Run

Chapter 5: The Escape

"Who let the rouges in?" Shouts the alpha.

"I-I don't know, sir," says the pack member. I feel bad for him. I can see him shaking in fear. "They came in from the south border."

Alpha Martin lets out a low, menacing growl, before stalking over towards the other man.

"Get out!" He roars. The man scurries away, obviously afraid of what his alpha might do.

Alpha Martin whips around, now facing me.

"This isn't over," he snarls. "Don't leave this room." He stomps out, slamming the door behind him.

The moment I know he's gone, I launch myself up and towards some drapes, undoubtedly hiding a window. Pushing them aside, I let out a small gasp, not completely prepared for the bloody scene now in front of me.

Bright splatters of crimson are scattered across the lawn, as wolves snap their teeth at each other. Most wolves have their coats dirtied with their own blood, the blood of the enemy, and the blood of the ally. Wolves lay scattered across the lawn, barley moving or not at all.

This is a sight I've seen before. Living in the pack house, if any pack were to attack us, it would be there. My father had everything-proofed my room so no one could get in during attacks. With a flip of a switch, silver and wolfsbane would course through the walls. All werewolves would be effected, but since I was born human, I wasn't. I was still able to touch the walls, doors, windows, ceiling, floor, everything. For the wolves, it would burn them rather nastily.

I stay at the window for another moment, before I suddenly hear the door to the room behind me creak open.

I whip my head around, only to be greeted by a petite blonde, who tosses a sweater at me.

"We gotta hurry Brooke. I wanna get you out of here and this is the only chance we'll probably ever have before he marks you."

"Claire, if I leave-"

"My pack will be fine. James and I will be okay. It's not rouges who are attacking, it's my former pack. We're fighting with them. They won't hurt us." I begin taking off the ripped sweater and placing the new one. "James may be Beta of New Moon, but he hates Martin. Martin is incredibly cruel. He shouldn't be Alpha." I finish getting the new sweater on and Claire grabs my hand and begins dragging me down the hall. She pulls me down the staircase and towards the front door. "They're allied with your dad. You're totally safe from them."

We run out, and she forces me past the battle field before I can see too much. Pulling me through the woods, she rushes away from the brawl, the branches tearing at my skin. She continues for what feels like hours. She begins to slow down eventually, and then she stops. She looks at me while I pant more than a dog.

"You're going to hate me for this, but you have to keep going, I have to go back," she states. My eyes widen at her. "I have to go back and fight with my pack. The old one." I suddenly hear a howl of pain. Claire's eyes gloss over, and I know she's mind-linking. Her eyes suddenly come back to normal, and I see tears brimming in her eyes.

"They killed him. Not James, the other beta," she whispers her voice breaking. I hug her, and she cries for a moment into my shoulder before pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Okay. You need to keep going. Keep running that way," she points in the direction we were headed. "About a mile out is their border. The territory there is owned by another pack-"

"What pack?" I ask, cutting her off. She looks at me with worry laced in he eyes.

"Just get out of there as fast as you can, but do not, for any reason, come back to this territory. If my pack looses the war, James and I will be tried for treason, and Martin won't be happy to see you. But if they catch you, just do as they ask and be honest with them. Please, I'm just trying to help you." I look at hear with tears in my eyes.

I embrace her in a hug, whispering a small "thank you" in her ear. She pulls away, and pushes me in the direction towards the border slightly.

I hear a howl, and Claire snaps her head towards where it came from.

"Go," she says, and I back away. "They've noticed you're gone. You have to get out of here." I embrace her in a hug one last time, and take off into the woods.

I run for what feel like forever, until I suddenly feel the air change. I run into this pack's territory a little more, just so I know they don't come for me, and continue to run, making sure I can still get to the border quickly.

I push myself past my limits, running harder and faster then I ever had before. But there is only so much I can take.

Exhausted, I collapse on the forest floor, struggling for air, while letting the darkness consume me.