Page 11 of Ruthless Reign

Where did that light come from?

When I'm able to hold my weight, I cross the cell, hand reaching around for the lock. I'm stunned to find it broken too, the cracked, warped metal falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Carefully, I push open the door, cringing at the creaking sound it makes. I pause for a moment, listening out for any tell-talessigns that someone has heard the commotion. When nobody immediately opens the door at the top of the stairs, I start to slowly ascend. It takes me longer than usual, my legs still screaming in pain at being cramped up for hours as I cling to the railing for support.

I wipe my hand across my face to get rid of the fallen tears, dried blood and dirt flaking off. If anything, seeing it encourages me to push on, and when I reach the door, I slowly push it open an inch.

The white foyer is shrouded in darkness, confirming that it's night time. Unless I've been out way too long, if my calculations are correct then I've been gone one full day. Which means tonight is the full moon. There's a sharp pain in my chest, a haze in my head as I remember what I was supposed to be doing tonight. But there's no time to dwell on that. If I want any chance of actually getting to my Luna ceremony, I need to focus.

Holding my breath as I cross the room, the moonlight gets brighter as I emerge from the shadows. There's a door ahead and taking a quick peek at the stairs to make sure no sneaky James' are lurking about again, I slowly make my way over.

I'm not sure what the plan is here. I have no idea where I am—even if I did, Mira is still nowhere to beheard, so shifting is out of the question. The chances of me getting out of their territory unnoticed is slim to none. But I have to try, right?

Turning the handle, I let out a sigh of relief when it makes no noise. I step onto the front porch, realizing thatporchdoesn't quite cover it.

The building I just exited is huge. It would easily rival Alpha Wyatt's buildings in fashionable taste. Once again, it makes me angry and annoyed.

Glancing around, I feel a dash of hope as I spot a tree line ahead. Wherever I am, it's on the edge of their territory—or the woods, at least. I don't know how far these trees go, but it will atleast give me a chance to make a break for it. I can use the trees to hide and cover me—provided there are no wolves lurking about on patrol.

The irony isn't lost on me. But the anger, well, that fuels my desire to get the fuck out of here.

I quickly check left and right to make sure there's no one around. And then I run.

It doesn't take long until I'm between trees, legs screaming violently as I pound the ground. It hurts—my whole body—but I run.

The moon is high so I'm easily able to see where I'm going, trying not to focus on the fact that I'm a visible target. Someone running through the woods is definitely a suspicious sign, but I remind myself that the further I make it, the closer I get to safety.

I could be running in the wrong direction to Shadow Creek, but maybe I'll get lucky and end up in a neighboring territory with a pack that's not a bunch of psychopaths. They could be friendly and welcoming, with lavish buildings decked out for hospitality like Alpha Wyatt and Luna Eve's town.

Or… they could be ruthless like Alpha Kingston and kill me the moment I step foot on their land.

Well, at this point, what do I have to lose? I'm dead no matter what.

My breathing starts to get heavier, panting as I sprint. Short of holding my mouth and nose and dying of suffocation, I have to take the risk.

I get more confident the deeper I go into the woods, calling out for Mira every so often. There's a small hope that eventually I'll leave whatever magic forcefield they have around here, and I'll be able to shift—and mind link someone for help.

But just when I think I'm doing well, a large black and white wolf jumps out of nowhere into my pathway. There's no time toreact or slow down, and I crash right into it, my body tumbling over the top of its furry back before I land painfully on the damp ground on the other side.

Shit.

"Mira, where are you?! I really need you right now."

Once again, I'm met with complete silence, and I crawl backwards as the wolf turns, padding toward me.

Even though I accept my looming death, I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely terrified of being ripped to pieces. The wolf snarls, growling low as it stalks toward me.

"Fuck off," I curse, picking up a stick from the ground and flinging it at its head. It bounces off the fur, not landing any kind of force—but the wolf does surprisingly halt.

Unfortunately, so do I.

My hands are covered in tiny cuts from the sticks and stones on the ground, shaking under my weight as they threaten to buckle. We enter into a stare-off, my eyes narrowing on the wolf, its piercing blue eyes watching me fiercely.

Piercing blue eyes.

You've got to be kidding me.

There's no doubt in my mind who this is—and probably why I'm currently still breathing. For now, at least.

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