ESCAPE

RIONA'S POV 

A small groan erupted from the corner of my lips. My head was hazy with a terrible headache that banged at the base of my skull. Another groan erupted from my lips, when I made to crack my eyes open.

Ouch! That hurts. Slowly, I clutched my fist around the edge of the soft bed I was laid on and pried my eyes open. For Pete's sake! The room was just about the size of my room in the attic, except for the smell of eucalyptus that serenaded the entire room.

I managed to sit up on the bed, as I took in the entire features of the room. The walls were painted white, but the strain of aging had faded the painting, to a dull white.

Brown tiles spread across the length of the room, chipped at the corners. This wasn't my attic, matter of fact, this place felt strange. I looked around, my head spinning with a thousand thoughts.

The headache blossomed into a full-blown migraine, as the pieces of the puzzle struggled to come together in my head.

Just then, I zoned out, to mindlink with my wolf, ‘Elara. Elara, are you there? Can you hear me?’

A jolt of electricity snapped through my spine. She snapped her head up, not in the least way weak. ‘Don’t worry about me. I'm fine. We have to think of a way to get the hell out of here, before we're noticed.’ She bellowed.

“Where are we?” I looked around, mumbling under my breath.

Elara let out a whine. ‘Oh Ri. Don't you remember?…’

“Yes!” When I spoke again, my voice was slightly higher than the first time. Suddenly, the memories came flooding in my mind, and a cold feeling trickled through my veins.

My father had sold me off to the man whose eyes didn't show the slightest sign of emotions. I must find my escape route out of here. I couldn't risk lingering around the Silverfang pack for too long.

From the tales I'd heard about Theron, he didn't spare any of his captives who tried to escape. I let out a litany of cuss words, as I struggled out of the bed, and stumbled towards the door in ungraceful steps.

My entire body is still wracked with the pains inflicted on me, by those men. I fumbled with the doorknob of the metallic door, much to my chagrin. It was tightly shut off, and the key was probably thrown in the abyss.

I grunted. ‘How do we get out of here, if we can't find an escape route?’ I mumbled in a mindlink to Elara. My eyes hovered around the room. Then, my eyes lit up when I caught sight of a small window in the left corner.

My wolf leaped for joy. That was it. I rushed towards the window, clicked the handles off, and it creaked open. I let out the urge to yelp for joy. Alerting anyone stalking around, was a death sentence.

I was going to plan this and carry out my plans strategically. There goes Elara again, baring her fangs in a low growl. The golden sun flanked by orange and blue skies indicated sunset. If my plan fell through, it would be easy for Theron's men to pick me out.

Gently, I closed the window and stumbled back to bed. This time, it felt like the pangs of pain from my injuries had fizzled out. I laid back on the bed, staring into space, till the sound of approaching footsteps forced me to clamp my eyes shut.

My eyelid fluttered open, and gosh! It took me five minutes for my heightened sense of sight to set in. The minute it did, I got out of bed, and headed straight for the window, my eyes pressed against the tinted glass window, listening for the faintest sound.

‘Are you ready?’ Elara quipped, her tone dripped with determination.

I nodded but didn't say a single word. Ever so gently, I reached for the lock, clicked it open, and pushed the window wide enough to fit me in. So, I wouldn't cause a scene.

First, I perked my head out, and scanned the environment. It wasn't much of a hassle since my special abilities were heightened. When I was satisfied, I slowly tipped my leg over and jumped out of the window.

I groaned as I landed with a thud against the earthy ground. I pushed myself up, and dusted the dirt off my dress. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation around me. The atmosphere around me crackled with an energy that left a wave of goosebumps in its wake.

A strong hand shot out above my head and pulled the window shut. “Going somewhere?” He drawled.

I froze to my core. I recognized that voice from the first second I heard it. Beads of sweat glistened the lines of my forehead. The temperature suddenly dropped, and my body trembled with a cold.

I was already caught. My mind raced with a thousand and one impressions of the punishment he would mete out to me.

Another growl rattled his chest, snapping me out of his reverie. “I demand an answer.”

Albeit, my survival instincts kicked in. I started coughing, and gasping for air, just then, I collapsed at his feet, and held my breath hoping that would disgust him even more and let me be.

Instead, I felt strong arms lift me up, and carried to another place I perceived was the hospital room.

******

For the next three days, I was kept under strict surveillance by a handful of creepy-looking men who took turns watching me. My entire body was weak from being subjected to days of torture.

Finally, my eyes pried open to an empty room. My heart fluttered in my chest. I made to get out of bed when I fell right back in shock.

My clothes were stripped off, and my entire body was covered in bandages. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. How’d this happen? Had any of the guards done this?

The door cracked open, and a familiar figure strides in, walking with an air of charisma to my bedside. Theron must've sensed my confusion because he said. “I did it, to take care of the wounds,” he paused, “I had to do it personally.”

My heart thumped against my ribcage. I stared at him, not uttering a word. Then, I shrugged and ran a loose finger over the nape of my neck.

Hell No! I didn't just do that.