I didn't think twice. The moment Theron gave me a way out, I took it.
Just before I stepped out of the room, I caught a glimpse of him struggling to hold himself back.
His pheromones were thick in the air, clouding the room and making my legs weaken for just a moment.
"GO!"
His voice hit me like a whip, giving me the strength I needed to flung the door open and run as far as I could without looking back.
But why did he let me go?
"Because if you didn't run, he would've lost control and will hurt you," my wolf said quietly.
"The bond between you two is too strong. His wolf is clawing at the surface, and he's barely holding it back."
The marking wasn't the problem. It was what would come after that would be the real issue.
The marking process always came with intense primal desire.
"If he marked you like that," my wolf added, "he'd lose control completely. He'd hurt you without even realizing it."
His instincts would take over.
And in that moment, he wouldn't care about anything except satisfying the urge to mate.
Sometimes, the first sex between an Alpha and his Luna wasn't sweet.
It was rough and full of violent, especially when the bond was fresh and the wolf instincts were too loud to ignore.
'Great,' I muttered in my head. 'He's a gentleman. I get it.'
After a while, my sprint slowed into a walk. My breathing eased. The distance I'd put between us finally felt safe enough.
'But what do I do now? He told me to run. Does that mean I can just leave the palace?'
"He said to stay away 'for now' from him," my wolf reminded me. "That means he still wants to see you again."
I clicked my tongue. 'No, he didn't say that. Maybe you're just imagining things.'
"He did say that! Don't you dare twist it. I might've just woken up, but I know things better than you."
Really? She had only been awake for like ten minutes. How could she possibly know more than I did?
I decided to ignore her and tiptoed my way through the palace halls, searching for an exit.
For some reason, the soft dress I was wearing felt strange against my skin.
Maybe it was because I'd gotten used to coarse fabrics, so this one felt too soft, too unfamiliar, like something that didn't belong to me.
"So, which option sounds better?" I muttered. "Run straight out the front gate and fight whoever stands in the way, or … jump off a balcony and pray I don't break something?"
"Or," my wolf said slowly, "you could just wait until Theron calms down."
I rolled my eyes. "Can you stop acting so horny for one second? Just because he's our mate doesn't mean staying here will magically make our life better."
"And running away won't make it better either," she replied sharply. "You're being too stubborn and not horny enough."
I took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it go.
I had imagined my wolf to be wise, protective, maybe even motherly. But all she did was give me headaches and bad advice.
"I am being kind," she huffed. "But even if you do escape, where would you go? The maids already threw out all of your junks. You're starting from zero again, Evelyn."
The things she called "junk" were actually the only belongings I had, stuffed into a worn-out bag I'd been carrying across cities, villages, and forests.
There wasn't much inside. Just a few pieces of clothing and a handful of Lirae coins, barely enough to buy bread for two days.
In other words, yeah ... junk.
My wolf wasn't exactly wrong about that.
"Maybe we can steal something," I muttered, creeping along the hallway wall until my eyes landed on a fancy-looking candleholder. "What do you think about that one? It looks expensive."
"It has the royal crest on it, you moron," my wolf scolded me. "Any merchant will know you stole it from the palace."
Right.
That would end badly, maybe with my head on a pike.
I clicked my tongue in frustration and groaned softly. This escape wasn't going to be easy.
Most of the doors were guarded, and even if I did manage to sneak out, I'd be caught in no time.
I didn't know this place. The palace grounds were unfamiliar, and I had no idea which way to go.
I needed a map, something to help me understand the layout of the palace and the kingdom.
I'd moved from place to place more times than I could count, so learning a new area wasn't the issue.
I just needed a little more time.
Maybe I should stay a bit longer. Just until I find the maps.
"My Lady! What are you doing here?!" A young maid hurried over, her eyes wide in surprise as she spotted me crouched alone in the hallway.
I lifted my head, but I didn't say anything. I had no intention of explaining myself to her.
At least she wasn't one of the maids from the bath earlier.
Those ones treated me like a filthy object they couldn't wait to throw away. Therefore, they annoyed me every time they opened their mouths.
"We've been looking all over for you!" she said, offering a hand to help me up. "His Majesty asked us to prepare a meal for you, but if you're not hungry—"
"Show me the way." I cut her off. My voice startled her, maybe because it was the first time I'd spoken.
"O-oh! Of course." She fumbled for a second. "Please, follow me to the dining room."
As I trailed behind her, my wolf chimed in again.
"Didn't you want to run away a minute ago? What happened? Did your pride get bought off by food?"
I rolled my eyes but didn't answer immediately. Then finally, I muttered back in my head, 'It's food. In case you forgot, it's not exactly easy to come by these days.'
"It's not food that's hard to find," she sneered. "You're just poor."
I didn't respond to her anymore, not because her words didn't sting, but because they were true.
"Here's the dining room, My Lady."
The maid led me to one of the chairs near the long, elegant dining table. "Since we didn't know what you like, we just prepared what His Majesty usually eats."
I didn't say anything. I just sat down in silence.
The maid blinked, clearly surprised that I sat without any resistance.
"C-can I serve you—"
I grabbed a roasted chicken leg with my bare hand and sank my teeth into it. Juice spilled onto my lips as the rich flavor filled my mouth.
God, it had been so long since I tasted something this good.
"Where are your manners?! You're embarrassing me!" my wolf snapped.
I kept chewing and replied mentally, 'You don't even have a face. Let me eat in peace.'
Table manners? Forget it.
I was alone at this table. Who was I trying to impress?
Maybe if I looked disgusting enough, the king would finally see how unfit I was to be his mate and send me away.
"Let you go without rejecting or claiming you?" she scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."
"An Alpha never lets his prey walk away."
Then I'd find another way.
If he wouldn't release me, I'd break the leash myself.
"You can try," my wolf said, laughing in the back of my mind.
"But once mates are tied by fate, no matter how far you run … you'll always meet again at the crossroads."