FIVE

Eden pov

The day I have been waiting for ever since I had to move in with my step-mother turned out to be a nightmare, not a scenario of a fairytale I was hoping for. 

When the Alpha left, my step-mother came downstairs to berate me. She did her best to come up with every excuse under the sun to blame me for what happened. 

Before she left me, she made it a point that Kayla was the best option for the Alpha and I had to stay out of their lives so I don’t ruin the beautiful relationship those two had.  

According to her, the Moon Goddess had no idea what she was doing when she paired souls and I had to grow up and face reality as it was. 

I didn’t react to the insults, didn’t answer questions and didn’t acknowledge her words. All I did was stare in the distance and let her have it. 

There was no point in telling her anything about the Alpha’s words because I knew I was leaving before he returned and dragged me from one hell to another. Besides, she wouldn’t believe me even if I had a recording of the conversation. 

Now, I had to figure out how to slip out unnoticed.

“Pst,” someone hissed from afar. 

My head snapped in the direction of the sound. I squinted my eyes, trying to notice anything in the darkness. There was a slight movement at the end of the hall, but I knew whom they brought there, so I was too scared to walk towards the sound. 

“Who's there?” I called out. 

Nothing. No responses or more sounds. 

“Come closer,” a voice finally echoed against the walls. 

Against my better judgment, I tip-toed out of the cell and approached the end of the hall. I didn’t have to go through the door to the main cells as it turned out there was another cell just like mine, one I had never noticed, probably because it was empty. 

I couldn’t see the person behind the bars, so just in case, I kept my distance. 

“Who are you?” I whispered. 

“Lone wolf,” the person started coughing. “Pack wolves call me rogue, but just because I left an abusive situation doesn’t make me rogue. I am not a part of a pack, but I am not a criminal either. Just like you, we’re pretty similar. You live in a pack without being a part of it and they treat you like a rogue.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I admitted. 

“Heard everything that happened. Tough luck, kiddo.” I could tell that the owner of the voice was a man. Although I never knew whom to trust, this man didn’t make me feel unsafe like rogues that were brought to the cells. 

“Yeah, gotta love living life, right?” I let a bitter chuckle escape me as I sat on the ground in front of the cell. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be here, but it didn’t hold me back from stalling until I caught an opportunity to escape. 

“North,” the man choked out. 

“Huh?”

“North, that’s where you need to go. I have been a lone wolf for two decades. It’s dangerous to travel alone, but if you manage to survive, you learn how to navigate your way through the unclaimed lands. I’m not sending you there, Goddess forbid, unclaimed lands are dangerous as they are, but for a woman, it would be a sure death sentence to go there. Noth, however, is the safest direction I can think of. Go there.” 

While I had no idea if this man was speaking the truth, I did feel grateful for his attempt to help me. These days, I learned that strangers were kinder than those who surrounded me when I grew up. 

Maybe I had no reason to doubt this man? What would be in it for him to tell me lies? Besides, someone who was imprisoned and robbed of their freedom probably wanted to help someone, who was stuck in the same scenario. 

“Why are you trying to help me?” I blurted out the question before I could think about it. 

“Because you are too young to suffer like this. I saw the same treatment of women in the pack I left and I will be damned if I ever condone such behavior. I wouldn’t want my mate, daughter or granddaughter to go through such suffering, so why should I turn a blind eye to any woman experiencing the abuse?” 

He had a point. Although I didn’t know such kindness as I grew up, I still felt grateful for the little humanity some of the people around me were showing me. 

“If I figure out how to get you out of here, will you help me find a safe place?” Once again, I didn’t think as I spoke, but I couldn’t help it. If I had at least one person on my side, I wouldn’t feel so scared of the change that surely had to come. 

It was either running away or staying here, waiting for the downfall. I didn’t want to go anywhere with that Alpha, and even more, I didn’t want to stay here. 

“I’m an old man, dear. I would only slow you down,” the man muttered. 

“It doesn’t matter,” I argued. The sound of the door opening startled me. My heart started pounding against my ribcage as soon as I heard footsteps on the stairs. “Don’t move, stay in the darkness and we might get out of here,” I whispered to my new friend. 

In the meantime, I forced my back against the opposite wall, hiding in the shadow. I knew shifters had sharper senses and whoever came down here might see me, but I had to try. 

My eyes focused on the stairs and just as I noticed boots, the person froze. I held my breath as I listened in on commotion. I think it was my step-sister’s voice, so the one who decided to come down here had to be the awful Alpha. 

His growl was so loud that it kept ringing in my ears even when he turned around and left without coming down to the cells. 

“An awful man that young Alpha is. I have been in his pack, trust me, you don’t want to be anywhere near him. I hope they can distract him for long enough for you to escape this place,” the man muttered as soon as the door to the cells closed again. 

A flame of determination sparked within me as I focused my gaze on the person I couldn’t see and whispered, “stay in the shadows, we are leaving around midnight.”