Chapter 2 The Fate of Another

Octavia POV

After running for a while, I arrived at a small lake. I fell to the ground and cried my eyes out until I was startled by what seemed like footsteps.

"Who's there?" I asked fearlessly.

"I'm Finn, Cypress beta." He responded.

He looked so gentle and kind, a direct opposite of Cypress and he wasn't among those who manhandled me after the raid on my village. Infact, he had a disapproving look on his face when he watched them brutalize everyone.

"What do you want? Go away." I replied without thinking. I just desperately needed to be alone and drown in my sorrow.

"Octavia, hey, it's alright," Finn's voice came gently as he sat next to me on the cold stone floor. He must have followed me after I ran off. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. The warmth of his body was a temporary comfort, but I couldn't shake the unease inside of me.

Finn is Cypress has been the only one interested in my welfare. No one seemed to care. It actually came as a surprise when I noticed the gentle look on his face when I was being manhandled on the way back to cypress pack.

He encouraged me not to feel bad, "If it's any consolation, that's how he is." Finn said as some sort of encouragement.

I smiled and after a while, he escorted me back to the pack house. He advised me to keep my head down and avoid attention to avoid the abuse of Cypress.

Each day passed and I was able to scale through each.

It had been weeks since Cypress had rejected me in front of the entire Darwood pack. Weeks since I had been stripped of my home, my family, and everything I'd ever known. And though Finn had tried his best to be there for me, I could sense the weight of something hanging over him. He was keeping something from me-I knew it.

On this particular night, I and Finn decided to meet by the lake. Just talk and get to know if I had any problem in the pack house. He also wanted to provide some sort of comfort that I have been lacking since the gruesome murder of my parents.

"Do you ever think... I mean, do you wonder why Cypress didn't just kill me that night?". I had replayed that moment in my head over and over again, and still, nothing made sense.

Finn stiffened beside me but didn't answer right away. He sighed deeply, resting his chin on top of my head. "Don't think about it too much, Octavia. Sometimes it's better not to know the reasons behind people's cruelty."

I pulled back slightly, enough to look at him. His expression was tight, strained. "But why does he hate me? He already destroyed my pack... my family. What more does he want from me?" I whispered.

He met my gaze, his green eyes conflicted. "You don't need to worry about that. I've got you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"

I nodded, though his words felt hollow. There was something in his tone that made my stomach twist. He was holding back, and I knew it. But what could I do? Finn was the only one who had been kind to me, the only one who had treated me like I was still human, even if I felt like I was drowning every single day.

Later that evening, the truth came crashing down.

We sat by the small fire in the corner of the room, the light flickering shadows across Finn's face. He had been unusually quiet, staring into the flames, lost in thought. I watched him, he was obviously nervous.

"Octavia..." he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I straightened up, my heart pounding. "What is it?"

He swallowed hard, running a hand through his hair. "Cypress... he gave me orders today."

I stared at him, waiting for him to continue, but the pause stretched too long. "What kind of orders?"

His jaw clenched. "He... he wants me to sell you."

The words felt like a punch to the gut. I blinked, stunned. "Sell me? To whom?"

Finn closed his eyes briefly, as if ashamed. "To a slave master." He let out. "Any slave master, he just wants to get rid of you." He added.

A cold shock ran through my body, and I stood up, my legs trembling. "What? Why? I haven't done anything!"

"I know." He stood too, reaching for me, but I took a step back. "I know, Octavia. But he's the Alpha. As his Beta, I have to follow his command. I don't have a choice."

I shook my head, the panic rising in my chest. "Why? Why does Cypress hate me so much? What did I ever do to him? He's taken everything from me, and now this?" My voice cracked, my breath coming in short gasps.

Finn grabbed my arms, trying to calm me down. "Stop. Don't think about it like that. I'm not going to sell you out. I swear. I'll get you out of here."

I searched his face, desperate for any hint of hope. "But... how?"

He squeezed my arms gently, his eyes pleading. "Just trust me, okay? In two days, we're leaving. I'll get you far away from here. Somewhere safe. You just have to trust me."

I nodded, though the panic still gnawed at the edges of my mind. I wanted to believe him, but there was no denying the power Cypress had over all of us.

Two nights later, under the cover of darkness, Finn woke me quietly, his hand firm on my shoulder. "Octavia. It's time." He said quietly.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, my heart racing as I realized what was happening. It was now or never. Finn had packed a small bag with essentials, and we moved silently through the compound, avoiding the guards.

The boat ride was long and cold, the water lapping quietly against the sides of the small vessel. Neither of us spoke much, the tension between us was thick, but Finn's presence beside me was enough to keep my fear at bay.

We arrived at a small, remote town at dawn, and the scent of another pack filled the air. It was nothing like Darwood-this pack was small, barely more than a village. Finn led me to a house at the edge of the town, where an old couple greeted us with kind, weary, smiles.

"This is where you'll stay," Finn said softly as we stood outside the house. "You'll be their grandchild now. No one will know you're here."

I glanced up at him, my chest tightened. "What about you?"

Finn smiled sadly, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "I can't stay, Octavia. Cypress will be looking for me, too. This... this might be the last time we see each other."

My heart dropped. "But-"

"You need to change everything about yourself," he interrupted gently. "Your name, your look, everything. Start over. This is your chance." He placed a hand on my cheek, his eyes soft. "Be safe."

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, I nodded, blinking back the tears threatening to spill over. Finn pulled me into a tight hug before stepping away, leaving me with the couple who would now be my only family.

***

It didn't last.

Two weeks passed and it was quiet. The couple were kind but distant. I tried to make myself useful, helping with chores and keeping a low profile. But one evening, everything vanished.

The house was raided. Armed men stormed in, demanding taxes the couple couldn't pay. Their pleas for more time fell on deaf ears, and before I knew what was happening, they were cut down in front of me. The shock hit me, freezing me in place.

I screamed as the blood pooled around their bodies, my feet refusing to move. It was only when one of the men turned towards me that I found the strength to run.

But I didn't get far.

They caught me just outside the village, dragging me back in chains. My heart raced as they hauled me before the town council, my protests ignored.

"She's the witch!" someone shouted from the crowd. "The one we've been hunting!"

I shook my head frantically. "No, no! You've got the wrong person! I'm not-"

"Enough," one of the councilmen said, his voice stern. "We don't need your lies. We'll deal with you as we deal with all witches."

Panic surged through me as they announced my sentence. "Wolfsbane at midnight. Her body will be thrown in the river afterwards."

They would inject it into my bloodstream, and my body would be dumped in the river like I was nothing.

They tied me to a post as hours slowly passed, the townsfolk watching, waiting. The chains cut into my wrists, the cold air biting my skin. My heart pounded, my breath coming in ragged gasps. This can't be how it ends.

The clock finally struck midnight and I could feel my heart sink. A man approached with a syringe filled with wolfsbane. My entire body trembled as he came closer, my vision swimming with fear. He was going to inject it into my vein and only a miracle will make me survive it.

"Please," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Moon Goddess... if you can hear me, take me out of this misery. I can't take it anymore." At that moment, all I wanted was death. I couldn't imagine myself living again.

The needle pierced my skin, and the burning spread through my veins like fire. My vision blurred, my body collapsing under the pain. Darkness crept in from everywhere, wholly consuming me.

With my last breath, I whispered my final prayer to the Moon Goddess, and the world faded to black.