"I can't be caught" she whispered to herself, her breath raging as she ran through the thick woods fiercely, determined not to be captured by the clan. Her heart pounded with fear and pain as she grabbed the hem of the white turned brown dress which was given to her a day before by the alpha as a charm to ensure her safe delivery, she pulled it up in other to run faster.

She had been captured against her will three months ago after the discovery of the child in her womb. He was the son of an Alpha who was assumed to have the Luna bead which held huge significance to the clan.

"I'll get you to a safe place" She placed her hands on her womb speaking to her baby like he communicated back to her.

She did this right from when she realised she was pregnant. It made her feel less lonely. She finally had someone to live for after being chased away by her family at realising she was with a child for a beast.

Despite being in Labour, she ran as fast as she could in order not to deliver her baby close to their cave, it would mean danger and her losing all she had and probably her life as well and she wasn't ready to take the risk. She had formed a bond with the child in her womb that she wasn't going to let go of.

As she ran, branches and stems swept harshly through her leaving cuts on her

face and body but she paid no attention to them because of the pain they inflicted on her were not close to the pain she would feel if she was caught.

The howling of the clan got louder and more precise. She could hear the aggressive howl of Thane, the father of her child who was determined to capture her. The pursuit was relentless and more aggressive than it was the last time she had tried to escape. The intensity of their howls motivated her to run faster. They were up for a feast if she was caught. Her child would be given to the alpha's mate to nurture when delivered and her body to be devoured by the omegas who had craved her succulent flesh right from her arrival but couldn't feast on her because of the fear they had for the Alpha who had warned them to stay clear. But now that she had betrayed the Alpha's trust, she was more open to danger than she had ever been. Opened as a prey to anyone who first caught her.

-Bring me the human dead or alive but the baby must be saved -The alpha had commanded the clan in rage.

He had committed an abomination to the clan by having an affair with a mortal being which was against the laws of their clan but was only spared because of the numerous sacrifices he had made for the clan and the battles he had won. He was a fierce warrior who was feared and envied by other tribes.

He captured territories for his clan, which gave them authority over other tribes. They trusted and believed in him enough to let the threat live. She was seen as a threat to the clan the moment she tried to escape at first but he had assured them that she was just scared since she was new to the clan and meant no harm. Now she had escaped again and betrayed his trust. But not just that, she had escaped with what he valued the most, his only offspring who possessed the lunar bead. His heir.

She was now his soul enemy. The woman he once loved and adored. He was overwhelmed with so much hatred that overshadowed the passion he had for her. Now he wanted her gone, eaten by the omegas. But he had to first ensure the safety of his offspring in her womb and a safe delivery which was expected in days, before he could get rid of her.

"I'll get you to safety" she sobbed pulling her heavy body with her fortitude. She was beginning to lose her breath and strength and the pain of labour was beginning to intensify. The thudding of the clan's army was closer and their howls even nearer. The night got darker, the forest thicker and her strength weaker. She struggled to keep moving.

Her amniotic sac had broken releasing a silver-like liquid, one she recalled seeing at the birth of the offspring of a wolf at the cave. The sac broke with a pain that could not be explained. It wasn't intense but it wasn't mild either. Everything about the pregnancy came with pain. Nothing felt normal. This was her first pregnancy but she knew human pregnancies were not this awful. The pregnancy had lasted for only three months a quarter of human gestation but it felt way worse than the stories she heard about human pregnancies. At this moment, she regretted the day she met Thane at the bar, the day he smiled at her revealing his perfect dentition and the day she let him into her. This moment's flashed in her memory with so much grief and laments

"No no no" she screamed in pain as she felt the head of the baby pulling. It was a pain she had never felt. She ran even faster this time as her plans were beginning to fail. The pain pulled her back but her goal drove her further. As she bolted through the thick forest, she stumbled on a tangled vine seated on the moody ground like a trap set by someone to capture a prey. Her leg

collided with the vine, and she fell toward the cliff she had earlier tried to avoid hitting her head hard on a stone.

Her sight began to close in on her, and the trees began rotating fast around her, and slowly, everything began to blur out. 'You have to survive' the voice in her head rang, as she rolled over to the cliff and in a slit second, she was out.

******