Chapter 8: Chapter Seven - Escape
Aria’s POV.
Paint shot through my entire body as I landed on the hard floor of the school compound, with shards of glasses scattered around me from when I’d jumped through the window. I vaguely saw the bruises and cuts in my limbs before I continued sprinting across the compound, towards my escape route the broken fence at the back of the school.
The pain in my lower abdomen, coupled with the one in my core from my father’s assault intensified but I ignored it, as I ran out of the school compound into the woods that led to the lake. All I wanted was to get far away from the alpha, just to heed to my father’s warnings. I had enough on my plate already, from dealing with the effect I have on my father. I couldn’t add that of another male.
“Don’t think that way,” Hailey spoke but I scoffed. It came out as a weak whimper and my body and brain slowly began to wake to the pain that was ricochetting through me. “He doesn't seem that way…”
“Dad was once nice too,” I retorted as I ran through the forest, ducking behind trees to reach my destination.
“It doesn’t mean Alpha Shane would be like him,”
“Oh please, shut it. Do I always have to remind you of what we are? Isn’t the pain you endured this morning enough to get you back to your senses?” Even saying the words and admitting to the truth of our cursed nature and all the pain it had caused me tasted bitter in my mouth but Hailey always needed to be reminded and it annoyed me that she was so quick to forget.
“But…”
“I don’t want to hear it.” I shut her off, just as my eyes landed on the lake up ahead, and a wave of relief coursed through me. I got to the bank and fell on my knees, panting heavily, with sweat soaking up my clothes..
A groan of agony slipped from my lips when I tried sitting down. Pain from my cramps twisted my gut and I wrapped my arms around my stomach, biting down on my lips to muffle the sob that was threatening to escape. Tears welled in my eyes and when I closed them, they slid down my cheeks. I drew in a shaky breath and tried counting down till ten to calm my racing heart and to endure the pain but in the midst of that, my sensitive nose picked on the faint woodsy scent coming from the woods and my ears heard the faint thuds of footsteps. My heart dropped, mouth parting and eyes widening. Hailey’s glow and whine was all I needed to confirm who it was.
Alpha Shane. He followed me.
“See, he’s coming after us, to take care of us. I feel it…” Hailey purred, radiating a cheerful energy.
“More like to prey on us and finish what dad started,” I gritted out, somehow finding the power to rise to my feet but with my legs shaking uncontrollably like they would give out on me at any minute.
I tried taking a step but fell back on my knees, yet I wasn’t ready to give up. I’d rather die from trying than sit still and let him hurt me. My body couldn't take it and my mental health was at its lowest. I couldn’t take any assault.
Maybe you should end this miserable existence. These thoughts hit me and I suddenly glanced at the lake, wondering how long it’d take me to get drowned if I got into its deepest part.
But clearly, Hailey wasn’t having any of that because I suddenly felt her projecting the intense energy to be saved and rescued.
“What are you doing?” I gritted out in a hushed tone, realizing that the alpha could hear and he’d be able to quickly find me if I kept talking but then, I suddenly found the power to rise to my feet, despite the pain and feeling of hopelessness settling deep within me.
“Getting us saved.”
“You wouldn't,” I spat out but it was as if she’d suddenly taken matters into her own hands and I felt a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through me.
She was trying to make me receptive to the idea of the Alpha being our savior but I’d suffered too much to fall into that trap. Without thinking twice, I diverted towards the direction that led to my home, while praying that my father wouldn’t be home at that time of the day.
It would be terrible luck to run into him while escaping from another predator but it seemed luck wasn’t on my side because my fear came true.