Chapter 128: Run Away

With a shriek of pain, my mother staggered back, releasing her hold. I gasped for air, collapsing onto the forest floor. As my vision cleared, I saw my mother clutching her face, a crimson stain blooming across her fingers.

"How… How did you find me?" I rasped, my voice hoarse from lack of oxygen.

"Olga," she spat, her voice laced with venom. "Keith and I made a deal. I’ll help him get the rogues in the borders in exchange for… getting rid of you."

The revelation made my stomach churn. My mother had orchestrated my capture, colluding with the very threat she swore to protect the pack from.

"I even gave her guard schedules," my mother continued, her voice dripping with vindictive satisfaction, "making sure the rogues wouldn't be stopped at the borders long enough… for you to be… eliminated. But I hate their plan. Keith wanted you alive but I wanted you gone so the attack was merely an excuse for me to kill you"

My mind reeled. The woman who had birthed me, the woman who had become my executioner. The thought made that burning fury and wrath boil in me.

Scrambling to my feet, I glared at her, my voice laced with a dangerous edge. "Why? Why would you do this?"

A cruel smile twisted my mother's lips. "Because you need to die, Florence. And with everyone distracted by the rogue attack, this was the perfect opportunity. Besides, I can only be the one to end you."

My anger flared, a white-hot inferno that threatened to consume me. "What did I ever do to you?!" I roared. "Why do you hate me so much?!"

She spat, "You…..you remind me of him. Your father. A weak, pathetic excuse for a werewolf! I want to forget I met him in his lifetime but as long as you're breathing, I could never attain that peace of mind"

All this time, the resentment, the hatred, it wasn't directed at me, but at a ghost from the past, my father. The darkness of the past, and I, the living embodiment of a painful memory, was caught in the crossfire.

Rage, primal and raw, coursed through me. My mother's venomous words were a fresh wound.

"He loved you," I snarled, "He wouldn't have died if you hadn't…"

My accusation was cut short by a chilling laugh that erupted from my mother. It was a sound devoid of humor, filled with a bitterness that sent shivers down my spine.

"Love?" she scoffed, her golden eyes gleaming with malice. "Your father was a fool, Florence. Blinded by his pathetic emotions. Weak. Stupid. And today, I will make sure you join him in hell”

I clenched my fist, my wolf—Nasya growling and craving for my mother’s blood. My eyes glow in a purple hue.

I lunged at her. My mother, taken aback by the sudden attack, barely had time to raise her arms in a meager defense. My claws raked across her arm, drawing a scream of pain.

But she was a seasoned warrior, and my assault was short-lived. With a snarl that mirrored my own, she slammed her fist into my chest, the force of the blow sending me flying backward. I landed hard on the forest floor, the breath momentarily knocked out of my lungs.

The sting was overshadowed by the adrenaline. Scrambling to my feet, I lunged at her again, fueled by a desperate hope to overpower her. With a growl, she aimed a vicious kick at my knee. But I anticipated the move, easily sidestepping it. In the same fluid motion, I grabbed her arm, twisting it with a sickening snap. A scream tore from her throat.

Her reflexes are something. I gave her that as she quickly grabbed me by the throat, her strength amplified by her wolf form. Lifting me effortlessly into the air, she dangled me a few inches off the ground. With a final, cruel smile, she flung me aside like a ragdoll. I sailed through the air, a sickening thud marking the collision between my back and the rough bark of a thick oak tree. The impact stole the remaining air from my lungs, the world fading to black as I slumped unconscious to the forest floor.

“Dammit,” I whimpered.

With a groan, blood dripping from my shoulders and head, I didn't waste a second to stand on my feet, assuming a defensive stance. I can feel my wounds starting to heal instantly.

My mother snarled at me and was about to lunge again. Just as I started to channel the shift, a flash of gray fur slammed into my mother, the force of the impact sending my mother tumbling back. My mother screeched in fury, but the large gray wolf that now stood between us, its fangs bared and its body bristling with aggression, held its ground.

Disbelief washed over me. Slowly, the realization dawned as the gray wolf shifted into human form – the naked figure stood as Samantha. Beside her, another gray wolf transformed back into Layla, her face etched with shock and relief. They had found me.

“Florence?” Samantha asked in stunned silence.

Layla gasped, “What….what are you doing here?”

“I WILL KILL YOU!” my mother screamed and all our attention landed on her.

My mother effortlessly shifted midair. My focus was solely on escaping my mother's clutches. The opportunity presented itself when Samantha grappled with my mother, creating a temporary window. With a burst of adrenaline, I scrambled to my feet and bolted towards the SUV.

Blood seeped through my clothes, staining the fabric crimson as I ran. Behind me, I heard Layla cry out, calling for me.

"FLORENCE STOP! DONT! NO! DON'T LEAVE!"

But her pleas fell on deaf ears as two rogues appeared on the left all going for Layla. I looked back only to find Layla shifting back to her wolf form and killing the rogues. A choked sob escaped my lips, a wordless apology for Layla as I continued to run.

Exhaustion gnawed at the edges of my consciousness. I stumbled towards the SUV, ignoring the dull ache throbbing in every muscle.

“I hope that good-for-nothing of a mother dies” I grunted, picking up the keys on the ground near the vehicle.

With trembling hands, I fumbled for the keys. The engine roared to life. Throwing the SUV into gear, I slammed my foot on the accelerator, gravel spraying behind me as I sped towards the gate.

Through the windshield, a terrifying scene unfolded. In the distance, the clearing beyond the castle erupted in chaos. Rogue werewolves clashed with Lycan warriors, their snarls echoing through the air. My stomach lurched, but there was no time to dwell on the carnage. My only focus blazed clear: escape and kill Keith.

I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal. The speedometer needle climbed, pushing the car towards its limits. The trees flanking the road blurred into a green and brown, as I held the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip.

“I'm sorry” I whispered.

Suddenly, two figures hurtled out of the forest, blocking the road ahead. One, a Lycan wolf the other, a rogue with red eyes. I quickly noticed the Lycan with its large wolf size and bright golden eyes. But what made me frown was the rogue that was almost the size of the Lycan.

“How did that fcking bastard manage to create such a creature?”

My heart hammered against my rib. With a sharp turn of the wheel, I swerved the car, narrowly missing the surprised Lycan who stumbled to the side. The rogue, however, reacted with unexpected agility, lunging towards the car just as I passed. The side mirror shattered as it grazed the beast's outstretched claws.

“What the heck?!”

I pressed the gas pedal further, urging the car to accelerate. Every fiber of my being yearned to stop and help the Lycan, but I knew time was not on my side.

A flicker of movement outside the car caught my eye. A figure was sprinting alongside the SUV. My heart hammered against my ribs as I recognized the powerful gait, the unmistakable larger build than the rest, the shining black fur and black eyes— Nicholas.

“Oh just on time” I grumbled, biting my lower lip.

Tears begin welled up in my eyes, hot and stinging. Through my tears, I can't help but smile bitterly.

“It's nice to see you again, mate”

After almost a week of not seeing him, I didn't expect I would meet him again like this. The past few days, I had thought that maybe I would meet his wolf with the field of flowers around us. Not like this.

Taking a deep breath, I slammed my foot on the gas. I propelled the SUV through the open gate, leaving everything behind in a blur of dust. The growls of pursuit filled the air. The growls felt like it was asking me to stop, begging me to stop the car.