Lylah's Rebirth

LYLAH'S REBIRTH 

Lylah's POV 

“Ethan! Leave!” I yelled. 

The footsteps of the guard kept coming closer and closer. It was too late, so I felt. 

I had to act fast. I lowered my head as I blew out the lantern. 

“Please Ethan, leave. I wouldn't want you to die because it wouldn't be worth living knowing you're dead.” I said.

I had hoped this would change his mind. His grip slowly loosen, I felt a cool breeze blew past me and I knew he was gone. I broke down into tears as I curled myself up crying, just like the day my father was exiled and executed. 

Ethan had walked through these dungeon halls ever since he was a child, his mother spent months in the dungeon before being executed and Ethan was the one to run these hallways every night without lanterns to guide him just to give his mother enough food. They would never find him in the dark, not when he had lived there for too long. 

“Who were you talking to? Someone was here? Who was that?” The guard yelled as he approached me, his huge lantern shining brightly, almost blinding my eyes.

“What's the worst that could happen now? I'll be exiled tomorrow anyways.” I said, rolling my eyes as I rested my back on the stone cold walls. 

The guard yanked my hair as a loud scream escaped my mouth. He pulled me closer to the bar, my face hitting the metal poles. My face burned with pain. 

“You traitor! Where's the person? Who was that?” The guard yelled. 

I spat on his face, a weak smile crawling on my face. He pulled me back and dragged me forward using my face to hit the metal bar, I could feel a warm metallic taste on my tongue—blood. He threw me on the floor as he ran after Ethan who had fled the dungeon since. 

I laid there, tears rolling down my cheeks. I closed my eyes, it hurt all over my body. I was aching at every limb of mine. I don't know how but slowly and painfully, I fell asleep. 

*********

A weird tingling buzzed under my foot. I shook my leg, and it vanished—only to sneak right back. I opened my eyes, rubbing my hands against my eyes. Rats! Three rats gathered around my feet eating the crumbles of dried bread left from last night. At the other corner were ants, they must have perceived the honey from afar.  

The loud sound of the metal bar unlocking rang through the dungeon. Outside the dungeon were four guards, much more heftier than the watchdogs. 

“Get her!” One of the guards said, as two hefty guards walked in. 

They grabbed my hands, my legs were too weak to stand. They lifted me off the floor dragging me out of the dungeon, I could hear the metal bars closing behind the empty dungeon—not really empty, my friends were still there, the rats. 

I closed my eyes as I was being dragged out. I could notice the change in the environment as it gets brighter and brighter as we step outside. I was brought before the Alpha, Beta and the council of elders. My knee cap hit the cold stone floor as I was thrown on the floor by the hefty guards, ahead of me were a group of people who didn't care about me and that I knew for sure. 

“Do you have anything to say before your Alpha and the council of elders before you're exiled?” Beta Malakai asked, his eyes fixed on my weak body. 

I was hesitant at first, I lifted my head, my eyes scanning the room. Beta Malakai stood side by side with the Alpha who sat on his throne, Malicia and Victoria alongside other viewers sat at a secluded corner watching the whole thing unfold right in front of them. 

“Please let me stay, I have a lot of unfinished business here….my mother, I need to find her. I need to prove that my father was innocent of the crimes he was accused of by Bet….” 

“Silence!” Beta Malakai yelled, interrupting me. “You have no right to speak of your treacherous father. He betrayed the pack and deserved his punishment. You should be happy the same fate wasn't decided for you like your father's.” 

“But why? Why did the council of elders have to preside over such a petty issue?” I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks. 

“Petty issue?” Elder Zion chuckled. “I guess your parents failed in educating you about the culture. Was treachery all they taught you?” 

“My parents didn't fail me, instead you all failed me, you failed us. Our Alpha is supposed to be our protector but he is just a puppet to….”

“Enough!” Alpha Harris yelled. “Take her out. I have no interest in whatever she has to say, send her away and let the rogues of the wild feed on her.” 

Immediately after his proclamation, I was dragged out of the meeting hall. I sighed, accepting defeat. Malicia wore a devilish smile while Victoria had a smirk on her lips. Beta Malakai, my uncle, stood there expressionless as he watched the guards dragged me away. Could all of this be his doing? I knew if my aunt was in his position, she would have done worse. 

I was escorted to the borders of the pack's territory. I stood there, hesitant to walk away from a place that had been my home for a long time, the guards stood there watching me. I knew they wouldn't leave till I disappeared into the woods but I had no choice as well. I turned, slowly walking away into the darker. The further I got into the dark, the thicker it engulfed me. 

Suddenly, the woods were engulfed with silence and all I could hear was the crunches of fallen branches and dried leaves. Behind me, were subtle howls that sent shivers down my spine. I had been walking for hours not knowing how deep I had ventured into the woods outside my pack's territory. 

The distant howl transformed into close whispers, I could hear the rustling of bushes from a distance and a loud panting that seemed to close up with me every minute, my instinct kicked in and I started running like my life depended on it. I had no idea what I was running from, where I was running to or why I was running but I knew my life was in danger. 

The howls, the whispers, the rustling, they all started to catch up with me. I couldn't stop running now, I had to survive this night, just this night. At least I shouldn't die a coward who couldn't survive her first day outside in the wild. Just as I was lost in my thoughts running through the wild with dried and wet leaves hitting my face like an unrelenting slap, an outgrown root held my legs pulling me to the floor as I twisted my ankle. 

I fell to the ground, my face hitting the cold mud floor filled with leaves. I let out a subtle but painful groan. I tried to stand up, I tried to keep the race going but I felt a sharp pain in my ankle—this couldn't be the end, could it? I stood up limping further into the woods but my nemesis caught up with me when a large, dominant figure landed in front of me. 

He had green eyes, brown furs, long teeth that his mouth couldn't contain, his height as imposing as ever. His green eyes glowed in the dark and all I could see was death. Beast of his kind soon surrounded me at every corner. So this was it? This was how I was going to die. 

“I smell another. She's with child.” One of the beasts said. 

She's with child? Were they referring to me? Was I really with child? 

The beast eyes darted towards my stomach and I placed my hands over it as a form of defense for the baby I didn't know was growing in my stomach. 

“Devour the embryos before her!” One of the beasts, who I assumed to be their leader, said as the rest of the wolves pounced on me. 

Suddenly everything blacked out and all I could hear was me drowning in my screams. I could feel claws digging into my stomach and warm blood rushing over my body but it was strange as I didn't feel any pain, not even a slight ache. The darkness that engulfed me was soon filled with dimly green light that glowed in the dark and howls of wolves digging into me. Was I dead now? I couldn't tell. 

I don't know what happened but I was pulled out of the darkness into a warm bright light. I was hesitant, slowly opening my eyes. The world around me was different, but most importantly, I was different. I was reborn in another world. 

But where?