Chapter 2 The Escape

Chapter Two: The Escape

The sky was a dull grey when the dungeon doors groaned open again.

Astrid didn't move.

Her body was stiff, sore in places she didn't know could hurt. Blood had dried on her skin, and her head throbbed with every heartbeat. But the pain inside her chest... that was worse. It wasn't just physical. It was the emptiness. The knowing. Her baby was gone. Her mate didn't care.

Her world had shattered.

A guard stepped into the cell, holding a tray of food-stale bread and a bowl of watery soup. He looked at her like she was nothing.

"You can eat or starve. Doesn't matter to me."

He dropped the tray on the floor with a clang and turned to leave.

"Wait," she croaked.

He paused.

Astrid forced herself to sit up. Her voice was barely a whisper. "How's... Kara?"

He looked over his shoulder. "She delivered a boy. Healthy. Kael named him Kairo."

Astrid didn't flinch. She just nodded slowly, her eyes dull and lifeless.

The guard hesitated before walking away. The heavy door shut again, plunging her into silence.

She stared at the bread for a long time. Then, slowly, she pushed it aside.

Her baby had died in this cell. She wouldn't eat here. She wouldn't live here.

She would get out.

And she would make Kael remember her not as a Luna, not as a weak, broken mate, but as the woman who tore down his empire brick by brick.

The next night, she waited.

Every pack warrior had a routine. She had memorized them over the years. Her title may have meant little to Kael, but it had let her learn things. Weak spots. Schedules. The times when the night guard changed shifts.

A loose stone had always been in the far corner of her cell. She had noticed it on her first visit down here, years ago when a rogue had been held and interrogated. She doubted Kael even remembered showing her.

She crawled over to it now, wincing with each movement. Blood still clung to her thighs, and every step reminded her of what she had lost.

Her fingers pried at the stone. Slowly. Carefully.

It came loose with a quiet scrape.

Behind it was exactly what she hoped: a rusted hinge and the remains of old shackles. And tucked behind the crack... a small, sharp bone.

Probably forgotten. Probably from the last soul who died down here.

She wrapped the bone in the hem of her dress and waited.

When the guards returned later with another tray, she was ready.

She sat in the corner, shaking, her breathing shallow.

"Help..." she moaned. "Something's wrong..."

The younger guard stepped in, his hand already on the bars. "What's happening?"

"She's faking," the older one muttered. "Don't fall for it."

"She's burning up. Look at her-"

The guard stepped in, opening the cell door just enough to squeeze through.

Astrid sprang.

The bone in her hand sank deep into his throat.

His eyes widened in shock as he gurgled, blood pouring from his mouth. He fell with a heavy thud.

The other guard cursed and lunged forward, but Astrid was faster. She grabbed the dead man's dagger and slashed.

The second guard shouted in pain, stumbling back as she darted out of the cell, her legs weak but her will iron.

Blood smeared the stone beneath her feet as she ran.

She didn't know how far she got before the alarm sounded.

Wolves howled in the distance. Warriors were stirring. But she didn't stop.

Her bare feet slapped against the cold floor as she ran through hidden halls, past the servant quarters, and out through the rear passage she had once used as Luna to avoid long meetings.

Now, it was her escape route.

She burst into the open night, gasping for air.

The forest loomed ahead, dark and wide. She ran into it without a second thought.

Branches tore at her arms. Thorns scratched her legs. Her blood marked her trail like a wounded doe.

But she kept going.

She didn't stop.

She wouldn't stop.

By the time the sun started to rise, she had collapsed near a stream deep in the forest. Her body trembled. Her skin was ice.

But her heart beat.

She was alive.

And free.

She cupped her hands and drank from the stream, the cold water numbing her throat.

Then she heard it.

A growl.

Low. Deep. Close.

She turned slowly-and froze.

A massive wolf stood a few feet away. Its fur was midnight black, its eyes bright silver. The beast watched her silently, unmoving.

Astrid swallowed hard.

She didn't have the strength to fight.

If this was her end, then so be it.

But the wolf didn't attack.

Instead, it shifted.

Before her stood a tall man, dark-haired and built like a warrior, a long scar running down the side of his neck.

"Who are you?" he asked.

His voice was like gravel-rough but controlled.

Astrid tried to answer, but her lips trembled too much. Her throat was dry.

The man stepped forward, his nose twitching.

"You're hurt. And..." His nostrils flared. "You lost a child."

Tears pricked her eyes. She turned her face away, ashamed.

He crouched beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Tell me who did this."

She looked up at him.

"Kael," she whispered.

The man's jaw tightened. "Alpha Kael?"

She nodded.

His expression darkened, but he didn't speak.

Instead, he stood and offered her his hand.

"Come. You're safe now. I'm here

Astrid hesitated for only a second before placing her bloody, trembling hand in his.

She didn't know where this road would lead-but she knew one thing.

She was done being broken.

Now... she would rise.