Escaping her fate

Raine breathed rapidly, her heels clicked against the pavement as she ran, and cursed her choice of footwear for the hundredth time.She already thought about kicking it off but it requires her losing precious seconds to untie it and wiggle her feet free.

She was barely breathing and the pitch darkness made it worst for her. Knowing fully well that she won't survive any much longer because of her asthma. She stopped and hid at a corner to rest.

Footsteps pounded somewhere behind her and she held herself tightly . She was safer staying hidden, staying silent, than randomly sprinting through the pack where they seem not to be an exit.

"Give it up, little princess," someone shouted from somewhere way too close.

"You're not getting away from here. If this auction venue was made that easy to escape then they would have been more frequent theft than you think. You can't leave or else Gemma Anthony guides you out himself ."

Fury underscored his voice, and fear sank into Raine's bones. She sat there shivering like cold vegetable as a particular footstep approach her hidden corner.

Raine pressed herself against the cold stone wall, her breath became shallow. The pounding footsteps grew closer. And for the first time, She prayed.

She clenched her trembling hands into fists, afterwards, forcing herself to stay still.

As if her prayer had been answered. The footstep stopped but then a blinding beam of light suddenly focused in her face.

Raine's heart seized. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she instinctively flinched away, her vision momentarily seared white. Her body tensed, while her mind raced through a thousand terrible possibilities. Had she been caught? Was this the end?

But instead of shouting for the others to seize her, the man turned his head and yelled in a commanding tone.

"She ran toward the maze! Hurry!"

A chorus of pounding footsteps erupted as the searchers redirected their pursuit, dashing past Raine's hiding spot without a second glance. Her stunned mind struggled to process what had just happened. Why had he covered for her?

The flashlight flickered off, plunging them both into darkness once more. A hand grasped her wrist. It was firm, warm, and undeniably real. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Stay quiet and move when I tell you," the man whispered, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

Raine didn't know if she had just been saved or if she had fallen into a new kind of danger.

Her heart raced as she felt the warmth of his hand on her wrist, yet the darkness around them felt suffocating. She had no voice to utter her fears.

Desperation gripped her, and she wished for a way to convey her plea, a way to express the injustice of the terrifying situation she found herself in.

She instinctively drew in a shaky breath, her asthma tightening her throat, and she willed her body to be still. With trembling fingers, she began to write in the air with her index finger. "I... D... O... N...'... T... D... E... S... E... R... V... E... T... H... I... S."

Frantic, her eyes darted from the man's face to the faint brightness around them casted from the moon, then back to his gaze, hoping he could understand her words.

The man looked at her, his expression momentarily softened as he recognized the familiarity in her face. He opened his mouth as if to reassure her, but only silence followed for a while before he decided to speak and cleared his throat

" Goodness ! You look so much like your mother. Well you have to understand this, a hell lot of what we don't deserve happens to us. There's nothing we can do about it anyways, it's just called fate"

Tears dropped out of Raine's eyes.

The man scoffed and offered his handkerchief to her . " If you must survive, you shouldn't ever think of showing anyone just how weak you are. Your probably wondering why I didn't rat your ass out"

Without hesitation, she nodded.

"Your mother specially asked me to and my sister has been in a similar situation. Uhh let's just say that I'm trying to make myself feel better . Even though I couldn't save her back then, when she even reached out to me for help. Now, It's like I've been given another chance to atone for my sins"

Raine's eyes squinted in pity.

"There's obviously no need for that and also no need to waste your time here. There's a tunnel down that path. It will take you to a rogue pack. Give them this and ask to meet Matteo, he will help you with a new ID " The man handed a blue stone to her and she nervously grabbed it.

"No matter what you do. You've got to survive. Raine" he chuckled.

Raine raised her brows, surprised that these man knows her name. While her father doesn't even.

She waited a little for the man to vanish within her sight before she crawled to the woods.

The brush of leaves and the sharp crack of twigs beneath her feet reminded her that she was still alive. Raine could hear the distant shouts of her father's men fading away as she walked hastily yet the adrenaline zipping through her veins urged her to move faster.

The path was narrow, weaving between thick trunks and clusters of underbrush. She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to calm the fluttering in her heart.

Sonner than she'd expected, she spotted the outline of the tunnel the man had spoken of. It was a dark opening, its entrance wide like the gaping maw of a beast. Swallowing hard, she approached cautiously, scanning for any sign of danger. The last thing she needed was to walk straight into another trap.

Suddenly, a low growl reverberated through the tunnel, freezing her in her tracks.

She stepped back without hesitation. Her only hope now was to reach the rouge pack. If she could reach the rogue pack, she could have a chance to live and find her mother first.

Just as she was about to turn back, a pair of glowing eyes came into view,. Raine gasped, her heart stuttering as the figure materialized into focus.

"It's not wise to wander these tunnels alone," a low voice warned, .

Her instincts screamed for her to flee, but she stood frozen, like a tiny figure in the vastness of the tunnel, staring into the intensity of those eyes. They belonged to a tall man with sharp features and an aura of power that made her skin prickle.

"Are you lost?" he mind-linked her with a hint of amusement threading through his voice.

"Not…lost," she stammered, summoning the courage to respond through mind-link "I'm looking for a rogue pack. I need to get to Matteo."

He tilted his head, studying her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. "Matteo, you say? He's not easily impressed. What do you have to offer?"

Raine hesitated, her mind racing. She had nothing but the tag clenched in her palm and the will to survive. "My friend,he sent me. I'm supposed to give you this I guess ."

Her voice lifted slightly as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the blue stone she was given earlier with shaking fingers, extending it toward him. The man observed her cautiously, his expression filled with doubt.

"It was given to me. I swear... I... didn't steal it" she added quickly. "I'm no threat. I just want to be safe and alive "

The man took a step closer, his eyes narrowing as he reached for the stone.

"Hmph," he mused, inspecting the stone. "And what makes you think you deserve safety? Look at you ; just a scared girl in a dark tunnel. Why should I help you?. I can't even scent you. Are you a spy? Did that mother fucker actually send you here? This is not a charity organization"

" You can't scent because I have a disability. I'm different from the others. And trust me I didn't ask for this life! I'm just trying to escape from my father. I don't want to be a pawn in someone else's game. Please, I..."

"Then follow me," he commanded, stepping back into the tunnel "And don't make a sound. The real danger awaits in the depths of these tunnels."

"Thanks... For helping me... " she muttered.

" I've got no choice anyways, the asshole already sent you"