LYCAN DAUNTE'S BRIDE

Chapter 2

Nadia's pov

I stared at my reflection through the floor-to-ceiling mirror and felt the urge to cry. I couldn't believe this was actually happening to me.

I didn't want to get married to a monster but I didn't have a choice. I was the scapegoat. The sacrifice.

How could he do this to me?"

"Why did I have to be the scapegoat? Why me?" I said, feeling utterly dejected.

I didn't want to do this… how had father not been able to pay his debt still? The pack had been incredibly successful this year. He shouldn't have a problem with paying.

I didn't have to think fat to know what really happened to all of the money. Gambling and women.

The door to my bedroom opened just then my stepfather walked in.

"What's taking you so long girl!" He barked, his eyes glaring daggers at me.

I picked up my gown and ran over to him.

"Dad, please. Don't make me marry him. I don't want to." I pleaded

"You don't have a choice. If you don't marry him, we are all doomed. We owe him everything." He said.

What he meant to say was that the King was a ruthless devil who thought the pack should pay him homage forever all because he'd saved us from invasion.

He'd saved us from invasion but had been the one to do the invading.

I shook my head in protest, the tears I had been holding back deciding to fall without warning.

"Please."

"Shut up with all of this begging, child, and go get ready. You have less than an hour till they arrive. I hope your bags are packed?" He spat, his face hard as he scrutinized my boxes that were in the corner of the room.

"Good, seems you are ready then. I'll leave you to it."

He said and turned around. He was at the door when he glanced back at me.

"Good luck child, you are going to need it."

He said before leaving the room.

I fell to the ground as soon as he left, letting the tears flow, not caring if my makeup was ruined. This wasn't supposed to be!

I was supposed to be with Sebastian.

I just knew he would hate me once he came back from training and found out I had married another man, a man I didn't know, a man who I had never seen his face.

"Please, moon goddess. Help me."

I begged, my heart ache like I had been daggered as I raised my head to the ceiling.

If only I wasn't there the day he'd come to collect his debts. If only… wait that was it!

My eyes widened as an idea popped into my head.

There wouldn't be a wedding if I wasn't there. I wouldn't have to be one of his victims if I didn't show up.

Without bothering to think it through, I stood up and bolted the door, so that nobody could come in and began to peel off my wedding gown from my body.

I started with the veil, then moved on to the corset. I tried to take off my clothes but it seemed impossible. Frustrated.

I searched for a pair of scissors in the drawer and began to cut through the corset

I let out a relieved breath when the monstrosity that had been cutting off blood flow and breathing fell to the ground.

Quickly, I put on a long skirt and a big T-shirt that made me look mad.

I took my hoodie from the drawer and put it on.

As soon as I was done, I took out my curtains and bedsheets and began to tie the ends together.

I planned on escaping the pack house through the window.

The chances of this working out was incredibly low but I didn't care. I wasn't going to marry a man who was going to kill me after two or three years.

I wasn't going to die and I definitely wasn't going to marry a man I didn't love. Sebastian was the man I wanted and I'd do everything to be with him.

As soon as I finished tying each end of the sheets and curtains.

I tied one end to the pole of my bed and threw the other end through the window.

I was about to leave when I realized something. I needed a pen and pieces of paper.

Quickly, I went to my drawer and rummaged through it. I found a jotter and a pen.

Just then, a knock came at the door, startling me.

"Nadia," a maid's voice came.

No, no, no

"Yes, I'm in the bathroom. I'll be out soon."

"Alright miss, your father wanted me to tell you to start taking out your luggage.

"Thank you!" I yelled back at her.

Oh, my goddess, that was close.

I breathed out.

Without wasting even a second more, I came out the window and climbed down the Maje shift rope.

My heart was beating erratically in my chest but I didn't let it deter me from my plans.

I got to the third floor of the pack house and stopped climbing down when I heard voices from the room down below.

My father's voice was one of the voices I heard. He'd definitely see me if I tried jumping down.

"He's definitely going to kill her," I heard my step-sister's voice say and I froze.

"Good. We'll finally be rid of her and I can finally be Luna, and Sebastian will finally be mine,"

I gasped at her words. What did she mean by Sebastian would be hers?

Was this their plan all along?

No, it couldn't be.

But the more I listened to their conversation, the more, I realized that they had probably set the whole thing up.

I exhaled out and waited for them to leave their room. As soon as they did, I climbed down and ran past the back gate of the pack house through the garden.

My legs carried me as fast as they could

I needed to get to the secret hideout Sebastian and I shared. I needed him to know that I didn't run away or leave him behind.

I got to the stream close to the border and, went to the little tree house and began to pour out my feelings in the paper.

I told him that I was running away and that when he finally came back from overseas, he should come to find me.

When I was done, I folded the piece of paper placed it under the treasure chest, climbed down the tree house, and began to run.

I had less than twenty minutes to find a way to escape the pack.

I was going to go through the north border, which was the least secured out of all the borders because it was crawling with rogues and more importantly it was mountainous.

I knew a secret passage way to escape and I had a gun with me filled with wolfbane. I was not strong by any means of the word neither was my wolf but I had skill.

I got to the north border without being caught. Thank the goddess, I checked my time and found out I had ten minutes before they discovered I was gone.

As I neared the northern border, I spotted two guards keeping guard of the huge black gate. It was opened and they had their guns and weapons with them

Good, I wasn't taking the gate anyway. I was going to take the tunnel beside the gate. It was tiny but it was doable. I had done it several times growing up.

I sneaked past the guards whose entire concentration was fixed outside the border and entered into tiny space.

It barely fit me but I was determined to leave.

I let out the breath I had been holding as soon as I was out. I began to run. My ten minutes were up and I wasn't about to water any more time.

I began to run, not bothering to look back.

After running for hours, I was finally far enough from the pack that it would take days to even figure out where I had gone.

I fell to the ground and sighed in relief.

I was safe, well not safe but I could fend for myself.

I began to walk through the wet, slippery woods, trying to find myself a good spot to spend the night before I continued to move the next day.

I planned on going over to my mother's old pack. She'd been banished from there when I was a child because of a horrible rumor spread about her but I didn't care. I planned on groveling if I had to.

The night was eerily quiet as I tried to find shelter for myself. I had on wolf kale, a potion that masked my scent from rogues so I wasn't afraid of being found by them, that was until I heard a growl behind me.

I turned around, my heart jumping to my throat but couldn't find anyone but I could definitely sense a presence.

I didn't waste a single time, I ran and found a tree and began to climb but before I could get to a considerable distance, something pulled me from behind and I screamed in horror.