Tonight, was the night.

I focused on my breathing, slowing to the point of pain until I could hear every sound around me. The house was finally empty, the property silent. I moved off the bed quietly and crouched low to the ground. I pulled back the old carpet my Grandma had knit when I was born to reveal my hiding place under a loose floorboard.

My backpack was packed, my $1,180 savings stacked neatly and held tight with a rubber band. I dressed in all black, camisole, leggings, and a fleece lined hoodie. I quietly slipped into the bathroom and scrubbed my arms and face with scent eliminating soap. My father has one of the best noses in the U.S. I’d have to be at least 20 miles away before I was safe from him. The moonlight seeped into the bathroom casting shadows across my pale freckled skin. My blue eyes glowed as my body soaked in the energy of the night. I took a deep breath whispering to my wolf to stay calm. She knew I was leaving the pack, and she didn’t like it. A wolf without a pack is lost, but I had no other choice.

My eyes dimmed and I pulled my waist length auburn hair into a tight ponytail. The clock on the wall read 2:20 and I softly ran to my room hiking my backpack on my shoulder. I laid my phone on my freshly made bed along with my goodbye letter. They needed no explanation to why I was running so I only wrote to my mother and brothers, “I deserve better. I’ll always love you. Goodbye.”

I was going to be 22 in two days, and without a mate, my father has grown impatient, finally deciding to marry me off to an older Alpha a couple states away to gain pack power. Beowulf was known and feared by many females due to his violent ways in forcing them into submission. He has lost many Luna’s to “sickness”, but we all knew the truth; he had quietly killed them when he grew bored of them.

My two elder brothers had already found their fated mates at the pack’s mating ceremony when they were 18. Now Conall is 27 and preparing to take over the pack once my father retires. Weylyn, my second brother, was 25. He’s considered the “back up Alpha” in case anything happens to Conall. But in all the mating ceremony’s I’d attended since the age of 10, I hadn’t scented mine, and he hadn’t found me. Unfortunately for dad, I was more his daughter than he expected. My stubborn resilience to bow down to authority has led to countless beatings and humiliation as my father made an example of me to keep other young wolves in line. No one wanted to befriend me in fear that my intractable nature would get them in trouble too. So, my wolf, Nia, was my best friend. Her red fur and blue eyes unique to my bloodline. Descendent from Ireland, we’re faster, stronger, and bigger than the average wolf.

I took one last look around my room, emotions washing over me as I gathered strength to leave. I bent to rest my hand on the redwood floor and closed my eyes. I smelled the blood I had spilled after a lifetime of beatings and remembered my purpose.

“Goodbye home.” I whispered.

I turned on my heal, softly shutting the door behind me. I walked through the quiet house grabbing my black timberlands from the shoe rack at the back porch. Before the screen door could close, I was running. The cold night air stung my face giving me power as I sped passed the forest of cedar trees I’d spent my life running through.

After a couple miles I saw the lights of the nearest town, Libby. My cousin’s auto shop sat at the edge, a single porch light creating a circle in the vast darkness. I crouched behind a tree and took a deep breath welcoming Nia’s senses.

After I was sure the coast was clear I rushed the back door, my figure blurred. The back door was locked but that wouldn’t stop an Alpha wolf. I rested my hand on the doorknob and turned, breaking it instantly. I swiftly moved in, closing the door behind me.

I crept through the shop until I recognized the shape of my father’s pride and joy, a 1967 red mustang in perfect condition. I basked in imagining his face when he found it gone. I smiled wickedly as I ran my hand along the door until I reached the handle. I thanked the stars that it was open. Since there was never any crime in Libby my cousin always left the keys in the ignition of the cars he was working on.

I threw my backpack on the passenger seat and went to push open the old garage door. I put the car in neutral and pushed it onto the street. I pushed the garage doors closed and continued maneuvering and pushing the car until I was about a mile out of town. Giving the unique sound of the engine igniting I needed to put as much space between me and the pack.

The pack would be planning the next mating ceremony at the other side of town but with our heightened sense of hearing, I could still be heard. Then I would be fucked. I only had one chance to do this, if I failed, I would be chained in silver until Beowulf came for me. Being marked against your will was humiliating, especially if the male decides to claim the female’s body immediately. A brutal rape in front of the whole pack that no one would dare oppose for fear of the Alpha, my father Conri.

I got behind the wheel, the smell of leather filling my nose. I turned the key in the ignition and the car came to life. I shifted into drive and floored the gas. My heart was pounding in my chest as I sped at 95 miles an hour until I hit the 37. I did it. I was free! I rolled the windows down and screamed until I cried.