Runaway *adult

Chapter 12

~Alex~
My legs carried me as I ran blindly through the brush in the woods. It felt like I had gotten pretty far by how my legs and paws ached. The sun was also a factor in tracking time, as it was just out enough to light the land. 'Go back,' Cleo rang on nonstop since I left. 'no,' I hissed back again, proceeding forward, the grass crunching beneath my paws with each step.
.

.

.
Stopping to catch my breath, I cursed myself for not being in my panther form as I used to be. I found a puddle, drinking from it and ignoring the taste.

Growling Caught my attention mid-drink, making my stomach drop, swallowing the water in my mouth. My head snapped to a group of wolves staring straight at me with their teeth bared. They started stalking me, looking like they wanted me dead. 'They see your panther form,' Cleo said. I cursed myself once again, and the biggest wolf came forward. He was brown with small amounts of white on his paws. Not testing the wagon, I ran swiftly past them. In an instant, I look to be in front of them, but they were not far behind.

A pain in my thigh threw me off, making me lightheaded. Then, a pain in my side indicated a wolf had slammed into me, causing me to roll into a tree.

"don't get up!" a voice barked. Dizzy, I was trying to scrape myself upright but kept falling, my legs not wanting to carry my weight. The man growled, reaching into his pocket. My vision became blurry as one of the wolves bit into my other thigh, paralyzing me for now. Stabbing pain entered my back, causing black spots to cover my vision and me to drop dead weight to the forest floor.

Then darkness.
.

.
My eyes cracked open, and the thick chain around my neck yanked at me, but I was still in my panther form. I sighed out of relief, shaking to clear my vision. The cell I was in was tiny, dirty, and smelled like death. Footsteps and noises were all around me, so I didn't know what would come my way. "do you think it's a shifter?" A male voice asked around the corner. I couldn't look at him well because he was behind me, and the collar was restricting.

"I don't know. It looks like a regular animal, plus they haven't been around for centuries," another boy said.

"Are you stupid? No normal panther is that big with emerald eyes," another scoffed.

"Hi there," a small voice rang, seeming close to my cell, causing me to look up at the chains that connected the metal collar to the wall. "My name is Lily." she was wearing a blue sundress with sandals, plus her hair was natural, a sandy blonde color about shoulder length with a middle part that had strands just barely over her face.

"But Luna, you could get hurt," a male voice warned.

"let me in the cell, Darren," she bit..... wait, she was the Luna of this pack. Everything here was the opposite of what she seemed, harmless and friendly; this place seemed dangerous and cold.

"Yes, Luna," the man Darren said; I watched as he stepped forward. His appearance was dark with all-black jean pants plus a plain shirt combo, and a scar ran down his chin till the end of his collarbone. "let me know if you need me, but I'll also watch to make sure I get you back to Alpha glass."

She nodded, looking uninterested as he unlocked my cell. "the collar to" the Warrior, I guessed, stopped and looked at her. "no, Luna, that is not safe."

"I wasn't asking," she bit.

The man nodded, walking closer to me. I think she said his name is Darren. I didn't know if I could trust him or if he would hurt me, so I hissed. He growled, "Don't move or try anything unless you have a Deathwish." Unlocking Something on the back of the collar around my neck, I held my breath, staying still.