Gina’s POV
She quickly glances over her shoulder, eyes wide with fear. “Shh! Lower your voice,” she whispered.
“Camille?” I whisper, barely believing my eyes. “What are you doing here? Why are you doing this?”
"You’re not really here to help me escape, are you?” I whispered, still in shock.
“We are running out of time and we have to get out of here as quickly as possible. Unless you want to stay here and have them behead you at sunrise.” She whispered as she helped me unlock the chains on my hands and legs.
“Come on, let's go. Now.” She grabs my hand and leads me to the palace hallway. We moved on tipped toes, navigating the hallway's twists and turns while also moving as fast as we could.
When we arrived at a hidden door on the far end of the corridor, Camille inserted one of the keys into the lock, her hands shaking slightly. “This passage leads to the old storage tunnels. They haven't been used for years, but they’ll get you out of the palace grounds.” She whispered before handing a duffel bag to me.
“When you're out of the tunnel, make the first right turn and keep going straight, and in no time you'll be at the pack borders.” She says calmly before pulling an anti-scent spray and a map out of the bag she gave me.
“This map has already been marked, so just follow the marked direction to Deegle; there you'll find your mother's pack. I believe your uncle and grandmother will accept you and keep you safe there. As for the spray, after you cross the border, spray it all over your body so no one will be able to track your scent.” She concluded before turning back to leave.
“Why are you helping me? After you lied that I was responsible for the death of Elrand.” I asked with a confused look on my face as I held her wrist, preventing her from going forward.
“You won't understand Gina, but I promise, when we meet again in the future, I will explain everything to you. She replied whilst still backing me.
She freed her wrist from my grip and walked away without looking back.
I moved to autopilot, doing what she said. After navigating my way through the tunnel just as Camille directed me, I found myself outside the palace and a few kilometers away from the border.
I took out the anti-scent spray and doused it all over my body. I opened the tunnel door, sniffing the air to make sure no one was around, and when the coast was clear, I took off. I made it to the pack border easily on foot, crossed the border, and hid behind a tree. I brought out the map from the duffel bag, and I cross-checked the marked paths.
I stripped naked, shoved my clothes into the duffel bag, and tried to shift into Raven for the first time. Since I got her on my eighteenth birthday, I haven't had the opportunity to shift into her form and find out what she looks like. I tried shifting for almost an hour but nothing; I even tried giving her complete control, but we still couldn't shift.
For the past two years, I never really cared about shifting because I was always regarded as a weakling, and I know that no matter how my wolf looks, I will still be regarded as a weakling. I knew I had all the abilities other werewolves have, even though mine wasn't as strong as theirs. I know I could bring out my claws, and amongst other werewolves, I have only seen my father do that, so naturally I thought I could shift.
“Raven what's going on, why can't we shift,” I asked her, feeling completely confused.
“I don't know Gina, but it seems like there is a kind of force preventing us from transforming.” She replied, disbelief evident in her voice.
“What do you mean …” Unexpectedly, I can feel the earth tremble with approaching footsteps, interrupting my conversation with Raven.
I took a quick look at the direction I heard the footsteps from, and there I found a guard walking in my direction. I took my dress from the duffel bag and dressed up as quickly as I could. I silently ran out of my hiding place, but the guards noticed my sudden movement and began chasing after me.
I can hear the stomping of the guards as I push my legs to sprint faster. I ran deep into the forest for about forty minutes without looking back. I stopped and started walking when I felt that I had gotten far away from them. I stopped moving so I could catch my breath and also check the map to see if I was on the right path.
Just as I was about to bring the map out of the duffel bag, I felt something stab my arm.
“Ouch!” I winced and grabbed my arm. I looked under but saw nothing. Strange, I thought to myself. I was about to check my bag again when I felt another stabbing sensation on my other arm. “What the hell,” I whispered. I was about to look down when, in quick succession, I felt the pain in my abdomen, the back of my head and then in my chest.
The pain was so excruciating that I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what was happening either. I tumble into my knees, holding myself as the pain I had never experienced ripped through my body and back. I feel my body gradually drifting off towards the ridge of the road. I tried taking control of my body to prevent myself from falling off the ridge, but the pain kept getting intense, and before I knew it, I felt my body tumbling and somersaulting down the slope of the ridge.
My body kept hitting the hard rocks and causing me more pain as I kept tumbling down until I finally landed on a plain, open space. “AHHHHH!!” I screamed and cried at the top of my lungs as the most unimaginable crept all over my body, and I ended up toppling over into the fetal position to help minimize the pain. Darkness finally took over, and I let myself fall unconscious.
****************
“She's not dead, just unconscious.” A gruff voice pierced into my consciousness and a foot hit my stomach, pulling me out of my daze. I hunched forward, holding my stomach to prevent any more attacks.
“Yep, she's very much alive. Who are you, rogue? And what are you doing in Mosvil? Answer now, before I kill you for trespassing.” The voice threatened.
I avoided their gaze. “Please, don't kill me. I don't mean any harm.” I pleaded, fear enveloping me as I recalled what my father used to do to rogues and trespassers. I had no idea I had trespassed.
On the map Camille gave to me, there was no city recorded on the way to Deegle; the only thing I had to keep an eye out for were rogues, and those paths were noted. Unless I had taken the wrong path while running, and when I fell off that ridge, I fell into the territory of another pack.
Wait, did that guard just say Mosvil?! The city of the most cruel Alpha King feared across all kingdoms and was known for being unforgiving.
If I'm in his city, then I'm as good as dead. Only the goddess can save me.
A hand held my collar roughly, dragging me up to my feet.
“P-please w-where am I.” Trembling in fear, I managed to ask the guard who dragged me up.
“What is going on here?” A male voice questioned before the guard could answer me.
A man approached us with two other guards, but from how he spoke, I could tell he was someone with a high rank in the pack. His curious eyes fell on me.
The two guards bowed their heads in respect. “We found this rogue in our territory this morning as we were about to start our patrol.”
He studied me for some seconds before turning to the guards
“Have you reported this to the Alpha King?”
“No sir. We just found her not quite long ago.” The guard holding me replied.
“Take her to the Alpha king.” The man replied before walking away with the two other guards.
“Please don't take me to the king! I fell off that ridge when going to my mother's pack last night.” I cried.
The guards ignored my cries as he dragged me into the pack. When we got close to the palace he pulled me up to face him.
“Let me hear your voice one more time, and I will make sure you never talk again.”
I held my mouth with my hands to stop the sobs that threatened to escape.
I swallowed harshly as he pushed the door open.
“Your Highness. We found this rogue close to the border this morning.”
As we entered the court, the most beautiful scent wafted into my nose. The scent is very intoxicating. It's as if the fresh scent of a forest after rainfall is combined with the warm, musky sweetness of amber, laced with a hint of spice that tingles the senses.
Raven whispers the word to me, MATE!
Is the Alpha King my mate? My second chance?