Chapter 9 The Escape
Her expression carried both hesitation and obedience. “The Alpha king has requested you join him for breakfast,” she said, eyes flicking upward just briefly, then lowering again, deferential. “He’s in the east wing dining room.”
I smiled faintly, soft enough to appear harmless. “Of course,” I said, my tone gentle, even polite. “Lead the way.”
I had to have everyone around me relaxed.
Tessa blinked, surprised at the sudden compliance. Perhaps she thought I had accepted my fate, or that sleep had dulled my defiance. I knew better. A calm wolf was the most dangerous kind.
As we began descending the grand staircase, my mind was a storm of calculation. I’d counted the corners on the way down—two guards by the main entrance, one near the hallway that led to the back gardens. The mansion’s front doors were heavy, yes, but not sealed. And she could hear, even from here, the faint murmur of the pine forest beyond the walls. Freedom was close. I only needed one good chance.
And I just created it.
They reached the middle of the hallway when I let my heel twist sharply, my body tilting with a convincing gasp.
“Ah—!”
I stumbled, clutching the railing as if in pain.
Tessa spun immediately. “My lady! Are you hurt?”
I grimaced, faking a wince that bordered on believable. “It’s… my ankle. I think I—” I let my voice crack slightly, forcing the tremor of vulnerability that always made people rush in.
And Tessa did exactly that.
The young woman knelt, concern washing over her features, reaching for my foot to inspect.
That was the moment I moved.
My hand shot out, grabbing the heavy glass vase from the ornate table against the wall. I didn’t hesitate, hesitation was weakness. With a swift motion, I swung it forward.
The vase shattered against Tessa’s temple with a sharp, sickening crack.
The sound echoed through the grand hall.
Tessa crumpled instantly. The guards turned rushing to ask what was wrong —too late.
I was already gone.
My feet slammed against the polished floor, muscles igniting with raw, instinctive strength. The wolf inside me stirred, half-awake, urging me to run faster. My hybrid blood thrummed like wildfire in my veins, my senses sharpening with every stride.
The air smelled of panic, guards shouting, boots pounding. The front doors loomed ahead, tall and gleaming, sunlight streaking through their glass panes. I felt my pulse hammering in my ears as I leaped and slammed into the handles.
The doors burst open.
Cold air hit my face, sharp and freeing.
I was out.
For a heartbeat, the world went still. The estate spread before me—stone steps leading down to a gravel drive lined with towering pines. The forest whispered at the edge of the horizon, mist curling through its shadows.
Freedom.
I sprinted down the steps, every movement fueled by pure instinct. Behind me, voices rose—“Stop her!”—the roar of commands echoing off the mansion walls.
I didn’t stop.
My legs blurred, muscles straining, I breathed cutting sharp through the cold morning. The ground seemed to vanish beneath my feet.
“Shift!” someone yelled. “Track her scent!”
My vision tunneled, my heartbeat thundering in my chest. The gravel path blurred into dirt, then grass, then roots and wild undergrowth as I crossed the property line. I barely felt my body anymore; I was a streak of movement, a shadow darting between trees.
I could feel the beast inside me awakening, feeding off my desperation. It wanted to take over.
I need it in but drew on it anyway.
The change wasn’t visible, but I felt it, like lightning crawling through my veins. My muscles tightened, bones humming, eyes narrowing as the world sharpened into unbearable clarity. I could hear everything now: the wind snapping through the trees, the heartbeat of a rabbit three hundred feet away, the rush of my own pulse echoing like a drum.
And the wolves.
They were close. I could smell them, could hear their heartbeats and the blood coursing through their veins.
I pushed harder. My hybrid body answered the call with a speed no ordinary wolf could match—vampire speed, pure and unfiltered. The trees blurred into streaks of black and silver as I flew between them, feet barely touching the ground. My lungs burned with every breath, but I didn’t stop.
My muscles burned with unnatural strength, my reflexes lightning-quick. Every sound, every snapping twig, every shout behind me, registered with razor clarity.
I ducked under a low branch, leaped over a fallen log, and didn’t dare look back.
Somewhere behind me, a howl split the air. One of the guards had shifted, a wolf’s growl echoing through the woods.
Let them howl, I thought bitterly. They were not going to catch me. I pushed harder, my lungs aching as I tore through the forest. A sharp root caught my calf, slicing skin, but I didn’t stop. Pain was a luxury. Survival was all that mattered.
The mist grew thicker the deeper I ran, swallowing the trees into a pale blur. I stumbled once, caught myself, and forced my legs to move faster.
Run. Don’t stop. Don’t think.
My father’s voice whispered in my mind, calm and distant, If they ever find out what you are, Lyra, don’t let them catch you alive.
Tears stung my eyes, but the wind stole them before they could fall.
Behind me, the estate faded into the fog. The howls grew faint. The ground began to slope downward, and I veered sharply to the left, crashing through a tangle of underbrush until I caught sight of pale light between the trees. The forest thinned ahead, an opening, maybe. Hope flared, sharp and dangerous. I broke through the last of the branches and stumbled out onto open ground.
The forest ended abruptly at a stretch of highway glistening under the moonlight. The road stretched endlessly in both directions, wet with mist, empty except for a low hum in the distance.
A truck.
It was massive, an eighteen-wheeler, headlights cutting through the fog, its engine rumbling like a promise. It was my only chance.
Behind me, a snarl ripped through the air. My stomach turned cold.
I sprinted for the edge of the road. My legs trembled, my breath came ragged, but I didn’t slow. The truck loomed closer, its horn blaring once as if to warn me away. Too late.
I hit the guardrail, vaulted over it, and ran straight into the road.
Time slowed for a split second. Horns blared. Tires screamed.
Then I jumped.
For a breathless moment, I was airborne. The rush of wind tore at my hair, my clothes, my skin. I hit the side of the trailer hard, the impact jolting through every bone. Pain exploded through me, but I didn’t stop moving. My hands scrambled for purchase, fingers clawing at metal until they found a ledge.
With one desperate pull, I hauled myself under the blue tarp stretched across the cargo bed.
The world narrowed to darkness, the hum of the engine, and the pounding of my own heart.
For several long seconds, I couldn’t breathe. My entire body shook with exhaustion. Blood ran down my arms from the cuts on my face and hands. The scent of oil and rubber filled my nose.
The howls behind me grew distant.
I pressed my forehead to the cold metal beneath me and let out a shaky laugh that broke somewhere between relief and disbelief. My entire body throbbed, but it didn’t matter. I’d done it.
I’d escaped.
For now.
I shifted slightly, careful not to make a sound, and peered through a tiny gap in the tarp. The forest was shrinking behind us, just a shadow now, fading into mist. My heart still raced, but the rhythm was changing. Slowing. Settling.
That’s when reality hit me.
He’d come after me. Darius.
I could feel him still, a faint pull beneath my ribs, like a magnetic hum deep inside my chest. It wasn’t physical, not entirely. It was something more primal, something my mind refused to name. It wasn’t just the bond. It was him. His power, his fury, his intent.
Even from miles away, I could feel his anger thrumming through the thread that tied us together. And beneath it… something else. Something that felt almost like worry.
I curled in on myself, burying my face in my arms. “Don’t you dare come after me,” I whispered, voice shaking.
But I knew he would.
I reached into the pocket of my torn clothes and felt the cool metal of the watch I’d stolen from Darius’s closet. I didn’t even know why I’d decided to take it, I've never stolen. Maybe because it was the only thing I could control, one small rebellion in a world that kept trying to own me.
I clenched it in my fist until it dug into my palm. The truck rattled down the highway, the rhythmic hum of the wheels lulling me into an uneasy stillness. My adrenaline began to fade, leaving only the hollow ache of exhaustion and the cold weight of fear.
I thought of my father. His voice whispering in my ear the night before he died: “No matter what happens, Lyra, you must never let them see what you are.”
I had to inject the serum into me, it would but me some time.
I had used too much energy. But even as exhaustion dragged me under, I wasn’t sure I believed it.
My dreams were a blur of blood and silver light, flashes of my father’s lab, the hiss of vials, his voice whispering, “You have to hide what you are, Lyra. They’ll kill you if they find out.” I saw his eyes filled with worry.
I woke with a gasp. It was midday. The truck had stopped. I held my breath, listening. The sound of footsteps. Male voices.
“…we’ll unload here.”
Panic surged through me. I couldn’t stay. If they found me, if anyone saw me, Darius’s people could trace me. I needed to move before the truck was fully opened.
Quietly, I lifted the edge of the tarp and peeked out. The truck was parked near a warehouse lot. Good.
I slipped out, landing lightly on the cold asphalt. I pulled the hood of a discarded jacket over my head and started walking I had to leave the city immediately.