Chapter 44: Escaping The Packhouse
Rosalie:
The moment I decided I was leaving, a strange sense of calm settled over me.
Since escaping through the window wasn’t even an option, I returned my attention to the locked door. I could try calling someone over using the excuse of needing water or food and then take that person down the moment they stepped inside. But considering every person in this packhouse had an active wolf while I didn’t, there was a high chance my plan would go wrong. And right now, I couldn’t afford any sort of mistakes.
My gaze landed on the locked door again and I suddenly realized there might be another way.
Years of living among Alphas had taught me many things, including where they hid spare keys and how rarely they expected anyone to challenge their authority. It took time, patience, and more than a little luck, but eventually the door clicked open.
The sound seemed deafening.
I froze for a moment before I pressed my ear against the door and listened, waiting for any sort of sound or movement to happen outside. Buy even after several long seconds, I heard nothing. The only sound I could hear was the distant roar of thunder outside.
Slowly, I pulled the door open and slipped into the corridor.
The entire packhouse felt different at night. Shadows stretched across familiar walls while storm winds rattled the windows. Rain hammered so violently outside that it almost drowned out my footsteps.
But I still moved carefully. I knew every turn, every staircase, and every corridor of this place. Which meant I knew when warriors changed shifts and which routes they preferred during patrols. I knew exactly which part of the house to avoid and which one was safe.
I slipped down a servant passage hidden behind a storage room wall. Very few people still used it. Most servants and warriors had probably forgotten it even existed.
But I hadn’t.
The narrow tunnel led behind several guest rooms before connecting to another hallway near the eastern wing.
From there I moved quickly.
My heart pounded harder with every step.
It was almost dinner time and unless Alastor planned to starve me, someone would definitely bring me food. Which meant it was just a matter of time before someone would notice my absence. And once they did, they would be out searching for me.
The realization had me picking up my speed.
The eastern wing was nearly empty at this hour. I crossed it without incident before slipping down a staircase used mostly by cleaners and servants.
The storm would help. The thunder would cover the sounds and the rain would help wash the scents away from the air. It was the perfect night to disappear. Or at least it would have been if my luck hadn’t suddenly decided to abandon me.
I rounded a corner, and nearly ran directly into Kaiser. My entire body locked up. And for one horrifying second, I thought it was over.
He stood less than twenty feet away. One more step and I would have crashed straight into him. Fortunately, the corridor was dimly lit. And fortunately, Kaiser wasn’t looking my way.
He stood beside the glass window, with arms crossed tightly over his chest while staring into the storm outside. His expression looked troubled, almost guilty.
The sight nearly broke my resolve. Because despite everything, seeing him like that still affected me. And that hesitation almost got me caught. I immediately backed into a shadowed alcove and pressed myself against the wall. My pulse thundered inside my ears.
Please don’t turn around.
Please don’t turn around.
For several endless seconds, he remained still. Then he pushed away from the window and walked in the opposite direction.
I didn’t move until he disappeared completely. Only then did I release the breath trapped inside my lungs.
That had been far too close.
My hands trembled slightly as I continued moving. I no longer cared about being elegant or careful. I just wanted out.
The packhouse itself wasn’t my biggest obstacle. The estate walls were - massive, heavily guarded, and practically impossible to cross unnoticed under normal circumstances.
Fortunately, I knew something most people didn’t. A secret only two people had ever discovered - Kaiser and me.
When I first moved here two years ago, one late afternoon we had found a narrow opening beneath a section of fencing behind the storage buildings. Technically it had been created by wild dogs digging beneath the perimeter.
The opening was small, but enough for my small body. And because neither of us had ever told anyone about it, it remained untouched.
The rain soaked me completely by the time I reached the outer grounds. Cold water plastered my hair to my skin while mud clung to my shoes.
Lightning flashed overhead, and for a brief moment, the entire estate became visible. There were watchtowers, patrol routes, warriors. Danger everywhere.
I crouched behind a storage shed and waited for a patrol to pass. Then another. And once the third patrol passed, I finally ran.
My feet splashed through puddles as I crossed the open ground. The storm concealed me while the darkness protected me. The world narrowed to a single objective.
Freedom.
When I finally reached the old fence, relief surged through me. The opening was still there, smaller than I remembered. But there.
I immediately dropped to my knees. Mud coated my hands. Rain stung my eyes. But I didn’t care and shoved myself through the narrow gap.
Stones scraped my arms and wet earth covered my clothes. And for one terrifying moment I became stuck. Panic exploded inside my chest.
No.
No.
Not now.
I twisted harder. Pushed forward. And suddenly emerged on the other side.
A laugh nearly escaped me.
I had done it! I was outside the estate and outside their reach. Or so I thought. But just as I stood up, a loud bell shattered the night.
My blood turned cold.
The bell rang once, twice, three times. It was the alarm. For a second I simply stood there covered in the mud. Then voices echoed through the storm. There were shouts, orders, and movement. Lots of movement.
My stomach dropped. They had already discovered I was gone.
I slowly turned back toward the estate. Lights were appearing everywhere while warriors were running between buildings. The entire packhouse had erupted into chaos.
And then I heard it.
A howl.
Powerful. Terrifying. And unmistakable. It was an Alpha’s howl. Followed by another. Then a third.
Every last trace of triumph vanished from my chest. My heart slammed against my ribs. Then instinct took over. I turned away from the estate and ran as fast as I possibly could.
Because one thing was absolutely certain. If they caught me now... they would never let me leave again.
The storm seemed determined to make everything harder. Rain lashed against my face so fiercely that I could barely keep my eyes open, while mud clung to my boots and threatened to send me crashing to the ground with every step. Branches scratched my arms as I pushed deeper into the darkness, my lungs burning from the effort.
Behind me, the sounds of pursuit grew louder. They weren’t close enough to catch me, but still close enough to remind me that they weren’t giving up.
Another howl echoed through the night and the sound sent a chill racing down my spine. A sharp pain stabbed through my side, but I forced myself to keep running. Stopping wasn’t an option. Looking back wasn’t an option either.
Lightning flashed overhead, briefly illuminating the forest around me in blinding white. And that was when I saw it. A road.
My heart leaped. Without thinking, I changed direction and sprinted toward it. The trees suddenly thinned. The ground became firmer beneath my feet.
A few more steps. A few more. And then I burst out of the forest and onto the roadside. But Tmrhe sight that greeted me made me freeze.
Two bright lights.
They were far brighter than any flashlight and they were moving fast. Extremely fast. My brain struggled to process what I was seeing for a moment before I noticed it was a car.
A familiar looking one.
Its engine roared through the storm as it raced down the empty road directly toward me.
For a moment, I could only stare. I was frozen in my place and the car wasn’t slowing down. If anything, it seemed to be accelerating.
My pulse stopped as the headlights flooded my vision.
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