[Elara POV]
(Before Lucian's wedding with Corrine...)
I found myself chained down in a dark room. It was the dungeon, the same place where criminals were locked up, but this time I was here.
I still remembered the words from the guards when they approached my doorstep. Lucian had ordered my imprisonment. Yet it didn't seem to surprise me. I mean, he was no longer the Lucian I knew.
The loud voices from the other prisoners kept echoing around. Some rogues were recently captured for their crimes. I heard they murdered two women walking by the stream.
I tried closing my eyes for that moment only to hear a sound of some footsteps approaching, causing my eyes to open back up. As I took sight of Alpha Lucian standing right there.
"Why was he here?" I wondered, taking to my feet.
"Hope they didn't hurt you..." I heard Lucian ask, his words sounding foreign to my ears. The same man that had ordered my imprisonment was asking me this.
I left no words, trying to avoid a glance at him, hoping he would just leave. I'm sure he must be happy with all this.
But yet one question found its way to my mind, one that I couldn't just let go of...
"Why?" I questioned.
"What do you mean?" Lucian asked.
"Why didn't you reject me when I did?" After I had rejected him, he only turned and left without a single word. If he wanted to marry Corrine and never wanted me as his mate, he could have simply rejected me.
"Let's just say, I am the only one who has the right to reject you. You never had the right to do what you did back then..." he replied. His words left a scoff from me. Really, so that was it? Honestly, now I was sure there was no more doubt; this wasn't the same young Alpha I had fallen for and looked up to highly.
"So what? Are you going to have me killed? I mean, I publicly disgraced the so-called great Alpha by rejecting him..." I stated, watching a sudden shift in him, those jaws clenched in anger before they were oddly replaced by a calm look.
"I don't plan on killing you, Elara. And so you know, my wedding with Corrine will be happening tonight." he informed.
"I know..." I muttered. I had heard from some of the guards at the prison. I had crumbled down at the mere news, knowing he was truly going on with his words. Even though I had rejected him, even though I had mentioned not wanting anything to do with him again, I wasn't able to understand why I crumbled in tears.
But now, seeing him here and hearing those words that came out of his mouth brought disgust to my former broken state.
I gave no reply as eventually, he left after. I seated myself back on the ground, wiping off some little tears that still found their way to my eyes. My wolf was hurting, knowing the very mate she cherished so much harbored such hatred.
The day went down as night took over. I had finally decided, "Why should I still stay here?" The very reason I was in this pack, living amongst them so happily, was no more. And I could tell that I was no longer needed.
I had to escape this night. It was my only chance to be free from all this.
"But how was I going to do that?" That was a question I found no answers to at that moment.
I could hear the loud buzz of music, indicating that the ceremony had begun. Knowing that witch was going to be wedded to Lucian.
"Hey!" A voice jolted me up, followed by a metal clash in the prison bars.
I noticed one of the guards standing there, his eyes darting back and forth.
"W-who are you?" I questioned, thinking that maybe they were here to kill me.
But the guard only gave me a sign to keep quiet as I heard footsteps and voices of some other guards making their way. In a blink, I watched the same guard standing at my prison bars, bringing out a round, long metal object, attacking the other guards, and knocking them out unconscious.
"You have to follow me now..." the guard said, his gaze turning back at me. I hesitated, unsure of who he was and why he had just attacked the other guard. Before I could speak, he said, "We are here to help you escape..." They sounded odd to me. I mean, why would the guards of the Forestbane pack plan to help out a prisoner in escaping? But at that moment, I allowed myself to believe it, even though he gave me no answers. I thought this could truly be my chance to escape.
The guard led the way as I followed, walking through the passage. I could notice some of the other guards knocked out unconscious.
As we arrived at a side, some other guards approached my side.
"We will take it from here..." one of the guards said to the one who had brought me here before his attention turned back to me.
"Follow us now, ma'am. We have no time to waste..." he said.
I followed the other guards deeper into the forest. Hesitantly, as i distanced myself further. My legs ached, I felt sharp stinging pain, but I couldn't stop. Not until I was truly free away from the pack's reaches.
As then, I noticed a sudden halt from the other guards.
"I think we are far enough now..." one of them said, gasping for breath from the heavy run.
"Who sent you... why are you helping me escape..." I questioned, hoping to know the reasons. Even though I had decided not to pry too much and just use this chance and escape, now that I was away from the pack, I was curious to know who the person was and why. I was sure the guards who proved to be loyal to Alpha Lucian wouldn't have just decided to go against his order just like that and even attack one of their own. Could it be that there was a higher power involved?
I kept on wondering in my thoughts, only to notice one of the guards approaching my side. My leg retracted a bit backward until my back brushed against a tree as I watched the guard draw out a dagger, sending chills down my spine.
"W-what... are... you... you planning to do with that?" I questioned. Could it be that I was wrong in the end? I mean, why would anybody want to save me?
"Stay back..." I reacted, tossing a stone at him, hitting his head, as he stumbled to the ground.
This was my chance, I thought, as I turned to make a run for it.
"Catch her!" I heard the other guard yell as they ran after me.
My lungs felt as though they had stiffened at that moment as I gasped for breath, yet I kept on running.
"Howl!" I heard a howl drawing my attention back; the guards had shifted into their wolf form, chasing through the forest. They were getting close, way too close.
I shifted into my wolf form as well, though I knew it would be useless. I was outnumbered and still weak at that. Standing to fight would mean my death; the only option I had was to keep on running.
I could hear the sound of running water up ahead. I turned back to check for the other guards but found no sight of them.
"Where could they be?" I wondered, focusing my gaze back at where I was, only to notice a cliff up ahead as I stopped in my tracks.
"No... no, this can't be happening..." I muttered to myself. I tried to make my way back and find another way, only to notice the guards in their wolf form growling as they stood blocking my path.
In a blink, one of the wolves lunged at me with sharp claws. My only thought was to defend myself as I tried avoiding a close attack, but the others lunged, one of the claws sinking deep into my stomach, as my back slammed against a tree. "Howl!" I howled in pain, my injured legs trembling.
My wolf was calling for him, Lucian. A hope he would hear my cries, and show up to save me just this once, yet in the end, it was all my delusional self. I was truly alone in the end.
Shifting back to my human form, I tried managing some crawls away, my blood stained against the dusty ground. As my vision grew blurry, I could still hear the growls from the guards' wolves.
Standing at the cliff edge, my gaze turned back as one of the wolves approached my side after turning to his human form. His hand tightened against my neck as he forced me to stand, sinking his other hand deep into my open stomach wound.
"Ahhh!" I screamed in pain as blood gushed out. A grin made its way to his lips.
"This is what you get for rejecting Alpha Lucian in public, you weak, useless omega..." he sneered, pushing me off the cliff.
So that was it—the reason they had wanted to kill me so much. In the end, I saw the other side of the Forestbane pack, a dark side they had chosen to hide.
To think my death would lead me to seeing this. My eyes shut after everything eventually went blank.