7

Eve ran through the forest, laboring to catch her breath as the wind blew the trees in front of her, and stumbling here and there due to the uneven terrain. The howls of the patrol wolves could be heard from behind her, and they were getting louder and louder as time went on. It was imperative that she increased her rate of movement, or else she would be discovered and severely punished. Imprisoned. Whipped. Starved. And who was to say what else lay in store for her if she was caught by the wolves that were giving chases at that very moment?

Eve was adamant that she would not allow that to take place, so she pushed herself harder and harder to go faster and get closer to the border between their pack and the human town. It appeared as though she was unable to take in sufficient air because her legs were on fire and her chest was heaving. In spite of the fact that she was moving faster, she was still being pursued by something that made a sound like paws hitting the ground.

Louder and louder.

Closer and closer.

She reassured herself that they weren't very far away now. She was able to make out some lights in the distance, which led her to believe that she was approaching a human town. However, the wolves that were following her were getting closer and closer. She repeated the phrase “just a little further” over and over again in her head. At this point, she could almost feel the wolves breathing down her neck from behind her.

Unpredictably, a wolf materialized out of the periphery of her vision and scampered straight into the middle of her route, preventing her from evading it. Its eyes were narrowed into slits, and they were fixed on the figure that was drawing near.

Eve, on the other hand, never stopped picking up the pace. The wolf that was in front of us appeared startled, but it kept its paws firmly planted on the ground.

At the very last second, just as she saw the wolf's muscle tense up and prepare to launch at her, she abruptly turned at a ninety-degree angle, narrowly avoiding the attacking wolf as it launched through the air. She saw the wolf's muscle tense up and prepare to launch at her.

As she broke through the line of trees, she heard the sound of jaws snapping shut behind her; they came dangerously close to catching a strap that was hanging off of her backpack. Eve did not turn around, but continued to run forward in order to ensure that she was a safe distance away from her former pack mates, who were prohibited from proceeding beyond this point.

She had to step underneath a streetlight before she could finally turn around and see a few silhouetted figures hiding behind the tree line. As Alpha Darren stepped forward with a grim expression on his face, she let out a startled shriek and then gasped sharply.

“Are you really going to abandon your wolf pack, which is your family? Come on, Eve, give some thought to your poor mother, who is ill. Who will look after her in the event that you have to leave? If you come back with me now, your punishment won't be as severe as it otherwise would be. I promise.” The call came from Alpha Darren.

“Staying here will only cause more damage to me. This is something that not only I want, but also my mother wants. This is the kind of sacrifice that only a genuine and loving parent would make for their child.” The Alpha's face changed into a scowling mess as he spat back, exposing his canine teeth in the process.

Eve didn't waste another second on her former alpha before she turned around and hurriedly made her way towards the train station. This was something that she had discussed earlier in the day with both her mother and Joanne. She could see that there were a few people still hanging around; these were the people who had been left over from the after-work rush. Eve estimated that it was getting close to six o'clock in the evening based on the rapidly dwindling amount of light, which caused a chill to run through her body.

Eve entered the ticket office at the train station quickly, while making frequent glances behind her to confirm that she was not being followed by anyone.

“Pardon me, but I need this ticket for a train tomorrow. Is there a possibility that I could get it switched for a train for tonight?” Eve called out behind the girl's back to a woman who was working at the station and had her back turned to the girl. “I know it is last minute, but I really hope that you can help me out,” Eve said.

“Please allow me to take a look. Okay, in about half an hour there will be a train that will depart that will take you to the next town over to where this ticket is located. After you reach your destination, you can use the same ticket to travel the remaining distance back to the station. You will only be required to pay a nominal fee for the transfer. Is that okay?” Eve was clearly in need of the lady's kindness, as evidenced by the way the elderly woman with gray hair smiled at her before making the offer.

“Thank you very much. That would be wonderful, wouldn't it?” Eve nodded in assent, expressing her gratitude that she would be leaving so soon.

The transaction was completed quickly by the woman, and she smiled warmly at Eve as she continued on her way. The older woman held out hope that the young girl would make it out of there, in one piece; judging by the state of her chaos, she needed to get out of there as soon as she could.

Hiking up her bags, Eve thanked the people who had assisted her on her journey to the correct platform before she continued. Soon enough, Eve's train arrived at the station, and she boarded it with a sigh of relief, knowing that her freedom would be hers in a matter of minutes at most.

She could feel wolves pursuing her through the woods alongside the train as it pulled away from the station, almost as if they were making a threat that they would get her back someday. But at least for the time being, she was free. It was beyond their reach.