My wolf snarled in my mind, furious and ready to fight. The power that had awakened in me two days ago surged through my body, begging to be released.
"We need to escape,"my wolf said urgently. "We need to run. Now."
She was right. I couldn't wait for Alpha Thorne to make his decision. I had to get out of here tonight, before Victor could take me, but first I needed to get out of this locked closet.
I felt along the walls in the darkness, searching for any weakness, any way out. My enhanced senses helped I could feel every crack in the walls, every nail in the door frame. The door itself was thick wood, locked from the outside with what felt like a heavy deadbolt.
I could try to break it down, but that would make noise and bring the guards running. I needed to be smarter than that.
I closed my eyes and focused on the power thrumming through my body. Helena's tea had awakened something inside me, something my parent's blood had carried. If the Silver Moon wolves were as powerful as Victor claimed, then maybe I could do more than just be strong and fast.
"Moon magic" I thought, remembering what Victor had said. What did that even mean?
"Let me show you," my wolf whispered.
I felt her surge forward, not to shift but to guide me. She directed my attention to my hands, and I held them up in the darkness. Silver light began to glow beneath my skin again, brighter this time, more purposeful.
The light grew until it was shining between my fingers like moonbeams. I stared at it in wonder. This was moon magic? This was what I could do?
"Focus it," my wolf instructed. "Direct it toward the lock."
I held my glowing hands up to where I knew the door was and concentrated. The silver light shot forward like a beam, and I heard metal groaning. The lock was bending, warping under the pressure of whatever energy I was directing at it.
With a soft click, the lock broke.
I stopped channeling the power and the light faded. My hands were shaking as I reached for the door handle and pushed. The door swung open silently, revealing the dark basement hallway.
I've done it. I've actually done magic.
But I didn't have time to marvel at my new abilities. I needed to move fast, gather supplies, and get out of Silverwood before anyone realized I'd escaped.
I crept through the basement toward my room, my enhanced hearing alert for any sound of guards. The pack house was quiet. It was late enough that most wolves were asleep.
I made it to my room and quickly gathered my few belongings. The scarf to hide my hair, the small piece of chocolate Cassidy had given me, a change of clothes. I wished I had more, but there was no time.
I started toward the stairs that would lead me out, but hesitated. Cassidy. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye, without warning her that I was going.
It was dangerous. It was stupid. But I couldn't just disappear without a word to the only person who'd ever cared about me.
I made my way through the pack house to the omega dormitory where Cassidy and the other kitchen workers slept. The door was unlocked, and I slipped inside silently.
Cassidy slept in a small bed near the back. I approached quietly and gently shook her shoulder.
She woke with a start, but I quickly put my hand over her mouth to keep her from crying out.
"It's me," I whispered. "I need to tell you something."
She nodded, and I removed my hand. We moved to the corner of the room where we could whisper without waking the others.
"What's wrong?" Cassidy asked, her eyes full of concern.
I quickly told her everything, about Victor Strand, about what he'd done to my parents, about Alpha Thorne planning to sell me. I watched her face go pale in the darkness.
"You have to run," she whispered urgently. "Right now, Nessa. Don't wait."
"I know. That's why I came to say goodbye." My throat got tight. "Thank you, Cass. For being my friend. For being the only good thing in this horrible place."
Tears streamed down Cassidy's face. "I don't want you to go. But I know you have to." She pressed something into my hand, a small cloth bag that jingled. "I've been saving money for years, hoping to buy my way into a better pack someday. It's not much, but take it. Use it to get far away from here."
"Cass, I can't..."
"Yes, you can," she said firmly. "You need it more than I do. Just promise me you'll survive. Promise me you'll find somewhere safe and make a good life for yourself."
I hugged her tightly, memorizing the feel of the only real hug I'd probably ever received. "I promise. And Cass? When you find your mate, when you get out of here, be happy. You deserve all the happiness in the world."
We held each other for another moment, then I forced myself to pull away. If I stayed any longer, I might not be able to leave at all.
I slipped back out of the dormitory and made my way toward the pack house exit. My heart was pounding, but my mind was clear. I had to do this. I had to survive.
I made it to the back door that led to the forest. It was guarded, but I could see the guard was dozing at his post. I considered trying to sneak past him, but one creaky floorboard would wake him.
Instead, I focused on that silver light again. Could I make myself invisible? Could I put the guard into a deeper sleep? I didn't know what my powers could do, but I had to try.
I held up my hand and imagined the silver light wrapping around the guard like a blanket. To my amazement, the light responded, flowing from my palm in soft waves. It settled over the guard like moonlight, and his head drooped further. His breathing deepened.
I didn't know if I'd just put him into a magical sleep or simply encouraged his natural drowsiness, but it worked. I crept past him and out into the night air.
The forest loomed ahead of me, dark and full of unknown dangers. I'd never been beyond the pack's cleared lands. Everything past the tree line was foreign territory.
But staying meant death or worse. So I took a deep breath, adjusted the bag on my shoulder, and ran toward the trees.
The moment I entered the forest, everything changed. My enhanced senses came alive. I could hear every rustle of leaves, smell every plant and animal, feel the energy of the earth beneath my feet. My wolf surged forward with joy, reveling in the freedom.
"Run," she urged. "Run fast and far. We're finally free."
So I ran. I ran faster than I'd ever run before, my new strength carrying me through the forest like I was flying. Branches that should have caught me seemed to part, roots that should have tripped me somehow avoided my feet. Was that my power helping me? Or just luck?
I didn't care. I just ran.
Behind me, Silverwood Pack lands faded into the distance. Ahead of me was nothing but forest and possibility. I was alone. I was terrified. But for the first time in my life, I was also free.
And I was never going back.