Chapter 4

• Later at night…
• The cool stone walls of the castle seemed to close in around me as I made my way back inside the castle. I could feel the eyes of my step-sister, boring into me from across the grand hall. I knew she would ask where I had been.
• Sure enough, as I reached the top of the staircase, her voice called out to me, sharp and accusatory. “Azalea, where have you been?"
• I took a deep breath and turned to face her, steeling myself for the confrontation. But before I could say anything, her eyes fell on the crumpled piece of paper I was clutching in my hand. I tried to hide it behind my back, but she was too quick. With a swift movement, she walked to me and snatched the paper from my grasp and unfolded it.
• My stomach clenched with fear as I watched her eyes scan the contents of the paper. It was the result of my pregnancy test.
• My step sister's mouth twisted into a cruel smile as she looked up at me, her eyes dancing with malicious glee. “Well, well, well,” she sneered. “It seems our dear Azalea is in the family way. You have been sneaking off to meet some lowly suitor behind our back," Her words were mocking.
• Her laughter echoed, bouncing off the walls and piercing my heart and it felt like a thousand knives piercing into my heart. The disgusting glare she gave me made my skin crawl, as if I was the lowest of the low. And then she spoke those vile words that I'll never forget.
• "You're nothing but a whore! A cheap one who can't even choose her mates wisely! I won't hesitate to report this to the pack members and, more importantly, to my brother, the Lycan King and to my darling mate." she threatened, relishing in my distress.
• The weight of her words settled over me like a heavy shroud.
• Before I could gather my wits and respond, my eyes fell on my step brother, The Lycan king walking purposefully towards us, his piercing gaze surveying the scene before him. It seemed like my step sister's voice had distracted his sleep.
• I knew I could not face him in such a state, not with the news of my pregnancy hanging over my head like a guillotine. Without another word, I turned on my heel and ran into my room with tears in my eyes. I shut the door behind me as I fell to my bed in the pool of my own tears, hoping my sister or brother would come to my room to question my actions but they didn't. My whole night was sorrowful, then I slept off, leaving a tear mark on my face.
• When I woke up, I was shocked to check the time and realised it was 2:00 AM. I got up, walked towards the window and looked at the moon shining down at me. 'Dear moon goddess, I need you right now.' I said inwardly to myself, looking up to the moon. I looked out the window, it's a succide jump if I should try. And of course, I'm not ready to die. There should be other alternatives. I slowly walked to the door and peeked through the open space of the door, no one was at the door as I gently clicked it open. I need to leave this place before my sister turns it to hell for me, though, she already started.
• I summoned the courage to step out and shut the door quietly as I cautiously walked through the corridors. Everyone should be asleep now.
• Suddenly, the distinct sound of footsteps resonated through the corridor, piercing through the silence. My breath hitched, and I froze in my tracks, straining my ears to decipher the origin of the sound.
• I immediately hid at a corner as I caught sight of two members of the pack. They looked tired, and seemed like they were retreating from their duty post to go get some sleep as they walked past me.
• As they passed, I held my breath, praying to the moon goddess that they wouldn't detect my presence. My mind raced with imagined scenarios - would they catch me? But all those fears dissolved in the air when their voices continued to fade into the distance.
• Relief washed over me as I allowed myself a moment, my legs trembled from the strain of staying still for so long. Slowly, I allowed my breathing to return to normal, trying to steady the erratic beats of my heart.
• Gathering my wits, I took a cautious step forward, peering around to make sure they were truly gone. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I confirmed that I was safe, at least for now.
• As soon as I got outside, the air welcomed me as I didn't expect anyone to be out by this time. I realised the front gate was locked. I needed to find another way out of here, and fast.
• I began to walk through the garden, carefully treading in between the growing flowers that covered me. Then I saw a back gate, barely visible in the dim light. Relief flooded through me, and I quickened my pace in to time.
• As I approached the gate, I noticed that it was padlocked. I cursed under my breath. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. I glanced around, trying to think of another way out. That's when I spotted the sturdy-looking tree near the fence. Maybe I could climb over it.
• I made my way over to the tree and grabbed onto the lowest branch, pulling myself up. The rough bark scratched against my palms as I hoisted myself higher and higher, until I was perched on a thick branch just above the fence. I glanced down at the ground below, trying to judge the distance. It seemed manageable. Just as I was about to jump to the other side, a voice shattered the silence.
• "Who's there!" it bellowed, interrupting my thoughts and freezing me in place. Panic surged through my veins, as I realised that I had been caught. I swiftly jumb down over to the other end and that was the moment I saw flash lights pointing towards the tree I had jumped from.
• "Who's there?" The voice asked again.