Chapter Three

ARIEZEL

The walk through the forest seemed endless, but after what seemed like an eternity, I finally stopped and turned back. There were only rounds and rounds of trees filled with darkness, even from above, I couldn’t see a hint of any of the pack buildings.

This was it.

Turning around, I ran as fast as I could, the adrenaline taking over me as I let the trees blur with the speed I ran. As I let my body lead me farther off, only one thought echoed in my mind.

I was free.

I was finally free from the months of abuse. I was free from the pain and aches and pretending. I was free from the indifferent yet pitying stares the Pack Doctor gave every single time he saw me. I was free from watching the man who used every chance to break me in both body and mind be so adored by the rest of the pack, ignorant of his actions. I was free from the insults, the curses which he ingrained into my mind.

Finally, finally, I was free.

Hours later after I exhausted myself from running, I rested on the bare grass of the forest looking up at the starless sky and all I felt was the unending relief  from freedom and promise of a better life.

I put my hand on my belly, rubbing it with a smile. This was a new beginning for the both of us.

….

The feeling hit me the next morning.

While I was resolute to running away before anything could harm me or my child again, I had glossed through everything else. I knew nowhere past the borders of my pack, which I was sure I had long since passed. I was practically lost in the middle of nowhere, with only my belongings and a small amount of food to keep me.

What I believed was the end of the story came with its own hardships.

I hadn’t eaten last night. The little food I had taken in a hurry was only enough to sustain me for a day or a day and a half. Adding the fact that I was pregnant and even more problems arose.

I hadn’t ever been allowed to hunt within my pack, but whether I Could or couldn’t made no difference because, everywhere I went, there was no hint of any living thing there. Aside from the birds that flew up high, I couldn’t sense any living thing from miles away. It was, in all senses,, a dead forest.

Still I kept on moving, and the first day passed.

On the second day, I ate whatever food was left that morning. what I thought would sustain me through half the day proved to be miscalculated, as I felt my belly churn only hours later. Whether it was the pressure of the pregnancy, what mattered was that I  was hungry, and there was nothing I could do about it.

The dizziness and nausea became worse throughout the rest of the day, and by the time the sky bled orange, I was near collapsing with every step I took.

It was minutes I found my savior in the form of a small creek. There were no fishes, but the water was well enough to drink. I took some of it to fill up my empty stomach, taking time after to wash myself lightly before changing into another set of clothes and continuing my journey. It was when the moon was high into the sky that I finally rested, exhausting all my reserves.

The third  day was hell. After a few hours of walking I was dehydrated and hungry, yet there was no water in sight and the forest still remained silent. Giving up, I focused on walking , hoping that somewhere something would show.

Nothing did, and over the next few hours, I grew weaker and weaker. The baggage I held felt more like a burden weighing me down and the dizziness and nausea was overwhelming, churning my empty stomach. Each step was difficult to bear, always harder than the last. For the first time, I wondered if I was going to survive the journey.

Yet I persisted. because there was going to be something.

There had to.

I hadn’t realized when my feet gave out until I found myself on the ground. My body ached, not only with bruises but the pain from moving for so long.

Looking up, it was sundown as the orange hues filled the sky.

I couldn't move anymore. I was far too tired, too drained to do so. With the way I was going, was I even going to wake up?

Was this how it was going to end? After surviving abuse and finally escaping from my hell, was I going to die in the middle of nowhere?

My hand reached down to touch my belly again as I did the first night of my escape. Three days had already passed, and I hadn't been able to survive. How anticlimactic.

I didn't realize when a tear slipped from the corner of my eye until it was too late.

If this was how it ended, then it wasn't so bad. I had lived a life of fear and bearing the brunt of others all the time. Tasting that freedom and peace even for a short while was better than living in fear and pain.

All I was truly sorry for, I thought as I squeezed my belly, was that I wasn't able to give my baby the life they deserved.

Slight noises and rustles emerged, but I couldn’t tell if they were real or not, nor could I muster up a single feeling of alertness. All I could do was stare at the ground, whose edges became more and more blurry.

It must have also been my imagination,  but a scent, one which came unnoticed at first, filled me the closer and closer it came. It drew at me, pulling at my strings despite my tired state.

Despite my weakness something called within me. My wolf, equally as weak, said it instinctively.

Mate

I could barely process the word, unable to think anymore. All I knew was that it struck a nerve that I couldn't comprehend.

“Mate” I murmured, letting myself slip under.

‘If this was the end, at least it was beautiful ’ was my final thought before the darkness fully overtook me.