27. Tayla

Chapter twenty-seven

Tayla

As Nora vanished into the inky blackness, I shuffled down the desolate dirt road, my knuckles white around the bag's strap.

The creak of wheels and clip-clop of hooves pierced the eerie silence. I dove into the bush hiding from sight. A carriage materialized from the gloom. My heart pounded, dread quickly followed. Was this salvation or something far more sinister?

Maybe, just maybe, the coachman would give me a lift to the pack's border.

I decided to risk it. I turned around and waved my hand, hoping to catch his attention.

It slowed to a stop. The coachman's weathered face appeared, his eyes raking over me with unsettling intensity.

"Where to, Miss?" His gravelly voice sent chills down my spine.

"The pack's border," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. "Silvermoon."

He exchanged hushed words with an unseen passenger, their low murmurs setting my nerves on edge.

"Get in," he growled. "We'll take you."

The carriage door swung open with an ominous creak. A middle-aged man extended his hand, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

I climbed in, sinking into the plush seat. As the carriage lurched forward, my momentary relief gave way to a gnawing unease.

I might have escaped Asher's clutches, but what new dangers awaited me in the gathering darkness? The rhythmic clatter of hooves felt like a ticking clock, counting down to an uncertain fate.

I brought my hand closer to my chest and touched the necklace. Asher wouldn't be able to find me as long as this necklace was around my neck.

“I am Damien,” the man’s nasally voice broke my thoughts, his eyes narrowing subtly.

“My name is Tayla,” I introduced myself.

At the mention of my name, I caught sight of a fleeting frown that crossed his face but was quickly replaced with a smile.

With the bag on my lap, I sat there quietly. I could feel the heavy gaze of the man on me, but I couldn't turn my head to look at him.

“What is the mate of Alpha Asher doing wandering on a deserted road without any guards? Tell me, did he kick you out of the castle?” the man asked curiously.

Why was he trying to get closer to me? I turned my head to him and didn't respond but only forced a smile. With the carriage wheels rumbling over the road, I could only hope that I would arrive safely and get out of this pack before Asher started searching for me.

The silence between us was thick, and I could feel a sense of uneasiness wash over me. The man continued with his questions which seemed innocent at first and then slowly became intense.

All of a sudden, the carriage hit a bump on the road. I stumbled forward, my hand reaching out to steady myself. My eyes met with the man, and that's when I saw a spark of anger ignite. A shiver ran down my spine as I pressed my back against the seat of the carriage.

His eyes blazed with hot fury. Before I could speak up, he wrapped his hands around my neck.

“So you are truly the mate of Asher,” he growled. “You are the one living a luxurious life under the protection of the guards in the castle while my whole family was torn apart.”

I could feel all the air being squeezed out of my body. I could barely breathe, let alone have the strength to fight back.

“You are going to pay for what Asher did to me and my family,” the man spat. “He turned his back on the pack and let the witch steal our children. I lost two of my children to the cold hands of that witch. A boy and a girl.”

“He killed the witch. “ I tried to struggle, but his grip tightened. My hands clawed at his arms, but he just laughed and tightened his grip.

“You are going to beg for mercy while I rip you apart and send you as a gift to the Alpha,” he whispered, his hot breath falling on my face. My eyes narrowed to the coachman to see him whip the reins of the horses as they picked up speed.

I knew I had to act fast, or I would die before seeing my father. I summoned every last bit of my strength inside me. My wolf instincts screamed for release, and that's when I lost it.

I summoned my wolf strength, my hands reaching to his arms, and pushed the man off me. The man stumbled back, nearly falling out of the carriage when I grabbed his neck. Only my hands changed, but they were fearsome.

“If you have any anger for Asher, you should go to the castle and confront him yourself,” I tightened my grip around his neck, my claws digging into his skin before I released him.

Without wasting any more time, I jumped out of the carriage. The distance was not far, but with the carriage riding at high speed, my legs and bare feet hurt.

My face twisted in pain as I looked down at my feet, which were bleeding now. But I didn't have time to complain. The sky was slowly brightening up and the guards would soon notice I was not in my room. They would come looking for me.

With blood gushing out of a slash on my foot, I couldn't risk the guards tracking me through the trail of my blood.

Scanning my surroundings, I spotted the forest in the distance and made a run for it. The wound on my feet continued to bleed, but I pushed on, holding onto the necklace, hoping I would return safely to my pack without getting caught. I dared not look around as I feared what could happen. Walking by the road wasn't safe as the guards might find me there. And I couldn’t trust errant carriages anymore either.

I didn't know who the man from the carriage was, but I believed that more of the angry pack members would come out for revenge soon. I needed to find my way back to my pack safely.

The forest filled itself with the sound of owls hooting and crickets.

“I can't catch her scent anywhere,” I heard the voice of an angry guard say and froze in my footsteps.

“You better find her and bring her back to Alpha Asher!” Another angry male voice yelled. I flinched. Turning around to see if they were following me, my eyes widened upon hearing the sound of footsteps approaching.

Without hesitation, I began to run. Not looking at the direction I was running, my leg hit against a fallen tree, making me fall down to the ground. My body rolled down a little slope. Groaning in agony, I managed to tuck myself behind the thick roots of a huge tree.

I slowly raised my head to see five guards walk over and look ahead of the slope.

After some time, one of the guards waved his hand for them to leave, and they turned around and walked away.

With the guards gone, I exhaled in relief and stood up from the ground. I felt a throbbing pain from my legs and feet as I began to walk. I gripped the bag across my shoulders as I saw a small cottage come into view.

I breathed in relief as I approached the cottage. My senses were on high alert, sniffing the air for anyone. I walked closer with caution, unsure of who might be inside.

I knocked on the door and when I didn't receive any response, I pushed the door to see the house empty.

Taking a long breath, I walked into the little cottage house before dropping my bag on the ground and grabbing a checkered blanket. I settled into a wide armchair. The place was cozy. I kept hearing footsteps outside that weren’t actually there, though. It made my heart race.

Spreading the blanket across the ground, I sat down before pushing my leg closer. I examined my feet closely and saw a small nail poking out of my skin. I had jumped onto a nail when I fell down from the carriage.

I squeezed my eyes shut and clenching my jaw, I carefully removed the nail from my foot. Feeling exhausted, I lay on the blanket as the pain subsided. Before I knew it I was fast asleep.

I woke up feeling sore all over. It has been a long time since I fell asleep—hours, in fact. Feeling extremely relieved that I wasn't caught by the guards, I sat up and wiggled my arms around to shake out the stiffness.

My body felt as if it was overworked the previous night. I was still in pain, and the blanket Nora had offered me was stained with blood.

Rising from the comfortable chair, I nearly fell because my feet were still hurting. I held onto the wall for support and examined my feet. My feet were now swollen, and the blood around the cut and the nail hole had dried up.

I ripped a small strip of cloth from the clothing Nora had given me. I then proceeded to tie it around my feet. Grabbing the bottled water from the bag, I headed out of the cottage.

I looked around, ensuring I was alone, and sniffed the air for any unfamiliar scent.

Sensing that there was no one around, I began to wash my face with the water before gazing at the bright midday sun.

I could only hope that nothing bad would come my way throughout the day, but as long as I was not in the castle, Asher would not rest.

I thought of Asher, thinking of his cold, grumpy expression when he found me absent from my room. I thought of the way he had made love to me also…

Back inside the cottage, as I sat down on the chair, my stomach growled for food. My eyes searched for anything to eat. Grabbing a chunk of bread from the bag, I ripped some of it off, placed it into my mouth, and began to chew. It tasted wonderful.

After eating, I felt exhausted and laid on the blanket on the ground to rest. When I woke up again, it was nightfall. Where had the time gone? From where I was lying, I could see the moon shining brightly. The room was dark, and there were no candles I could use to light the space. Reaching for the bread loaf, I devoured the rest before closing my eyes for more sleep.

Feeling myself being drawn into another world, I dreamt about Asher chasing me through the dense forest. My heart raced with fear of the thought of getting caught by him. At one point in the dream, I fell to the ground. The dream seemed to be endless and nightmarish.

Eventually, waking up again, I noticed the room had turned bright, which meant it was morning. The dream felt so real that when I closed my eyes for a moment, it was as if I was back in there with Asher chasing me.

Standing up from the blanket, I walked out of the cottage to gaze at the thick forest, which looked eerily quiet. I imagined my journey today. By now, Asher must have noticed my disappearance and his guards could be anywhere in the pack looking for me. I'd have to walk through the forest path to avoid being caught.

After washing myself with a bowl of water and cloth and eating some of the food, I left the house to continue my journey.

I took a deep breath as I continued to walk through the forest path. There was still a long way ahead of me. My senses were on high alert for any signs of danger. Every rustle of leaves or chirping of birds made my heart skip a beat.

After what felt like hours, I came across a river. I scanned the river, searching for any shallow point I could move through. The water churned and frothed, making it hard for me to spot any dangerous spots ahead. Clutching my bag near me, I began to move through the water.

The current was stronger than I expected, pulling me back. I moved with caution, not wanting to step on any hidden rock or underwater predator. One wrong move and my wound could be fatal.

Fortunately for me, I was able to reach the other side of the river without any issues. I sniffed into the air, and a small frown appeared on my face when I sensed the smell of werewolves around.

That was when I saw them: a pack of rogue wolves. Their yellow eyes fixed on me with intensity.

With the rich brown color of their fur and how they all carried the same scent, I knew they were not from this pack. I was in trouble!

They were outsiders. I remembered Alpha Asher talking about claiming their pack land and turning some of their people into slaves in the past.

They knew I was his mate and, thus, a potential target for their revenge.

The leader of the pack, a massive brown wolf with a scar on his right eye, approached me.

Your Alpha has claimed our territory, and now we will kill every member of its pack , he growled from his mind to mine. His words hurt my senses.

I snarled, baring my teeth, and prepared myself to fight the wolves. But with my feet wounded, I wondered how I would be able to survive this. And I couldn’t help but wish someone like Asher was at my side to help.