I was stunned. Why the hell was she doing this?
It didn’t take long for Rowan and the other pack members to gather around us.
Rowan immediately helped Odessa up, shooting daggers at me.
"How could you be so heartless and hit a pregnant woman?" he asked sharply.
He looked all over at Odessa's arms, which were red with bruises from the cane.
"I'm blind!" I half screamed in rage. "How is it possible that I even hit her?"
Rowan snapped at me. He looked like he was going to pounce on me any second. "You don't have to see to move your cane about!" he shouted. "Odessa is badly hurt. You could have hurt her child! Have you lost your damn mind?"
The elders looked at me with disgust.
"We didn't expect you to go so low and hurt a pregnant woman just because you lost your pup," one of them said, shaking his head.
I was angry as hell, and I yelled at them, my voice echoing through the room. "You don't know anything! Odessa hit herself and is trying to frame me!"
Rowan's face turned red with anger. "Can you listen to yourself?" he asked and suddenly hit me across the face. "You better apologize now!"
The force of the slap stung like hell. I raised my head from where it was whipped to the side.
It was the first time he ever lay a finger on me.
"I won't apologize because I didn't hurt her!" I said through gritted teeth.
"We're disappointed in you, Cora," one of the elders said, shooting me a hard look.
Odessa started whining, her voice all shaky with fake stupid tears. "It hurts so much," she whimpered.
Rowan's face softened, and he looked at Odessa with concern. "It's okay, I'll take you to the healers right now," he responded in a gentle voice.
Just then, Eliana returned. Rowan turned to her and ordered, "Take Cora home and I'll deal with her later."
I felt angry. Humiliated.
But I knew I had to get out of there before things got any worse.
Now everyone saw me even more unfit than they already did.
I turned and walked away, Eliana guiding me through the crowd.
As we walked, I could feel everyone’s eyes judging me from the back.
Two agonizing days passed.
I paced the small confines of my room where I had been locked in.
A sudden noise at the door jolted me from my thoughts.
I stopped and quickly grabbed my cane. Then I sat very stiffly on the bed.
Odessa entered, a sinister smile plastered across her face. "Well, well, well. Isn’t it our wonderful helpless Cora? "
I was calm, staring aimlessly at the wall. "What do you want, Odessa?"
"Oh, I just thought I'd come and fill you in on all the wonderful things you've been missing." She waved her hand and paused, savoring the moment. "This morning, there was a marking ceremony, and everyone watched as Rowan claimed me as his Luna."
She grabbed my hand, and I just let her.
Odessa made me feel the mark on her neck, the symbol of her bond with Rowan. "Can you feel that? That's the symbol of our bond and love."
She continued, "And guess what else? Rowan was appointed as the new Alpha yesterday." She leaned in close, her breath hot on my face. "Isn't that just fantastic?"
"You both got what you wanted right?" I asked trying so hard to remain calm. In real sense, I wanted to rip her neck.
"How do you feel, being left out and stuck at home like a vegetable?" she taunted. She leaned in even closer, her breath hot on my face. "Maybe if you died, it would be better for everyone,"
I didn’t think twice about spitting in her face.
Her face grew wide in shock and she slapped me hard.
"Never again will you defy your Luna," she snarled.
Then she rubbed her belly, a sly smile spreading across her face. "You know what? I'm going to be due in a month, and I found the room where all your baby things were. I liked most of the things, and I'm going to take most of them for my pup. Since your own pup is dead and gone."
"You won't touch my baby's things!" I growled.
"Oh, watch me," she said simply with a smile and walked out of the room.
I was done with this hell hole. And I was going to make Rowan pay. But first I had to leave him.
As soon as Odessa left, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
The nurse was coming to administer my new dose of wolfsbane. The last one had been two days ago.
I had a sharp, small knife hidden in my pants, and I was ready to use it.
As the nurse came close, I struck, stabbing her in the shoulder.
She gasped in pain, and before she could scream, I hit her on the head, and she passed out on the floor.
This was my chance to escape.
Panting hard, I called on Aida, my wolf. "Please, Aida, you have to help me get out of this place."
If I left in human form, I wouldn't get far. But if I transformed, it would be better.
With concentration, I felt the familiar pain and sensation of my body changing.
I transformed with difficulty, my grey fur bursting forth as I grew larger and more powerful.
I ran to the window, my paws pounding the floor. I smashed through the glass, feeling the cool night air rush past me as I leapt out into the darkness.
I landed hard on the ground, my paws scrambling for traction. But I was up and running in an instant into the woods.
Finally, I was free.
But not for long.
As I ran, I suddenly started hearing the sound of pursuit behind me. Rowan's voice echoed through the trees, "Cora, stop! You can't escape!"
