Aria’s POV
I didn’t waste any time. My hands trembled as I grabbed the few things I had-clothes for Edward, a small blanket, whatever else I could fit into a small, wolfskin bag. My heart was racing, pounding in my ears so loudly it felt like it would explode. I couldn’t stay here any longer. Denderick’s words echoed in my mind, and it was like a knife twisting in my chest.
How could I have been so blind?
I moved quickly, not bothering to fold or organize anything. There was no time. Edward was still sleeping soundly, his little body curled up in the center of the bed. I would wake him when we were ready to go.
“Denderick can have his Luna Giselle,” I muttered under my breath, throwing another shirt into the bag. “I won’t stay here another second.”
The room was quiet except for the sound of my frantic movements. I paused for a second, taking in a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me. But it was no use. I had to get out of here. I had to protect Edward from whatever was coming.
Finally, the wolfskin bag was full. I glanced at Edward, my heart aching. He was so peaceful, so innocent. He didn’t deserve to be caught up in this mess.
“Come on, little one,” I whispered, gently picking him up and cradling him against my chest. He stirred a bit but didn’t wake. His small hand clutched at my shirt, and I held him tighter, kissing the top of his head. “We’re leaving. Just you and me.”
With one last look around the room, I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed for the door. Every step I took was heavy, but there was no turning back now. I quietly slipped out of the room and into the dark hallway. It was still very early in the morning and the pack house was eerily silent, everyone likely still asleep. Good.
I needed to get out before anyone noticed.
As I crept through the halls, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of loss. I had thought this place would be a fresh start for me and my son, a chance to rebuild. But I had been wrong. So wrong. Denderick wasn’t who I thought he was, and now everything had crumbled around me.
I pushed the door open and slipped outside into the cool night air. There was no time to dwell on my despair. I adjusted Edward in my arms and took a deep breath.
Now, to get to the border without being seen.
The woods surrounding the pack house were dense and dark, but I knew the way. I had spent enough time walking these grounds as a slave of Denderick, and later as the mother of his son. My feet carried me swiftly through the trees, each step carefully placed to avoid making too much noise. Every rustle of leaves or crack of a twig sent my heart leaping, but I kept going, focused on the goal.
Freedom.
The border wasn’t far. Just a little further.
But then, I heard something-a snap. It wasn’t me. I froze, listening, my breath caught in my throat. For a moment, everything was still. Maybe I imagined it, I thought, but just as I was about to move again, a figure stepped out from behind a tree, blocking my path.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice hissed.
I spun around, clutching Edward tightly to my chest. There were more of them, shadows moving quickly from all sides, surrounding me. I didn’t recognize any of them. They weren’t Denderick’s pack members.
“I’m leaving,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “Let me pass. I don’t want any trouble.”
One of them, a tall man with a cruel smile, stepped forward. “Oh, but we do,” he sneered. “You’re not going anywhere, Aria.”
Panic stole my senses. I backed up, my heart pounding in my chest. Edward stirred in my arms, his little face scrunching up as if sensing the danger.
“Stay back!” I warned, my voice rising. “I’ll scream. I’ll change into my wolf form if I have to!”
“Go ahead,” the man said, his smile widening. “No one’s coming to help you.”
In an instant, they were on me. Hands grabbed at me from all sides, yanking at my arms, pulling Edward from my grasp.
I kicked and scratched, desperate to hold onto my son, but it was no use. They were too strong. Edward was ripped from my arms.
“No!” I screamed, fighting with everything I had. “Give him back!”
A hot surge of power, similar to the one I’d felt when Mia had been killed, filled my veins. The men froze, looking shell-shocked as my hands began to glow a pearly white.
And with a scream, I let the power loose.
White-hot tendrils hit two of the men, including the one who had grabbed Edward. It sent them flying into the air and knocked them into nearby trees.
Edward let out a soft whimper, then began to cry.
“Edward!” I screamed and rushed forward. But before I could move much, another one of the men grabbed me from the back.
“Let me go!” I shrieked, twisting in his grip. Edward was still in the arms of the man, who was lying still. He was bawling now, his voice carrying across the forest.
“Listen, I do not know what witchy thing you just did to kill my comrades,” the man growled in my ear. “But if you try it again, I will snap your neck, go over there, and do the same to your son. Do you understand?”
I tried to channel the strange white energy again, but it was of no use. Using all that strange power twice in two days was too much for me.
“Please!” I cried out, reaching for Edward, but the man held me back, throwing me to the ground. My head hit the dirt, and pain shot through my skull, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was Edward, his terrified wails echoing in my ears.
“You can’t take him!” I sobbed, struggling to get up, but the others had grabbed my son and were already pulling away. One of them laughed, and it made my blood run cold.
“You’re out of your depth, little wolf, using all that energy.” The man taunted. “You were never supposed to survive. Throw her over there! The others will come for her soon.”
Before I could respond, they tossed me, like a broken doll, over the border. I landed hard, my body skidding against the rough ground. I coughed, dirt filling my lungs, my mind reeling from the shock.
“Edward…” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “Edward…”
But I was alone. The pack lands were behind me, and my son was gone.
I dragged myself to my knees, my body trembling from exhaustion and pain. I needed to get up. I needed to find him. But my body wouldn’t cooperate. My legs gave out, and I collapsed back onto the ground, sobbing.
Through my haze of grief, I heard something. A rustling in the bushes nearby. I forced myself to sit up, my heart pounding. Was it them again? Had they come back for me?
I tried to focus, to see through the darkness, but my vision blurred. The rustling grew louder and closer. My hands fumbled for something, anything to defend myself with, but before I could react, a figure emerged from the bushes. Then another. They moved quickly, and before I could scream, hands grabbed me, pulling me into the shadows.
“No!” I cried, thrashing in their grip. “Let me go!”
But it was no use. They were too strong, and I was too weak. My body was already betraying me, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. My vision darkened, and I could feel consciousness slipping away.
“Please…” I whispered, barely able to form the words. “Please… don’t hurt him…”
But no one answered.
The world around me faded into darkness, and the last thing I heard before I blacked out was the sound of my heartbeat, slow and heavy, like the final toll of a bell.