(END OF PART ONE)
Esmeralda
Another three days came and went, another three of pain and suffering.
Another three days of enduring the torture that my mate had sex with another woman.
How could he?
How could he do that when he knew how much pain it would cause me?
He was not ignorant of that, yet he chose to torture me in this manner.
This was the worst treatment I had ever received. Even the harsh treatment from my former pack couldn’t be compared to what I felt.
Not even the dreaded horsewhip stood a chance.
I was dying.
The pain was killing me rapidly, eating me up from the inside and leaving me in a mess.
I cried all day till I no longer had tears to shed.
Was that how much he hated me?
By fucking a whore for three days?!
I spat in disgust as a bile of anger rose in my chest.
I hate him. I hate everything about him.
I regret the day I met him. And for what he has done to me, I will never forgive him.
The thought of him in bed with another girl made me nauseous.
Damn! I couldn’t imagine it.
I didn’t want to imagine it.
The way he would flip her over, thrust into her, caress her, whisper in her ears, make her orgasm repeatedly.
Goddess!
The more I tried to block the thought, the more it rushed into my head.
But I wouldn’t kill myself thinking about him while he was making another girl scream his name.
Everything about him began to disgust me, even the thought of staying in his Pack.
I wanted to do away with him, to do away with all that was associated with him… and never look back.
I wanted out.
Yes, I wanted to be out of this Pack. And out of his sick pathetic life forever!
I wish I could see him and reject him in this instance. I didn’t care if I would be mateless or become a rogue forever.
All I wanted was to leave.
Fear settled in a part of my heart as I laid my hand on my stomach.
I hope I wasn’t carrying his pup. That would complicate matters.
Even if I was carrying his pup, I was sure he wouldn’t hesitate to throw me out with the bastard baby.
How could the Moon goddess mate me with such a horrible person?
As much as I tried to erase his words, they replayed in my head.
“Her juice tastes delicious,” He told me via mind link.
It was like someone drove a knife into my chest, slashing my heart into pieces.
Her juice tasted delicious.
That confirmed he was with another girl.
That sick bastard!
He would pay.
I would make sure of it.
“Pull yourself together, Esme, Don’t let that son of a bitch take your joy away,” Selene pulled me closer to herself, but I pulled away from her grip.
Joy.
I have forgotten the last time I experienced that.
Maybe my life was meant for sadness and sorrows.
Everything just didn’t make sense. One minute, things are going fine, the other minute, my life crumbles before my eyes. And the worst part was that there was nothing I could do about it.
“You shouldn’t be wallowing in thoughts… be strong,” Emerald encouraged me weakly, “Don’t bury yourself in the problem, look for a solution,”
Look for a solution…
That was it.
An idea popped into my head and I sprang up to my feet, putting on the cardigan that Madam Dora had given me.
It belonged to her dead daughter. She had sneaked it in for me to help me get rid of the cold and the bloodsuckers.
“What is wrong with you? Why are you restless?” Selene queried, staring at me with a confused look that sat on her face.
“We are leaving!” I announced, making Selene gasp in shock.
“When?”
“Now!” I stated.
“I get that you are hurt, but making decisions in this state is dangerous. It’s not safe out there,” She tried to convince me.
But if only she knew that my mind was made up.
I was done with this Pack!
“You think it’s safe here?” I lashed at Selene, but the sadness on her face made me sorry for her.
She was going through a lot because of me.
She was trying to please me to her detriment. But I lashed at her throwing my anger as if she were the cause.
I was a bad person.
“I’m sorry, Selene,” I grabbed her arm, sitting close to her, “This pack is slowly taking the life out of me and if I don’t leave this environment, I would go crazy. Nobody wants me here anymore, not even my mate, not the members of the Pack. It’s dangerous here, Selene,”
Selene pulled me into a warm hug before kissing my forehead and straightening my tangled hair.
“If that is what will make you happy. Then do it,” She urged, tugging me closer to her again.
I don’t deserve this girl. My subconscious yelled at me.
“You can stay back if you want, I’d understand, I swear,” I said, pulling out of her embrace, “I understand that your life is here and you feel complete here,”
She shook her head negatively, “My life is with you and without you, I’m empty. Wherever you go, I’ll be by your side and I’ll support your decisions,”
“What did I do to deserve you,” I cried, burying my head in her neck.
“So what do we do?” Selene asked, breaking free, “Do we grab some clothes? Or food?”
“No. It will only slow us down. We have to go now. Madam Dora is risking her life to do this,”
She scoffed, “You mind-linked Madam Dora already?” She asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. That is why we have to move now,” I ordered, grabbing her hands and leading us out of the cell.
Thanks to Madam Dora for leaving it open last night.
I gave the cell one last look before placing my hand on my neck, pulling the Emerald locket with full force till it broke free.
I flung the locket into the open cell, walking away without looking back.
That piece meant nothing to me anymore.
I peeked my head first to check if there was any guard on the watch.
A small smile played on my face as I understood the assignment.
No one was in sight.
Jade had distracted them.
I owe her. And Madam Dora too.
I will never forget them. They made my stay here memorable and sweet.
They made me feel like family. And I was grateful.
“There you are,” Madam Dora said, grabbing my shoulder as she pulled me into a deserted staircase.
I muffled a scream, “I didn’t know it was you. You frightened me,” I breathe heavily, placing my hand on my chest.
“Come quickly, Alpha Kade will soon be back,” She stated, walking down the secret passage with a torch and in no time we got out of the tunnel.
“This doesn’t look real,” Selene said when we got out of the passage, “How the hell?!”
“I’ve worked here for years, darling. Even before Alpha Kade was born,” She replied, giving a brief smile.
I recognized the smile.
It was a painful one.
We walked along the open space in silence till we got out of the mansion.
This was the fastest escape ever.
Thanks to Madam Dora.
I lifted my eyes to meet Jade and Amelia standing a few meters from us, waiting in anticipation.
Unable to control herself, Amelia ran toward me, throwing herself before me.
“I hate to see you leave, Luna,” She cried bitterly, soaking my cardigan with her tears, “But you must leave,” She stated, wiping her tears and her nose before giving way for Jade.
“Communicate to us when this is over,” Jade said, wrapping her hands around my neck and squeezing me hard.
“I won’t forgive Alpha Kade for doing this to you. He’ll regret this,” She sniffed, “I’ll miss you, my friend,”
“I’ll miss you too,”
“Oh, Selene,” Amelia cried, hugging Selene, “We barely became proper friends, but now, I’ll never see you again,” She wept harder.
“They are just leaving, Amy, not dying,” Madam Dora corrected.
“What if they get attacked by rogue hunters? Or get eaten by a wild beast,” Amelia’s voice quivered as she cried harder, hugging the both of us with her small hands.
“Nothing will happen to them. I’ve asked the Moon goddess to protect them from danger,” Madam Dora reprimanded, “And she will do just that,”
From the way her voice quivered, I knew she was close to tears.
“I brought this,” Jade stretched her hands to meet mine and placed a locket in my palm.
“We made it for you and Selene. Remember us wherever you go,” Her words drew tears from my already-soaked eyes.
I didn’t know they loved me this much.
“You can have the cardigan too. Remember me with it,” Madam Dora said, adjusting the cardigan on my body.
“Thank you,” Selene and I chorused as we wore the lockets.
“When you get safe, open it, there is something inside,” They instructed.
My hands found the pendant, but Jade held them.
“Not here. When you are home,” She groaned.
“Alright,”
The remaining moments were filled with warm hugs, kisses and sweet words before Amelia jumped in fright.
“My brother is home! My brother is home! We must go before he finds out we are not at home,” Amelia suddenly screamed, disrupting the moment.
“Esmeralda, don’t forget what I told you. Take the directions, it will lead you to the human world, but in all you do, be careful not to stumble into the Dark Moon Pack. The border is along the way,” Madam Dora instructed before giving me and Selene one last hug.
“I will never forget you,” She whispered, before pulling away.
“Write to us,” Jade and Amelia chorused, “We love you,”
“We love you too,” I and Selene said, hugging tightly before separating shortly.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched them leave reluctantly until they faded into the darkness.
Selene and I disappeared into the night, navigating our way in the darkness all alone.
I pray the Moon goddess protects us.
Goodbye, Blood Moon Pack!
***
After hours of walking alone in the thick forest, I couldn’t make out any sign of human inventions.
I was supposed to see tarred roads, cars and streetlights.
Music was supposed to be heard far away and noise.
The humans liked to party till dawn.
I think we’ve missed our way.
No.
Maybe not. Maybe we will get to see it after we’ve walked a little longer.
The day was about to break, yet, we were surrounded by huge trees as we burrowed deeper into the woods.
Our legs hurt from trekking, but we couldn’t stop to rest.
We were afraid that Alpha Kade would have noticed something and sent his guards to track us.
“Selene, I think…” I started.
“I know. We are lost,” She cut in, “I think we missed our way,” She sniffed.
She was all in trouble because of me.
“What do we do?” I asked helplessly.
My head was blank. I couldn’t think. All I wanted was food, water, and a decent place to sleep.
“I’m as confused as you are,” She replied, screaming as she hit her foot against a tree stump.
“Sorry,” I said, massaging her pink toes and covering her mouth to stop her cries.
Fear pricked my heart as distant voices reached my ears.
“Do you think it’s humans?” I asked, looking around.
“I don’t fucking know. My foot hurt like hell,” She whimpered.
My heart pounded hard against my ribs as the voices grew louder.
They were not humans.
Their scents confirmed that.
They were wolves!
Before I could think of shifting to flee from the spot, a heavy object hit my head and I slumped to the ground, leaving Selene.
***
I woke up with a banging headache, wiggling in pain and hissing.
What happened?
I tried to make out what happened but images were blurred in my head.
Patches of the previous events fused as they began to make sense to me.
I passed out. I was knocked out.
Fuck!
I was in danger!
Adrenaline shot in my spine as I used my remaining strength to set myself free from the thick ropes that I had been bound with.
Slowly, I opened my eyes, but fear consumed me when I saw that I had been surrounded by unknown people.
A huge man stood before me with a big dark ugly smirk on his scarred face.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here. The Blood Alpha’s mate,” He said with a wicked grin plastered on his face as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation.