8

Finally able to get into her room, she crashed to the floor like a bag of grain. She stretched her right hand towards the bag that contained those special leaves, but her hand couldn’t reach it.

Her chest felt tight, her whole body felt like someone was roasting her.

For a moment, all she could see was red. Tears flowed down her eyes along with mucus from her nose.

She coughed out blood several times.

“Why? Why? Why? Why me? Haven’t I suffered enough? How could you deceive me, Pamela? Is pain the only thing I’m worth experiencing? What sin did I commit? Why…” she thought.

“Pull yourself together, Lavana. We have another mate. He’ll love us as his life. Yes, I made a mistake, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be trusted. Lavana, the pain I feel is even more than you.

“Shut it! What do you know? How could you deceive me? You gave me fat hope, and that Chase turned out to be my mate? This joke isn’t funny!

“Look, I’m not the one to decide our mate. But I have this feeling that our true mate is out there looking for us. He can help you exact the revenge you always dreamed of.

“Just shut it, Pamela.” she blocked her wolf from speaking.

“No, I can’t stay here anymore. I can’t. I have to leave tonight or die here.” she determined and got into a crawling position. She was able to reach the bag by crawling forward.

She then turned around and crawled out of her room with the bag hung on her shoulder.

She saw the beautiful starry sky and felt the night breeze, but it wasn’t enough to cool her temperature down nor ease the pain she felt all over her body.

She crawled towards the stream.

This was her only way out of the pack.

>>>>>>>>> 

She finally reached the stream after what felt like an eternity.

She looked behind her.

“Ralton pack, I will pay you back in your own coin.” she crawled into the stream and when she was deep enough, she dived in and swam towards the stream bed.

Her transformation into merform began. It wasn’t as painful as it was the first time.

She looked at the surrounding after shifting. She'd never swam with her tail before, but she had ideas about what to do after watching the fishes moving.

Their tails were structured, so they'd move their tails sideways. But her tail was like the right whale. So it meant it was to move vertically (up and down).

She stretched her hands forward and tried to move her tail, but it didn't work.

Sigh!

She should have practiced before now, but who knew she would leave today?

While she was thinking of what else to try, her tail started moving on its own when she thought of going left.

"Wow! So it's just like legs. Wherever I think of going, it will obey and take me there. This is cool." she thought in wonderment.

She placed her hands behind her and started swimming, about to get used to her tail. Soon enough, she decided the way to go and started swimming forward. Away from the Ralton pack!

It was going to be long before she would find a safe place, but she had to leave now or never.

She felt at peace underwater. No one was going to harm her in here. She waved at the fishes as she swam past them.

"Just look at them; different species and they are so beautiful. I bet they are awed by my tail too." she thought.

She picked up some fruits that seemed edible. She would eat them along the way.

>>>>>>>>>

At the party, Alpha Blake sensed someone had left the pack and called off the party earlier.

He sent some pack warriors to find who had left.

It was the punching bag.

"Go get her back." he ordered.

"Aye, Alpha!" the four chosen warriors chorused and spread out.

"That stupid girl wants to leave? It's not that easy. Besides, where has my boy been all this time? Is he still discouraged from not finding his mate?" he turned to the direction of Chase's home. Yeah, even though he wasn't the Alpha yet, he deserved his own space.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

He knocked on the door of Chase's home, but he had fallen asleep in the bathtub.

Alpha Blake broke the door and headed straight into his son's bedroom.

He knocked four times but still no answer.

"Chase? Chase?" he forced the door open before he heard a voice from the bathroom.

"Dad, I'm okay. I've taken medicine and decided to take a bath. Who knew I'd fall asleep here?"

The bathroom door opened, and Chase came out in a yellow bathrobe.

"Dad, why were you worried? Did something happen?" he asked as he sat on his large, comfy bed.

"Nothing vital. Just the trophy is trying to escape. She'll be captured back soon enough. Let's not worry about that. Anyway, you are fine and that's all that matters. I'll go look after your worried mum. Don't think too much. Your mate will naturally find her way to you and you'll feel it's worth the wait." he patted his son and hugged him.

"Thank you, dad." Chase whispered and his father broke the hug.

"Anything for my boy." Alpha Blake smiled and left the room, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

After confirming that his father had left for real, he sighed and took off his bathrobe.

There was a scar that appeared near his heart and it freaking hurt even before he touched it. Maybe it was because he had rejected her? He shifted into his wolf and went out for a run.

Maybe he could also find her and get her to reject him, so both will have the same scar. He couldn't be the only one!

Looking at the starry sky, he was unhappy.

Why would the moon goddess mate him with a rubbish? This is a super sick joke! He must be the unluckiest wolf then.

He shook his fur and stretched before running into the woods.

*********

Lavana finally saw land and came out of water. She hissed as she endured the pain of returning to human form.

After shifting back, she rested for a while before she stood up. She opened the soaked bag and took out the leaves that she had sealed in a nylon bag.

She threw them away and ate one of the three remaining underwater fruits.

They were really delicious and filling. So satisfying!

She took out a faded, ragged, pink mini gown and uneven black shorts from the bag and quickly wore them.

Then she picked up the bag and started running forward.

She had left the pack's border and planned to find her way to town and leave this area for good. Even if she ended up working and getting little pay in highly unfavourable conditions, as long as she had a place to shield her from sun, rain and cold, as long as she had clothes to keep her warm and food to eat, it was enough. The priority now was to get out of here; only then can she have a future at all.

As she walked hurriedly, she also admired the trees and different shrubs.

Some animals ran about in haste. She even saw a little antelope.

"How cute!" she chuckled, but it made her heart ache.

Damn the pain of rejection! Can't she have a chance to laugh at all?

She grit her teeth and clutched her chest as she walked faster.

When she was about to make a turn, something unexpected happened.

So, what do you think happened? What did she encounter? A lion? A snake? An armed robber?

.

.

.

.

.

Guess huns!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Yeah, you guessed right.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"If you want to live, better stop right there!" she heard a voice yell at her.

Her body trembled, and she fell to the ground before slowly turning her head. Upon doing so, she gasped.

It was one warrior from the Ralton pack. How did he find her? She used the stream to escape, right? And she was out of the pack's borders already!

"You thought you were finally free, huh? I don't know how you escaped, but you are going back with me. Your life and death must be in Ralton pack. You have no future outside of it." the warrior (who had red, shoulder-length, curly hair and was dressed in a black t-shirt and blue shorts) warned sternly.

He was pointing a gun at her.

"Please, don't kill me." she raised both hands, trembling. "I will go back. Please, don't hurt me." she begged.

"Stand up!" the man barked.

"Yes, sir! Yes... Yes, sir! I will stand. I'm sorry!" she quickly rose but her knees were shaking. She almost fell, but thankfully, she was able to use a tree trunk as support.

She bowed her head as tears flowed down her eyes.

"After everything, I still can't leave?" she thought in discouragement.

A/n:

This is the last chapter of the month. The book is a side project, but I won't abandon it easily. For the first 10 days of next month, I wish to rest. If you have any suggestions or criticism, do so in the comments and be sure to add to your library. Thank you for reading and Accept my kisses, darling!

Goodbye! :)

Next chapter