Angelise's POv
"I will kill you, Angelise!" Azrael's voice echoed as I leaped out of the window.
For a heartbeat, I was suspended in the air, my long hair wrapping around me like a dark cloak. I hit the ground with a dull thud, grass and dirt sticking to my soles. The fall from fifteen feet should have left me crippled, but I landed without a scratch, as if I had a pair of invisible wings.
"Catch that bitch!" Azrael's voice thundered above, rattling my frantic mind.
I looked left, then right, trying to find a good escape route. The main gate was a death trap, while the back-end was even tighter, farther to reach.
Forest! My Second Home.
My eyes lit up. Without another thought, I bolted toward the garden and slipped between the bushes. Reaching the far corner, I tried to find the small rusted iron gate. It was buried under the overgrowth, a secret passage only I knew about.
Luckily, I found the hidden latch. My trembling fingers fumbled, and with a sharp tug, I shoved the gate open. Slipping through and slamming it shut, I ran into the woods.
Thick pine trees loomed like prison bars, their canopy blotting out the crescent moon. It felt like a silver dot on the pitch-black sky. Myths said anyone who crossed these ancient woods would never make it out alive, but the forest seemed to have considered me as its own and always let me roam free.
My breath came out ragged, the thick air scraping my throat like sandpaper. Dry twigs stabbed my feet, branches scraping my arms as I ran further.
My knees grew weak, but I kept pushing. "I should've attended those trainings," I murmured, recalling how my father nagged me to train with him, to be stronger.
Thanks to his lessons, I was able to escape tonight. If you are losing, surrender and then strike. And I did it. Surrendered, boosted his ego, and then struck Azrael at a spot that would hurt the most.
A smirk crept onto my lips; the horror on his face was worth all the pain.
"Ugh... I can't anymore." I stopped when my legs gave out. Supporting myself on my knees, I breathed out loud.
My mother had left me at his doorstep, and Nathaniel didn't abandon me as she did. He took care of me, raised me, and loved me, even if I was a mistake according to the world.
My hand touched the scar on my wrist. Camilla had burnt my hand when I was barely two years old, just because I didn't stop crying. When Nathaniel came home, he burned one-year-old Amber's hand, warning that if she dared to hurt me, he would do the exact thing to Amber.
He had always protected me. From Camilla, Amber, and everyone who wanted me dead. And tonight, when I need him the most…
Tears formed in my eyes, a lump forming in my throat.
"Where are you, papa?" I murmured, my soft sobs echoing in the eerie forest.
No. I shook my head. I should be running! The thought hit me. Standing straight, I wiped my tears and just as I was about to sprint-
"Angel." A voice called me out. I turned around in confusion.
When the man walked closer, the flashlight in his hands hurt my eyes.
"Papa?" I murmured, and when he stepped even closer to me, my eyes widened in shock. Yes, it was him!
"Papa!" I jumped into his arms.
Nathaniel wrapped his arms around, gently patting my back. Relief flooded through me, tears slipping onto my cheeks. I didn't have to run now. He'd help me out, he'd talk with his Alpha and help me break up with that scum.
"You must be tired," Nathaniel murmured, his voice gentle as always. Breaking the hug, he smiled at me. "Let's return to the pack. Everyone is looking for you."
Return? My stomach dropped. "They will kill me if I go back."
"No, they won't," Nathaniel replied, holding my hands. "If you apologize, Alpha Kendrick will forgive you. We can continue the wedding preparations."
A frown tugged my lips. Perhaps, he didn't hear the entire incident. I thought and replied, "No, Papa. I can't go back. Azrael is a scum, he tried to-"
"I know," Nathaniel cut me off. "Lilian told me everything."
"And you still want me to marry him?" I asked in shock.
"He is young, Angel." Adjusting my bangs, he continued, "It's common to lose your temper." With a sigh, he added, "Forget about it and marry him."
I took a step back. No… No, this couldn't be my papa. Everyone would say that, but not him. He would never.
"No!" I shook my head. "I am not marrying him, Papa. Not in this lifetime."
Nathaniel stared at me, the gentleness turning into annoyance. With a sigh, he muttered, "I should have abandoned you just like your mother."
"What did you say?" I asked in disbelief.
"I fed you, taken care of you all these years, and this is how you repay me, Angelise?" He snapped, glaring at me.
A gasp left my mouth. My head spun, tears blurring my vision.
"I tolerated all these years because I thought you'd be useful one day." Stepping closer, Nathaniel grabbed my shoulders and continued, "And now that you are quite useful, you think I will let you run away?"
"You are going to marry him, Angelise!" Nathaniel declared. "You will bear him pups, be an obedient Luna, and make my family proud."
Tears slid down my cheeks, my body whimpering under his grip. His words hit me worse than a hammer. So, all these years, that kindness was a facade? I was nothing but a pawn he could profit from? My chest tightened, air refusing to leave.
'Take out the knife and stab me.'
His voice, the gentle, loving tone I was used to, thundered in my mind.
'What?' I looked at him in confusion.
'We don't have time! Stab me and run to the tunnel.' He said, his voice sharp and urgent. 'A guy in black will take you to a safer place.'
I gulped, my eyes locking with his. Whenever needed, we always talked through our minds, mainly in a crowd, so none could hear it.
'Hurry, Angel. They will be here soon.'
'NO! I can't hurt you, Papa!' I replied to him.
'Do it, Angel.' His eyes darkened. 'Now!' His voice boomed in my mind.
I couldn't understand what he was planning, or why the heck he spoke all those harsh things.
'Now!' He barked in my mind.
Taking a breath, I steeled my heart. I pulled out the knife from his sheath and plunged it into his stomach. He'd always shown me where he hid it, how to take it out and use it. Maybe he was training me for this moment.
Nathaniel let out a guttural grunt, his hands clamping over my own as he forced the blade in deeper to ensure the wound was convincing.
"You ungrateful bitch!" he spat aloud, staggering back in pain, before collapsing on the ground.
My eyes fell on my trembling fingers, now slick with my father's blood. Tears stung my eyes, my heart shattering into pieces. I had stabbed my papa…
'Run!' His voice roared in my mind.
Looking at him one last time, I turned and bolted.
What was that act? Was he trying to stay with my enemies? To stir them away from me?
All sorts of questions spiraled in my mind, while my heart hoped he'd be safe.
When I reached a two-way path, I paused. There were two tunnels; which one did he mean? I thought frantically.
"It must be right!" I gasped, sprinting blindly.
I heard the distant baying of hounds—Azrael's hounds—and the frantic shouts of men. They were here! I ran faster.
I stopped in front of the tunnel, my breath coming out in huffs. The walls were damp, slick with a glistening, bioluminescent moss. The dim lights flickered as I entered, my eyes searching for the guy.
"Hello?" I called out, wondering if he was hiding somewhere.
Suddenly, the lights went out, and darkness filled the tunnel. My heart raced, I took a step back, my foot slipping on a patch of moss, and then-
I hit something. It was too warm. Too solid… Too familiar…
I turned around and-
Gasp.
A hand clamped over my throat, slamming me against the cold wall. Crimson eyes glowed in the dark, burning into mine.
A chilling voice echoed in my mind, vibrating through my bones.
'Caught you.'