Aella was jarred from her fitful sleep by the sound of her alarm. She opened her eyes suddenly and stopped the alarm, then jumped up from the bed, feeling more energetic than she had ever been in a long time. Finally, she would be free from this place. Today was the day she would run and never look back.

She walked to her adjoining bathroom while humming a tune under her breath. She stripped and brushed her teeth, then proceeded to take the most refreshing bath she had ever taken. She lathered her naked body with lavender soap, thinking all the while that her life was about to turn around for the better. Everything felt so much brighter and more fortuitous.

After bathing, she dried her body with a towel and slipped on one of the billowy white gowns, then as an afterthought, packed her hair into a loose ponytail. Today she was willing to try new things.

She quickly laid the bed and arranged the covers so it would look like she woke with every other maid for the daily chores. She then picked up the bags that were beside her bed and slung them over her shoulder, taking a last look around at the room that never really felt like hers before leaving. 

Once outside her wing, she tiptoed stealthily to the front door and tried to open it, but it was locked. She cursed colourfully and in her anger, rattled the door violently. The noise ricocheted around the house and she paused, looking behind her and praying that nobody had noticed the sound.

Quietly she left the front door and moved towards the kitchen, where there was a back door that led outside. That door was locked too, but she knew where the keys were kept. Quickly she retrieved the keys from under the kitchen mat, opened the door, and stepped outside.

The cold winter air blew across her face and she paused for a moment to savour it. This is the first taste of freedom, she thought to herself. Soon the cold hit her like a storm and she began shivering in her light dress. But she couldn't go back to fetch a sweater for fear of being caught.

She walked across the back lawn and towards the forest. The snow had melted off the grass and left puddles of water in its wake. Soon her legs felt numb from the cold but she moved on, knowing that she would thaw out soon. She stopped at the edge of the forest and looked back at the big pack house. She felt no remorse for running away from the place. It Had been literal hell living there for the past week as she wasn't used to confining places. She was a wild wolf and she couldn't be stationary for too long.

However, a part of her was also reluctant to go; a small, easily overlooked part of her that belonged to the alpha. She was his mate even though he had chosen to ignore that fact, and the mate bond was the strongest of all Lycan bonds. It would be very hard to stay away from him as they were bound together for life now, but she knew she could do it. She had a tough and resilient spirit.

She turned away from the building and walked into the forest, where it was even much colder than the pack house lawn. Within a few steps, her breath had become freezing and she grabbed her arms for extra warmth. She began jogging slowly so as to get warm, looking behind her at intervals.

Aella knew all the places the patrol team was stationed from days of closely watching them. She deftly maneuvered her way through their campouts, running through the woods and not around them. The patrol wolves usually put their best team members around the forest where the pack's border was instead of inside the forest, and she used that to her advantage. The only time she came across any member of the patrol team was when she'd run into a group of young men, snoring under the canopy of a tree. She quickly picked up one of their thick blankets and wrapped it around her body before continuing on her escape run.

All through the run, her heart was thudding uncomfortably in her chest. She knew what would happen if she was caught. She'd be dragged back to the pack house and security would be doubled in order to prevent her from escaping again, and she knew she could never let that happen. She couldn't live another day in that house.

A twig snapped under her feet and she stumbled, then leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath. She unwrapped the blanket and stuffed it into her bag, putting the bag over her neck. Then she began to morph slowly but surely, until where a scared lady stood mere seconds ago, a beautiful white wolf stood now. She shook the moisture off her fur and continued running. 

This time, in wolf form, she was faster and stealthier. During the run, her mind strayed to Logan again and she thought of the unimaginable feelings he had stirred in her. For the first time in her twenty-four years, she had felt herself being attracted to a man. The pull between them had felt almost electric, but she knew that staying around him would not do her any good. Electricity was after all, dangerous.

The lady who had brushed by her on her way from the kitchen also came unbidden into her mind. She let out a low snarl as she thought of the utter rudeness of the woman. She knew that if she stayed longer in the pack, she would end up snapping that woman's neck in rage. It is certainly better that I'm leaving for good, she tried to convince herself.

She'd been running for an hour now and she sighted the boundary ahead. She panted in excitement and doubled up her speed so as to reach the boundary faster. Once she got to the border, she looked around and saw that the patrol team was to the left of the border. To the right was a snow-capped mountain. The sun was rising behind the mountain, which made the snow at its peak shine like tinsels. She knew that once she crossed that mountain, she would be finally free.

She turned to the right and began running towards the mountain, not stopping or pausing to catch her breath. She climbed from precipice to precipice on the mountain face, grateful for her white pelt that blended with the snow and for her strong paws that held her up throughout. The sheer thought of the liberty that awaited her kept her going, and before long she found herself on the mountain top.

She morphed back into human and quickly wrapped herself securely with the blanket as she was naked. She felt the cold breeze blow through her hair and tear it from the loose ponytail. Her dark hair billowed around her face like a curtain and she laughed happily, spreading her hands and taking in the sights. She was free at last, she thought.

She picked up the bags containing her clothes and food and proceeded to cross the mountain when the voice that had populated her nightmares came suddenly from behind her.

"Going somewhere, white wolf?"