Run.

Run as fast as you can.

Don't look back. Don't falter. Just keep running. Just keep -

"Ahhh!!"

My internal mantra got interrupted when my feet tripped over an exposed root. It sent me tumbling down a small hill, scrapes and cuts marring my fair skin. I couldn't stop myself from yelping, and no sooner than the sound left my lips, I heard the telltale barks of wolves in the distance.

I scratched my neck for the millionth time that night, desperate to dislodge the metal choker around it. My nails came out crusted with both dried and fresh blood. The silver choker served as a twisted reminder of my position and inability to shift into my wolf. It would've been much easier if I could run faster than my two human feet.

No time to dwell on it, though. My time was running out.

With a huff, I planted my hands on the ground and pushed myself up. I willed my legs to keep working, resuming my escape deeper into the forest. The bright moon lit up my path through the winding trees. I could vaguely see the border of the compound not too far from me.

My heart swelled, my breath catching up in my throat. So close... I was so close. I forced my body to run even faster, but just as I was about to clear the forest, a gunshot rang through the night.

Immediately, I crouched and hid under an alcove of bushes and roots. The forest stilled, not even an inkling of sound from the fauna or crickets from the bugs. The loud thudding of my heart was almost deafening compared to the silence surrounding me.

A series of howls broke the quiet. I hurriedly grabbed handfuls of mud and smeared it on my skin to mask my scent. Then, I covered my mouth and tried to breathe as slowly and silently as possible.

The barks of wolves came closer until I heard the sound of cracking bones and voices.

"She's just around here," a masculine voice said. Based on the sound, he was likely directly opposite where I was hiding.

I tucked my knees up against my chest and curled around myself, trying to make my body much smaller.

"Her scent disappeared," another replied. Leaves scrunched as the man walked around the area.

"She can't just vanish into thin air. We need to find her, or it'll be our heads on the chopping block," a third voice spoke up.

"Do you think I don't know that?" The first man hissed. "The Alpha has been in a mood since she sneaked out five hours ago. I don't want to be in that man's line of sight anytime soon. He's fucking volatile."

"Language! He's still our Pack Alpha. If he hears you insult him like that..."

The threat hangs in the air, silencing the three men momentarily.

"Let's not waste time considering 'what ifs.' The sooner we find that bitch, the sooner we can get our reward. Besides, if the Pack Alpha finds her first, we're dead."

"Regardless, if we don't find her, we're still goners."

They grunted their agreement before shifting into their wolf forms again. I listened closely, waiting until I knew they were gone. Cautiously, I emerged from my hiding spot and looked around the empty area.

Guilt made my stomach churn, but I pushed the emotion in the very back of my mind. I couldn't deal with it right now. All I could think of was to escape from this hell.

I continued running again. Hope bloomed in my chest when I got closer to the border without being hindered for the second time. Luck must've finally favored me because there were no guards in sight. As long as I climbed the concrete wall, I was free.

That should've been my first sign that something was wrong. The Alpha of the Galway Pack was never complacent. He would never leave a border section without guards, especially if his wife was on the run. But I was so caught up with the false sense of freedom that I ignored all the warning signs and continued recklessly forward.

The tip of my finger brushed the wall. The first genuine smile after several years graced my face. My breath hitched from exhilaration, vision tunneling at my sole path to salvation.

'So close... I was so close,' I thought to myself again.

Close, but never there.

Something heavy collided against my body. I sprawled on the ground and breathe wooshed out my lungs. I tried to claw my way out of the thing that was pinning me down. I screamed, clocking my elbow behind me.

A low growl froze my movements. I've memorized that sound. The familiar scent of fire and ash enveloped me, making breathing harder. Terror gripped my heart and tears welled up in my eyes.

Bones cracked as the wolf on my back shifted into his human form. Warm breath fanned against my ears. I felt supple lips trailing soft kisses on its edge, going lower until it reached the crook of my neck. The mud had long crusted and cleared from my body. Then suddenly, teeth sank into my skin.

I screamed and thrashed against the Alpha's hold.

"Shhh, is this really the way you should be greeting me? I missed you," Adrian whispered, licking the wound fervently.

Sobs wracked my body as I thought of ways to do damage control. Should I continue fighting, or should I surrender? Fighting meant more wounds, but surrendering wasn't strictly better.

My emotions decided for me when white-hot anger blinded my rationality. In a last-ditch effort, I twisted my body and punched Adrian. He's caught off guard, enough for my hit to land. Blood dribbled from his split lip, and I watched him lick the crimson liquid with darkened eyes.

"Have I been too soft and lenient with you?" He asked in a dangerously low voice.

I realized too late that I'd done the wrong thing but didn't regret it. Not even a little bit.

"You'll never have me. You can do whatever you want with my body, but my wolf and soul will never be yours!" I shouted in his face, vitriol dripping in my voice. Years of torment and suffering made me finally snap.

Adrian looked undeterred at the wake of my wrath. "We'll see, but make no mistake. I can break and rebuild you over and over... and over again." He grabbed my arm and leaned closer again, his nose bumping my face. "I'll make it so I'll be the only one to accept you. Too damaged for anyone else but her Alpha. You're mine, Chiara. And I will remind you of your place as many times as you need until it finally clicks in that pretty head of yours."

The Alpha of the Galway Pack stood before me. His tall figure towered above my trembling body. I tried to glare at him, scream, and fight back, but my body wouldn't cooperate. His words played in a loop in my head, and all I could remember were his punishments.

I couldn't go through that again. I couldn't. But Adrian gave me no choice. He dragged me by my hair, my body finally waking up from its fear-induced stupor. I raged and screamed against his grip. He pulled me back to the compound effortlessly.

Back to my life as his wife... as his property.

Back to my life of hell.

Amidst the suffering, I gripped the only thing that kept me afloat all these years. It was the only remaining semblance of myself. If I could never be free, then I would at least bring him down to the depths of eternal damnation with me.

The thirst for vengeance kept my flames burning.

And I would burn Adrian Galway with it.