Chapter 3 Escape

HANNI POV

He can't be serious! I stared, unable to contain my disbelief.

He looked utterly relaxed on my bed, as if claiming a Luna against her will was a casual Tuesday activity.

"I can not be your Luna." I whispered weakly.

"You do not have a choice here sweetheart" he replied smugly, as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

Lucas was your ideal Alpha. He is tall, dark haired, slim with broad shouldered, with sharp, handsome features. But I had never allowed myself to see him as anything but Wanni's. Now, his gaze felt like a trap closing tightly around me.

"I do not want to be your Luna, Alpha Lucas." I pleaded, my voice trembling with unshed tears. "It is not right! You can't do this to Wanni. She will be devastated!"

He just stared blankly, his eyes devoid of any emotion. "Okay."

My heart skipped a beat. "Okay?" Finally, this madness can end!

"Okay," he repeated, as he stood up and arranged his jacket. "Let us just continue this conversation in the palace."

"Wh....what? No!"

"Hanni," he said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous warning. The smile was gone, replaced by the cold authority of an Alpha. "Don't try to fight this. If you refuse, my officials will escort you by force. The choice is yours: walk out with dignity, or be dragged out."

I knew I had to think fast. I can't openly refuse him again, but I couldn't go with him. Lucas was a stranger-unpredictable and terrifying. I forced my shoulders to relax and smiled shakily, "Okay."

"Good! Shall we?" he gestured to the door.

"Yes, but...you go ahead" I said, putting on a fake smile "I will be right behind you. I just need to check on my patients at the clinic first. Mrs Potter needs her evening pills."

What was I thinking? What am I doing?

I had to bite my lower lip to mask the confusion on my face. To my astonishment, he nodded.

"Ok, I will be waiting in the palace. A car will come pick you up at ten. Do not be late." He moved to the door and paused, with his hand on the knob. He turned back and raked his eyes over me with a possessiveness that made my skin crawl. "I have dreamt of this day for a long time, Hanni. Dreamt of having you all to myself. Of feeling your skin under my hands, of tasting your lips....of hearing you scream my name, not in fear, but in pleasure. You will be my wife. My Luna. The mother of my pups. You have one hour."

Convinced I was alone, I let out a sob and clutched my stomach. I stumbled to the sink, dry heaving, my body shaking with revulsion and terror.

The door creaked open. "Hanni?"

"Josh? Oh Josh!" I flung myself into his arms, sobbing against his shoulder.

"Hanni, it's going to be ok" he murmured and patted my back.

"It is not! She will kill me, Josh! Wanni will slit my throat in my sleep!" A new different kind of fear spiked through me. "Where is she? It has been too quiet."

Josh shook his head. "After you ran from the hall, Wanni was vile to the Alpha in front of everyone, she slapped and called him names. He had her dragged away to the dungeons to 'cool off.' She has been there since."

The dungeon is an under ground prison, built for outlaws and rouges. Wanni might be uncouth, but she shouldn't be there, she is my sister after all and I understand her pain. But it also meant her rage was festering, building an explosion that would be aimed directly at me. Is there anything I can do? I need to find a way out of this mess immediately before Wanni gets out, because it will be on sight.

Or am I really to be blamed for all this?

"Oh my goodness! This is all my fault" I cried uncontrollably, "this is all my fault.....maybe she was right...maybe I seduced Lucas. I must have done or said something, for him to act this way."

"Stop it!" Josh gripped my shoulders, his voice stern. "You have done nothing. You have never even looked his way. This is his madness, not your sin." He took a deep breath. "Hanni, you can't stay. She will kill you, and he is clearly unhinged. You have to escape. Tonight. Now." I know Josh was being a friend, but I shook my head in disbelief, unable to accept it.

The word hung between us. Terrifying. Impossible. "Leave the pack?" I whispered. I had never been beyond its borders. The outside world was a myth.

"It is your only choice," he said, his eyes pleading. "It's better than being a prisoner or a corpse."

*********

Goodbyes were a painful experience. A choked apology to Mr. Snape and Mrs. Potter, and a desperate, tearful hug with Josh.

"Please be careful," Josh whispered, with tears streaming down his face. "Keep your head down. Just be safe."

"He will punish you for this," I cried as I clung to him. "I will take whatever punishment comes, knowing you are free. Now go!"

I ran. I slipped through the back gate and plunged into the dark, unfamiliar woods. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs screamed in protest. I ran for days, powered by fear and dried berries, jumping at every rustle of leaves, convinced every shadow was a hunter, Lucas had sent. My feet were raw, my body aching and weak with exhaustion when I finally saw it....a massive brick wall, a formidable fortress looming ahead. A tiny crack near its base...just big enough to squeeze through-was my only way in.

I bursted into a world unlike any I had ever seen. Towering stone buildings, perfect ironwork, and the smell of spices and rich linens filled the air. People in vibrant, practical clothes moved with purpose. I felt small and exposed.

Suddenly, the sound of huge drums shattered the silence, echoing through the streets. The crowd around me halted their buisness and moved as one toward the noise. Being in the middle of the street, I had no choice but to follow, curious of what is going to to happen next.

The crowd filed into a huge, open air arena and I froze. Shining silver blades and heavy chains, which are very deadly to our kind, decorated the walls. The air was filled with aggressive, competitive energy.

'What is this place?' I thought to myself.

And then I felt it. A jolt, like lightning down my spine. My senses sharpened, all coming together to a specific spot across the arena. And from deep within me, from a place I thought was empty, a low, primal growl echoed deep within me, whispering a single unquestionable word... "Mate."