On the run

Stephanie’s point of view.The sun shone brightly in the sky as I made my way through the vast forest. I kept heaving and sighing as I dragged my suitcase and the heat and constant rocks made it impossible to walk.

I felt a painful pinch on my right ankle which made me stop and look down. “Another insect”. I murmured to myself as I took the unfamiliar insect in my hand before throwing it away.

Seems I wasn’t into the study of nature.

Seriously, this was not how I pictured my journey to be like. I just felt like giving up and going home. “I told you so”. My wolf sneered and I shut her out.

She wasn’t right. I was going to show her that I could survive. I was going to show them.

Flashback.

“I can’t take this sh*t anymore”. I said as I stormed into my room. I am sick and tired of hearing the same thing day after day.

I finally made up my mind to leave this goddamned pack, and I was never going to return in any circumstances.

My wolf, Eden, howled in my head, begging me not to go, but I was having none of it. I grabbed my suitcase and began to pack my stuff, making sure that nothing went unpacked.

I was taking everything but my memories of this pack.As I was halfway done packing my clothes, I heard some shuffling steps entering my room.

“Where are you going, Stephanie?” my mom, who was my dad - the beta’s - wife said. She narrowed her eyes while surveying the room and from her glaring at me, I guessed she knew that I was leaving.

“Stephanie, you’re not going anywhere”. She said using her all mighty beta voice, but it didn’t move me, not even a bit. “Yes I am, and not you, nor dad nor the alpha can do any f*cking thing to stop me”. I said as I continued to pack my clothes.

“Yes I can, and you’re staying here and will listen to us”. She says, resisting the urge to shift.I had to remain confident even though a feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach.

I wasn’t ready to land in the infirmary again, but I needed to regain my composure, if nothing else.

“I’m tired of listening to you guys. Seriously, how long would you guys keep making decisions for me? For God’s sake, I need some f*cking freedom”. I yelled at her, which I regretted because she lost it and shifted.

All that confidence flew out the window and my wolf shut me out, leaving me alone.Looks like I got myself in some deep sh*t this time.

Mom inched on me and I panicked; she could do practically anything when she’s mad. I began to back away slowly because if there was anything I should do, it was to get out of here fast.

“We are your guardians, and you are supposed to listen to anything we say”. She said through our private mind-link, which made me stop.

No, it wasn’t right.

It wasn’t fair.

Why do I have to listen to every Godforsaken thing they say when I have my own life to live?

“No!” I shouted at her even though she didn’t really talk to me. My eyes became glassy with tears and I quickly blinked them back.

Sh*t, this was making me emotional now.

“The alpha doesn’t care about your damned opinion”. She continued. That statement brought back so many memories that I had tried to forget.

What she said was actually true. Even if I cried or pleaded, he wouldn’t care. He only cared about his stupid self-interest!

That was the last straw; I had to leave or else I didn’t know what I would do.I went over to the rest of my clothes and began to pack them into the suitcase.

“When you’re done, please leave; I don’t have all day”. I muttered loud enough for her to hear. But she just stood there, staring at me, which was definitely not normal.

Suddenly, I felt an incredibly powerful aura in the room. I knew very well that it wasn’t my mom but who… Suddenly the realization hit me.It was him, no doubt. The one who made my life into the hell that it is now.

The Alpha walked in, his gray eyes ever cold and lifeless. His eyes made their way to my bags, giving me a questioning look.

I had suddenly run out of words. What would I say to him? “I-I wasn’t planning to go anywhere I p-promise” The words just spilled out of my mouth.

That stupid wolf!

He gave me a smirk as if he knew that I wouldn’t dare to leave. Soon after he left, my mom followed, trotting out of the room.

I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands. What was I going to do now? I didn’t think I’d be able to escape, and that stupid wolf had shut me out, leaving me no way for me to scold her.

I plopped on my very old headphones (which I may or may not have stolen) over my head and blasted some music from my also very old phone while I thought of another way to escape.

I caught a whiff of someone’s scent. I whipped my head to the side and saw my father, the beta leaning by my door as if it was no big deal.

“Do you mind?” I asked, uninterested. “Oh yeah, hey” he said, his cobalt blue eyes holding some kind of emotion I couldn’t decipher. I wonder why I didn’t get his pretty blue eyes, rather I got those boring sets of golden-brown eyes.

I also wonder why he talks to me as if we were agemates.“You had a brawl with them again”. He said, but I guess it was more like a question.

I sighed, which served as a yes. “Why do you want to leave?” he asked, as if he was curious. I found myself clenching my fist and gritting my teeth.

“Why?” I asked him in return. “Because I’m sick and tired of all this. Do you know how many damned times I almost died due to this nonsense?” I yelled at him.“And they don’t believe that I have a damned mate. So, give me a f*cking reason why I shouldn’t leave”. I shouted at him.

He fell silent for a while before coming to my side and putting his hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t f*cking touch me” I said, venom lacing my words. He flinched before withdrawing his hands. “Was this the time when I needed this?” I asked him, my eyes glassy again. “When I was hurt physically and mentally, why didn’t you come and save me?” I asked him again.

I had so many questions for them and none of them could express how hurt I felt.He was silent for a while before he finally spoke up.

“Well then, I suppose I should leave you for a while” he said. I had wiped my eyes dry by then and wasn’t interested in the least about what he said. “Later” he said before walking out.

As soon as he was gone, I shut the door and grabbed my suitcase.I had made up my mind. I wasn’t going to stay here for another minute.

I threw my suitcase down the balcony and then jumped. The coast was clear, so I made a run for it into the forest.

I had to start afresh, even if it was at the risk of my life.

End of flashback

The sky was painted orange with streaks of pink and the heat had subsided and had become a cool breeze.

It was truly an enjoyable sight, but I was drowned in my thoughts to notice my immediate surroundings.

It was getting dark really quick, and I had to find somewhere to stay for the night because I was definitely not ready to spend the night with nature.

I scanned around looking for somewhere suitable to stay, and I was surprised to see a cave a few feet to my left. I walked over to it and stood at the mouth of the cave and peered inside. There was nothing to be seen except a ray of light filling up the cave halfway and the rest filled with darkness.

I kept my bag there and went to grab sticks for a fire.When I had returned, the sun had already set and the sky was filled with beautiful stars. I placed the sticks and held out my hands. Little sparks erupted before forming a little fire.

It had finally worked after years of training. I knew a fire wasn’t necessary to train over but for some reason I was different.

I sighed. I wondered if they had found out that I was gone.

No, I shouldn’t be thinking about them, rather I should forget them.

A yawn escaped my mouth and my eyelids were getting heavier. I rested my head on the ground, which was not surprisingly as cold as f*ck but then I heard shuffled steps outside the cave.

I jolted up and looked around, but no one was there. I thought that it was just my imagination, but I heard it again.

Someone was definitely watching me.I had to be vigilant and stay up in case the person decided to kidnap me, which meant no sleep for me.

Go figure.