Calla Lily

Vera ⚪️

It was quiet when the drive began and my heart was racing. I looked in the side mirror frantically expecting to see a large black wolf chasing down the car. I was so caught up in my worry, that I didn't realize the wolf I was in the car with was speaking until she waved a hand in front of my face. I jumped turning to face her  "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Deana." She introduced herself kindly. I cleared my throat "My name is-" my voice was caught in my throat as I debated whether or not to tell her who I really was. "It's okay, you are safe." My eyes flickered back to the side mirror. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I swallowed thickly "My name is Vera." I lied. She seemed to of believed me, perhaps chalking up my erratic heartbeat to terror which was partly true.
"You are a runaway mate." She stated. I looked at her with wide eyes as she said this according to the law, she could be killed for helping me escape. To abandon one's mate is the ultimate crime as doing so inflicts searing pain into both of the bonded pair. Anyone who was caught concealing a mate, was subject to death. I wasn't far enough yet and feared she would drop me off, but Sorren could still reach me and do it quickly. "Hey it's alright. I'm not going to take you back to him, not after he did that to you." I looked at my torn clothes covered in dirt and blood, my blood. These injuries although not from him directly were because of him. "Thank you." My voice was small. "I'll take you back to my place and let you clean up. From there I can take you to the train station, it goes all the way to the coast. You can get on a boat there, go to one of the islands and be free." My eyes widened as she said that. She was right, I could leave the mainland and be free of Sorren. The islands were untouched by pack laws, and there were so many islands, I could disappear. It's be like I never existed. It saddened me that I would not be able to return to my parents, although a selfish thing to say I could never inflict the law on them. As this stranger talked my conscience weighed heavier on me, I should not inflict it upon this woman either.
"I-I don't think going to your house is a good idea can you just take me to the station now?" Deana shook her head "You'll draw too much attention in the state you're in. You need to shower and change." I looked down at myself again and concluded that she was right. We drove for about two hours and pulled into a driveway of a large house on the edge of whatever town outside of Sorren's.
  "let's get you inside." The woman helped me out of the car and up the stairs into her house. The bottoms of my feet screamed in pain when I put pressure on them again so the walk was slow. The adrenaline that kept me numb had worn off, and now I could feel the full extent of my injuries. I tried to distract myself by noting things about the house. It had three stairs leading up to the big porch. It was nice, a big craftsman style house painted green. Deana got out a key and opened the large wooden door. We stepped inside and luckily found the house quiet.
  "My mate is out on a scouting mission, he is Beta of this pack so it's best to get you showered and gone by tomorrow." I paled when we said that "Tomorrow? I can't stay the night here. I appreciate what you're doing for me but I need to leave." She nodded at my panic "Okay that's fine you can leave tonight. You don't have to stay. Please don't pass out on me." She laughed nervously referring to my quickened breaths as I panicked, I needed to get out of here. "I'll show you to the shower." Deana lead me upstairs to the bathroom and got me a pair of her jeans and a sweater. "Thank you."
  I closed the door behind me and turned towards the mirror shocked at the girl that stared back at me. I looked sickly pale a mix of being captive in a house and the pure terror and paranoia currently coursing through me. I had a deep gash on my right cheek bone which had a bruise forming around it most likely from a jagged tree branch. The shredded sweater I wore and newly ripped pants were also thanks to the trees. My hands were scrapped raw after greeting the road and I could tell without looking my feet were the same. This shower was going to hurt.
  I turned the tap on hot and watched the steaming water fall from the shower head. Stripping off my clothes was difficult, they felt so heavy in my cut hands. I stepped into the hot spray of the water and bit my lip to keep from crying out at the sting. My feet hurt the most, so much so that I actually sat down. The act of showering was also painfully slow, I used little soap due to the open wounds and just allowed the water to carry away the dirt and blood.
As I sat on the shower floor, I thought about Sorren. Not in a romantic way, but rather what he was doing at this very moment. Did he kill his brother? What about his parents? Was he out looking for me, or did he already know where I was? Would he be waiting for me beside the body of Deana when I reappeared downstairs? I shivered at the thought, I'm sure the patience and whisper kindness intertwined within this animalistic obsession he'd shown me before this point would be gone. If he had marked me, it'd be easier for him to find me. The bond would be stronger if there even was such a concept and so locating me would be easy. I couldn't imagine feeling its crushing weight even more. So, if he did find me I would absolutely be marked, a thought that terrified me, and I would be unable to leave him for an extended period of time as I planned to now.
  Getting out of the shower was a monumental task, which I achieved only due to the desire to put more distance between Sorren and I. I dressed in the slightly large clothes given to me and tucked the sweater into the jeans to help keep them around my waist. I rolled the jeans as well to keep them from encasing my feet. I did my hair back into two braids and emerged from the steamy bathroom.
  Downstairs I found a smiling Deana with a pot of spaghetti in red sauce. "I baked some chicken as well. Just something to get you going." I smiled politely at her although it was half hearted, even against my best effort. "Thank you it smells delicious." She nodded and pointed to the table. "Please sit allow me." Deana scooped some noodles onto my plate "Is this alright?" I nodded at the portion she gave me "I have water, lemonade, tea," she paused opening the fridge "Lemonade is fine." I answered cutting off her list.
  The pasta tasted heavenly and I ate quickly. Running through the woods barefoot really takes a lot out of you. "After dinner I can take a look at those cuts for you to make sure they don't get infected." Deana said sitting down with her own plate of pasta. Now that I have gotten this far, I feared for what came next. I couldn't stay here, I know that much but the thought of being alone again running from him, it terrified me. I had the sudden urge to take up Deana's offer, she was so nice and so selfless, but with her husband being the Beta, I would be found out. I'm sure Sorren would let all the Alpha's in the surrounding packs know I was missing, and this Beta would return me back to him.
  "Vera?" I was suddenly brought out of my thoughts "Are you alright?" Deana asked. I nodded a few times uncertain "Do you maybe want to talk about what happened?" Her voice was quiet and so tender, like she was talking to a frightened child which I guess in a way I was. I cleared my throat "I just turned 20." I explained and Deana nodded in understanding "When I was brought to live with him, it destroyed my whole life. And he didn't understand the situation he put me in. The-the full moon-I mean nothing really happened but his instincts I just-" I paused in my rambling "I don't understand the instincts he has towards me, this suffocating possession. And then his brother appeared and threatened me. So, he turned into a wolf." I clenched my jaw at the thought.
  "His brother shifted?" I nodded "And then he did...and I think he killed his brother." Deana cleared our plates away and grabbed a first aid kit from under the sink. "I'm sorry all of this happened to you. My world can get quiet violent." She said. "The moon goddess works in mysterious ways." Deana said. "She will take care of you." I winced as she wiped at the cut on my cheek "Thank you again for stoping but I have to ask, why did you stop?"
  "The desperation in your eyes and the state of you, I couldn't just leave you." She said it as if the idea of leaving me was unthinkable. "But the law, if he finds you..." I shook my head she would end up like Aziel. "I am quiet certain my mate can handle him as a Beta he is second to the Alpha. I'm sure that wolf will regret ever sniffing around here if he gets this far, but I doubt it." She reassured me. I swallowed thickly for any other wolf, sure a Beta would win but not against an Alpha, against Sorren. Deana cleared the table and returned with a first aid kit. She got out the antiseptic first "This might sting." She warned me and rightfully so. I pursed my lips to keep quiet and as she blotted my hands. She then placed the carefully palm up on the table and began to wrap them carefully. Next were my feet which did elect a small expression of my pain and required lots of bandages as they were still actively bleeding. "Thank you." I said as she finished wrapping me up.
  "Of course. Do you still want to leave tonight? It's dark." I bit at my lip and looked out into the dark night, I hated the dark. I really didn't want to leave but I had to. "Yes. Thank you again so much for everything, but I need to go." Deana stood and went through a door into what looked to be a mud room. She came back with a pair of converse that looked a size or two too big but I couldn't be picky. "I have extra socks you can shove in the toes." I nodded "Thanks".
  I slipped the shoes on my feet with balled up socks in the toes and tied them tightly incase I had to run. "I assume you don't have any money?" I bit my lip nervously and Deana noticed "Oh no honey that is quiet alright!" She pulled out a few crisp bills but I shook my head "Oh Deana really I couldn't take all of that money I'm sure a train ticket can't be more than 10 dollars-" Deana cut me off "Nonsense, this will get you some food and passage to the islands on a boat." I stood from the table "I'm so sorry, if he finds you," I trailed off the guilt eating me alive. "Hey, he won't. Now let's go, I'll drive you down to the train station." We both entered into the mud room, she gave me an old green canvas jacket and began to tie her boots, but then she froze "Oh no Kiran is home!" She panicked. "Which way is the train station I can walk." I said panicked. Deana was about to answer when the jingling of keys could be heard by even me.
  "Cut through the back yard to the next street over. Follow it for two blocks, then make a left. There is a big red mail box, turn right and follow that road, the train station will be on the left. Board any train taking you towards the coast." I was about to do just that, when the large wolf walked in the front door. "Vera, is someone with you?" He asked. I opened the back door and didn't even make it off the porch before he caught my arm. I turned and looked at him wide eyed "Fuck, you're Alpha Sorren's mate, aren't you?"

Hello Readers!
Thank you so much for the comments and votes I really do appreciate it!
I love to hear feedback and what you think might happen next! I have a few chapters already written, but I am just trying to think if it is the direction I want the story to go. My junior year of college is over, more importantly my O-Chem class is over (holy shit), so now I should have a bit more time this summer to write.
Sorry to keep any readers waiting!
Rosemary