The guards dragged me outside and pushed me roughly to the cold, bare floor. I lay there for what felt like an eternity, my eyes streaming with tears as I replayed every moment of our relationship in my head. I thought about the way Louis used to hold me, the way he used to make me laugh. I thought about the way he rejected me, the way he accused me of murder. And I knew I had to see him again, to make him understand that I wasn't capable of such a thing.
Almost in affirmation, the wind blew my dress, almost revealing my underdress, as I tried to cover myself. I caught sight of the tiny paper the doctor had given me to show that I was pregnant. With a firm resolve in my heart, I mustered up the courage to go meet Louis in his private room. At least my 48 hours wasn't up.
As I walked towards his building, my determination wavered. Everyone was looking at me wildly, like I was some sort of leper. Then it hit me - my dress was covered in blood. I wasn't going to allow anyone to stop me. I was going to tell Louis about our baby, and maybe he would have a change of heart.
So, I snuck into a secret tunnel outside the packhouse, which Louis and I knew about, to enter his private room. As I neared his private room, I saw documents of my late dad's property on his study table beside his private room, with the signature of my mom boldly signed on them.
What was happening? Did my mom and Louis have a disagreement before she died? I shook my head; it wasn't possible. My adoptive mother hated Louis; she wouldn't have signed off our properties to him, even though she didn't like me.
As I neared his room, I heard a feminine voice screaming, "Baby, please go harder... You are so sweet." Louis replied back to the voice, "You're so sweet too, baby."
"For a moment I thought you wouldn't reject her". The feminine voice spoke up again
It was all just an act do you think I would get married to an orphan?
"No, Louis, I knew you wouldn't," she said, kissing him on the lips. "You are mine, Louis."
"Yes, I am all yours," he replied back, kissing her back.
I cleaned my ears properly to make sure I wasn't hearing things. It was undeniably Louis's voice. No, it's not possible; there's a mix-up somewhere, I told myself as I bent to peep through the door hole.
I dropped the crumpled paper on the floor as I tightly squeezed my lips to avoid screaming. Louis was screwing my best friend, just after rejecting me.
I gasped, releasing slow, painful breaths. I tiptoed, not wanting to attract noise to myself, but my leg accidentally knocked the study table. I panicked, not wanting to be caught by either Louis or Laura. I ran faster than I normally would, tears tickling down my eyes. I didn't stop to check if people were looking at me.
The pack's gate was open, and beyond it was a thick forest. I ran towards its direction, my heart racing with fear and anxiety. I could hear the growls of wolves chasing after me. I ran faster, making sure that I had covered a lot of distance.
I stopped to catch my breath when I heard Laura's voice. "Ariel, please stop running!" It was Laura's voice; she was chasing after me.
What did she want from me? I cleaned my tears and listened to her. "Ariel, it's not what it looks like! I know you can hear me," she shouted from afar.
I looked at the border line of the pack, and I was almost close to crossing it. But then I wanted to hear what she had to say.
"Laura, why are you chasing after me?" I replied, allowing her to come and find me.
"Thank goodness, Ariel, that I have found you!" She looked sweaty as she came towards me.
"What do you want to say, Laura?" I went towards her.
"Ariel, I knew you saw us," she responded.
"Yes, Laura, and he's all yours, so why are you chasing me?" I asked.
"You forgot something while you were running," she replied, tearing the pregnancy report into tiny pieces.
"Was that why you ran all the way here?" I asked.
"No, I came to make sure you never return with that abomination in your stomach," she replied, coming forward to look me in the eye.
"How dare you call my baby an abomination!" I yelled back, forgetting for a split second that I was powerless before Laura.
"I know about your scar, the one you hide with your long hair and heavy makeup," she pointed to my long, golden hair.
My heart raced fast; how did she find out about my scar? "Guards, subdue her!" She barked, and from nowhere, two hefty men grabbed me from behind, making it hard for me to escape.
I tried to get away from their grip, but they were too strong for me. "Let me go, Laura! I promise I won't ever step foot here," I pleaded.
"Oh, I'm going to make sure of that," she responded. She brought out a liquid from her pocket and forcefully opened my mouth, allowing me to swallow its contents.
The guards released their grip on me, and I fell to the forest floor, my eyes becoming dizzy as I tried to keep them open.
Whack! The sound of Laura's boot repeatedly hitting my stomach echoed through the forest as I tried as much as possible to use my hands to cover myself. I coughed out blood, my hands grasping for the sand, willing myself to fight, but I couldn't.
"Please, Laura," I spluttered out, mouthful of blood.
But she wouldn't stop. As I got weaker and weaker, I could barely hear my own breathing. After what felt like an eternity, the two hefty men carried me and threw me outside the border, leaving me to die at the hands of the rogues.
I spluttered out blood from my mouth as the pain from my stomach became unbearable. The pain was already dulling my senses. I was tired of being humiliated, I was tired of being weak. I was going to be strong and make them pay for what they did to me. I was going to have my revenge.
I whispered under my labored breaths, "I will make you pay, Laura... I will make you pay, Louis."
I heard the howls of werewolves towards my direction as I struggled to breathe. "Moon goddess, please... help me," I whispered.
A figure emerged suddenly, different from the rest. His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a spark of recognition. But as he drew closer, his features shifted. Is he a savior or a demon? My thoughts flew as everything went blank.