Free Web NovelChapter 17: 017
~ Roselle ~
If I don’t run now, Elias will come soon, or Celeste. I don’t trust Ronan to leave me completely alone.
I open the door to my room, sighing in relief when I find it isn’t locked. At least that’s enough to tell me this is a lesser prison.
My eyes scan the hallway for any sign of guards, but there are none. The corridor is empty and eerily silent.
I take a cautious step forward, like I’m walking on eggshells. Step after step, I move as quietly and carefully as I can until I’m fully outside the room, then I gently pull the door shut behind me.
My heart thrums heavily in my chest as I walk, every step making me more certain someone is going to jump out from somewhere and say,
"Hey, where do you think you’re escaping to?"
What if Ronan or one of his pack members catches me trying to run away? What would he do to me? Lock me up? Would this be the very thing that ends up digging my grave?
Should I go back? I hesitate, my mind spinning with a hundred different thoughts even as my feet keep moving forward.
No. I can’t go back. I’ve already made it this far, and somehow, I still haven’t run into anyone.
The hallway stretches endlessly before me. I don’t remember it being this long. When Ronan brings me to the pack house earlier, we only walk a short distance, or at least it feels that way.
Now, every step seems to drag on forever.
The walls of the corridor are decorated with intricate carvings of wolves and crescent moons, along with ancient symbols I don’t recognize. Their shadows dance across the stone under the dim lights, making the place feel even more unsettling. My gaze catches a particular painting, and my steps slow. It’s a wolf. Massive and imposing, with silver fur and piercing eyes that seem almost alive. The artist captures it so perfectly that for a second, it feels as though the creature is staring right back at me, watching my every move.
I’m tempted to stop and study every detail of it, but since the universe seems to be on my side and there’s still no one in sight, I need to use this opportunity wisely.
I tear my gaze away and continue moving.
Reaching a corner, I press myself against the wall first, peeking around it before stepping out. My eyes scan the area carefully, searching for any sign of movement.
Nothing. Only then do I move forward.
My heart is beating so hard at this point that it has to be over a hundred beats per minute, if not more.
Reaching the end of the corridor, I’m greeted by yet another curve in the hallway. A frustrated sigh slips from my lips, why the hell is this place so damn big?
And fuck. Every wall looks identical. The doors lining the corridor are all the same too, each one blending into the next until they become impossible to tell apart. How do they even know which room is which? If I wasn’t trying to escape, I’d probably be lost already.
I take the turn, my eyes still scanning every corner, every doorway, every shadow. A strange feeling crawls over my skin. Then I freeze.
My breath catches in my throat as my gaze lands on a familiar painting. The wolf, the same wolf artwork I’d stopped to admire just a few minutes ago. No. My eyes widen as I stare at it, willing myself to be wrong.
Slowly, I turn and look back down the hallway, and then it hits me, I’ve been going in circles.
Oh, hell. Fuck me sideways.
I should abort mission and head back, but the truth is, I can’t even remember which way I came from.
And it’s almost as if I’m trapped in the middle of nowhere, where going back isn’t an option and moving forward isn’t one either. Except in this case, standing still isn’t an option.
I have to do something, or I’m doomed.
If Ronan is half the monster people words paint him to be, then who knows what he’ll do if he finds out I tried to escape? Maybe my grave will be dug today.
Maybe I’ll become just another name on the list of his dead brides. The thought sends a chill down my spine, and Warren? The bastard would probably be thrilled. That’s what he wanted from the very beginning. For me to die, without having to soil his hand, I let out another sigh and decide to keep moving forward.
Eventually, I make it back to the first turn I took. This time, instead of repeating my mistake, I choose a different path.
Immediately, I notice the walls are different, relief washes through me, at least I’m not walking in circles anymore.
I keep trudging on, hoping this route leads somewhere... anywhere. I’ve barely made it halfway down the new path when I hear a strange noise.
My heart skips, then starts hammering so hard against my ribs that it hurts.
I spin around immediately, expecting to find someone behind me, but there’s no one there. No one at my back, no one to either side.
I swallow hard and force myself to keep moving. Maybe I imagined it, or maybe the sound came from one of the rooms, which means someone is about to step out.
Either way, I need to run.
I turn back to the front, and nearly stop breathing.
Two wolves stand directly in my path.
One is taupe-colored, the other a rich brown. They’re massive, their lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth as they stalk toward me.
My eyes widen. Panic slams into me so hard it almost knocks me off my feet.
My heart is beating so violently now that I’m sure it’s about to burst from my chest. Every instinct in me screams at me to run, to do something, but my body refuses to cooperate.
I can only stare as they keep advancing.
Oh, hell.
I need to run. I need to. Goddess, help me. I whirl around, desperate for another way out, only to freeze all over again.
Two more wolves stand behind me, one white and one black. They’re close, talking steps after step to meet up with me.
My face drains of color, my body trembling violently as panic crashes over me in relentless waves. Every muscle locks up, shock ripping through me so hard that for a second I forget how to breathe.
The wolves are watching me now, waiting for me to make a move or try to run, so they can run after me. Low growls rumble from their throats as they slowly advance, their eyes fixed on me.
There’s no two ways about this. I’m dead. The realization settles heavily in my chest.
There’s no escape route, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. There’s no way I can defeat them, not even one of them, let alone four.
My breathing turns ragged as I glance from one side to the other, trapped between them.
And worse, they don’t look like they’re here to capture me. I can sense the aggression, the hunger. They’re preparing to tear me apart.
I’m going to die. I’m going to... The thought of it alone makes my skin prickle, cold shivers crawling down my spine.
I’m in trouble. I didn’t picture this scenario when I was imagining the worst things that could happen to me. Being eaten by pack wolves wasn’t on the list.
The taupe wolf lowers itself, and the brown one follows.
Oh goddess. Oh goddess. I thought you gave me this cue to leave. Now I know I shouldn’t have come out. I shouldn’t have left my room.
The hallway behind me is too far away, and the walls offer no escape. I’ll die before becoming the cursed Seventh Bride to Alpha Ronan. How ironic.
I can’t even scream for help, and that realization hits me with brutal force. No one will hear me when I’m attacked. This is my destiny.
The wolves begin advancing, one step at a time, like predators stalking their prey. My legs tremble, and I collapse. My body has already given up.
The two wolves rush toward me, launching their attack just as I lose my balance.
I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for the worst.
Then a growl erupts through the corridor, so loud it makes the ground tremble beneath me, forcing my eyes open.
Everything happens at once. A powerful force crashes into the wolves, and a vicious snarl echoes through the corridor.
The taupe wolf is thrown sideways, while the brown wolf slams into the wall, both yelping in pain.
I crawl backward, still trying to make sense of what’s happening. Then that familiar chocolate and vanilla scent hits me.
I look up to find Alpha Ronan standing between me and them.
He hasn’t shifted, and yet his presence feels larger than theirs combined, dangerous and powerful with an aura so dark.
The other two wolves immediately lower themselves, whining.
"Which one of you," Ronan says, with a quietness that is somehow more frightening than shouting, "can tell me why my bride was just cornered in my own hallway."
Silence.
"She carries no pack scent yet, Alpha." The taupe wolf, now a man, broad shouldered, and young. "We detected an unfamiliar presence moving through the corridor unescorted and—"
"And your first response was to lunge at her."
The man’s mouth closes.
"Have you lost your minds? She is your Luna." he growls.
The sound alone makes me shiver and the wolves instantly retreat several steps before shifting back into their human forms.
Four men, all looking horrified.
"Alpha, forgive us."
They bow deeply. "We thought she was an intruder."
"Apologize to her now, and get out of my hallway,"
They are stunned, but they bow their head and mutter at the same time.
"We sincerely apologize, Luna."
I’m still on the floor and I don’t know whether I should be embarrassed. I don’t even have the strength to pick myself up because I’m too weak and quite frightened.
Alpha Ronan dismisses them. "Leave."
Then he turns to me and stretches his hand to pull me up.
Once I’m on my feet, his eyes settle on me.
"Are you hurt?" he asks, his gray eyes scanning my body. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
I shake my head. Relief flashes across his face before it disappears just as quickly.
"I’m sorry about that. That must’ve been quite a scare for you." His gaze lingers on me for a moment. "What brought you out of your room?"
