AKIRA'S POV
As I walked away from what felt like my second home, I took the smaller bush paths as Magnus advised.
Over the last few weeks, I have done intense research on my escape plan.
It was easy to trick Magnus for answers. I would constantly ask Magnus for an escape route in case we were attacked and I needed to run away. It was wrong of me, but to escape from the clutches of Ares I had to do what I had to do.
Soon, I arrived at a clearing with two bush paths on each side and like Magnus advised I continued walking straight. It was dark out and I could only hope that I was going in the right direction.
Walking straight would lead me right to the borders of another pack. Magnus had constantly made it clear that the Alpha of the pack was a nice man and if anything would happen to our pack then he would gladly take us in.
As I continued my escape, I prayed not to encounter rogues. From what I had read and heard, they were vile creatures with the need for revenge carved into their souls, who would kill anyone who crosses their paths.
I only hoped the herbs Eve said would make me smell human enough would work. I didn't want to encounter the damn rogues.
Eve had not only showed me how to make herbs that would make me smell completely human, but she also showed me how to make his scent on me unnoticeable and told me tricks that helped me block our mind link as I thought of plans to escape.
Soon, I knew I was in the right pack. The air was filled with warmth and I knew this was the pack Magnus told me about.
The blood moon pack. A name which was completely opposite from what the pack represented.
Peace.
The moonlight was dull, a bright moonlight light meant new beginnings, something in me was having second thoughts about running away. And the moon was showing me a sign to go back home.
Home.
Ares was home but after what I heard him say he started to feel less than home to me.
Of course, he had noticed the change in me, but brushing him off with sex did the work. And he took note of that too.
From where I stood I took note of three guards standing at the border of the pack. I decided to take the main route into the pack to prevent any suspicions from them.
I quickly took some mud and rubbed it all over my body. I quickly ripped the sides of my top hands and my jeans with a sharp stick.
I spread a little on my face and ran a hand over my hair thoroughly.
I looked exactly like I wanted– a runaway human slave.
I then removed my flats and threw them far into the bushes behind me before staggering to them.
"Hey! Stop there." One of the guards ordered once I was seen.
But I didn't stop, I kept on staggering toward them. I clutched my stomach and willed myself to shed tears.
"H-Help, please h-help m-me. P-Please..." I cried out as I neared them.
"Who are you?" The second out of the guards spoke up. His voice was softer than the first.
I gripped his arm and looked up at him with teary eyes. "I n-need help, please. I n-need to run away from them. I-I can't do this anymore."
"We need to take her to the Alpha." The second guard spoke up again.
"We can't just wake the Alpha because of a damn rogue, you idiot." The first guard sneered. He inhaled, sniffing the air with his head poised high. "She doesn't even smell like a damn wolf."
"Who are you?" It was the third guard this time around. His voice was low but it cut through the air like sharp glass.
I sniffled. "I'm not a werewolf. My name is Mira, I was taken from my home a month ago by shifters and was sold to the Alpha of the neighbouring pack–" I quickly remembered the Alpha who visited Ares a few months ago. "Alpha Stephan."
The second guard's face visibly tightened. "That fucking prick. But he's dead, isn't he?"
I faltered, so Ares did kill him. I took a deep breath and spoke. "He is. But his son isn't the nicest of people."
"Ahhh, yes. The little bastard. Guess he's taking after the ways of his father, eh?" The second guard asked.
I nodded my head, releasing a huge breath of relief that he had a son.
"If we can't wake the Alpha up what do we do?" He asked again.
The other two guards spoke at a time.
"I suggest she should be kept with the other maids."
"She's welcomed to sleep in my room for the night."
The first guard responded with the latter as he ran his gaze from my head down to my muddy toes.
"Not happening, Silas." The second guard stated. "I'll go with Lucian's suggestion. You'll sleep with one of the maids tonight, come morning and you'll introduce yourself properly to the Alpha. He should be able to figure out how to get you back home."
"Why don't you take her to Cara, Eli? Silas and I will stay here." Lucian instructed. He was cool and collected and he seemed like the leader of the guards. He reminded me of Ares.
Everything reminded me of him.
Eli nodded and after helping me to stand properly began leading us deeper into the pack.
The road to their Alpha's palace was a short trek and there weren't any houses before the palace.
The palace itself was huge, not nearly as huge as Ares's but it was nothing short of huge and beautiful.
He lead us past the few guards situated in front of the huge iron gates. While most of them gave me pitiful looks, the others looked at me like I was scum.
Eli walked us around the palace and we trekked a little further before reaching another building which I guess was the maid's quarters. Once inside, he took me to a room and knocked once, then twice.
The door flung open to reveal a tall brunette– I guessed was Cara– in a white nightie. She was scowling at Eli.
Eli smiled fondly at her and nodded at me. "She needs to stay here for the night."
Cara snapped her gaze towards me, her scowl lessened. "What happened to her?" Her voice was soft. Almost like a whisper.
"Mira is a human and was sold to Stephan a few months ago, she escaped from the vile clutches of his son today. Mira will be staying here for the night till the Alpha decides her fate in the morning." Eli explained on my behalf.
Her face was one of pity after she heard my make-believe story. Her gaze softened as she spoke to me. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Mira."
I only nodded and gave her a small thankful smile.
"Well," Cara clapped her hands together after seconds of silence. "Let's get you out of those clothes and put you to bed."
Eli nodded in agreement. "Do that. When she wakes up tomorrow, bring her to me so Lucian and I can take her to the Alpha. I have to go now, I wouldn't want Lucian to murder Silas."
Cara and Eli shared a look before chuckling at his sentence. We both watched as Eli left and when I turned to look at Cara I could see a familiar emotion glittering in her eyes.
Love.
Cara was truly in love with Eli. She quickly took my hands and tugged me into the room before shutting the door. She showed me where I would sleep for the night and their bathroom before giving me another nightie that looked exactly like hers to put on after taking a shower.
I briefly remembered how I would ignore the bathrooms and clean myself close to the fountain instead when I was still in the maid's quarters at Ares's palace.
I was glad things were working as planned. I took a shower and dried myself before putting on her nightie, which was way too small for me.
I walked out of the bathroom and was shocked to find a plate of sandwiches placed on the bed where I was supposed to sleep.
I gave Cara a surprised look and she returned a soft smile.
"It was all I could find right now and I figured you would be hungry after all that you went through. I don't know if you have any allergies or not, since you're human and all. So, is it okay?"
I laughed quietly. "It's fine. Thank you so much, Cara."
She nodded before crawling into her bed. I quickly ate my sandwich and drank some water before retiring to bed.
I couldn't sleep, instead, I tossed and turned throughout the night as I practised how I would make them believe my story.