Chapter 2 Escape From Home
Bella
I kept on running till I was deep into the woods.
I had taken that direction the moment I realized how impossible it was to get to Logan’s place without the men my father had sent catching up with me. The path to the city was too open, and I knew I would have been caught within minutes.
“Stop right there, you bitch!” one of them shouted from behind, his voice tearing through the stillness of the forest as their footsteps pounded heavily against the ground.
I had believed that they would stop at the edge of the woods. Everyone hated this place. The woods were dangerous as it was a territory no human willingly walked into.
Because of the werewolves.
No one wanted to run into them, and I knew this very well. The wolves had tempers. Violent and uncontrollable tempers and it took almost nothing to provoke them. One wrong move and they could tear a human apart like they were nothing.
And with the marriage alliance about to take place, I had thought no one would be foolish enough to risk angering them now.
But to my shock, the men kept chasing.
As if they didn’t value their lives.
As if whatever my father had promised them was worth more than their survival.
“I’ll skin you alive myself before I send you back to your father!” another shouted, his voice filled with cruel excitement.
My chest tightened, but I still didn’t stop.
It wasn’t easy for them to catch up with me, and I knew it. My body was lighter, driven by pure desperation. And even though they carried guns and weapons, I knew they couldn’t use them.
They wouldn’t dare.
If I was harmed or was even slightly wounded, the alliance would be broken. The marriage was only days away, my body needed to be whole and untouched.
I was so lost in my thoughts, and consumed by the pounding of my heart and the sound of their footsteps closing in, that I didn’t notice how close they had gotten, not until I felt a hand reaching and almost grabbing me from behind.
My breath hitched as I ducked instinctively, barely escaping their grip, but in that moment, I lost my footing.
The ground slipped beneath me.
And I fell hard.
A sharp gasp tore from my lips as pain shot through my body, my palms scraping harshly against the rough earth.
Before I could get up, they were already there surrounding me.
Circling me like predators who had finally cornered their prey, the satisfaction clear on their faces.
“Let me go!” I shouted, my voice breaking slightly despite the force I tried to put into it.
But even as the words left my lips, I knew they were useless.
“I’ll never return with you nor get married to him! So just let me go!” I snapped again, my chest heaving, my eyes darting from one man to another.
It was like shouting at stone.
Panic surged through me as I quickly scooped sand from the ground, my fingers trembling as I prepared to throw it at them, to create even the slightest distraction but they were faster.
They intercepted me, grabbing at my arms, preparing to drag me back.
A guttural growl tore through the air.
It was deep and primal.
Everything froze.
I turned slowly, my breath catching in my throat.
I saw a wolf limping toward us.
My heart dropped.
Fear unlike anything I had felt before gripped me instantly, stronger than the fear of my father’s men, stronger than the fear of being dragged back to that house.
The men seemed just as shaken, their earlier confidence faltering.
They picked up sticks, gripping them tightly, their intent clear as they meant to scare off the limping wolf they thought was weak.
But the wolf didn’t stop nor hesitate.
It leaped at them despite the limp.
The sudden movement sent the men stumbling back in fear, retreating a few steps away from where I was, their earlier bravado cracking under the weight of real danger.
The wolf landed roughly, crashing to the ground before them.
My breath was shallow, so was my mind racing.
Why…?
Why would a wolf, of all things, save me?
All my life, all I had ever heard were stories.
Stories of how ruthless and cruel they were.
How they hunted and killed us without hesitation, using their monstrous strength and their cursed ability to shift between man and beast.
And yet, this one had come between me and danger.
This one had saved me.
So, how could one have saved me?
I was still holding onto that thought, still trying to make sense of what had just happened, when I noticed the men again.
They were coming back.
This time with the weapons they had carried earlier, their expressions darker and more determined,as if whatever fear they had felt moments ago had been swallowed by anger.
Before I could react, the wolf shifted.
Right before my eyes,with it's bones crackling, form twisted and in its place stood a man.
A handsome man.
For a moment, everything else faded.
The men and danger. The fear felt moments ago.
My attention stayed on him, my brows furrowed in confusion as I tried to understand who he was and more importantly, why he had helped me.
For all I knew, we were supposed to be enemies.
That was what I had been taught all my life.
The men were advancing again.
And instinct took over.
I pushed myself to my feet and began to run once more, leaving him behind—leaving the men to him.
Because there was only one place on my mind.
Only one place I could go and only one person I believed would protect me.
—---------
A few hours later, breathless and shaken, I arrived at Logan’s door.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I reached for it and paused when I discovered it was open.
That alone felt wrong.
It wasn’t supposed to be as Logan should still be at work by now.
I hadn’t even planned to walk straight in. I had intended to hide somewhere nearby first, then call him. I just needed a place to stay hidden, somewhere safe until he came.
I walked in slowly and cautiously, Incase thieves had broken into his house.
The moment I stepped inside, something felt off.
My eyes landed on a jacket thrown carelessly over the sofa.
It wasn’t his.
I knew that instantly.
I had done his laundry too many times to mistake what belonged to him.
And worse, it carried a scent.
A feminine cologne.
My chest tightened, unease creeping in, but I shook my head slightly, refusing to let my thoughts wander too far.
Refusing to believe what I hadn’t even confirmed.
A sound which appeared to be a moan came, soft but clear.
I froze.
My head snapped toward the television, my first instinct clinging desperately to logic. Maybe he had left it on. Maybe it was just a movie playing.
But the sound came again, louder this time.
And it wasn’t from the television.
It was coming from the bedroom.
My heart began to pound.
Each step I took toward the room felt heavy, my mind screaming at me to stop and turn back, to not see whatever was waiting behind that door.
“You’re so… amazing. I wish I could get you pregnant with my children…” a voice moaned from inside.
It was Logan’s voice.
I froze just outside the door.
My breath caught.
That couldn’t be right and I didn't want to believe it.
If anything, I was supposed to be the one he said those words to. He had whispered them to me countless times, held me close and told me about the future we would build together.
So why…
Why would he be saying it to someone else?
My hand trembled as I slowly pushed the door open, disbelief still clinging to me like a shield.
He didn’t notice me when I walked in as he was too engrossed.
Too lost in the woman beneath him.
My world shattered and everything tilted on its axis.
For a few seconds or maybe minutes, I couldn’t even feel my own body.
I just stood there, watching silently as my world collapsed.
The door creaked slightly as a draft forced it further open.
That was when he turned and saw me.
“Oh—shoot!” he shouted, scrambling away in panic.
And beneath him was Rita,my stepsister.
The same Rita who had mocked and laughed at me severally for being with him.
Who had called Logan a pauper and beneath her.
The same Rita who had everything I didn’t.
“Why…?” I managed to gasp, my voice barely audible as tears streamed down my face.
They fell freely now.
Burning as they slid down my skin.
“Why, Logan? Our wedding is just a few weeks away…”