I lunged, grabbed the nearest weapon I could find, and went straight for his throat.
I should’ve known better. I was outmatched before I even swung.
He laughed, and seconds later, he had me pinned to the ground, his boot crushing my chest, sneering down at me like Iwas nothing. “Go ahead,” he’d said, his voice low and mocking. “Try it again. See what happens.”
I had already been deemed damaged long before that. Unworthy. Ruined. So he didn’t kill me. He locked me in a cold, dark cell for weeks, then auctioned me to the highest bidder. Not executed. Not spared. Sold. Like livestock, as if my only value was what was between my legs. A final profit for the alpha who’d already taken everything from me.
He knew he couldn’t keep me. I would have stopped at nothing to make him pay. So he sold me to a sadistic bastard known for treating his omegas like dirt, breaking them down until they were nothing but hollow shells.
I wasn’t going to be one of them. I’d rather die.
I escaped moments after they delivered me. The alpha took one look at my scrawny body and laughed. Thought I wouldn’t have the wits or the guts to run.
Yeah, underestimate me, you fucking prick.
I bolted into the forest with nothing but the clothes on my back, knowing only one thing for sure. I’d never trust another alpha again.
I pull myself out of the past as the cave comes into view. The woods have been my home ever since—three years of sheltering me in ways the packs never could. Here, I’m free. I’ve survived on my own. Scavenging what I need. Stealing when I have to. The rare, unlucky campers who wander too far from civilization are nothing but opportunities. Food. Clothes. Weapons. They leave their gear unattended long enough, and I take what I need.
No remorse. No hesitation.
I’ve built a life out here. Rough and brutal, but mine. My wolf can run free and hunt wherever she wants.
No alphas in sight for miles. I just wish I could have a hot shower now and again.
My stomach grumbles, but I’m too tired to hunt. I pull back the branches that hide the entrance to a small, hidden alcove I’ve called home for three years. A tent, a fire pit, a few stolen supplies. It keeps me alive.
I unzip the flap and crawl inside. Exhaustion hits all at once. My limbs are heavy, and every joint protests, but there’s a nagging in the back of my mind—the urge to run right now. But I’m spent.
Tomorrow I’ll find a new cave further away. Tomorrow, I’ll run again.
I close my eyes and let sleep take me.
* * *
I zip up the backpack and stuff in the last of my supplies.
Fuck, I’m gonna miss this place.
I glance at the pile of firewood I spent weeks chopping, each log stacked so carefully by the mouth of the cave. All that work—wasted. Another home I’ve got to leave behind.
But I can’t stay. The alphas are coming.
“Goddamn animals,” I mutter, kicking at one of the logs. My first winter was brutal. Huddled in the cave, burning the last of my firewood, wrapped in that threadbare blanket. I remember the shitty book I found in a hiker’s pack. Some pirate fantasy. Total trash. But it was something to distract me on those endless cold nights.
I shove the nostalgia down. There’s no time for that.
I trudge to the icy brook nearby. The water bites at my skin as I scrub myself raw, washing away any lingering scent. I shiver, breath coming out in harsh puffs of steam, but I can’t leave a trail. Clean clothes on, pack on my back, I set my sights north.
“Try to track me now, you bastards,” I growl, teeth chattering.
One last look at my home. My throat tightens, but I push it aside. There’s a cave a few days north that I found on one of my scouting trips. Enough cover. Close to fresh water. It’ll do.
The terrain gets worse with every hour. Dense underbrush tears at my clothes. Jagged rocks make every step a gamble. By the end of the first day, my legs are trembling, my calves burn, and my lungs feel flayed raw.
By the second day, my feet are blistered and my mouth is dry. Water ran out hours ago. Every step feels like dragging dead weight. Each movement is slower than the last.
The forest stretches in every direction, endless and indifferent. I keep moving anyway, even as my body starts to fail me.