Chapter 5: Lycan Territory

ARIANNA'S POV 

Your mother is alive

For a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. The words had hit me like a thunderbolt.

My mother. Alive.

No. That wasn’t possible. Was it?

My fingers trembled as I flipped the note over, revealing more writing:

The vial will treat your wounds from the silver whips.

“Okay, don’t freak out, but also… freak out a little,” Aster chimed in. Her voice sounded more panicked than I’d ever heard it. “This is big. Like, life-shattering big.”

I wanted to scream at her, but the shock had left me mute. My mother—her grave was real. I’d dug it myself. 

And yet, here I was, holding proof, or at least a whisper of it, that everything I thought I knew was a lie.

Besides, why would Lilian help me?

I put on the dress she gave me and shoved the note and vial into my dress pocket, hiding them just in time before the door swung open. 

Rough hands grabbed me, and I was shoved toward the carriage waiting outside.

The ride was rough, the wheels rattling and jerking over every bump in the road. I pressed myself into the corner, hugging my knees to my chest. 

My skin stung from the silver burns, and my neck ached where Kyan had nearly squeezed the life out of me.

But none of that compared to the storm raging in my mind.

“Let’s piece this together,” Aster offered. “Lilian knows something. That much is clear. But why be cryptic about it? Why not just say, ‘Hey, your mom’s alive, here’s a map, good luck!’”

“Why would she even care?” I whispered to myself. 

I couldn’t make sense of it. Lilian had looked through me like I wasn’t even human. And yet, she’d thrown me that note. Yet, she wanted to help me—I guess. 

Why?

Then there was the necklace. 

What exactly was this thing? Some kind of ancient artifact? A cursed heirloom? Why did it unleash such terrifying power? My mom never told me about that.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to silence the chaos in my head. But then, muffled voices broke through my thoughts.

“…almost at the border,” one of the warriors said.

Lycan territory.

My heart stuttered. Once we crossed into Lycan land, I’d be nothing more than a number. Another nameless, faceless slave in a kingdom that cared even less than Kyan’s did. 

My fate would be sealed.

Unless…

“You’re thinking it, aren’t you?” Aster said.

I nodded to myself, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat.

This was my chance.

Once we were over the border, no one would recognize me. The Lycan King wouldn’t care if one slave went missing. And honestly, if he did care, it wouldn’t matter—I was as good as dead if I stayed.

I wanted to live.

“Then we run,” Aster said, “We run like hell.”

And if my mother really was alive… I was going to find her.

Eventually, wheels screeched to a stop outside the Lycan King’s palace. 

My pulse started to quicken. The guards shouted, barking orders for us to line up. Doors creaked open, and the slaves began filing out, one by one, heads low, shuffling like ghosts. 

The crack of whips filled the air, flogging anyone who hesitated into submission.

I stepped down slowly and my eyes darted around, taking in the gathered crowd. They were my best shot. 

If I could just blend in, I could disappear.

I lingered at the back of the line, keeping my movements slow. The guards’ attention was on the others, their shouts growing louder as they forced the line into formation.

This was my chance.

My heart pounded as I slipped away from the slaves and into the crowd. Yes! I moved carefully, ducking behind taller figures. 

For a fleeting moment, hope sparked in my chest.

“You did it,” Aster whispered, almost in disbelief.

But then, a shout tore through the night.

“Grab that slave!”

My heart stopped.

I bolted, my legs moving faster than they ever had before. The crowd blurred around me as I shoved through bodies, desperate to escape. 

My chest burned, and my wounds hurt even more—the fresher ones on my feet tore open even more, bleeding, but I couldn’t stop.

“Run, Arianna!” Aster urged. “Don’t look back!”

But they were faster.

Strong hands yanked me back, slamming me to the ground. Pain exploded through my body as my cheek scraped against the dirt. 

My breaths came in ragged gasps, and I clawed at the earth, trying to free myself.

My hand fumbled for the rusty dagger I’d hidden beneath my clothes, but my fingers were weak. The strength I needed wasn’t there—plus, there were like four warriors pinning me down. 

“You dare defy the Alpha King’s orders?” one of the warriors snarled, “You will pay with your life.”

Damn it.

I froze as he drew out his sword, it glinted in the moonlight. 

Wait, did they have the right to execute me? 

I doubted if that mattered, slaves were everyone's right to execute. I was going to die. 

But I mustered all my strength to reach for the dagger on my body. I wouldn't just submit it like this. As long as there was a chance, I would take it.

However, a voice shouted. 

“Keep her life! The Lycan King wants that one.”

The sword stopped mid-swing. The warrior froze, his jaw tightening in frustration.