2- A lover's escape
1091 Words
My breath came in short, shallow gasps. My father had done this. He had sent them, knowing I would run to Ciaran.
Knowing I would try to escape.
Ciaran shifted slightly, muscles tensing like a coiled spring. “We’re leaving,” he said, his voice like steel. “Try and stop us.”
The guards didn’t hesitate.
The first one lunged.
Ciaran shoved me back and met him halfway, moving like a storm. He ducked, fist slamming into the warrior’s stomach before twisting and kicking him hard enough to send him falling.
Another rushed him.
I barely had time to scream before Ciaran grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted until bone snapped, and drove his knee into his ribs.
Two down.
But there were more.
Too many.
Boots pounded against the ground, closing in. A blade flashed under the moonlight.
Ciaran didn’t hesitate. He sidestepped the first swing, caught the attacker’s arm, and yanked him forward. The guard crashed into him, and in one sharp movement, Ciaran wrenched the sword from his grasp and drove the hilt into his face. Blood sprayed. The man crumpled.
I stumbled back, my breath coming too fast, hands shaking. My father’s men kept coming, undeterred by the bodies falling at Ciaran’s feet.
Then, the air shifted.
The sharp crack of bones breaking filled the space around us.
A deep, angry growl sent ice through my veins.
They were shifting.
One by one, my father’s guards fell to all fours, bodies expanding, fur tearing through skin. Massive wolves with glowing red eyes stood where men once had. Their snarls curled through the night.
Ciaran didn’t move.
He let go of the sword, his fingers twitching. His breathing slowed. And then—
A low, rumbling sound escaped his chest.
His head tilted forward, golden eyes flashing.
Another crack.
Then another.
His back arched as his body contorted. His bones snapped, rearranging themselves beneath his skin. Dark fur erupted along his arms, his shoulders broadening, his fingers curling into claws.
And then he was gone.
Where Ciaran had stood, a massive wolf remained.
He was sleek, powerful, his coat a deep shade of brown that shimmered under the moonlight. His golden eyes, still his, locked onto mine for the briefest second.
Then he lowered his stance, a growl vibrating through his frame.
A heartbeat later, they attacked.
Ciaran lunged first.
Teeth clashed, claws raked against fur. He moved like he had been born for this, calculated, brutal, fast. He ducked under a leaping wolf, twisted, and sank his teeth into its exposed flank. The creature howled, staggering, but before it could recover, Ciaran threw it aside and met the next attacker head-on.
The others hesitated.
He was outnumbered, but they had seen what he could do.
Ciaran snarled, snapping his jaws, daring them.
And then he turned to me.
His wolf form towered over me, but he didn’t look dangerous. Not to me.
He stepped closer, nudging his head against my arm.
I swallowed hard. My father’s wolves wouldn’t wait forever.
Ciaran growled low, nudging me again, this time more urgent.I understood.
I gripped his fur and swung myself onto his back, barely steadying myself before he took off.
The world blurred.
Trees rushed past us, the wind biting at my skin. My hands tightened in his fur, my chest heaving, my heart racing so fast it hurt.
I turned my head, flashes of silver and black moved in the distance. They were chasing us.
I bit back a sob, pressing my forehead against Ciaran’s back. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry I had to make you do this. I am sorry for putting your life in danger.”
His ears twitched. He didn’t slow.
Branches whipped at my face, my legs barely managing to stay locked around him as he moved faster, faster, cutting through the forest like a shadow.
Somewhere behind us, a wolf howled.
Ciaran didn’t stop.
Not until we found cover.
A boulder stood ahead, half-buried in the dirt, surrounded by thick underbrush. Ciaran skidded to a stop behind it, his chest heaving beneath me.
I slid off his back, my knees hitting the cold ground. I pressed a hand over my mouth, choking on the sobs trying to escape.
He shifted back.
Ciaran knelt beside me, his breathing uneven, his hands still shaking from the change.
He grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him.
“We’re okay,” he rasped.
But we weren’t.
We were running for our lives.
And if they found us…
We were dead.
Ciaran’s fingers locked around my wrist as he pulled me up. “We can’t stop, we need to go deeper so they won't be able to find us easily,” he whispered, his breath ragged.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, nodding. My legs burned, my heart slammed against my ribs, but we had no choice.
Ciaran took off again, and I followed, his hands never leaving mine as we ran, thdodging low branches, pushing through thick undergrowth, tree edges cut through my dress, my skin, but I didn't mind.
The sounds of the forest wrapped around us, crickets chirping, the distant rush of a river, the wind rustling the leaves above.
For a moment, just a moment, it felt like we were alone in the world.
I glanced at him, his face tense, his jaw clenched. “Where are we going?”
“Away.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Brilliant plan, we are going to away.”
He smirked. “I swear Lena, I don't know. But I promise you that we would find somewhere to settle.”
My fingers tightened around his as we kept moving. His skin was warm, grounding. Despite the danger, despite everything, I let myself believe.
Believe that we could make it.
Believe that we could have a life somewhere else, far away from my father, from Roman Draven, from the fate that had been forced onto me.
I don't know how my life had changed within a blink of an eye. It still feels like a distant dream. As if, it didn't happen.
As if I was still the beloved daughter of my father, he would pamper me, make me feel special.
But now, that man seemedike a stranger replaced by the one who sees it best to sell me off.
I didn't want to reason it, as we slow down, I decided to fill my thoughts with something else.
“Tell me what it looks like,” I whispered.
- Writer
