CHAPTER TWO

The door behind me opened easily, as though it was ushering me into a new life. I dashed out of the room and hurried down the corridor, unsure of where I was headed. My bloody hand was throbbing now, sending spasm after spasm of pain through my body. I clasped a hand over my mouth to hold off the gasp of pain that sprang to my lips. The words—those vile, hateful words—kept ringing in my head.

I was a monster…

I was a monster…

And yet, I had to do what I had to do to survive. That man had killed every single one of my pack members, sparing only me for Goddess knew what reason. He didn't love me, no. Having a mate was very different from love. I knew the only reason he hadn't called the guards on me with the last of his breath was because I had tied our souls together. If they harmed me, they harmed him too.

I reached the end of the corridor and peered outside, pursing my lips in concentration. There was nobody there. Good. Nobody in this pack recognized my face, but I wasn't taking any chances. And I didn't want to explain the ribbons of red that dripped from my busted wrist to anyone.

I turned left and hurried down the silent corridor, my bare feet barely making a noise on the floor. I hoped against hope that the corridor was leading me to the front door and certain escape, but a voice made me stop abruptly in my tracks.

"Who are you?" It asked.

I cringed, squeezing my eyes shut and hoping the person would ignore me and move on. However, the person walked forward slowly. I could almost see the confused look on the person's face as he slowly approached me.

Then he stopped.

And placed a hand on my shoulder.

I swiftly pulled the long hand off my dress to hide my bloody wrist, then pressed the wrist to my side. My entire hand screamed in protest, and I fought back tears of pain. I turned slowly to face the person, praying within me that he let me go.

The man scowled, eyes disappearing into his brow. He peered into my face and tried to connect the dots. "Who are you?" He asked again.

"A maid!" I blurted the first thing that came to mind. "The alpha asked for me, and that is where I am coming from."

"A maid, you say?" He mused. Then I felt a drop of blood slowly flow from my wrist, then dropped to the ground.

The man's gaze dropped to the spot of blood on the white floor, then wandered upwards to my clenched hand and the stained sleeve that surrounded him. Then his eyes widened in alarm.

I could almost see the wheels turning in his head, and I knew I had no more time.

I had to take action now.

With a surge of strength, I swung my leg toward the man and kicked him in the shin. He howled in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Guards!" He yelled. "Impostor!"

I could hear the thundering footsteps as several guards raced in our direction. I had no more than a few seconds. Soon the guards would rush into the corridor and see me.

Heart beating with fear, I turned to run, but the man lunged towards me and grabbed the hem of my dress, holding me back.

"Fuck! Let me go!" I swore, swinging my other leg towards him. This time it connected with his head and he yelped in pain again, then freed me. I turned and dashed down another corridor that opened into the large foyer of the pack house.

And there, mere footsteps away stood the front door.

Heaving a sigh of relief, I rushed towards the front door and kicked it open, then raced out. By this time, I had a horde of guards behind me, trying to chase me down. The man who I'd cornered was at their head.

I glanced back as I raced down the front lawn of the pack house. My heart was hammering with fear and sadness, and tears were beginning to pool in my eyes. I couldn't let them get to me. I couldn't afford to be dragged back into that house and forced to live with the man who had killed my parents. I would spend the rest of my years hating him and hating the bond between us.

I knew he couldn't kill me now, but was it worth it, spending a lifetime bound to him?

I dashed into the forest that surrounded the pack house. I did not stop, even though I could feel the strain on my feet. My legs seemed to be fueled by sheer bravery, as they carried me on. Dead twigs snapped under my feet and branches caught at my dress and skin, giving me painful nicks.

Suddenly I lurched forward and collapsed against a tree, panting hard. I couldn't run any further without collapsing in exhaustion; my poor heart needed rest.

I slowly slipped to the ground and leaned against a tree, taking a much-needed break. That vicious man, I thought. I would find a way to break the blood bond that tied us together, even if it was the last thing I did. But for now, I was content with being tied to him. It was the only thing that had kept me alive so far.

Suddenly I heard several footsteps thundering into the forest. I froze by the tree, hoping against hope that it was a wild animal perhaps, or another random person. But the voices I heard killed every last strand of hope left in me.

"....couldn't have gone very far." I heard someone say. "Sniff her out!"

Goddess, I'd forgotten that I was bleeding profusely. These were werewolves, with extremely strong senses of smell. They would smell the blood that dripped from my wrist and find my hiding spot in a matter of minutes.

I had to act fast.

I could already hear them sniffing the air and coming in my direction. I slowly rose to my feet, using the tree behind me as a shield. I turned, then peered outside.

One of the guards in his crimson uniform was standing a few feet from me.

My eyes darted around wildly as I tried to figure out what to do. They came to rest on a short but sturdy log of wood some feet away. I squeezed my eyes shut and smiled gratefully, then tiptoed towards the large stick.

Picking it up in my hands, I walked towards the guards slowly. He had his back to me, and his nose in the air. The entire forest was deathly silent—even the chirping birds had quietened—as though the entire world was waiting for that single, crucial moment.

I raised the stick high above my head, then swung it towards him.....

.....and a voice cut through the eerie silence of the forest.

"Drop that stick," it called, full of danger. "Immediately."

The guard who would have suffered the blow swiftly turned. His gaze registered the stick in my hands and I saw his eyes widen in alarm. The owner of the voice emerged from the trees, flanked by four other guards.

It was the man who I'd met in the corridor.

"Let me go!" I yelled, despair coursing through my body. "You animals!"

The sturdy stick slipped from my fingers and hit the dead leaves on the ground. I turned to run, but another group of guards blocked my way. I was surrounded by enemies.

I had nowhere else to turn.

"You didn't think you could go far, did you?" The man said coldly and began to walk up to me. I backed up until I hit a tree, and shuddered in fear. "You hurt our alpha. You will never go scot-free."

The man bent and picked up the stick I'd dropped. Then he approached me slowly.

"Our alpha sends his greetings," he growled, and the guards around me began to laugh cruelly. Then I watched as the stick swung towards my head, connecting and sending waves of pain through my body. I yelled in agony and slipped to the ground, too weak to do more.

Then the laughter faded, and the darkness took over.