

As the tears and sobs continued to pour from my body, my hands grasped onto a small, flat stone resting nearby.

I pulled it towards me, inspiration guiding my movements. Grabbing the knife that he gifted me so many years ago, I placed the edge onto its surface and began to work.

My vision was blurred and the knife hard to wield delicately as it was not intended for such tasks, but after a few moments, the surface of the rock was no longer bare.

It now read:

In Loving Memory of Gabriel & his wolf, Godric

Mated to Ava & her wolf, Isadora

Father to Freya

Once I had finished, I used a small branch to clear the ground at the base of one of the larger trees. Digging a small hole, I carefully placed the stone and packed a mixture of dirt and snow around it.

I wove a small crown from the vines pulled off of a nearby tree and placed it on top of the stone. It was not the grave marker he deserved, I had nothing grand enough for that.

But it was fitting, my humble testament to the leader and father that he was, my unseen sacrifice to the Goddess.

I hoped that she would understand, that she would place enough value in the act of his only daughter’s inability to take another step until there was something left behind where I could honor him.

Some mark left on the world that said he had been here, he had lived, and he was loved.

Kneeling before the makeshift altar, I asked the Moon Goddess to protect my father during his journey into the afterlife and shield the memories of him from being dulled with time.

My prayer ended abruptly at the sound of the alarm bells echoing from the mountain, alerting me that my escape had been discovered.

The sounds of the large wooden doors reopening followed closely behind and I knew my time in this area must end immediately. I had already lingered far too long.

Leaping to my feet, I grabbed my pack and took off running through the woods. The pace punished my body, the forest floor threatened to trip me with every step.

My breaths grew ragged with the exertion but I could not stop, could not slow down.

The alarm bells stopped.

The air was suddenly filled with the howls of wolves, announcing their hunt.

It was time.

They were coming for me.