I didn’t know how many hours I lay in that position curled up on the ground, waiting for death. The feeble light flickering from the hung torches on the wall barely illuminated the desolation around me. It seemed so ironic, the weak Omega without a wolf being put to death for plotting to kill the Alpha. But it was what it was.
It was easy for anyone to point accusing fingers at the weaker wolf since it couldn’t defend itself. And there was only so much the wolf could take until it couldn’t take it anymore. I was at that point now, embracing defeat. The sheer absurdity of the situation did not escape me.
My own sister had betrayed me. She was about to bind herself to a man that belonged to me. If I hadn’t cried out every drop of water inside me, I would’ve cried a little more. Ethan coming to the realization that he’d made a mistake locking me away had been my way out of here. A wolf couldn’t reject its mate, could it?
I’d been terribly wrong.
I’d never really felt like an outcast until now. Even though the bullying and the insults had been going on for years, it never really occurred to me that I was truly an outcast. Seeing how easy it was for my family to move on without me even though it had only been less than a day? My throat felt dry.
My eyes drifted shut and I finally let the wave of fatigue take over me. Maybe by the time I woke up, all this would’ve been a dream. Or better yet, maybe I would die in my sleep. Yes, that seemed like a better idea.
“Arya,” a familiar voice whispered, shaking me urgently from my sleep. “Wake up. We have to go. There’s no time.”
My eyes fluttered open and adjusted to see Jane, my only friend, kneeling in front of me. How was she in here?
“What?” I asked somewhat absentmindedly. “What are you doing here?”
“Alison’s pushing for your execution to be shifted to sunrise. I can’t let them kill you for something you didn’t do.”
Her words came out low but hurried and I noticed the way she kept looking around as if expecting someone to appear. She handed me a black cloak and straightened to her feet. I mirrored her action, a sense of urgency overtaking me as I put the cloak on as a simple disguise. I wasn’t surprised at my twin sister’s devices. I was beginning to understand her hatred for me knew no bounds.
I peered outside the cell and it was empty. “Where are the guards?” I asked in a whisper, looking back at Jane.
She shrugged. “I drugged them. They’re somewhere snoring away but the potion won’t last long. We have to get out of here. If we get caught, my head will be cut off too.”
I understood the risk she was taking and I was more than grateful for it. The iron bars of the cell groaned open, and we moved through the narrow corridors with practiced stealth. The echoes of our footsteps reverberated in the oppressive stillness of the castle's depths. I’d been unconscious when they’d brought me here so I didn’t recognize the path.
As we approached a hidden alcove, Jane pressed a small, rusted key into my hand. “If you keep walking straight for about two minutes, you’ll come to a small gate. This key opens that gate. Once you’re out, keep running and don’t look back.”
My eyes began to sting. “Jane…”
“Don’t get emotional right now, Arya. This is not the time.” Her voice was stern but affectionate and it could tell she was feeling emotional herself.
“What if they find out you helped me?” I grabbed her hands in mine. “Let’s run away together.”
She shook her head with a small smile. “My family is here. I can’t leave them. And they won’t find out I helped you if you don’t get caught. So don’t get caught.”
A tear of despair ran down my face. I hated my family. I hated the Crest Pack for what they’d done to me. Ever since I stepped foot in the pack home, Jane had been the only person who’d been nice to me. Whenever I was being bullied, she would stand up for me and talk back to whoever was insulting me. Even though we were very different, I’d come to love her as a friend.
Nodding, I wiped behind my eyes. “Thank you so much.”
Jane reached into her back pocket. “Here.” She handed me a wad of cash rolled and held together by a rubber band. “This is all I could manage to get. It should see you settled for a couple of days. At least, until you find a job or something.”
“Oh, Jane.”
“Once you leave, get a bus going far from here. Neither your family nor Ethan will be able to reach you once you’re gone.”
I collected the money and dipped it in the pocket of my cloak, my throat thick with emotion. I would never forget Jane. Never.
“Thank you so much,” I told her, drawing her in for a quick embrace. It was dark but not too dark that I couldn’t see the sheen of moisture gathering in my eyes. She felt this too. Pulling away, I held her teary gaze with mine. “I’ll never forget you, Jane.”
“And I, you,” she answered. “Alright. Now go. And remember, trust no one.”
And then she swung on her heel and walked away. Taking a deep breath, I began to walk forward, almost breaking out into a sprint. In no time, I reached the gate Jane said would be there. With the key safely in my hand, I fitted it into the lock and turned. Heart in my throat, I let out a sigh of relief as it gave way with a little creak and pushed open to reveal the sky. The cool midnight air greeted me as I emerged into the shadows of the castle courtyard.
It was still early in the morning and the sun had not yet risen. A bit disconcerting that I would have been executed come sunrise, but I chose not to dwell on it as my eyes roamed the open space before I broke out into a run.
I could hear my heart pounding against my ribcage as my legs ran like the gates of hell were after me. I ran till I ran out of breath and by the time I stopped, it was in front of a fence. I couldn’t go through the front gate since there were always guards there. Throwing my body upward, I leaped unto the fence with my hands, then threw my body over it with all my strength.
When I landed, it was on the other side of the pack home. I’d done it. My chest heaved heavily and I rested my back against the fence and finally let the tears fall. I’d freaking done it. I’d escaped. I had no idea where I was going but I was a free woman now and I would begin afresh without the shackles of the shame that held me down here.
With a silent promise in my heart to never return, I disappeared into the night, leaving behind the confines of the cell that held me falsely accused and the people who had done it.
I made a pact to never back down again, and never look weak in front of anyone. From here on out, I would become the woman I always wanted to be, strong, bold and ambitious.
Come what fucking may.