Chapter 8 Getting My Freedom.

~LAYLA ~

She is fucking gone.

I unfold my arms, turn around, and head back to my bunk bed.

Reaching it, I settle down on the bed. My fingers dig into the foam as I curse, venting out my pent-up desperation.

"Fuck!"

I am really trying so hard not to lose my mind in here, but I am realizing that the longer I stay in this cell, the harder it will be for me to hold onto the last strings left of my sanity.

I hate this feeling. This feeling of always being trapped. Of being powerless and incapable of being free.

And now, on top of that, a crazy shewolf is dying to rip me apart.

Isn't that amazing?

My stomach growls, still hungry, and I take a look at my supposed dinner. My fingers graze the soft crust of the loaf of bread on the plate.

It is cold now.

I pull back my fingers.

My life is in danger in here. Anyone, especially that crazy shewolf, can easily slip poison into whatever food that will be brought to me.

Thankfully, I know this precious food right in front of me is not poisoned. I saw one of the guards steal a sausage from it before the food was delivered to me.

And he is still alive, now snoring right at the corner of his duty post.

Nevertheless, I refuse to die like vermin. The next food that might be brought to me can easily be poisoned.

This pack is dangerous to the likes of me. And being close to Raelin is even more dangerous.

He is my mate, but I doubt if he will continue to keep me alive here. I can't afford to trust him.

Not when my life depends on how smart I choose to be in this fucking situation.

I need to find a way to escape this place. To get out of here. Fast.

I need a plan.

Lifting two of the loaves, I place a ham in between them and then take a chunk bite. As I chew, my brain starts digging for a strategy I can use to escape this place.

Just as I swallow and proceed to sink my teeth into the unified ham and bread in my hands for another bite, my eyes catch a big rock lying at the foot of my bed.

I smile and take a chunk bite, an old trick hitting me instantly.

Perfect!

I chew and swallow, savoring the last bite from this precious food.

Three seconds.

Two seconds.

One.

"Aaaahhh!" I scream so loud, making sure that my voice revibrates through the walls and outside my cell.

I need that lousy guard to fucking wake up for my trick to work. He is the only one guarding my cell from the inside now. The other guards are outside the building.

They all work in shifts, and this current asshole working his turn now also has the keys to my cell.

"Help me!" I scream again, dropping my half-eaten dinner back on the plate before clutching my stomach.

I fake a groan as I fall to the ground, wincing in mock pain. I grab the rock, hiding it with one hand under my belly before I begin crawling towards the exit of my cell.

Is that fucking guard still asleep?

I get a negative answer when I hear quick thudding footsteps approaching my cell.

"Hey, stop screaming you bi-"

The stupid guard gasps, swallowing back the rest of his words when he sees me groaning and writhing on the floor.

"Please, help me," I cry out, begging and reaching out my free hand towards him. "I.... I can't breathe. I...."

"Don't fucking die on me you rat. Fuck where are those keys!?" He curses, searching his pockets frantically. "Alpha Raelin is going to kill me."

Not if I get to kill you first, asshole. Now behave like a good boy and just find me those keys of my freedom....

"Shit." He curses, also finally pulling out the keys he was looking for. He starts unlocking my cell, his hands shaking and rattling the rest of the bunch of keys as he twists the lock.

Hurry up scumbag.

He finally pushes the cell door open. "Fuck, I should have just stayed home and-"

I leap up from the ground.

Everything that happens next flash past in a blur-my hand smashing his head with the lucky rock I found near my bunk bed, his eyes rolling to the back of his head before he falls to the ground with a low thud.

And then, there is instant silence.

I heave out a ragged breath as I watch his motionless figure on the floor, unmoving and perfectly knocked out.

He is lucky that I am not in the mood to kill anyone. I just smashed him hard enough to pass out, but not lethal enough to kill him.

Phase one is over.

Now, onto phase two.

With the door of my cell now open, I step over the guard's body and tiptoe out of my cell.

It is time to move.

The corridor hallway is empty, only illuminated by the florescent lights lining the walls. My heart pounds as I pad silently towards the floor of the long corridor, and every step I take fills me with both dread of the unknown and the taste of how close I am to finally getting my freedom.

This entire place is strangely quiet. I listen, tiptoeing and waiting for the slightest noise that could tell me that someone else is here.

But, there is nothing, except for the low sounds of my own shallow breathing.

Even the cells I pass by are empty.

Seems like I am the only prisoner in this place.

As I continue tiptoeing, I spot the open exit leading directly outside. However, I also register two hefty guards stationed there, one on each pillar.

Fuck.

I need a distraction.

My pulse races as I scan around me, looking for anything I can use at my disposal. There is no way I can overpower two trained pack guards in my current state.

Just then, my eyes land on a small ceramic vase sitting useless on the raise stone platform beside me. It is just within reach.

I pick it up silently and throw it far into another hallway before I quickly hide. I hear the vase shattering with a loud crash against whatever surface in there.

Peeping at the guards, I see them jerking at once, the both of them snapping around and rushing in. They head towards the noise, moving into the exact same hallway I threw the fancy vase into.

This is my chance.

With them now far ahead into the hallway, I sprint towards the exit. I arrive outside, and instantly, the coldness of the night air hits my skin.

For the first time in what seems like forever, I feel like I can breathe normally again.

But I am not safe yet.

Thankfully, no one else seems to be around. I dash towards the trees I see bordering one side of the building leading to what seems like a bushy forest. The darkness of the forest ahead promises to offer me the cover I need against the moonlight beaming down from the night sky.

This is me getting my freedom. I refuse to be locked up like some animal, left to be scared and always questioning if I will be slaughtered or not...