Chapter 9

Diana

I barrel into my house, sweating and trembling from shock as I collapse to the floor. Barely a second later, Billy barges in.

“Hey! Did you find your ma-“ 

It takes only a second for him to take in the tears streaming down my face as well as the blood around my mouth, torso and hands, and the original small smile on his face disappears, replaced by a grave expression.

With long strides, he reaches my side and stretches out a hand to touch me but stops when I subconsciously flinch. He draws back his hand but frantically looks me over with his eyes.

“This blood…” he starts, “It’s not yours”, he concludes a second later. It’s not a question. He can tell. Decades of being a warrior has taught him enough.

“Whose?” he asks simply, face dead serious.

I flinch again but still answer, “Beta Mason”, my stomach twisting as I force out the name.

Billy suddenly stills before abruptly standing up. He then begins to pace the short length of my room.

“What happened?” he grits out.

“He- he tried to force himself on me. Th-then I bit his ear and-and and I stabbed his eye. I didn’t mean to…I swear I didn’t mean to. I just wanted him to leave me alone”, and I devolved into more sobs.

He stops in his tracks and stares at me. The look he gives is one of equal parts shock and equal parts pride.

“Good”, he says firmly, “He deserved it”.

The fact that he hadn’t condemned me lifts some of the heaviness in my chest- the relief I gain from those few words more significant than he could ever imagine.

“But-but what should I do now?” I whisper, eyes wide with anxiety. I feel so lost.

He runs his hands exasperatedly through his dirty matted hair before resuming his pacing. A few seconds later, he stops again, eyes laser focused on me.

“You have to leave”, he announces gravely.

“What?”

“You have to leave”, he repeats, this time, with even more finality.

“If you stay, nothing good will await you. That bastard will never let you go. You better leave before he recovers enough to come for you. And if he gets his hands on you, make no mistake, he will kill you. But not before making you suffer through the worst torture possible. Have no doubt about that”, he says gravely.

Terror snakes down my spine and my limbs turn cold.

“The only way you would be able to escape is if you could prove that he had tried to force himself on you. That you only acted out of self-defense. And since he didn’t succeed in…touching you. Then you need a witness who can verify your claims. Is there anyone who can testify for you Diana?” he asks gently, his eyes soft.

An image of my brother turning his back and leaving me to my assaulter comes to mind and I feel bile rise up to my throat. Pain pierces through my heart like a sharp stake.

Apollo would never testify for me. That I know now. He would never risk his precious status in the pack and cross a Beta for me. So I don’t even bother to say his name.

At my silence, scrubs a hand frustratedly over his face, “Then you must go”, and then with more urgency, “You don’t have any time to waste. Get up quickly!” 

He dashes over to my chest of drawers and riffles through, bringing out a pair of loose sweatpants and an oversized shirt before hurrying back and pushing them into my arms. 

“Quick! Get changed quickly and make sure to wipe off all traces of blood from your body. I’ll be waiting outside. Quickly!”

I yank on clean clothes and rush outside to his anxiously waiting form.

“I can’t go with you or it would seem more suspicious. Run through the forest until you get to the sentry post on the southern border. From there, walk. Don’t run- or you will bring unnecessary attention to yourself. Just walk, and make it look casual. If anyone asks, tell them you were asked to bring a message to Sentinel Jones. In about-” and he looks at his watch, “-ten minutes…there will be a switch in guards. You have a two-minute window then to escape while the post is clear. If you miss it…” he stops. The severity of his expression and the brief silence ominous.

“But you’re a smart girl. I know you can do it”, he says with a firm nod. Maybe it’s to encourage me, maybe it’s to encourage himself, I don’t know.

Seeming to remember something, he hastily rummages inside the worn denim pouch hanging from his wide waist. Bunching something in his palm, he shoves some notes and coins into my hand before forcefully wrapping my fingers around them.

“Billy-“

“Take it! It’s not much but that’s all I have. If you use it wisely, it should be enough for you to survive for a few weeks. Run Diana, and don’t stop. Get as far away from this pack as you can. And no matter what, don’t stay in any other pack’s territory either. The Zervos pack will be able to take you back no matter which pack’s territory you hide in. So your best bet is a human settlement- one as far away from here as possible”.

“Billy-“ my eyes teary, throat choked with emotions.

“Go!” 

I jump and turn around, running away.