ELITH
"I'm not sure about this," I said as I watched Amy wrap another round of bandages around my chest.
"This is the only thing we can do, Miss," Amy whispered, her brows furrowing. "There are still a few hours left till midnight. If we're efficient enough, we'll be able to run as far as the eastern pack border. That's enough to make the slavers lose us!"
I frowned and turned back to the mirror, watching my maid slowly turn me into someone I was not.
Her plan was simple––she wanted me to run. She wanted me to run, disguised as a man! Crushed by the shock of my situation, I had agreed to it without giving it much thought, but now that my initial fright had subsided, I couldn't help but ask myself if that was really such a good idea after all.
"Even if someone catches us, they won't be able to do much since I am just an omega and you are a human male," Amy tried to reassure me again, pulling a baggy hoodie over my head. "Slave traders don't harbor much interest in someone like that."
"I don't think you should go with me."
Amy's movements suddenly stopped, and her big blue eyes locked on mine in the mirror's reflection. "What are you even talking about? Of course I will go! What are you even going to do out there without me?"
As soon as she uttered those words, her expression changed from determination to guilt, and she bit her tongue, turning her gaze away from me.
I, however, was not upset. She was right, I couldn't go anywhere alone. All I'd ever known was my pack and the life I'd led here. If I were to run on my own, I'd be dead within hours.
Still, Amy had absolutely nothing to gain by sticking by my side. Her loyalty was admirable, but at the same time, it was way too irresponsible.
"Thank you," I finally managed, hoping her eyes would shift back to me. They did.
"I don't like what this pack has turned into once your uncle took over," Amy explained, grabbing the scissors from one of the desk drawers. "Maybe one of the rogue settlements will take us in. I'm sure life will be so much better there. For both of us."
I wasn't sure what Amy was talking about, but I didn't have time to ask. The clock struck 9 PM, and that was our clue to start moving.
"Cut or no cut?" Amy asked, bringing the scissors closer to my face.
I froze, my eyes frantically running over my features in the mirror's reflection. My hair was long and heavy––something too feminine and completely unsuitable for my disguise. And that is precisely why it was so difficult for me to lose it.
"Let's just..." I started, feeling my heart contract at the weight of the pending decision. "Don't cut all of it," I finally concluded, biting my lower lip with regret. "Shoulder-length. Maybe it will be enough."
"Alright," Amy nodded, and before I could even see her move, she grabbed my hair and snipped the length in one swift motion, quickly tying it up behind my neck. "Let's go now. We're running out of time!"
Sneaking out of my room was not as easy a task as both of us had hoped.
It was still early for the mansion staff to be dismissed, and the guards, too, were walking around as they were finishing their security rounds. Luckily, Amy knew a few secret passages that could take us outside of the house without anyone noticing. And as soon as we found ourselves out, somehow, it felt like anything was possible.
"If we cross the gardens and run for the river, we will be able to get to the eastern border through the forest," Amy explained as we snuck through the backyard gate that opened a passage to the vast orchard.
"There is a broken bridge over the Mirror Lake––it's a well-known escape route to the rogue settlement. It's a bit tricky to get to the other side, but I'm sure we can do that."
I gripped the wide straps of my backpack tightly, my eyes narrowing as I looked ahead. Even as an omega, Amy was still better at running than me––she could have simply shifted into her wolf and reached the bridge three times faster, but instead, she stuck with me, matching her speed to mine so that she wouldn't lose me.
Once we're safe, I thought to myself, feeling the burn in my lungs as exhaustion began to take over. I will do everything I can to make sure Amy never regrets helping me.
We crossed the gardens unnoticed, though the countless hidden traps set all around it were a rather difficult obstacle to overcome.
The next escape route was the river that separated the pack's territory from the neutral pre-border zone. In order to utilize the patrolling squads, my uncle left this part of the territory unguarded, and that was probably the first thing he had ever done that I felt thankful for.
"Miss Elith," Amy stopped in her tracks and turned around to face me. "We will have to swim across from here. That's the only way we can get to the bridge."
I simply nodded, convinced that talking would just exhaust me even more, and I couldn't allow that. So I quickly wrapped a plastic bag over my backpack and jumped into the water, instantly feeling my body tighten as the cold liquid pulled me into its bone-crushing embrace.
Swimming in September was not such a great idea after all.
Yet, I pushed forward, clenching my teeth as I struggled to keep myself afloat. The Moon shone over the black surface of the river, offering its silver glow as our only source of light.
At times, I felt like I was about to let go and go under, but when I saw Amy swim in front of me, calm and determined to survive, I swallowed my self-pity and pushed my limits once again.
Then, at last, we saw the first metal leg of the broken bridge.
"Almost there!" Amy shouted, motioning for me to follow her lead as she swam toward the rusted construction.
The freedom was close. So close that I could almost feel the air around me shift to something new and strangely exciting.
Little did I know that it wasn't freedom that changed the air. It was something entirely different.
"Well, well, well," a low, masculine voice rang through the air, snapping out heads in its direction.
We froze, cold water flapping around us, as we watched five tall, robust men gather at the top of the bridge, their flashlights pinning us like spotlights.
"And what do we have here?"