Chapter 2

“Cheer up, Alicia.” Molly’s voice rang in my head, light and full of hope. “We’re so close to freedom. Just make it through today.” I smiled faintly. “I’ll need your help, Molly. Watch everything. Patrols. Weak spots. Exits.” “I’ve got you,” she promised. “Eyes wide open.” Before my father or Sarah could bark out any orders, I made their breakfast and slipped out the door, heading to the field where a line of gaunt, hollow-eyed Omegas were already forming. As I approached, an older she-wolf snarled at me. We all kept our heads down as she shoved us roughly into formation. “Listen up, weaklings!” she barked. “Tonight’s the Mating Ball, and for the first time, the Alphas of the strongest packs are attending. Everything must be perfect. If anything goes wrong, you’ll go a full week without food. Got it?” We already barely ate but they were ready to starve us some more. She stopped walking to jab a finger into my chest. "I said, do you understand, Omega? Or are you deaf as well as stupid?!" She screamed at my face, her spit flying into my eye. But I don't dare wipe it away. "Yes, ma'am." I am the lowest of the low when it comes to Omegas which is why I am often the most targeted of the group. She stared at us— at me like I was filthy and disgusting and unworthy. It is okay because by tonight, I will be gone. Wildly and forcefully, she tosses buckets and mops and brooms at me. "I want these floors scrubbed clean. I want the walls reflecting my face and I want the decorations to scream wealth. Everything has to be perfect. Tonight is the night the better members of the pack get to meet their mates. And tonight is the night that we welcome the most powerful packs, including a very powerful Alpha and other strong werewolves to come. So I expect everything to be the best it can be. No exemptions." Again, much like last night, I find myself on my hands and knees, scrubbing floors and walls and chairs and tables with buckets of water that I personally have to carry back and forth from the nearby river. It is heavy and with no food in my system, while still recovering from my injuries, I barely have the strength to get on my knees to scrub but I do this. I do this while I keep an eye out. Nothing will stop me from escaping. ‘Every thirty minutes the patrol passes by the river.' Molly tells me, mirroring what I was already looking at. ‘For thirty minutes, we have a chance to run if we pass through there.' ‘There is a corner unguarded as well.' I glance towards the path that leads to the forest, just close enough by the river. ‘If we pass by in the dark, no one will see us.' Molly and I memorized every detail as I mopped the floors, making everything glimmer and sparkle. Truly the Mating Ball will be beautiful tonight. It was horrible work to get there but I still managed to do well despite everything. That is until the floor I just cleaned is deliberately stepped on by an unusually muddy shoe, followed by more dirty shoes by a group of girls coming from the forest. Disheartened that my work is ruined, a laugh makes me look up from my work and I am not at all surprised to find my sister Sarah. Sarah towered over me and sneered. "Look everyone, the murderer is here." Her group of friends, all high ranking warriors and mated to even more powerful men laughed at me mockingly. "I can't believe you let her live. She's a curse." "I know." Sarah clicks her tongue with disappointment. "I really believe she should be killed for what she did to our mother. She has no right to be kept alive or be a maid. She certainly shouldn't be anywhere near this sacred Mating Ball. What if the powerful Alpha sees her? That's just pitiful." I lower my head, my anger, my sadness and the tears of frustration coming to the surface but she grabs me by the neck and forces me to look up. "What? You're crying?" She roughly shook me, her nails digging into my neck painfully. "You have no right to cry. You killed my mother, you little freak. You are worthless, pathetic and disgusting. I hate you. I hate you so much I want to kill you." Just as I think she might actually do it, her hand tightening so painfully that my vision starts to darken, I hear him. Blake. The Alpha's son. "Sarah! Stop! What are you doing?" He deserves the stairs, running down to where we were. I look away feeling unworthy of his presence. Blake is incredibly handsome with beautiful blue eyes with thick luscious hair that is always styled to perfection. He is strong and tall and brave and most especially kind. That's why I like him. He wasn't like the others. Sometimes, I think, he might even care for me like I care for him. Every woman in the pack admired him as well. In fact, he is so well loved that no one can look away when he is near. But the one that loves him the most is my sister. Sarah has had an even bigger crush than I did with him. Since we were children all she could talk about was Blake. She believes they're mates. She believes she will be the next Luna. My heart jumps when Blake takes me away from Sarah, his hold on my arm gentle and soft and so unlike how I have been treated in the past by the others. "I can't believe you, Sarah." He shook his head in disappointment. "Alysia is your sister and she is a member of this pack. My pack. No one should be treated this way. No one." Sarah's eyes darkened with jealousy and hatred, her eyes focused on his hand that held me. "Blake… What are you saying? Why are you touching her? She's a murderer. She's a curse. She took my mother from me. How could you be like this?" "I am simply defending a member of my pack. I am the future Alpha, Sarah. Every life is important to me." As if to prove his point, Blake faces me and reaches for my face, his fingers tracing the line of tears that fell down my cheeks before wiping it away. "The Alpha of the strongest pack is arriving soon." They keep talking about that. This powerful Alpha that's coming. The other Omegas couldn't stop talking about it all morning and even now when I look at Sarah and her friends, they all couldn't help but whisper about the powerful Alpha. Blake pulls me towards him even more, interrupting my thoughts with butterflies as I feel his strong body pressed against mine protectively. "Now is not the time to have conflict. You need to stop this, Sarah, or I will be taking action." Sarah takes a step back, clearly offended and hurt by his words but when she turned to look at me, I already knew that I was going to pay for this. I knew she wouldn't let this go. So when she turns and walks away, I head in the opposite direction. I am close to the river again when I am stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I immediately think of the worst— my sister with her army of friends but I am surprised to find Blake holding me gently instead. "You want to escape, don't you?" He whispers, bringing me against the back of the house and pushing me into the wall, out of sight from everyone. "You're planning to leave tonight." My eyes widened in shock and my chest squeezed. Caught. I've been caught. He's going to tell on me. And he's going to stop my escape. No. It can't be. "Alysia, relax." Blake takes me by the chin and forces me to look up at him. "Don't worry. I'm here to help." My insides twist once more. "Help me? Why would you help me? What would you get from this?" "Because I know it hasn't been easy for you." He leans in close, close enough that I could smell the soap he uses and the mint in his breath. "We were friends once, remember? When we younger?" It was true. Before the death of my mother, Blake and I were really close. We spent all our time together and we were inseparable. Sometimes we would even whisper about the possibility that we would be mates in the future. "I know you." Blake insists, his blue eyes staring down at me with this familiarity of our past that is so painful yet calming at the same time. "And I know it's been hard. I… I would even say that at one point I thought you and would have been mates. We used to talk about that a lot but I know— I know you want to leave more than anything so let me help you." "How?" I all but whispered, breathless and filled with hope. This is my only chance. I have no choice but to trust him and our old friendship. "I know when the guards change shifts and where the perfect place or time is to escape." He tells me, his genuine voice and expression only building the hope in my chest more. "Please, trust me. For old time's sake. I can help you escape." I nod and take the hand he offered me. "Okay." It has been such a long time since I have last felt any warmth from anyone. And more so from someone I secretly have a crush on. If things were different, maybe Blake and I would have been together. Blake caresses the side of my face and smiles. "Just like old times, right?" "Right." I agreed. He leans against the wall but continues to stay close. "Then, let's plan it out. Like old times."