Escaping From My Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 5

Kamrynn

The anxiety twists deep in my stomach, an uncomfortable knot of dread that I can’t shake. My head throbs, the ache relentless. It’s almost time for Calvin to return, and the thought alone makes my entire body tense up. I’m so weak that even the weight of my bones feels unbearable. I’ve barely eaten in days—he only let me have food two days ago, leftovers I was forced to eat off the floor like some wild animal. My stomach growls, hollow and painful, but there’s nothing I can do.

I run my tongue over my dry, cracked lips and look down at myself. Tears well up in my eyes before I can stop them. I’m nothing but skin and bones now, my body covered in bruises, scars, and sores. My ribs stick out sharply from beneath the rags I’ve been forced to wear. Every part of me hurts—my arms, my legs, my back. The chains bite into my wrists and ankles, and my hands and feet have gone numb from being restrained for so long.

How did it come to this?

I used to be strong. I used to be full of life. And now I’m a shadow, a slave, barely holding on. My hands tremble as I wipe at my tears. The pain in my chest, both from the hunger and from the heartache, is overwhelming. I want to scream at the Moon Goddess, curse her for forsaking me. I’ve cursed her so many times already. Why me? Why did everything have to be taken from me? Why was Sherelle murdered? Why did I get the blame? What was my crime—falling in love with Calvin? Or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

I want to scream. I want justice for Sherelle. I want the real killer to be found, but I know if I stay here, I’ll die before the truth ever comes out. I have to get away, for the sake of my child, if nothing else. I won’t let Calvin kill this baby like he killed the others.

Suddenly, I hear shouting outside. A commotion. My heart skips a beat, panic rising in my throat. What’s going on? Before I can figure it out, the door bursts open, and Lysaa rushes into the room, her face pale but determined, a key clutched in her hand.

“Lysaa?” I whisper, my voice hoarse from days of silence. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve got the key,” Lysaa pants, rushing to my side. “You need to get out of here. Now.”

“What?” My heart stutters in my chest. “How did you—how did you get the key from the Alpha?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lysaa says quickly, unlocking the chains on my wrists. “I’ve created a distraction, but we don’t have much time. You need to leave.”

As soon as the cuffs come off, my hands fall limp at my sides. The numbness gives way to sharp pins and needles as blood rushes back into my fingers, and I wince at the sensation. Lysaa unlocks my ankles next, and I try to move, but my legs don’t cooperate. They’re too weak. I haven’t walked in days.

“I can’t…” I choke, my voice trembling with panic. “Lysaa, I can’t stand.”

“Hold on,” she says, grabbing a large blanket from the corner of the room. She wraps it around my shoulders like a shawl, covering my rags. “I’ll help you.”

She lifts me off the bed, her small frame stronger than I imagined. I cling to her as she helps me to my feet, my legs wobbling beneath me. My knees buckle, but Lysaa holds me steady.

“You have to walk, Kamrynn,” she urges, her voice firm. “I know it hurts, but you have to. We don’t have time.”

I nod, swallowing back the pain. “Okay.”

We move slowly toward the door, every step sending shooting pain through my legs, but I push through it. We make our way down the hall, my heart racing as I hear the commotion growing louder outside. I glance toward the window, and through the shadows of night, I see people running, shouting orders. The Pack is in chaos.

“What did you do?” I ask, breathless from the effort of walking.

“It’s not important,” Lysaa says quickly, her eyes darting around as we move. “What’s important is that you get out. There won’t be another chance like this.”

I want to ask more, but there’s no time. She’s right. This is my only chance, and I need to take it. Still, I can’t help but worry about Lysaa. What if she gets caught? What if she’s punished for helping me?

“Lysaa,” I whisper, my voice tight with fear. “If you get in trouble because of me…”

“Don’t worry about me,” she snaps, more harshly than I’ve ever heard her speak before. “I’ll be fine. You just need to go.”

We’re almost to the exit when a figure suddenly steps into our path. One of the Pack members. My heart stops.

“Where are you going with this skank?” he demands, his voice sharp.

Lysaa doesn’t miss a beat. She straightens up, her expression fierce. “The Alpha’s orders,” she snaps back. “He wants her moved to the lower quarters. Now get out of our way.”

He hesitates, clearly unsure. Lysaa glares at him, her expression full of authority I’ve never seen from her before.

“Move,” she growls.

The man steps aside, and Lysaa pulls me past him, not even giving him a second glance. I can barely breathe, my heart hammering in my chest, but we make it through the doors and into the night.

The cold air hits my face, a sharp contrast to the stuffy room I’ve been chained in for so long. The darkness surrounds us, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel a sliver of hope.

Lysaa helps me down the path, the blanket pulled tight around me to protect me from the chill. The Pack house is behind us now, but we’re not safe yet. I can still hear the shouts and the chaos, but it’s distant. No one’s coming for us. Not yet.

Lysaa stops when we’re a good distance away from the house. “This is as far as I can take you,” she whispers, glancing back toward the Pack house. “I have to go back before they notice I’m gone.”

Tears well up in my eyes as I look at her, my only friend in this nightmare. “Lysaa… thank you. For everything.”

She shakes her head, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “No need to thank me, Kamrynn. I only wish I could’ve done more.”

I take a shaky breath, the weight of everything crashing down on me. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Just live,” she says softly. “Get out of here. Protect your baby. That’s all I want.”

I nod, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand. “I’ll try.”

She squeezes my hand one last time before pulling away. “Good luck. Be safe.”

And then, just like that, she’s gone, disappearing into the night, back to the chaos of the Pack house. I watch her go, my heart heavy with both gratitude and sadness. I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again, but I’ll always be grateful for what she’s done.

I turn toward the forest, the darkness swallowing me as I trudge forward. Every step is painful, my body screaming at me to stop, but I can’t. I have to get away. I have to survive. For the baby. For Sherelle. For myself.

The border of the Pack looms ahead, the patrol guards in the distance, but thankfully, the night provides enough cover for me to slip past them unnoticed. My heart pounds in my chest as I cross the boundary line, my feet dragging in the dirt, every muscle in my body aching.

As soon as I step foot outside the Pack’s territory, I stop, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I close my eyes, and with a deep, shaky breath, I whisper the words that have been on my mind for so long.

“I, Kamrynn Delamorte, denounce and cut all ties with the Obsidian Pack. From this moment on, I no longer have anything to do with this Pack.”

A searing pain shoots through my chest as I sever the bond, the connection to the Pack snapping like a taut string. I gasp, clutching at my heart, the pain so intense that I stumble forward, nearly falling to my knees. But I catch myself, gritting my teeth against the agony.

Then, I raise my head to the sky, and with every ounce of strength I have left, I lay the curse.

“By the blood I’ve shed, by the life you’ve taken from me, I curse the Obsidian Pack. May the Pack’s strength wither, its wolves falter. May your lands be barren, your children weak. I curse your Alpha, Calvin Kane, to know the pain of every life he’s destroyed. To feel it burn inside him, just as it burns inside me. Until his last breath, may he suffer. And may your Pack fall with him.”

The words leave my lips in a trembling whisper, but the weight of them settles over me like a storm cloud. I can feel it take root, spreading through the air, the forest, the very earth beneath my feet. It’s more than just words—it’s power. A power that had been building inside me all along, fed by my pain, my rage, my despair.

I sway on my feet, exhausted, my limbs trembling. I can barely stand, but the adrenaline pushes me forward. I’ve done it. I’ve severed my ties with the Obsidian Pack, and I’ve cursed them. They’ll feel my pain now.

With every step I take into the wilderness, the darkness grows thicker, the cold biting at my skin. My body feels heavy, every inch of me aching and raw. My chest still burns from the bond being severed, and the sharp, empty pain is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

I stagger deeper into the forest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My legs are barely holding me up, but I don’t stop. I can’t. I have to keep moving. I have to protect this child.

But as I stumble forward, each step more painful than the last, the exhaustion finally catches up to me. My body can’t take anymore. I’ve pushed myself too far. The adrenaline begins to fade, leaving only the overwhelming fatigue that’s been gnawing at me for days.

My vision blurs. My head feels heavy, like it’s filled with lead. I stumble again, my knees buckling beneath me. I try to catch myself, but my arms don’t respond. The ground rushes up to meet me, and I hit the dirt hard, my body limp, my face pressed into the cold earth.

No… I can’t stop now.

But the darkness is already closing in, my body too weak to fight it off. The last thing I feel before everything goes black is the cold wind brushing over my skin, and the faint hope that maybe—just maybe—I’ve escaped.

No! I heard footsteps.

Did they find me?