The Broken Warrior's Daughter

So, | do what I’ve done every time something bad happens. | run. | duck out of the packhouse not letting anyone see me. As soon as | see the forest, | take off. | may have been tired earlier, but my adrenaline is pumping now. In a fight or flight situation, | fly. And that’s what I’m doing. I’m running as fast as my legs will carry me.

| hear the sound of paws digging into the earth behind me. They are coming after me. They are going to catch me. If they catch me, | will be a prisoner again. | can’t go back to that place. | can’t live like that again. | can’t risk losing Alessia when I’m so close to getting her back. Maybe if | can make it to the Canyon Ridge Pack, they will give me refuge until | can figure something else out. It’s not the best option, since they all seem to be friendly with Liam, but it’s the best option that | have when | literally have wolves breathing down my neck.

| push harder, faster. There’s only one place that | know to go where | might be able to get away, and | head to the waterfall. It won't help to hide my scent, they are too close. But maybe | can crawl down the cliff face. They would have to shift to follow me, and it will give me a few extra minutes to escape.

When | get to the falls, | start to climb. It will be easier for me in human form than it will be for them in wolf form. I’m about halfway up when | hear it, the howl of a familiar wolf. | turn and see Cyran looking at me. Alessia whines in my head. She wants her mate.

‘We can’t have Cyran without Liam, Alessia.’ ‘I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier to lose him when we’ve only just found him.*

| don’t have time to argue as | see Cyran start to follow me again. | climb as fast as | can, but he’s fast. I’ve just gotten to the edge of the cliffs when | hear Cyran whine behind me.

I turn to look at him. “I won’t do it again. | would rather die than be around

monsters.’

Cyran whimpers at me. Alessia is whining in my head. ‘I can’t do it Alessia, | just can’t do it.“ Cyan crawls toward me, whimpering.

“| won't do it.” | tell Cyran. “I don’t care if you’re our mate. | won’t bind myself to a monster. And he’s a monster.” It’s not Cyran that I’m running from. He has© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

+15 BONOS been nothing but amazing. He would be a wonderful mate and he doesn’t deserve this. “I’m so sorry Cyran.”

| turn to see if there is a way down the cliff. | need to get out of here before he can grab me. | hear bones cracking behind me and | turn to see Liam on the ground.

“Please Angel. Please, tell me what | did. | can’t fix it if | don’t know what | did e wrong. I'll do anything. Anything. Just don’t jump.”

He thinks I’m going to jump. | guess it’s an option. | did say I'd rather die than be with a monster, but | didn’t mean to jump and kill Alessia too. | might run us into the ground, starve us while we run and hide, but | wouldn’t jump. Even Alessia couldn't heal from that.

“Please.” He’s on his knees, he hasn’t stood up. His eyes are tormented. ‘He’s being honest.’ Alessia tells me, although it’s obvious by the look on his face. “Please just talk to me, tell me what happened. Let me fix it.”

“| saw you.” | say quietly.

| see the confusion on his face. He truly doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

“When we got back, | could smell you. Alessia said you were our mate.” He nods, he already knew. That explains why he’s been doing so much for me.

“| followed your scent into the kitchen, and | saw you.” My hand comes to my mouth as nausea washes over me. “You looked just like them. Covered in blood. Vampires. Monsters.” My mind is taking me back again. | can feel the panic and anxiety threatening to take me under. | can’t breathe.

As | struggle to take in any air, the darkness begins to set in. Just as | start to lose consciousness and fall, | see Liam jump up to catch me.

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