Escaping wasn't that much of a challenge for her. Even though Alpha Darius had tightened security, and locked her in her room with two warriors standing guard right outside, slipping away took nothing from her.
Her stealth was her weapon. Her ability to blend perfectly into the shadows paid off well, and she slid through everyone without alerting a soul. Her father had truly underestimated her - and he would learn very soon.
For now, she was just a few steps away from freedom from the clutches of marriage. She dropped silently onto the courtyard grass below, waiting for the perfect opportunity to be gone.
Then, familiar voices drifted into the air.
Theo froze, pressing her back against the wall while holding her breath. It sounded like her brother's. They walked by, unaware of how close she was.
Harrison's voice was full of venom, with that mocking edge, "Can you believe she thought Father would ever choose her? A female heir? What a joke!"
Caspian laughed, and it was cruel and mocking, "If she isn't careful, Cain will crush her before the wedding night is over. Maybe that's what she needs. A reminder of where she belongs,"
Theodora's nails dug into her palms, blood welling from crescent moons she carved into her own skin. She wanted nothing more than to step out and make them swallow their words, but she would only be implicating herself.
And so, she watched as they passed by, still chattering away with their mocking laughter drifting back to her ears.
Now, it was time to scale up the tall fence that went higher than the trees. She traced her finger along the cold wall until she found what she was looking for. It was a patch where ivy had crept, and roots clawed in.
For many years, she's noticed the weakness in the walls. She just never thought it would come as an advantage to her one day.
"Perfect," She whispered with a smirk.
Then, she began climbing. The ivy strained under her weight but she kept going. The stone cut her fingers raw, but it didn't stop her either. It was a small price to pay for freedom.
Halfway up, she heard voices. The Guards were quickly approaching, and she flattened herself over the wall, merging with the shadows so deeply they all passed without a second glance.
Then, she kept moving. Pain sliced her palm over a jagged top, she didn't mind. She swung herself over the top, landing with a small roll on the other side.
Freedom stretched ahead.
And she took off running.
It wouldn't be long before they realised she was gone.
.
.
.
Eric was waiting at the agreed spot when she arrived. She had been running for over an hour and was very sure they would have noticed she was gone by now.
Eric stood by a deserted roadside, surrounded by nothing by hills and dried life. He was carrying luggage, and a smile broke out on his face when he saw her approaching.
She stopped to catch her breath.
"Glad to see you made it," Eric said.
"Yeah," She breathed, "I thought we'd be meeting at the airport. Aren't you supposed to take a flight back to school?"
Eric raised a hand, and an old truck parked by the revered to life, approaching them, "That's the worst way to travel if you do not want to be found. My father could use that to know where you went,"
Theodore nodded, "Right, so we are travelling...in a truck?"
Eric lifted the luggage effortlessly and threw it into the cargo bed, "If we start our journey now, we should arrive before noon tomorrow," He said, and climbed into the back.
Theodore first glanced up front to take a good look at the driver, "You know him?"
"I wouldn't ask a stranger to drive me to school for over twelve hours, now are you coming or not?"
She jumped into the side next to her, and they started to move.
She glanced at Eric for a second and just knew he was still contemplating this.
"Thank you, Eric," She said softly, "It's not convenient for you because of me,"
"Yeah, you owe me a lot!"
She swallowed, "Gravemont Academy and Marrying Cain are two separate devils. But Gravemont is the devil I chose. I can't...,"
"Please, don't get emotional," Eric rolled his eyes, then sighed deeply, "I'm just trying to look out for you,"
"I'll be fine. I know this,"
Eric sighed again, "Yeah? So what was this...thing you said your wolf could do? You might as well get to it now,"
Right. The whole face-tweaking stuff.
Theodore tore her eyes off Eric, tapping into her wolf, *Seraphina, do it now*
She heard her wolf groan, and then the process began.
She gasped as her bones ached, but they weren't breaking but being refined. Her jawline sharpened, her cheekbones dipped lower and her shoulders thickened.
It was fire and cold all at once. Her throat tightened, and her voice deepened by a note.
*I'm done* Seraphina groaned, sounding somewhat tired.
Theo lifted her hand, staring as the fingers seemed longer and coarser, "I feel... different,"
Even her chest was flatter.
Eric was perplexed as he stared at the new... Theodore.
Everything about her that was feminine had been tweaked to resemble a boy.
Shorter lashes, thinner lips, sharpened jaws, smaller eyes. She was still delicately looking, but had been masked in just enough illusion that the sharp edges would fool even her father if he glanced too quickly.
"W...wow!" Eric whispered, still unable to believe his eyes, "What else can your wolf do?"
Theodore didn't answer.
There was an unsettling feeling spreading through her.
The pendant tucked and hidden behind her hoodie pulsed faintly and Seraphina's energy flickered. It felt less wolf-like, more shadowed and a bit of something...ancient.
Theo felt dizzy, and her head swayed.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?!" Eric inquired next to her, cupping her face so she was looking at him, "I think you've strained your wolf too much,"
*I won't be able to keep this up for the whole day* Seraphina added just then, *Fifteen hours is my guarantee. And anytime you fall asleep, you'll naturally revert back to your normal face*
Theodora nodded, "I'm fine," She said to Eric, "Did you bring the scissors?"
He pulled it out of his pants, "Yeah,"
"Good, let's begin,"
She turned her back to him, and her lips were set into a thin line as he began cutting her hair to a shorter length.
As the strands fell off, all she recalled was her mother. Her mother has always loved to comb her red hair, and said she got it from her grandmother. She could hear her mother's voice whispering how beautiful she was into her ears, and tears pooled in her eyes.
She quickly wiped them off.
Eric was done soon, and she faced him again with her new look. When he nodded in approval, Theodora gave the signal to Seraphina to revert back for the rest of the journey.
Seven hours in, Eric had fallen asleep with his head resting on her shoulders. She had stared at his face all through, unable to look away.
Another eight hours, and the truck finally came to a halt. Eric woke up and looked around, "We are here. Get down,"
He walked over to talk to the truck driver while she got the luggage down. Then, the truck restarted and left.
They were surrounded by nothing but bushes. It seemed like a deserted place with nothing but a perfect place to get rid of a body and get away with it.
"Is this...," She drawled, taking another look around.
"No, we took the back route. We've still got another thirty minutes' walk before getting there,"
And just as he said, Theodore sighted fences even taller than the ones back in her father's house after the walk. But they weren't just fences - they looked like black stones challenging the sky, meant to keep the weak out, and welcome the strong.
That was the vibe she got from it.
"Now is a good time to switch to a guy," Eric murmured next to her.
In less than a minute, she looked exactly the part. Eric stared in wonder again, letting out that annoying smirk before they reached the gate.
The sun was right in the middle of the sky as they walked into Gravemont Academy. The iron gates creaked as they walked through, and the intensity that she felt almost made her rethink her decision.
Inside, the air was colder, heavier and insanely charged. Ancient oak trees stretched over the courtyard, and Wolves - boys in human skin - moved in packs.
Their voices sounded sharp and lethal, and each carried himself like he was bred for absolute dominance. There was a hint of arrogance in their eyes, too.
"Whoa!" Theo exclaimed as she admitted the whole place, "It's...it's...it's more than I expected,"
"That's just the beginning," Eric groaned.
She ignored him, "So, where are we heading now?"
"The difficult part, then we'll head to my room. I stay at the Northern Dormitory, Room seven," He said, and pointed to the luggage she was holding, "All that is for you. It has new clothes and a few other things you may need,"
"Okay?" She was waiting for more.
"We are heading to the Commandant's Office, and that's the part you would have to do on your own. You know what you have to do,"
She nodded tightly.
This would be the hardest part of getting into the Academy. But Eric had given her a list of questions they would most likely ask, and she had practised the answers she would give.
Leading the way, Eric took her straight to the Commandant's Office.
The heavy oak doors loomed in front of her, engraved with claw marks deep enough to have been carved by wolves themselves.
Theodora whispered her wolf's name and Seraphina replied with a low rumble.
She glanced at Eric too, and he gave her a reassuring nod, standing next to her luggage.
Then, Theo pushed the doors open.