Chapter 4

Amelia decided to escape.

Though she hadn't figured out what was happening to her or was this a dream or not, she wasn't going to marry Ian and let him manipulate her again.

To tell on him to her parents was impossible, as Ian had always been the perfect guy in her parents' eyes. Compared with wolfless Amelia, it was Ian who got more trust from her parents and her whole pack.

To accuse him of drugging her without evidence would be like setting herself on fire. Amelia was a timid girl, but she wasn't a stupid one.

She remembered the rogues would attack the pack tomorrow night. Amelia left a note to her parents to explain her disappearance and warned them about the attack. And then she packed herself a packsack for escape.

She was a wolfless wolf, except for school, her parents rarely allowed her to go too far from the packhouse. She had never worked before and only got some pocket money saved. Which could only support her for about a week.

But she had learned enough about humans from her pathetic marriage. She was sure that she could find a job in a human city and feed herself. Even if she couldn't. Dying of starvation was still much better than being placed in a wheelchair and played by Ian like a toy.

After all the preparations were done, Amelia took a look at herself in the full-length mirror. The person reflected in it was indeed a 19-year-old girl, not a soulless married woman. Though she was slender, pale, weak, and timid, she was able to move, to speak, to talk, to run, to make a life by herself…though just probably.

No matter what, she wasn't going to live that hell-like life with Ian ever again.

Run.

Just run far away from here.

After making up her mind, Amelia took a deep breath and then opened the window.

She had made a rope out of her sheets and clothes. After putting it down from the window, she slowly climbed down along it.

Her bedroom was on the fourth floor. Her escape was dangerous and fearsome and seemed to be impossible, but Amelia successfully did it as the fear she had for Ian was too huge for her to back off.

She must run.

To survive, to live, she must run far away from him.

The dirt ground was cold and solid. She slipped when she landed on it and fell. But she bit her teeth to keep herself from making any sounds, then quickly crawled up and then ran towards the woods.

It was a dangerous and strange place for her. Her parents had never allowed her to get into the woods because she couldn’t shift. But to head to the nearest human town, it was unavoidable for her to walk past a huge territory that was inhabited by rogues, rogues who not only attacked wolves but also ate them.

When she walked through the woods, Amelia could smell her own fear from each breath she took. The whole place was as silent as death and the air was cold. Sweat seeped out from her palms that were clutching the straps of her backpack tight. And she was shaking, teeth chattering. But she never allowed herself to stop even one second.

To be eaten by rogues was still much better than being drugged to be a motionless stone in a wheelchair. And somehow, Amelia felt that she was weirdly expecting, expecting to meet him, the notorious rogue Alpha, her true mate, Darren.

Except during her tragic life in the cold wheelchair, Amelia had never seen Darren closely before. She only had a glance at him once at that horrible attack before her wedding, remembering him as a ferocious animal with only one eye. One lonely green eye.

Since Amelia was 14, she had been told what a ruthless monster Darren was. He and his rogue gangsters had attacked every pack in this area multiple times. And each time they won and got what they wanted. Countless wolves were killed and eaten by him and his gangsters. The rumor said he was trying to form his own pack but was never allowed. That's why he held a grudge against all the wolf packs.

“Just a shameless bastard. A stinky rat!” Her father always got furious when Darren was mentioned.

Amelia had never expected Darren to be her true mate. And she never expected that it was him who came to her side at the most desperate moment of her life. Though she still wasn't sure what was happening to her right now. Deep in her heart, she was craving his presence.

It's ridiculous. After experiencing such a horrible deception from the man she once trusted so much, she was still longing for the company of another man.

Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. Amelia raised her hand to wipe them off. Right at that moment, she heard something moving in the darkness around her.

The sounds of twigs and dry leaves being crushed appeared first and then emerged heavy breaths of hungry large animals.

Amelia stopped her steps and froze. She held her breath and quickly dried the rest of the tears on her face. She knew it was rogues who were surrounding her, but she weirdly didn't feel that much fear. Maybe because they were not as frightful as Ian.

"Hello?" She sniffed her nose, mustering her courage to speak to those dangerous shadows hiding behind the trees and bushes. "I am the Alpha's daughter of the Blue Forest Pack, Amelia. But right now, I am running away from my pack. I want to go to the human town and live there. Could you please let me pass through?"

Her trembling voice dispersed into the thick darkness under those motionless trees and then responded with an amused, strange, raucous male voice. "Your pack is our biggest target and your father is our biggest enemy. Give me a reason why we shouldn't bite off your head right here, right now, but kindly let you pass through."

"Because I am Darren's mate."

The words just slipped out her mouth before she could stop them. Amelia felt overwhelmed by shame instantly. Right now she wasn't sure if Darren was her mate at all. And even if he was, there was a chance for him to just reject her on the spot.

She had heard numerous stories of how those powerful wolves rejected their pathetic weak mates. She was a wolf who couldn't even shift. And he was this powerful Alpha. Which made her the perfect target to be rejected.

But claiming to be Darren's mate could be her only chance to survive those ferocious rogues. And that short time with him in her wheelchair just aroused some fake hopes in Amelia's heart. He, her true mate, might be as gentle as beside her wheelchair.

She held her breath and waited for responses nervously. But there was none except minutes of dead silence. After an extremely long torturous waiting, those shadows in front of her finally moved. They moved to the sides silently to make way for a much bigger shadow that was walking towards her.

Amelia kept still and waited for him to come to the small clearing she was currently in. There was dim moonlight tonight, which allowed her to see his figure.

The wolf that stepped out of the darkness was indeed him. The big scary grey wolf she once met in her living room. He looked much stronger and bigger than back then. His left eye was still blind, but his fur was glowing under the cold silver moonlight.

Amelia knelt in the middle of the clearing to have eye contact with him. She still couldn't smell any scents like they said. But when she looked into his lonely green eye, she felt no fear. Maybe a bit nervous, but never fear.

The wolf stopped right in front of her. He looked into her eyes for a second and then lowered his head to sniff at her neck. The tip of his cold nose caressed her delicate skin which triggered the same sparkles she once felt in her wheelchair. Amelia smiled. She couldn't help but put her hand on the top of his head.

Angry groans came from the depths of the forest because of her disrespectful behavior, but the wolf himself said nothing. He raised his head a little to caress her beautiful cheeks with his soft fur. It was as warm and gentle as she remembered. Amelia felt like crying.

"Mate," she whispered, reaching out her arms to hug him.

The wolf groaned with joy. He cuddled with her for a while and then spoke with his head rubbing her cheek, "Let's get you out of here, mate. The forest is not safe for you to stay in." His voice was the same as what she heard in that wheelchair too.

Amelia nodded her head and then stood up from the ground. She had made up her mind to escape from the wolf world. Though she had found her mate now, she just didn't feel safe around here.

Luckily, Darren had the same opinion as her. He told her, "I will escort you to the human town by myself," and then ordered the other rogues to back off. Amelia followed him in the direction of the nearest human town.

When they walked in the woods alone. No one spoke for a long time. Amelia didn't feel awkward but couldn't help wondering. She wondered if Darren remembered anything about her wheelchair. And she was curious how he found out they were mates.

"Get on, mate."

After walking out of the woods, Amelia saw a vast wild field covered with overgrown, thick weeds. It would be a difficult trudge to walk through with human legs. Darren lowered his body beside Amelia, suggesting she climb up to his back.

Amelia felt shy at the moment. She had never had such an experience. During her whole life, her parents and her boyfriend had been warning her to stay away from the woods. She never got to know what it felt like to run and to fight like a real wolf.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, kneeling beside him with her head lowered. "I can't shift."

Darren had already known that. Amelia was the daughter of his biggest enemy. He had heard of her before. Though he didn’t realize she was his mate until now. It wouldn't be a problem for him to accept her, as long as she was kind and was willing to accept him, a homeless ugly rogue, to be her mate.

"It's alright," he replied, still thrilled about finding out his mate was such a beautiful girl. She looked timid and fragile like a ceramic doll that could be easily broken, not like a wolf at all. But Darren knew that was because she had never been treated fairly as one. He knew what wolves would do to their wolfless peers, not to mention that she was the Alpha's daughter.

"You are a great girl, Amelia," he whispered in his husky voice, feeling a little bit shy about what he was going to say, as he had never dated any girls before, "I like you … a lot."

Amelia blushed at his frankness. She knew it was stupid to trust a man like this after what she had just been through. But the warmth he offered her while she was motionless in that wheelchair, made her feel difficult to push him away.

Without him, she might still have been in that hell.

"Thank you, Darren. I like you too." She whispered to him, then climbed up on his back.

He was much stronger than he looked. His back was surprisingly broad and his fur was warm and comfortable, tinged with the fresh smell of the forests and the morning moon. Amelia crossed her arms under his neck, pressing her cheek on the back of his head, hugging him tightly. Once she was ready, Darren sprinted to run forward.

It was early spring. The weather was cold during the night. Darren didn't run too fast in case she got cold. And he didn't want this journey to end fast either.

To live as rogues means no normal lives. During his wandering past life, he barely shifted into human form, not to mention dating girls. There were girls though. Girls who were captured by his rogue members. They had tried to offer themselves to him in exchange for their freedom. But Darren never touched any of them. It would be lying to say he didn't want to, but he was a rogue, not a heartless monster. It didn't feel right to do so.

He wanted to be with someone who truly loved him and trusted him. Someone who could be his own just like the one who was currently lying on his back. To find his own mate was such a surprise. He couldn't help but howl a little.

Amelia was unable to share his ecstasy. She had already fallen asleep in his comfortable fur. During her hellish tor/ture in that wheelchair, she had no idea if she ever got any sleep. Her eyes were impossible to close. She had never gotten any real rest ever since she was drugged by Ian.

Ian.

To think of that name, her heart still twitched with fear and pain. But on Darren's back, it was safe and cozy.

When Amelia woke up, the sky had already become bright. She was lying on Darren's back on her tummy. And they were currently hiding in a little grove that was close to the railway.

"We've arrived at the railway station, mate," noticing she had woken up, Darren informed her in a lowered voice.

To be honest, he was reluctant to send her away. But he was a rogue. He had no place to let her stay safely and comfortably for now. And she said herself. She wanted to live with humans.

"Thank you … so much," Amelia didn't expect to fall asleep like that. She quickly jumped off Darren's back with her hand on the corners of her mouth to make sure she didn’t drool. A shade of shyness crept onto her cheeks. Darren liked to see her like that. He looked at her with his tail wagging, which suggested he was happy.

Amelia smiled a little, then knelt beside him, "I am sorry," she explained to him softly. "My parents arranged my marriage with a warrior of our pack, Ian," she felt heartache when she spoke that name. "But I don't want to marry him. That's why I must leave."

Darren did know about her engagement with Ian. He even knew about her relationship with that hypocritical warrior. But as long as she had decided to end it, it wouldn’t bother him even a little.

"It's all right. Just choose whatever is best for you," he comforted her as best as he could without asking her the reason for her sudden escape.

Amelia felt relieved about that because she had no idea how to explain it. But she also felt slightly disappointed as he didn't ask her to stay either.

She heard that mates would desperately want to stay with each other. Though she didn't want to be in the wolf world anymore. It would feel nice if Darren asked her.

"I will come to you later. After I settle things here," as if seeing through her mind, Darren nuzzled her cheeks and explained. "There will be wars within days. I need you to stay somewhere safe. After that, I will find you and take you home, mate."

Amelia didn't like the word "home". It reminded her of that cold apartment where Ian locked her and treated her like a toy. She bit her bottom lip hesitantly but said nothing. She had gotten used to being ignored by everyone, including her parents. What she said would never be listened to. Gradually she just learned to shut up. That's what Ian told her too. He always said a good wife knows when to shut up.

"My father already knows about your attack tonight," Amelia reminded him after a slight hesitation. "You'd better not do it. It’s dangerous."

That was unexpected news, but Darren felt happy as Amelia was obviously worrying about him.

“It’s alright. I can take care of myself,” he said, then rubbed his nose on her cheek again, feeling reluctant to let her leave. "Have you gotten enough money? It won't be safe there in the town either. I need you to take the train and go to the city for a while. Can you do it alone? I will give you a number. Call it when you get there. My friend will help you settle down."

Amelia had never been to a human city. She had never even taken a train before, but she nodded her head as she knew she must live by herself from now on. She liked Darren but she was afraid of marriage. She liked the feeling of being with him, but she didn't want to be in another "home" anymore.

"Yes, I can," she whispered, standing up from the ground.

Day had completely come. The sky was white. And the sun was about to rise from the horizon. Amelia knew she must leave now. Her parents should have noticed her disappearance. She couldn't take the risk of being brought back.

Darren knew it too. He didn't detain her any longer but walked her out of the grove by himself. After they said goodbye to each other, he groaned at her back with worries and reluctance in his eye, "Take care, mate."

Amelia turned around and looked at him. She felt lost at the moment but soon turned back and headed towards the station.