Azura's POV
The long stone hallway felt like it went on forever.
The guards held my arms so tight it hurt. The air was cold and smelled like old, wet rocks.
"This is where you belong, rankless," one guard said. He laughed, and the sound bounced off the walls. "You should have stayed in your place instead of stealing."
I kept my head down. I let my shoulders drop and made my legs drag on the floor. I wanted them to think I was broken and weak.
"Look at her," the other guard joked. "She's shaking like a leaf. Now she knows her place."
I bit my lip to keep from saying anything back.
We reached the end of the hallway. The guard opened a heavy iron door. It made a loud, scary creaking sound.
"In you go," he said, and gave me a hard shove.
I tripped over my own feet and almost hit the wall. The cell was tiny and dark. I could hear water dripping somewhere.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
"Rot in here until the Alpha comes for you," the guard said.
The door slammed shut.
CLANG!
I waited until I couldn't hear their boots anymore. Then, I stood up straight and wiped the dirt off my pants.
"Void Wolf," I whispered to the dark room. "What a weird name. Do they think I'm a ghost? Or maybe they just think I'm empty-headed because I got caught."
I patted my stomach. It let out a loud growl. "Maybe they mean my stomach is a void. Because I am so hungry I could eat a whole cow. Shoes that fit would be nice, too."
I shook my head. I didn't have time to worry about being a "Void Wolf." I had to get out of here.
I looked around the cell. Stone walls. Iron bars. High up in the corner, a small window let in a sliver of moonlight. My gaze fell to the floor.
And landed on a wooden crate shoved into the corner. It looked old, splintered, and probably used by guards as a seat when they needed to watch prisoners.
I couldn't stay here. Not for a second.
I need to get out of this shithole.
I moved quickly, dragging the crate across the floor as quietly as possible. It scraped slightly, and I froze, listening. No footsteps. No voices. Just the steady drip of water and my own racing heartbeat.
I positioned the crate beneath the window and climbed on top. The wood creaked under my weight, but it held. I gripped the bars and pulled myself up, peering through the narrow gap.
Outside, moonlight spilled across the grounds. The drop was steep, at least two stories down to hard-packed dirt. If I jumped, I'd break something. An ankle. A leg. Maybe worse.
Damn it.
Then I saw it.
A tree. Not far from the window, its thick branch stretched almost level with where I stood. The leaves rustled gently in the night breeze, close enough that if I could just get through these bars…
I smiled.
Perfect.
I gripped the iron bars and pulled. They didn't budge. I tried again, harder this time, putting my full weight into it.
One of the bars shifted.
Just slightly, but enough.
Come on. Come on.
I worked the bar back and forth, wiggling it carefully. Rust flaked off, dusting my hands with orange powder. The bar loosened more with each movement until finally, it slid free.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Thank the Goddess I'm small," I whispered.
I squeezed through the gap between the remaining bars. My shoulders scraped against stone, rough and unforgiving. Halfway through, I got stuck. Panic flared in my chest, but I forced it down and twisted my body, pushing harder.
Almost there. Almost…
I slipped through.
For a moment, I balanced on the narrow ledge outside, wind whipping my hair around my face. The ground spun below me, dizzying and dangerous.
Don't think. Just move.
I crouched low, gripping the ledge with both hands. Then I launched myself toward the tree branch.
I grabbed the rough bark, fingers digging in as my legs dangled and swung wildly. My arms burned as I hauled myself up, but I didn't have time to stop. I climbed down the trunk as quickly as I could without losing my grip.
When my feet hit solid ground, I dusted off my hands and looked back up at the cell window.
"Fools," I muttered.
Then I ran.
The forest swallowed me whole. Trees blurred past, branches whipping at my face and arms. My lungs burned, my legs screamed, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.
Behind me, voices erupted.
"She's gone! The prisoner escaped!"
"Find her! Now!"
My heart slammed against my ribs.
They found out already? Seriously? I'm starting to think someone's stalking me.
I pushed harder, faster, ignoring the pain shooting through my calves. The forest grew darker, the trees thicker. Mist crept in from nowhere, cold and unnatural, wrapping around my ankles like fingers.
Where am I?
I didn't recognize this part of the territory. The trees here were older, twisted, their bark black as coal. The air felt heavier, pressing down on my chest.
But I didn't stop.
The shouts behind me faded, swallowed by the mist and distance. I slowed slightly, gasping for air, my vision swimming.
Then I heard it.
A low, guttural growl.
Every muscle in my body locked up.
No. No, no, no.
I turned slowly, my breath catching in my throat.
Movement in the bushes. Something large and dangerous.
And then it stepped out.
A wolf. Gray fur matted with dirt and dried blood. Scars crisscrossed its body like a map of violence. One eye was milky white, blind, and useless. The other stared at me with feral hunger.
A rogue.
The word echoed in my mind like a death sentence.
The wolf snarled, lips pulling back to reveal yellowed fangs.
Saliva dripped from its mouth, sizzling when it hit the ground.
Was that normal? I didn't stop to think.
I ran.
My legs moved on instinct, pure survival taking over. The rogue's howl tore through the night behind me, followed by the thunder of paws on earth.
I should've stayed in the cell. At least there I wouldn't be rogue food.
I looked back.
The rogue was mid-air. Huge. Its jaws were wide open, coming right at me.
My foot caught on a root.
I went down hard, hitting the ground with enough force to knock the air from my lungs. I rolled onto my back, staring up at the beast descending toward me.
I can't die like this.
I never got to be a mother. Never got to know what being mated felt like. Never got to…
A massive black shape slammed into the rogue mid-air.
The impact sent both wolves tumbling across the ground in a tangle of fur and fangs. I scrambled backward, my hands digging into dirt and leaves.
The black wolf was enormous. Bigger than any wolf I'd ever seen. Midnight fur rippled over muscles that looked carved from stone. Amber eyes burned like molten gold.
What the hell is that?
The rogue lunged. The black wolf met it head-on, jaws snapping. They collided with a sickening crunch, blood spraying across the forest floor. The rogue bit down on the black wolf's shoulder. The black wolf threw it off like it weighed nothing.
I need to move. I need to…
A darker thought crept in.
What if it's fighting the rogue just so it can eat me alone?
I pushed myself to my feet and ran.
My legs felt like lead, but I forced them to move. The sounds of fighting faded behind me. Snarls. Growls. The wet crunch of teeth meeting flesh.
I ran until I heard nothing but my own ragged breathing.
Finally, I slowed, bending over with my hands on my knees. My chest heaved. My vision blurred at the edges.
I escaped. I actually escaped two death sentences in one night.
Then, out of nowhere, the black wolf landed in front of me.
Oh come on, I thought I escaped you…ugh!
I fell backward, landing hard on my butt. Pain shot up my spine, but I barely felt it.
The wolf stood over me, massive and terrifying. Blood stained its muzzle. Its chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Those amber eyes locked onto mine, burning with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
Is this how I die?
And then I heard it.
A voice.
Inside my head.
Soft at first. Hesitant. As if it were waking up after a long, dreamless sleep.
My wolf.
"Mate."
I froze.
What?
The voice came again, stronger this time. Desperate and sure.
"Mate."
I stared at the black wolf, the beast that had just saved my life. It stood over me, tense and unreadable, watching me with eyes that made it impossible to tell if it meant to protect me… or tear me apart.
And my wolf, silent since my eighteenth year and long believed gone, chose now to speak.
"You've got to be kidding me."