The Pack Runaway

CHAPTER 1

LYRAEA

The wind in the little dark space I call my room was threatening to kill me half to death but it was a lot better than actually having to sleep outside.

I had received that punishment once before and with all the work I had to do on top of healing, I had almost lost my fingers in that season but somehow I survived.

It was the only time I ever managed to get rest, two weeks of not being called upon endlessly.

I even had time to go see my mother. The memory fills my heart with warmth as I remember her gentle smile and soft warm embraces.

The old alarm clock rang letting me know it was time to wake up, 4:00 am. I’d tinkered it back to life to save me from the consequences of tardiness. Its low dull bell could not ring any higher than a croak which also spared me any wrath that could be incurred for waking everyone up too early. Werewolf super hearing and all.

I’ve barely slept a wink since I went to bed for my daily 4 hour restitution. My eyes wide open as I had felt more restless than usual. Perhaps it was the fear of the impending birthday of mine that was in the coming month.

The first time I would ever transform into my wolf form and fully bond with my wolf spirit, Marla.

I’m both terrified and excited. But I am more excited than I am terrified!!

*I know, I’m feeling the same way but also something else, I don’t know*

You think maybe we’ll meet our mate?

*I’m only hoping he is not from this pack honestly, I can deal with preferences later*

Good point.

The walk from my little shack in the woods is brief and my thick hand me down coat from the one of the pack nurses does well to shield me from the coldness as I reach the main door.

I take a sharp breath as I squeeze my eyes shut and prick my thumb on the tiny needle on the protected box in the wall at the entrance.

I hated needles and getting pricked, this system was specifically designed for me on my 15th birthday after Hunter had learned of my hatred and fear of needles and pricking. A little gift to help get over my fears, he’d said. But the snickering b***h that was in his lap at the time had me thinking it was her idea most likely.

A drop of my blood is taken into the magical spell drawn onto the wall and then the soft sound of the lock clicking lets me know the door is open. I softly open the door opening it no wider than necessary for me to slip through and get inside the pack house.

I was responsible for having the entire mansion cleaned up by the time every body else woke up, all the halls, recreational rooms, kitchen, dining hall, the large terrace that went around the entire house and any windows I had access too.

I was only to clean someone’s room if they explicitly asked me to and personally handed me the key. No other circumstances counted.

I work mechanically and quickly, my body having long gotten used to the motion having done this routine after 6 years.

By 5:00 am I’m through with the inside of the house and I move out to the terrace, its large size the only thing that gives me backache for about an hour by the time I’m done. I can hear the morning patrol shift heading out of the house to take over as the night shift runs back in to rest for the morning.

I’m finishing up with the back terrace when the pack cooks and servants start to show up for the day, most of them simply walk by ignoring my existence as usual, Ben the head chef and his wife Carly the house manager are the only ones that are nice enough to me. They often sneak me meals on days when Hunter takes away my “feeding privileges”.

I’m cleaning up my supplies on the terrace when I hear his voice from the kitchen.

“Where’s Lyraea?”

A shiver runs up and down my spine as my hackles threaten to rise and I fight the urge to run, puke and scream simultaneously.

I take a deep breath to steady myself as one of the servants lets him know I am outside. His scent always hit me first. Spiced rum and blood orange. The scent got stronger and stronger the closer he got to me.

The door opens and I continue to busy myself with the clean up, my blood rushing in my ears as the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention.

It takes him three steps to get behind me, his scent engulfing me while his body towered over mine making me feel so small and defenseless, just the way he liked it.

“Are you going to keep ignoring me Ly?” the deep baritone of his voice brought down to something close to a whisper rumbled against the back of my neck.

My entire body is frozen, eyes tightly shut and without looking at him. I’m not allowed to make eye contact with the Alpha, it was considered a challenge in the Werewolf world.

“Good morning Alpha,” I squeeze through my teeth.

“You dare give me your back as you greet me?” He asks, his fingertips resting on my shoulder before he trails them slowly down my arm and hooks his fingers with mine before gently forcing me to twirl and face him.

The mockery of gentility, the sweetness before the sting, the serpents calm before it strikes. He pinches my chin between his fingers and raises my face to meet his but still I keep my eyes down. I’ve fallen for that trick a couple of times, he’s always hopeful for a third.

“Good morning Alpha,” I try again.

“Look at me, Ly” his voice is barely a whisper but I can hear the hidden threat.

My light brown eyes meet blue as I finally work up the courage to look at him, praying for some type of intervention.

“That’s a good girl,” he says sweetly letting his hand trail down my chin to my throat.

There’s a violent jerk starting from my neck where he’s grabbed me as he throws me on the ground with a lot of force. My skull bounces off the ground a little and stars dance in my vision for a second. Hunter’s pacing above me mumbling to himself before he crouches down to my level.

“Stop making me repeat s**t I already told you Ly,” he shouts in my face but it sounds muffled for a bit, as the ringing in my head subsides.

“Come bring me my breakfast,” he barks as he marches back inside the house.

Being a werewolf definitely has its perks, a human being would have died from the strength of the blow but I simply had a swelling that was going to be gone in a couple of hours. Its probably one of the things that made it easy for him to feel comfortable beating me up. There’s never really any proof left.

I don't care if it’s treason, the second we are merged I am going to rip him into tiny little pieces and throw him into Lake Berga for the fishes to feast on.

I hold in a chuckle due to the headache.

*That’s if we can even touch him*

Marla grunts something about my lack of confidence and huffs back into her silence. She had gotten tired of trying to show me why I had every right to be angry but I had a principal, if it doesn’t make sense to me, I won’t bother trying to understand it, simply get done with it.

Life cannot remain the same forever anyway.

In the kitchen, Carly hands me the cart filled to the brim with the Alpha’s breakfast; pancakes, boiled and fried eggs, some home fries, maple syrup, coffee, some juice and some sausages.

I shake my head to clear up the little left over wooziness before setting out to go through another day of my life as it was.