Bethany's POV
Sleep had evaded me all through the night. From my hideout in Carl's basement, I could hear the turmoil and chaos from our pack members. Everyone was scared, and they were trying to escape from the wicked Alpha, but there was no escape because the whole pack was surrounded.
I heard shuffling from the stairs leading down to the basement. I looked up in fear, thinking it was the warriors from the wicked Alpha, but it turned out to be Carl,
He looked frightened as hell as he walked past me and pushed at the broken cabinet leaning against the wall in the corner.
Could it be weapons that he needs to fight off our attackers?
"What are you doing, Carl, what do you have behind that door?" I asked once more, reaching out to turn him to face me, noticing he had been avoiding my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Bethany, I have failed you, and I have failed your father, our Alpha. I know I promised to stand by you and protect you, but I can't fight the wicked Alpha alone. He is too strong, and his warriors surround him; there is no way to defeat him. You have to leave here before it is too late."
"My father used to trade with the humans without the Alphas' knowledge; this is the path he used to sneak out of our boundaries. The cave leads to the other side of the woods, outside our boundary. When you emerge from the cave, follow the lonely path on your left; it leads to the train station, where you can board a train to the big city where the humans reside. Avoid the path to your right at all costs; it leads to the Red moon pack, and Alpha Dominic has already conquered that pack." He cautioned me seriously, sounding so strict.
I stunned. I deeply regretted that I was weak and needed everyone to protect me, but I know that I also want to live. These two contradictory thoughts left me unable to express myself.
I know Carl is right. I can't fight the wicked Alpha on my own.
Carl was shoving me through the door, urging me to leave quickly. I ran through the door, but after a few steps, I stopped when I realized Carl wasn't following me. I had to head back to where he stood, looking hopeless.
"Come on, Carl, we have to hurry, we need to get out of here before they get here." I urged him urgently, tugging at his hand, trying to pull him along, but he stood adamant, and he pulled his hand away from my grip, causing me to look at him in confusion.
"I can't leave with you, Beth. Someone needs to stay back here and hold them off. They know about us, my love; they are coming over here as we speak. Sooner or later, they will find this hidden path, and they'll come searching for you. I need to stay back and stall them for as long as I can. Go, Beth, save yourself before they find you. If I survive this, I'll come to the human side to search for you. Promise me, Bethany, promise you'll wait for me to come find you." He pleaded softly as he brought his hands to cup my cheeks.
The tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I shook my head vigorously. "No, Carl, you can't do this to me. I just lost my family, Carl, I can't lose you. Please come with me. If we leave now, we can catch a train before they catch up to us. We can get away if we hurry and leave now."
He pulled me into his arms and held me tight to stop my squabbling. He leaned down and captured my mouth in a passionate kiss, backing me up against the wall as he kissed me with so much passion, pouring all his affection into it.
"Listen to me, Beth, the longer you remain here, the more risky it's going to be. You're making it worse by staying here; you're actually risking our lives by delaying your departure. If you leave now, you'll be safe, and I'll have a better chance of getting away. Leave now, my love, I promise, I'll find you once I get out of here. It may take some time, but I'll find a way to get out of here, and I'll come find you." He placed his forehead against mine as he whispered soft, comforting words to me.
"Take this," he said, handing me a very large envelope. "It contains some clothes and cash that you can use to start up a new life while you wait for me to come find you. Your old phone is in there, but you can't turn it on yet; they could track your phone to find you. There is a new phone that I bought for you earlier in that envelope. I had wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but I think you need it right now. I'll call you on your new phone to check in. Try to blend in with the humans; don't draw any attention to yourself, or you'll get exposed...
Pam... pam... pam... pam... pam...
At that moment, a resounding knock at the door alerted us to the presence of our enemies. I panicked immediately and would have screamed in fear, but Carl was faster. He used his hand to shut my mouth firmly as he pushed me back against the wall.
"You're stronger than what you think, Bethany! Leave!! Right now!!" he scolded and yelled at me as he pushed me through the door, prompting me to leave immediately. I hesitated a little as I turned to look at him with my tears flowing down my cheeks. The pounding on the door kept increasing, and I heard angry voices outside calling to him, screaming his name so loudly that we heard it clearly from the basement.
He was right when he said they had found out about us; they sounded so sure that I was hiding in here. I was about to turn around and run as Carl had instructed, but I stopped in my tracks when I was hit by the most delicious scent ever. It was so intoxicating, so delicious. Like a magnet, his scent pulled me to him, calling to me. I don't know who the scent belongs to, but it's messing with my head, making me feel things that I've never felt before, things I never felt with Carl.
My wolf, Alexia, was howling and wagging her tail with joy as she screamed, but I couldn't risk my life for a mate who hadn't come to claim me all these years. I defeated the wolf instinct and chose survival and reason.
In shock and fear, I suddenly laughed out loud. How ironic this was! At this time, I have to separate from the person I love most, with an uncertain life or death. The mate comes, is there any meaning? My Luna?
Carl devoted himself entirely to me; no other guy could replace him. I turned to gaze at my love one last time, smiling sadly as my heart tugged at me, begging me to stay back.
"Go, my love, I'll come find you soon, I promise," Carl muttered softly.
I shifted into my wolf, picked up my large envelope in my mouth, and ran deeper into the hidden path, away from everything and everyone I ever knew, toward an unknown land I'd never been to in my whole life. I don't know what awaits me on the human side, but it's way better than being killed by Alpha Dominic.
"We don't need a mate, Alexia. Let's get far away from here before he finds us."My wolf wouldn't stop whining and whimpering sadly, telling me to go back to our mate.
Things have gone on until now, I don't believe in Mate anymore. If I had such good luck, how could I rely only on myself in the world? Why couldn't he have shown up sooner to help me get out of this?
This is an utterly unfair fate, one that will kill me. I want to escape from this fate, so I will not admit this, Mate. I want to live for myself, then take my revenge on Alpha Dominic.
I'll wait for my love on the other side, and I'm sure he'll find me. When he comes back to me, we can plot a way to get revenge on Alpha Dominic for all he did to my family. He will pay with his life, I swear it.
