Kamrynn
"Where are you going with this skank?" he demands, his voice sharp.
Lysaa doesn't miss a beat. She straightens up, her expression fierce. "The Alpha's orders," she snaps back. "He wants her moved to the lower quarters. Now get out of our way."
He hesitates, clearly unsure. Lysaa glares at him, her expression full of authority I've never seen from her before.
"Move," she growls.
The man steps aside, and Lysaa pulls me past him, not even giving him a second glance. I can barely breathe, my heart hammering in my chest, but we make it through the doors and into the night.
The cold air hits my face, a sharp contrast to the stuffy room I've been chained in for so long. The darkness surrounds us, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel a sliver of hope.
Lysaa helps me down the path, the blanket pulled tight around me to protect me from the chill. The Pack house is behind us now, but we're not safe yet. I can still hear the shouts and the chaos, but it's distant. No one's coming for us. Not yet.
Lysaa stops when we're a good distance away from the house. "This is as far as I can take you," she whispers, glancing back toward the Pack house. "I have to go back before they notice I'm gone."
Tears well up in my eyes as I look at her, my only friend in this nightmare. "Lysaa… thank you. For everything."
She shakes her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "No need to thank me, Kamrynn. I only wish I could've done more."
I take a shaky breath, the weight of everything crashing down on me. "I don't know how to repay you."
"Just live," she says softly. "Get out of here. Protect your baby. That's all I want."
I nod, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand. "I'll try."
She squeezes my hand one last time before pulling away. "Good luck. Be safe."
And then, just like that, she's gone, disappearing into the night, back to the chaos of the Pack house. I watch her go, my heart heavy with both gratitude and sadness. I don't know if I'll ever see her again, but I'll always be grateful for what she's done.
I turn toward the forest, the darkness swallowing me as I trudge forward. Every step is painful, my body screaming at me to stop, but I can't. I have to get away. I have to survive. For the baby. For Sherelle. For myself.
The border of the Pack looms ahead, the patrol guards in the distance, but thankfully, the night provides enough cover for me to slip past them unnoticed. My heart pounds in my chest as I cross the boundary line, my feet dragging in the dirt, every muscle in my body aching.
As soon as I step foot outside the Pack's territory, I stop, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I close my eyes, and with a deep, shaky breath, I whisper the words that have been on my mind for so long.
"I, Kamrynn Delamorte, denounce and cut all ties with the Obsidian Pack. From this moment on, I no longer have anything to do with this Pack."
A searing pain shoots through my chest as I sever the bond, the connection to the Pack snapping like a taut string. I gasp, clutching at my heart, the pain so intense that I stumble forward, nearly falling to my knees. But I catch myself, gritting my teeth against the agony.
Then, I raise my head to the sky, and with every ounce of strength I have left, I lay the curse.
"By the blood I've shed, by the life you've taken from me, I curse the Obsidian Pack. May the Pack's strength wither, its wolves falter. May your lands be barren, your children weak. I curse your Alpha, Calvin Kane, to know the pain of every life he's destroyed. To feel it burn inside him, just as it burns inside me. Until his last breath, may he suffer. And may your Pack fall with him."
The words leave my lips in a trembling whisper, but the weight of them settles over me like a storm cloud. I can feel it take root, spreading through the air, the forest, the very earth beneath my feet. It's more than just words-it's power. A power that had been building inside me all along, fed by my pain, my rage, my despair.
I sway on my feet, exhausted, my limbs trembling. I can barely stand, but the adrenaline pushes me forward. I've done it. I've severed my ties with the Obsidian Pack, and I've cursed them. They'll feel my pain now.
With every step I take into the wilderness, the darkness grows thicker, the cold biting at my skin. My body feels heavy, every inch of me aching and raw. My chest still burns from the bond being severed, and the sharp, empty pain is like nothing I've ever felt before.
I stagger deeper into the forest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My legs are barely holding me up, but I don't stop. I can't. I have to keep moving. I have to protect this child.
But as I stumble forward, each step more painful than the last, the exhaustion finally catches up to me. My body can't take anymore. I've pushed myself too far. The adrenaline begins to fade, leaving only the overwhelming fatigue that's been gnawing at me for days.
My vision blurs. My head feels heavy, like it's filled with lead. I stumble again, my knees buckling beneath me. I try to catch myself, but my arms don't respond. The ground rushes up to meet me, and I hit the dirt hard, my body limp, my face pressed into the cold earth.
No… I can't stop now.
But the darkness is already closing in, my body too weak to fight it off. The last thing I feel before everything goes black is the cold wind brushing over my skin, and the faint hope that maybe-just maybe-I've escaped.
***
When I wake, the world is different.
I can't feel the cold earth beneath me anymore. The first thing I notice is the sensation of rough ropes biting into my wrists and ankles. I blink, my vision hazy, and when I try to move, I realize I'm tied up. Bound. My heart stutters in panic as I blink against the blurry shapes around me, trying to make sense of where I am.
What's happening?
As my vision clears, I become aware of voices. Low, gruff murmurs, and the sound of movement around me. My body aches in every possible way-my arms and legs stiff from the bindings, my stomach twisting in hunger, my bones sore from lying on something hard. But more than anything, I feel… exposed.
I look down at myself and realize with horror that I'm completely naked.
Panic rises in my throat as I struggle to sit up, the ropes biting into my skin as I pull against them. Did Calvin find me? Have I been captured again?
My wrists are bound tightly behind my back, and my legs are tied together at the ankles. My body feels weak, too weak to fight, and a desperate sense of vulnerability washes over me.
My eyes dart around, and I finally see where I am-a large open space, like a warehouse or an old barn. The floors are wooden, creaky beneath the boots of the men walking around, and I'm not alone.
I'm not the only one tied up.
All around me, there are other girls, naked and bound just like I am. Their eyes are wide with fear, their faces pale. Some are crying softly, while others sit in stunned silence, too shocked to make a sound.
I look around frantically, my breath catching in my throat as I try to understand. Where am I? What's happening? And then I hear the voice that makes my blood run cold.
"Next up! A young one. Pretty thing. Good for breeding."
A man's voice, loud and raspy, echoing through the large space. I whip my head around and see him-a man with a grizzled face, standing on a makeshift platform at the front of the room. He's shouting, gesturing towards the girl tied up at his feet.
An auction.
My heart slams in my chest as the reality sinks in. I've been captured. I'm being sold…