~︎Alora︎~

"Ow!" I groaned as I tossed about on the floor. The guards had injected me earlier with wolfsbane, and I was starting to feel its impact in my veins.

It was even more dire for me because I was without my wolf. I lost her ever since I was shunned by my pack. She only revealed herself once when I discovered Maxwell was my mate, and I got to know her name—Anya.

But ever since Maxwell started treating us badly, Anya disappeared, leaving me all alone. I feel her sometimes, but she hasn't spoken to me in years.

The cold metal in my hands shimmered in the darkness.

'Can I really do this?' I thought aloud as I stared at it. 'What if that guard was trying to set me up?'

My fingers trembled, and the key slipped from my hands, the sound echoing in the darkness.

"What's that?!" I heard one of the guards ask.

Shit!

He walked to my cell hastily. "You bitch! What was that noise?!"

"N…nothing." I said, almost stammering.

Thank the Goddess I had quickly hidden the key underneath where I sat.

"It's almost 5am, and that's when you'll be executed by Alpha Maxwell." The guard said, while still scanning me from head to toe.

"W…what's the time now?" I asked, frightened.

"It's 4am. And that means it's time for your last meal." He studied me once more before speaking again. "I'll be back. Don't do anything stupid."

"I… I won't." I muttered, and he left.

"Oh Goddess, what do I do now?" I said silently to myself.

I sighed, grabbing the key in my hands again. My eyes were heavy with unshed tears, and my vision was slightly blurry. "I don't want to die, and there's not much time left." I looked at the key. "I have to take this opportunity and escape. But… how do I do that?"

Before I could look for possible answers to my question, I saw a figure standing in front of my cell, and I squeezed the key in my fists, hiding it behind me.

"Who is that?" I asked, moving closer.

When I did that, I could now see who the figure was. "Father?"

"You're a disappointment!" He spat, his voice echoing.

"Believe me, Father! I didn't! I swear, I—"

"You deserve everything coming to you." He said, cutting me off. "I regret the day I put my seed in your mother to get you into this world. Aiden would've been good for this world too, but you chose to deprive him of seeing it."

Aiden… That's what my late twin was called. Even though he never got the chance of seeing this world, he was greatly loved. But me? I was the outcast. I still am.

"I didn't kill anyone…" my voice trailed off, replaced with tears.

"I chose right by picking Maxwell as the Alpha. I know he won't spare you, and that's what you deserve for taking everything and everyone I've ever loved."

"Father—" I tried to say, but he turned his back and walked away, and the guard returned with a tray of food in his hands.

I quickly cleaned my tears off with the back of my palm and hid the key as I sat on the cold floor.

The guard opened my cell gate with a key identical to the one I had.

"Here's your food!" He yelled, throwing it in front of me, and half of the contents on the plate splattered across the floor.

There was barely anything left. I stared at the food blankly. Sharp Fang fried rice. This food was only given to people in the pack of the lowest ranks. Even other Omegas ate better foods than me.

"Are you deaf or just stupid? I said, "Eat!" He ordered, and I flinched slightly before putting the food in my mouth, slowly.

"Finish it up!" He barked.

As I ate, I was starting to feel weaker. They had poisoned me with more wolfsbane to ensure I don't escape.

"I…I can't…" I slurred.

"Very well then. Maybe this will convince you." The guard said, pulling out a syringe from his pocket. "I'm sure you know what this is, eh?" He asked, holding up the syringe in my face, and the liquid in it glistened.

I knew what it was. Wolfsbane. A thicker one—one that could literally kill a wolf, especially a weak one, in an hour.

"No… please." I begged.

"Shut your mouth!" he roared.

"I could never kill my mother! I'm begging you, please spare me!" I pleaded, my throat parched. "Please…" I continued to plead as I forced my wobbly feet to stand.

The key the kind guard had given me was now visible. I cursed inwardly, mentally face-palming.

"Ah… I see… How did you get that? So, that was what you were hiding earlier, eh?" The guard asked, snatching the key from the ground.

"I.. I…um…" I stammered, my words failing me now.

"You're going to get it now." The guard said, grinning maniacally.

He raised the syringe up and prepared to attack, but as he lunged towards me, I gathered my strength and dodged, my instincts kicking in.

"How could you—"

In a moment of desperation, I snatched the syringe from his hand before he could complete his sentence.

"Now… now," he said, moving closer to me. "It's just the two of us here, and the clock is ticking. Don't do anything that'd make your execution come early." He warned.

"I don't care anymore!" I yelled, unsure of where the sudden confidence came from.

"I see…" he mocked.

In one swift motion, he came even closer to me and tried to attack again, but I pressed the needle into his flesh before he fully registered what was happening.

"You bitch!" He growled, squirming on the floor.

"I…I'm sorry!" I said as I quickly grabbed the key from his hands and reached for the lock.

"I have to get out of here!" I said frantically.

I sighed in relief as the cell gate opened. Without thinking, I dashed out immediately. As I ran, I could hear some guards talking amongst themselves from a distance. Their voices echoed across the walls.

"It's time already. Alpha Maxwell has requested for her, and everyone has gathered at the trial center of the Pack grounds to witness the execution.

"Shit!" I gasped, running faster.

"What happened here?!" I heard one of them yell. "Has she escaped?!"

"Foolish! How could you let her escape?"

"Go after her! She's weak, and she wouldn't have gone far! Go now!"