CHAPTER 6

I confirmed Derek's absence before dashing towards my luggage. Wiping the beads of sweat gathered on my forehead, I noticed the zip was undone and the padlock broken, lying beside the luggage.

Panic set in my belly pit as I stretched open the bag and examined the content- the few clothes I owned were still in the luggage as I left it. A pair of flops. My undergarments. A smaller bag where I stored my toiletries that I rarely used. I paused thoughtfully, took it out, and poured out the content.

"No. Please no.." I mumbled as I scattered the content on the floor with my hand, searching for it with my heart jumping towards my throat.

It wasn't there. My wallet was missing.

My heart leaped into my mouth and my eyes started to water as I miserably went through the content again, even though the realization already hit me a minute ago.

I picked them one after the other into the bag, praying and hoping that my eyes were playing tricks on me. That my hard work for the past three years hadn't gone to waste. My sacrifices. My self-deprivation.

Was it all gone? The harsh reality slapped into me again.

I only noticed a few skins that had peeled off from the tattered pouch I saved in, amongst the other items on the floor, reassuring me that I indeed left the wallet in there. If it wasn't to add my pay in, I almost never took out the wallet from the bag.

Refusing to accept the harsh reality eating deep into my chest, I upturned my luggage, carefully searching through my clothes; wishing that my wallet had somehow fallen and mixed with my clothes. Assuring myself once again, that I was concluding too quickly but once again, I was wrong.

I stared at the mess on the floor with no sign of my wallet and the tears dropped freely from my eyes.

Shutting my mind to the reality still, I spring up and began ransacking my room. Tears that I constantly swat off fall from my eyes, blurring my vision.

This cannot happen. Not now. What was I supposed to sustain myself with when I leave the pack? The sole purpose of me saving every penny I earned working my ass off, was to be able to fend for myself out there. To be able to survive on my own.

In a few minutes, my room was in an opposite arrangement, scattered and disheveled, still, my wallet was nowhere to be found.

I thought of Derek, realizing that only he could be responsible for this. I paused from searching, fell to the ground, and wept.

That crazy asshole!

What did I ever do to him? What did I ever do to anyone in this godforsaken pack? Why was I fuckin hated for a crime I knew nothing about?

They hated me but wouldn't let me leave. How can life be so cruel to just one person? Whose crime was I being punished for?

"You call me your creature yet you make me suffer like this?" I faced up to the moon goddess, wiping my tears ferociously as they dropped.

I do not deserve this. I do not deserve any of this. Crying was definitely not going to solve anything. I can't continue crying without putting in some effort.

Defiantly, I lifted myself from the ground and began packing my stuff together. Putting them all in my luggage, I zipped it shut. Grabbing my purse, I checked to confirm my last pay was saved in it before flinging it across my neck. My luggage was not so heavy, so I easily wore it like a backpack and walked out of my room.

I was going to leave the shadow pack immediately. I was going to act before crying again. I wasn't treated like a member, hence I no longer cared about their rules. Shifting to Amy who was active as ever due to the full moon, I raced to the border.

We just had to get past the guards and arrive at the countryside which was usually occupied with little to no wolves. If we could get there before daytime, we were free.

The exit from the pack house was easy to pass without being seen but the borders were tightly secured, yet, somehow I wasn't shaken.

My determination to leave at that moment was stronger than the fear I bore all this while.

Running down the jungle non-stop whilst shifting every negative thought to the back of my mind, my steps unfaltering. I covered so much distance in a few minutes, letting Amy fully take over my mind.

The leaves rustled under my feet, the cold air of the night hitting my skin. Amy growled as she tore down trees that obstructed our path, her determination overshadowing mine.

We were soon in the depth of the jungle when Amy suddenly crashed to a stop. Her strength was not weakened enough for her to stop so suddenly without a warning, so I was confused.

"Why did you stop?" I questioned.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

"What?"

"Listen!" She urged and I did just that.

I heard it. It was a low howl of anguish. A cry for help. My mind quickly clicked to Natalie, the familiar situation ringing our memories into my head.

"It's not her. This is not Gina's scent." Amy's words tore down my hope. Gina was Natalie's wolf. The same way Natalie and I were best friends, Gina and Amy were close friends too.

The howl went on, struggling, forced, and weaker. The wolf was giving up.

I couldn't bring my mind to ignore it, to mindlessly continue my escape journey. Sacrificing one minute to help a dying wolf couldn't sabotage my hard work, right?

"It could die any minute if it doesn't get help," Amy added.

I tried to link with the wolf, to communicate with it but I couldn't. I was just an Omega, my abilities weren't potent enough to link with non-shifting wolves. I couldn't sense any danger except the cry of an injured wolf. But again my powers can be quite deceptive.

"What if we can't help it?" I asked Amy.

"Should we leave it to die then?" Amy sought my permission but I could tell she didn't want to leave the wolf to die.

"We save it and continue our journey at once. That's it."

"That's it." Amy agreed readily.

"Let's save it." I permitted and Amy immediately took off toward the direction of the sound.

My mind was unsettled about it. All I wanted to do was be Faraway from the walls of the shadow pack. To cross the borders and be free from everything that involves them...

But here I was, unable to contain my naturally philanthropic self, and going to rescue a dying wolf.

I thought of Natalie as the howling got closer and closer... If only I was able to save her again.

...