Chapter 3 The Fall
The silence stretched.
If I stayed, I died. If I left, I became a Rogue—hunted, starving, alone.
But if I left... I had a chance. A chance to save the baby.
I looked up at him. The man I had loved since I was a child. The man who had just sentenced me to death.
"I-I choose... b-banishment," I whispered.
"Wise," Amon sneered. "Get out. You have one hour to reach the border."
He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the cell door wide open.
"Goodbye, Amon," I whispered to the empty air.
I struggled to my feet. I wiped the tears from my face.
I wasn't an Omega anymore. I wasn't a pack member.
I was a mother.
And I was going to survive.
The forest was a mouth, and it was swallowing me whole.
Branches whipped against my face, tearing at my skin. Thorns sliced through my thin clothes. My bare feet bled on the sharp rocks, leaving a trail of scent for anyone—or anything—to follow.
Snap!
I gasped, spinning around. The darkness behind me was absolute.
"K-Amon?" I whispered, a foolish hope flaring in my chest.
Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he realized he couldn't live without his mate.
Arooooo!
A howl pierced the night air. It wasn't the deep, commanding howl of a Pack wolf. It was jagged. Hungry.
Rogues.
Panic, cold and sharp, flooded my veins. Amon hadn’t sent anyone to bring me back. He had sent me out here to die. He knew the Rogues patrolled these woods.
"R-Run," I told myself, clutching my stomach. "You h-have to run. For the b-baby."
I forced my legs to move. Every step was agony. My body was weak from the dungeon, weak from the heartbreak, but a fierce instinct had taken over.
I wasn't just Seraph the Runt anymore. I was a vessel. I was a shield.
I scrambled up a muddy embankment, my fingernails digging into the dirt.
Crack!
The sound of a heavy paw landing on a twig. Close. Too close.
I didn't look back. I crested the hill and saw it.
The Black River.
It was swollen from the storm, a raging torrent of white water and jagged rocks. It was the border between Amon's territory and the lawless lands.
If I crossed it, I was free. If I fell in...
A low growl vibrated right behind my heels. Hot, fetid breath washed over my neck.
I turned.
A massive grey wolf stood there. Its fur was matted with mange, its yellow eyes glowing with madness. Saliva dripped from its jaws.
It crouched, ready to spring.
"N-No..." I whimpered, backing away toward the cliff edge.
The Rogue lunged.
I didn't think. I just jumped.
"Ahhh!"
The air rushed past me. For a second, I was weightless.
Splash!
The water hit me like a concrete wall. The cold was instant and paralyzing. It knocked the air from my lungs.
I thrashed, trying to swim, but the current was a monster. It grabbed my ankles, dragging me down into the murky depths.
My baby!
I curled into a ball, wrapping my arms tight around my midsection. I would take the blows. I would let the rocks shatter my bones, as long as the tiny spark inside me survived.
Bam!
My shoulder slammed into a submerged log. Pain exploded in my arm, black spots dancing in my vision.
The river tossed me up, and I gasped for a single breath of air before being sucked under again.
I was drowning.
Amon’s face flashed in my mind. His cold eyes. His cruel words. I reject you.
He wins, I thought, my consciousness fading as the water filled my nose. He killed us.
The darkness took me.
….
"She's breathing."
The voice was rough. Deep. But not unkind.
"Barely," a woman's voice replied. "She's been out for two days. Look at her marks. She was rejected."
Warmth. I felt warmth.
My eyes fluttered open. The light was blinding.
I gasped, sitting up straight. "My baby!"
The movement made the room spin. I groaned, clutching my head.
"Easy, easy," the woman said, rushing to my side. She pushed me gently back onto the pillows.
I looked around frantically. I was in a small, wooden cabin. A fire crackled in the hearth. It smelled of herbs and drying meat.
"W-Where am I?" I stammered, my voice raspy. "W-Where is Amon?"
"You're safe," the man said. He was standing by the door, holding an axe. He looked dangerous, but his eyes were soft. "We found you washed up on the riverbank. You're far from the Blood Moon Pack, child."
My hands flew to my stomach. "The b-baby...?"
The woman smiled gently. "Your heartbeat is strong. And so is the little one's. You're a fighter, girl."
I slumped back against the pillows, tears of relief leaking from my eyes.
I was alive. My baby was alive.
Amon thought I was dead. The pack thought I was gone.
"Good," I whispered, the tears turning angry. "Let them think I d-died."
I looked at the ceiling, my hand resting over the life inside me.
Seraph the Runt died in that river.
I would have to be someone else now.
Someone strong enough to hide from the Alpha who wanted us dead.
