Chapter 6 Runaway Heiress

• FUKAYNA
• I leapt into the air, leaving the elevated platform. The visitors gasped as they looked on.
• “Fukayna, what are you doing?” my mother asked in bewilderment, her eyes widening.
• Neb Er Tcher looked over his shoulder. His paws thundered on the ground. He went to the back of the platform where my clothing and jewelry sat, waiting for us. I pushed my wolf back in, shifting back in my human form.
• “The show’s over, Mom. I just need to have some fresh air after that transformation, alright?” I replied to her. She watched me as I dressed up again while she sighed.
• My father followed after he excused himself and me from our guests. Sure, it was out of the ordinary that I just disappeared from their midst just like that, bowing my wolf’s head to them. I never wanted to stay here anyway, so I did not stay long and let them stare at my alter male wolf. They must have a feast on me now that they met Neb Er Tcher.
• “Please excuse me,” I said, looking at my father. I did not wait for his reply. I just left, with my mom holding my father’s forearm to stop him from following me.
• “Fukayna! Where are you going?” my father roared, as I dashed away from the reception, going around to the back garden.
• “Let’s give her some time, dear,” Mom advised her beloved.
• Thanks, Mom, I thought.
• I patted the pocket of my dress and was relieved that the vial was safe. I quickly went around back of the palace, following the pathway towards the trees. A sentinel in his wolf form moved past me. As soon as he was gone, I cut my mindlink with the pack and reached down my pocket and stared at the vial. I took a deep breath and imbibed its whole content.
• Cool liquid ran down my throat, as though it was made of ice. I gulped and felt my wolf thrashing around inside me. He shook himself and groaned. I could see my whole body glow with orange color for a couple of seconds. Other than that, I felt nothing else.
• “You did it, Kayna you brat!” he said.
• As soon as he spoke, I dashed towards the darkness, where I could still see clearly like day. I did my best to avoid any sentinel on my way out of my father’s palatial territory. I was almost breathless when the sentinels were alerted to my disappearance. I could hear them all howl, and their paws pounded the ground.
• “Let me out!” Neb Er Tcher growled. He had the urge to shift, but I held him back.
• No, no. This isn’t right! He’s not supposed to do this! I reckoned.
• “I told you, we’ll escape in my human form, so they can’t track us once we’re out of here!”
• “You were not supposed to take that potion before escaping from here!” he pointed out. “That was the plan!”
• “Okay, now I’m the idiot!”
• “Sure you are! What did you think? They’d just let a ‘human’ go? You’re a ‘trespasser’ at this point, if they don’t sense you’re the Alpha King’s daughter!”
• “Right. I should have stuck to the plan, but now, it’s too late!” I leapt to avoid a dead tree lying on the ground. My foot caught a protruding root, which sent me facedown the ground. I rolled down the slope, my body hit the rocks and trees.
• I groaned and air seemed to be knocked out of my lungs.
• “Good for you, Kayna!”
• “Shut up, wolf! This is your fault! You should’ve warned me!” I hissed as I got up.
• I could feel there were broken ribs on both sides of my body. It was hard for me to breathe and move. I could now hear the pounding of paws getting closer and closer to me. I let out a profanity, wincing at the pain in my rib cage. But I endured it, moving forward to step out of my father’s land.
• My left hand held my right ribs as I ran, groaning a little. My heart was beating so fast. I could only hope the spell in the potion would take effect anytime soon⸺as soon as I was out of my father’s palatial territory. Then, for sure, they would not be able to sense me anymore.
• For good.
• They wouldn’t be able to track me.
• But right now, I had to evade a couple of sentinels that were close at my heels. I just discovered it when I looked over my shoulder.
• Oh, please! Moon Goddess, don’t let them catch me! I begged, running as fast as I could.
• It felt like oxygen was running out of my lungs. I felt my insides burn. My sight began to blur.
• “Wake up, Kayna! It’s not time to pass out, you hear? You wanted this, so just hang in there!” Neb Er Tcher urged me.
• I pushed myself to move as my body began to heal. Little by little, my ribs were getting better. Still, it was not comfortable to move like this. I could heal better if I’d stop moving.
• A black wolf barred my path. It was too late to evade him. Hence, I faced him head on. His mouth was wide open, with his fangs gleaming under the moon.
• Darn it! It was my father’s best sentinel, Caturix, whose name meant “The Helveti war god.” Well, his parents must have known he’d do great to have given him such a name.
• I punched him in the face, as hard as I could. It appeared that my attack was not as powerful as I intended it to be. Darn my broken ribs!
• I groaned as pain connected to my rib cage. Caturix growled and leapt to deliver his deadly bite. I willed myself to move out of his range, but he was faster than me, due to my weakened state. I groaned as his strong jaws clasped the left side of my waist and belly, ready to tear my flesh. Of course, I couldn’t let him do that. Otherwise, I’d be in more trouble.
• My fingers aimed at his eye like a knife, stabbing it. He whimpered when I hit home, thus letting go of me. I got up and ran as fast as I could, again, ignoring my bleeding wounds from Caturix’s fangs. More and more sentinels got closer and closer, and I was surrounded.
• “What now, Kayna? Still not letting me out? I can take them on!” Neb Er Tcher insisted once more.
• “No, Neb Er Tcher! We’re almost there! Relia’s spell will work once we’re out of the territory,” I told him. “So, I don’t want you to ruin this plan either.”
• “Right! As if it hasn’t been ruined in the first place!” he grumbled.
• “Fukayna!”
• A loud voice, an unfamiliar one, called out my name. There was something in it that wanted me to halt. Was there magic laced in his voice?