Escape Before the Chains Tighten

Days passed in a blur, each one dragging Lily closer to the nightmare that awaited her. The pack was bustling with preparations for the grand ceremony—Sebastian’s ceremony. The one where she was to be presented as his Luna, his mate. The thought made her stomach churn with disgust.

She had to get out before then.

Lily sat in the corner of her room, arms wrapped around her legs as she mulled over possible escape plans. She wasn’t allowed to leave the pack house, and there were guards stationed at every exit. Even when she walked through the halls, eyes followed her every move. She was a prisoner wrapped in fine silk.

But she wasn’t going to stay trapped. Not if she had any say in it.

The problem was Alex. How could she contact him? She had no way of knowing if he even realized she was still alive, let alone what she was going through. Every attempt to reach out had been met with Sebastian’s wrath. He had forbidden her from using any phones, from speaking with Ema and Nadia, from doing anything that wasn’t under his control.

She had fought him on it, of course.

"I have a life outside of this! You can't just strip it all away!" she had shouted at him days ago.

"Your life is here now," he had replied coldly. "And you will do as I say."

Her anger had burned hot, but it wasn’t just his commands that had her on edge—it was Selena.

The she-wolf had never been subtle about her hatred toward Lily, but lately, it had gotten worse. What started as icy remarks and passive-aggressive comments had escalated into outright cruelty. Today had been the worst.

Lily had been on her way to the library when Selena had intercepted her in the hallway, a smirk twisting her lips.

"Look at you," Selena sneered. "Parading around like you belong here. Like you’ll ever be anything more than a burden."

Lily had tried to walk past her, ignoring the venom in her voice, but Selena wasn’t done. In a flash, she had grabbed Lily’s wrist and slammed her against the wall.

"You think you can just come here and take the Luna title like it's yours?" Selena growled, her nails digging into Lily's skin. "Sebastian might tolerate you, but the rest of us? We don’t need some weak human pretending to lead us."

Lily had yanked her arm free, her heart racing. "I'm not pretending anything."

Selena laughed, stepping closer until their faces were only inches apart. "You think he cares about you? You're nothing but a means to an end. A tool for his power."

Lily’s jaw clenched, but before she could respond, Selena had shoved her hard, sending her stumbling backward. Pain jolted through her shoulder as she hit the wall, but before Selena could do anything else, one of the pack members had turned the corner. Selena had merely smirked and walked away, leaving Lily seething.

Now, sitting in her room, nursing the dull ache in her shoulder, Lily knew one thing for certain—she had to leave, and she had to leave soon.

But how? And how could she let Alex know?

She pressed her forehead against her knees, trying to steady her breath. She didn’t have long before the ceremony. Before Sebastian would claim her as his and erase whatever little freedom she had left.

No. She wouldn't let it happen.

She had to escape.

And she had to do it before it was too late.

The following day, Lily forced herself to act normal, as if she had accepted her fate. She needed them to lower their guard, to believe that she had finally surrendered to Sebastian’s will.

She ate her meals quietly, obeyed every command without protest, and kept her head down. She let the pack assume that she was finally broken. But inside, her mind was racing, planning every possible way out.

Her chance came when she overheard two guards speaking in hushed voices outside the dining hall. They were discussing the security measures for the ceremony.

“They’ll be at the southern border for most of the night,” one of them murmured. “We need to make sure the patrols are doubled.”

Lily’s pulse quickened. If the guards were focusing their efforts elsewhere, it meant there would be a weak spot in their defenses.

Now she just had to figure out how to reach Alex.

She remembered Sebastian’s office had a landline, one that was connected to outside networks. If she could sneak in…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt an arm snake around her waist. A shiver of disgust ran down her spine as she recognized the touch.

Sebastian.

He leaned in close, his breath warm against her ear. "You seem… calmer today," he mused. "Good. That means you're finally accepting your role."

Lily forced herself to nod, biting back the bile rising in her throat. "Yes, Alpha."

His lips curled into a satisfied smirk. "That’s what I like to hear. Soon, you’ll understand that this is where you belong."

Lily swallowed hard and lowered her gaze. She had to play her part, at least for a little longer. Because once she got out… she was never coming back.

She just had to survive until then.