CHAPTER 2

I regret not taking off the wedding dress before leaving home. Though I cut it short, it’s still heavy and not suitable for running. 

The gown is made with silk and lace, then pearls are added to make me look like some blushing bride, or a beautiful princess. 

However, I am not a princess. 

I am just a pawn that Dad can use anytime…and marrying me off to Alpha Jimin is just part of his grand scheme to dominate territories but I ruin his plans. 

Because instead of tying the knot with Alpha Jimin, I run as fast as I can. Heart in my throat and adrenaline in my veins, I grab my brother to leave with me. 

It’s terrifying to defy my Dad but if I don’t take the chance to escape now, I will never get another chance. His warriors yell for my name but I don’t care. Dad roars angrily as he orders his men to come after me.  

That bastard Jimin isn’t going to own me…over my dead body!

Jimin is the Alpha of the Nightshade Pack, and Dad chose him to be my husband. 

He is obsessed with me like I am a damn trophy he won in a bet, and let’s not forget that he is old enough to remember rotary phones and dial-up internet!

Unacceptable!

I would rather chew my own arm off than marry that fucking fossil! 

Barefoot, breathless and praying I don’t die in the woods, I keep running to get away from my Dad’s men.

Branches claw at my arms, thorns tear at the hem of what’s left of my dress, and every sharp rock I step on sends jolts of pain up my legs but I don’t dare to stop. 

I can’t…because if they catch me, it’s over!

“Fan out! Don’t let her leave the territory!” one of them yells from somewhere behind me.

I curse under my breath and push deeper into the trees, and then as if the universe hasn’t punished me enough already, it starts to rain. 

First, it’s just a cold drop on my cheek. Another on my shoulder. Then, I glance up just in time to see the dark clouds break open above me like a wound in the sky.

The downpour is sudden and violent.

Water slaps my skin, soaking me in seconds. Mud squelches beneath my feet, and I nearly fall trying to scramble up a slope slick with wet leaves and moss.

Great. Just freaking great!

My hair sticks to my face, plastered to my forehead as I duck under a low branch and keep moving. Every part of me is shivering now, but I don’t stop. I can’t afford to.

Then, thunder cracks overhead, loud enough to make me flinch. Lightning flashes through the trees and I swear I hear howls in the distance.

Are they still chasing me?

I don’t know.

I don’t dare stop long enough to find out.

The forest is thick and endless but it’s the rain that scares me more now. It’s turning the path into mush, and my bare feet are slipping. I am hungry and exhausted but I still can’t afford to take a rest. 

I need to keep moving or else, I will be dragged back to the pack, locked up in my room, and thrown into Jimin’s arms like a bargaining chip wrapped in silk and lace. 

I won’t let that happen! Never!

I would rather become homeless or starve in the wild than go back to the pack. I would rather become a rogue than to remain as the Alpha’s daughter without freedom. I would rather face death than live a life as Jimin’s Luna. 

My heart is pounding and my lungs are burning but I can’t stop. It’s so risky to take a break when a group of men is trying to catch me. 

Honestly, I thought it’s easy to be away from home, however, it is easier said than done.

After hours of running and hiding, I am still trapped in the woods and my poor excuse of a brother doesn’t give a damn about me! 

Yeah, we left together but he has other plans. He wants to be with the girl he loves, and I can’t stop him. I just hope that Dad’s warriors can’t get him. 

Later on, I believe I’m good to take a break, but of course, fate is a bitch!

The moment I cross the border of Red Moon Pack, the skies open like a freaking cliché. It’s not just an ordinary rain like earlier but something else and the wind gets colder! 

Is there a storm?

“I hate my life,” I mutter as I skid through the mud, soaked down to my underwear, mascara running down my cheeks. 

If I get struck by lightning right now, I’m coming back from the grave just to haunt my father’s house. I’ll possess the family portraits and make them blink at night!

It’s just a thought though, then I saw a huge tree. 

Without wasting time, I bolt underneath it. My hair is dripping wet when I remember my brother, Francis, who ditches me. Like me, he is a fast runner but I am still worried about him. 

I am thinking about my options when I feel that someone is watching me from a distance. I whip around to check and my eyes widen to confirm that I am not alone! 

A man steps out of the bushes. He is also drenched but then I notice that he is brooding, and built like sin itself. 

Then, our eyes meet and we stare at each other for a long time. I know I look funny in my outfit but he doesn’t have to look at me like that. 

Hold on, why does he look so familiar to me? 

He is tall, ripped and terrifying. With tantalizing brown eyes and a jawline that can cut glass, he glares at me. 

He looks familiar but I don’t know him. Still, I force myself to smile at him. It’s basic decency, though. 

“Hey, are you also lost in the woods?” I ask. 

He doesn’t smile and doesn’t move a muscle. He just looks at me before he furrows his brows deeply. 

“Who are you?” he asks.

Wow. Straight to the interrogation?

“I’m Vivienne,” I chirp, trying to sound charming instead of terrified. “Pretty sure we have never met before.” 

“Where are you from, Vivienne?”

And just like that, my stomach twists at his follow-up question. 

Abort mission. He’s not friendly, I thought. 

“I…uh—”

LIE, VIVIENNE. JUST SAY ANYTHING!

However, my brain isn’t working at the moment and I can’t think properly. Is it because of his lethal face card? 

“You are trespassing,” he growls.

My eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

“Are you deaf? I said, you’re trespassing!” 

“I don’t see a sign,” I snap, crossing my arms even though I am shaking.

Instead of responding to my statement, he points behind me.

I turn…and there it is!

Crescent Fang Territory. Trespassers will be killed!!

“Shit,” I curse after reading the sign. 

Then, without thinking, I run.