~JADE~
*3 months later*
Twigs snapped under my bare feet as I walked, pushing aside the oddly shaped tree branches and shrubs in my pathway. A few days after being banished, I was self-conscious about so many things; being naked and alone, I felt emptiness as I wandered the pack border for two days, looking for the perfect time to sneak back in without getting caught.
I couldn't just roam the forest wearing only my underwear, but also because it was bloodied and had already started smelling on the second day. So late at night, when I knew the guards weren't as vigilant, I snuck in and went to the tree where I usually kept a change of clothes whenever Hunter and I went on our weekly run in the woods.
Being naked wasn't a big deal among our kind, so I didn't need to keep garments in the trees for when we went for a run, but Hunter had always been so territorial and had mentioned that he didn't want anyone seeing what belonged to him.
How ironic that was, because he was the same person who took me like an animal in the presence of my sister and her boyfriend without any finesse, and then dragged me out of their apartment while I was completely naked.
But I guess his obsession with having complete control over my body helped me in a way because I was able to retrieve the nightdress I had hidden in the trees just a few days before my life, as I had known it, plummeted to hell.
Sneaking out of the pack wasn't easy. I knew I was taking a considerable risk when I decided to return for the nightdress, but I was willing to take the chance. With my bond to the pack freshly severed, I knew Alpha Orion wouldn't have sensed my presence in the pack. I was at risk of being caught if any of the pack members decided to go for a run on that side of the woods.
Somehow, by sheer luck, I made it out of the pack without getting caught out, and even though it wasn't a bag full of clothes, the nightdress had helped hide my nakedness a great deal, but I had long given up on finding slippers to wear. Over time, I've gotten used to walking barefoot and ignoring how the dried fallen tree branches, twigs, and any object pricked the soles of my feet. There are far more dangerous things to worry about when you are alone and five months pregnant in no man's land.
There was a reason we were warned as kids never to wander out of pack territory; even as adults, it is never advisable unless a pack member is going into the human town, meaning they would take the safer routes that lead out of the pack. No man's land was a neutral territory, which meant anyone who wandered out was on their own to fend off whatever threat was out there. I was alone with no pack protection, and the only thing that had got me through so far out here was Levana's quick wit and her plan that we travel closer to the territory of the werewolf packs that were out here. Being closer to a pack meant there were fewer chances of us running into rogue wolves because most rogue wolves often strayed away from pack territories.
And that has kept us safe for the past three months that I have been wandering these woods, and I'm pretty sure I'm a long way from Bloodwood Pack. I honestly doubt if I would know my way back. I have contemplated finding my way out of this forest and going into the human town, but Levana said it would be worse for us out there.
Levana said it was more dangerous for us to be out there amongst the humans; I was a lone wolf, and the further we strayed away from anything that could still link us to werewolves alike, the faster Levana would lose her grip and her connection to me, which was her human side. And if that happens, she will go feral.
No one told me that was what happened to rogue wolves, and I had always wondered why they always seemed so detached from reality and would rather hunt and kill their kin instead of looking for a pack to take them in. During my time in Manila, I never encountered rogue wolves, despite living close to a pack. Aunt Diwa never allowed me the freedom to live freely, and Levana never had the chance to connect with nature or live true to herself as a wolf. We never went on runs, and I'd missed that so much.
The underground club Aunt Diwa had me and the other girls and boys working in belonged to an Alpha. Most of the clients were werewolves, and few humans knew about our kind. It was one of the reasons they were never gentle with me; they knew what I was, that I could heal faster than an average human. They were paying a lot to have me, so they were always rough. I never knew then that the reason Levana didn't become feral was that we still shared a pack bond with the Blackwood pack, so officially, I was still a member of the Blackwood pack, and also because the hostel Aunt Diwa had us in was close to a werewolf pack in Manila, the werewolf pack whose Alpha ran the underground nightclub.
So now that we no longer had any connection to the Blackwood pack, with my mate bond to Hunter gone and my link to the pack severed, it was just a matter of time before Levana became feral, and our only saving grace right now was that we were still somehow close to pack lands. Even though we had no connection to the packs, Levana said the presence of kindred spirits and the familiarity were enough to keep her still tethered to humanity, tethered to her human side, which was me. Hence, I had written off the idea of finding my way out of these woods and into the human town.
I thought that would be a better option than roaming the woods. I didn't have any means of identification, and I knew I had no money for accommodation. Still, perhaps I could've found a job somehow, maybe an offer to help people do their laundry, just something to keep me fed and help me get by until I could afford a small unit. But then again, Levana said we would be in danger of predatory, unmated wolves who visited the human towns, and once they saw the mark on my neck, they'd know I had no protection and would probably take advantage of me. So not only would she be at risk of going feral, but I wouldn't be safe as a lone wolf.
I thought there was nothing worse than what I had experienced while living with Aunt Diwa, but this was worse. Twice, I had gotten my hopes up; twice, I had stumbled upon members of the packs within the territory I had journeyed through; twice, I had asked for their help. I asked for a place to stay and asked them to give me a chance in their pack, and both times, I was turned away and treated worse than vermin. They had taken one look at me, seen the branded mark on my neck, and shunned me without even trying to know my story.
Levana thinks we just have to keep trying, and maybe someday, perhaps before I give birth, someone will take pity on us and take us in. I am five months along already, but I honestly do not have any hope that my fate will change for the better in the next four months. That's what dreams were made of, and I have already learned that dreams aren't for me.
'I don't think I'll find any more fruits out here, but this should be enough for the next few days,' I said, checking the berries and the mangoes I had managed to pick as I wandered about.
'If it doesn't rain tonight, I'll hunt for meat; maybe pick up some dry twigs and branches to make a fire later.' She suggested, and I nodded, squatting down to set the torn-up sack on the ground so I could adequately tie it to prevent the fruits from spilling.
'Do you still think it would rain?' I asked once I had the sack tied and secure enough that my food wouldn't be spilling out for the next few days.
Levana mentally sniffed the air before saying, 'It smells like it; there's the crispy, pungent smell in the air every time the wind picks up. It might rain early tomorrow morning if it doesn't rain soon.'
'Then it would be wise to hunt for meat when we return.' I continued towards the path that led back to the temporary den Levana had made just a few days ago after we got farther up this way.
'Jade,' Levana called in a jarring voice that had me halting my steps.
'What is it?'
I could feel the tension rolling off her in waves, streaming through me. 'Let me out.' She replied, and I did without another question, giving up my control to her as she pushed to the surface.
She sniffed the air, this time able to do it properly, and a low whine rose in her throat. 'Rogues... There are a few of them,' she whined, her distress signal spiking up as did mine.
'Shift.' Without waiting for me to repeat the words, Levana dropped the sack of fruits, shifting in the process.
'Fuck, they're coming.' Levana cursed just as their threatening howls and paws hit my ears, and Levana sprinted between the trees.
'We can't go back to the den. We need to leave this area.' She growled as the sound of the rogues got dangerously close behind us, and my wolf increased her speed.
The sack of fruit was long forgotten as Levana leapt over logs and bent tree trunks as she dashed through the forest. There goes my food for the next few days.
