Chapter 5

• BELLA
• Leaving the Moonbare pack wasn't going to be easy and I was prepared for that. After the shock of my mother dying wore off, I picked up a small bag and packed what I needed for basic survival. Thankfully, I had a little bit of money from the upkeep my mother and Alpha Moonbare had given me but I never got to spend. That would take care of feeding and accommodation until I found a pack that would accept me.
• I knew the Alpha wasn't in the house which left me with the four devil's incarnates. From what I could hear, they would be in the games room where they mostly spent their days when they weren't torturing me. I had often wondered why they weren't given jobs to do around the pack and were left lazing around but it wasn't in my place to question the dynamics of a pack I didn't belong to.
• I tried to be numb to the fact that I was hurting. I wasn't going to get a chance to properly mourn my mother because of these bastards. I would have stayed since I knew Alpha Moonbare wasn't joking about taking care of me but his sons would make my life harder than they already did and there was so much a sixteen year old could take. I had to leave.
• After packing up, I waited for an hour, ensuring no one would be coming into the room while I left before attempting to escape. I hadn't exactly thought it through and looking at the distance between the window and the floor nearly discouraged me since I couldn't exactly walk out the front door.
• There was the possibility of jumping and falling immediately to my death or staying here and dying anyway, so I choose the former. I threw my bag first, my heart dropping alongside it. It was further than I thought.
• Reminding myself of what was at stake, I swung my feet over the sill, balancing at the edge before dropping off. It was almost like I was in a movie due to how slow the fall felt until I landed with a loud thump. I wouldn't have been surprised to see the guys running here due to how loud it was but they must have been very engrossed with their games.
• I tried standing up but dropped back down with a wince. Despite trying to cushion my fall, I had managed to land wrongly. I felt around my legs to see if I had any broken bones and while they weren't any, I definitely sprained something.
• With difficulty, I stood up, picked up my bag and limped away from the house. It was easier to leave the pack than the actual house since no one actually gave two fucks about whom I was and where I might be headed. There was no one I was worried about seeing except Alpha Moonbare who I knew was still at the hospital.
• Taking the highway was an obvious risk, one I wasn't willing to take so I stuck close to the woods, making sure to duck into it when I feel like someone might be after me which in retrospect was a stupid thing to do since if someone wanted to kill me, it would only make it easier for them.
• Eventually, I saw the borders of the pack. It was getting very dark and I knew I had to find somewhere to sleep overnight before continuing. I wouldn't want to be caught on my own in the middle of the night out here. I have heard horrors about things that happened to people of our kind.
• I saw what looked to be a bar with an inn in the distance and I limped towards it. My clothes were now clinging to my body due to my sweat and my sprained leg wasn't any better. I would need to rest for it to properly heal.
• Pushing open the door, I did a quick scan of the room, noting the mostly male customers and the way their eyes fixated on me. I chalked it up to the fact that the door opening must attract attention and walked up to the bartender who was staring at me without bothering to hide it.
• It was mildly unsettling but this was the only place I might be able to get accommodation for the night.
• “Hi. Do you have any available rooms?” I asked, as I sat on a barstool before dropping my bag on the floor beside me. I wanted nothing more than to sleep and I was grateful for the momentary respite on my legs.
• The bartender stared at me a moment longer than was necessary before showing a wolfish smile. “No. But you look like you need a long rest. I can allow you stay in my spare bedroom. I own the place”.
• My first instinct was the decline. He didn't look like he had respectable reasons for wanting me to stay but there was no other option.
• “I will pay for it the same as I would pay for a room”. I insisted and he cocked his head and said nothing. I waited for him to show me to the room but carried on cleaning instead. I sat there, realizing he would probably want to show me when he's done.
• Once the bar cleared out, around what seemed to be midnight, the owner gestured for me to come with him. I picked up my bag and we climbed a flight of stairs to the upper part of the building.
• The room I was given seemed to not be in use but had the basic necessities. After muttering a thank you to him, I closed the door behind me before stripping off my clothes to use the bathroom in the room.
• I had just put on fresh clothing when the door opened. I turned towards it to see the owner by the door. I wondered how he had gotten in since I was sure I locked it behind me but before I could ask him that, he took a step towards me and I instinctively took one back.
• “Do you need something?” I asked, the anxiety coming off me in waves. He looked like he was entirely human which meant he couldn't have been one of the people from the pack looking for me.
• “Oh, come on. Don't pretend”. I looked at him, confused. Pretend about? He must have noticed that because he stopped advancing and look a good look at me which made me feel self conscious.
• I felt behind my back and along the walls for anything I could use to defend myself if need be. I couldn't find anything but I never stopped looking, my eyes darting around the room.
• “You're trying to pretend like you don't know the real reason why you walked into my bar? Come on. A young girl like you, alone? And late at night? With that hot body? You're basically asking for it”. He said as he continued walking towards me.
• My head hit the wall and I could feel myself beginning to panic. “Please, I didn't come here for anything. I just needed a place to sleep for the night”.
• I was openly sobbing now but that didn't stop him. “I like girls with a bit of fight in them. I promise you're going to enjoy it”.
• Enjoy what?
• It was just like the quadruplets over again. He pulled me towards him and pushed me to the bed. I hit my head on the headboard but the fear couldn't make me process the pain at the moment.
• He climbed in bed with me and I tried to fend him off with my fists. They must have felt light to him because he chuckled. I stopped struggling as he tried to rip off my clothes, and that was when my hand collided on a bar of iron that must have been forgotten during construction or something.
• Without alerting him, I picked it up and hit him on the side of the head with it. It stunned him, momentarily getting him off me as I made my escape.
• “Dumb bitch–” I heard him yell as he tried to run after me but the adrenaline pumped my legs as I ran down the stairs and out of the door back into the woods.
• My feet were blistered by the time I decided I had run far enough for him not to catch me since I had no shoes on. My bag was back in his place which left me only with the cloth on my back which was now torn in several places.
• I continued walking, the moon giving a bit of light enough to see what was right in front of me and nothing beyond. The adrenaline had worn off and the pain in my leg and head were back, making me woozy.
• Just as I decided I couldn't go further, I saw people surrounding me. I hadn't seen them walk up to me but that could be excused as a result of my tiredness.
• “Who are you?” I heard someone yell out at me. With my last functional brain cell, I knew I couldn't give my actual identity. This could either be a search party and there was no way I was going back to the Moonbare residence, or they could be rivals who would eventually connect the dots.
• “My name's Hannah. Hannah Rave”. I said just before I passed out cold.