Chapter 7: Caught

RIO

I had been running since with no definite destination on my mind. All through, the path had been lonely and as I moved further away, I could sense from within that I was wandering farther away from home.

This was scary because I had never had any reason to leave my packland: it was where I had been born and where I had grown up, but I guess things were changing now.

I was embarking on a journey of the unknown, a journey in which I did not know what to expect: if I would survive or not.

It was a known fact that an alpha should not be out alone, wandering about in the woods with no company but I did not think I had the right to be accompanied by warriors anymore.

For all I knew, I had lost that right. I had flouted all the rules my father had taught me:

An alpha's duty was to protect his pack. An alpha was never one to run in the face of danger. An alpha was not one to be left vulnerable in the hands of others. But I was not that alpha anymore.

Currently thinking about my father's teaching, I felt I had wasted all the man's labour. My father had had such big plans for me.

He had wanted me to be strong and powerful; to be an alpha who was not dependent on others, an alpha who would be greater than him and this made him do a lot of things just to make sure I became that kind of alpha.

It was one of the reasons he fought so many wars. He wanted to keep the Greystone pack strong for my reign.

But I had not fulfilled my father's wish. I had failed the old man. I was sure he was disappointed in me wherever he was.

In the past, he had always told me how much he had been proud of me and how he wanted me to succeed him as alpha because he was convinced I was best for the position.

According to him, I was not a coward like my elder brother: he had said I had his blood flowing in my veins, that I had his genes.

But as I ran away like a loser, I wondered if my father was still proud of me: if he was looking down at me with admiration or with disgust — just as he did to my brother.

Thinking of this now, I felt a lump form in my throat. Definitely, my father would not be proud. I mean, I was not even proud of myself.

At that moment, I wondered if I should still refer to the Greystone pack as my pack even after putting the pack in danger and causing people to become childless, fatherless, and widows.

I had taken their men from them because of my selfishness. I was not sure I could ever stop blaming myself and it was this guilt that was sending me far away from the pack. For the time being, it was best everyone thought I was dead.

However, the thought of what would happen to my pack in my absence kept plaguing me as I ran. Without an alpha, they would be vulnerable. Anyone could attack and subjugate them.

Was this really the best option? Would I meet my pack in one piece when I finally returned?

My grey wolf was now getting weak, seeing how it had been running for three days without any good food or water.

I wondered if it was angry at me, judging from how quiet and edgy it was. Perhaps, it was mourning its mate just as I was grieving Adelia.

I urged my wolf to keep running though, pushing my many thoughts behind me. It was not as if worrying about them would bring a solution. So there was no point.

I tried also not to worry about the present or the future. I was diving into a world of uncertainty, I was passing through an unknown path with no plan whatsoever on how to survive — the most silly thing anyone would do.

But I would not be bothered by that nor would I allow myself to be discouraged before I even got started. I was Rio after all, and I always found a way.

Besides, there was no better way to understand my next step. I needed some time to think about my life and what I wanted to do and to be able to properly think, I needed to be far away from home as possible.

Leaving would give me enough time to draft out plans on how to face my people. It would give me enough time to fix myself.

So yeah, I was not running away like a coward but I was embarking on a journey of finding myself.

My pack had suffered enough so the least I could do for them if at all I wanted to remain their alpha was to fix myself and my broken heart.

I would surely return to the Greystone pack. I was not abandoning my people.

Now, my wolf was already tired, I could feel it. Its speed was slacking too so I decided to morph back into my human form, settling for walking rather than running.

I was now in a large clearing — the first I had seen since I woke up. All through the three days I had been running, trees and thick bushes had been all that had surrounded me.

But now, I was in a large clearing and just ahead was a river. My heart leapt for happiness the moment I sighted the river and I walked right to it, limping a bit.

My knees were still cramped so it was difficult to walk well, but I knew I would be fine in no time. I healed very fast.

Now beside the river, I knelt and took a big drink from the water. As much as I thought drinking from a public river was unhealthy, I was in no position to be picky.

So with my palms, I brought a good amount of water to my lips and I drank from it, satisfying my thirst. My throat felt parched so I drank as much as I could.

After I had drunk to my fill, I knelt by the water, staring at my reflection on the water. Though blurry, I could see how bad I looked.

I looked like a fugitive with my torn clothes and dirty hair. I was sure I smelt too, seeing how I had not had my bath in days.

Throwing caution in the wind, I decided to take a bath but before I could do that, I heard footsteps of someone approaching.

Alarmed, I dashed behind the only available tree in the clearing and hid behind it.

I had no idea where I was so it was best to be cautious. Seeing how exhausted I was, I was not sure I could defend myself if anyone tried to attack me. So I had to be wise.

However, when I discovered that it was only a lady, I frowned, watching her as she walked straight to the river like one who was hypnotized. She was dressed in a tunic and trousers made of durable, earth-toned fabrics like wool. 

Her white hair was left to fall on her shoulder. She was very pretty and would pass for a noble if not for her rough dressing. Judging from how smooth and soft her skin looked, I could tell that she had never had to spend so much time under the heat of the sun. So why was she here? What she was doing all alone in a deserted place?

From where I was hiding, I could see her pretty face which was smeared with tears. Her hazel eyes were red and swollen and she kept sniffing as she walked robotically to the river. I watched her, wondering what was wrong with her.

She stood by the river, now sobbing heavily, her body shaking with the intensity of her sob. It was obvious that she was deeply hurt by something and I watched her, not knowing what to do. I was not one to care for strangers and I stayed out of people's business too. 

So I remained behind the tree, watching her. 

I watched as she wiped her eyes furiously, cleaning and scrubbing her face roughly as though she wanted to hurt herself. Her eyes were fixed on the water and she stood there for a moment, just sniffing and whispering words to herself.

Then she turned around suddenly, fixing a hard gaze on the tree I was hiding behind. With the way she was staring at it intently, one would think she could see right through the tree. I wondered if she knew I was behind — which was quite impossible because I was hiding quite well.

However, when she pointed, I knew I had been caught.

"I know you're there." She said. "I've seen you already. Quit hiding."