She had to leave now. She had to leave now, or she'd live and die there. 

Her breaths came out in great pants, fogging in the air as she made her getaway. Weaving between the trees, sticks and vegetation ripped at her clothing. Fisted in her hand, a stone burned hot. Getting hotter and hotter the closer she got to her freedom, to a life of choice and independence... That was what she had to tell herself anyways. 

In the distance, howls erupted in the night. A small part of her, the only part of her that was still wild, recognized the calls. A small pulse started in her chest, urging her to return to the calls behind her, to return to her own kind. 

But she couldn't afford to turn back now. Her very future depended on this.

She was either going to escape, or die trying. There was no other option for her. Even if he somehow caught her, she'd be useless to him as she hadn't hit maturity yet. He'd end up killing her anyway, and it'd most likely be a horrific death. If he caught her now, she'd die fighting. There was no way in Hell that she'd willingly return to those walls of silence and oppression. 

Leaping over a fallen log, she sailed over it just as she had been promised she would. The world whipped past her in a blur of color, blues and browns and greens melting together just as quickly as they registered. If she hadn't been under such circumstances, she probably would've been in awe. Not only had she never been out this far, but she had never been at such speeds before either. Traveling into the forest was only reserved for the males of her pack and traveling at such speed was something only males could naturally do. 

If this was what freedom tasted like, she was all in... All thanks to a creature she should consider an enemy. 

He was waiting for her now (if he stuck to their agreement,) just as he had been waiting for her two weeks ago. His form was no doubt hidden away within the darkness, his magic somehow shaping the shadows to cover everything but his eerie eyes. They were red, just like the blood that flowed through her veins. He didn't have pupils and the whites of his eyes were nonexistent. The first time she saw him, she nearly screamed. He was just as terrifying as the stories her mother had recited to her when she was a pup. And when he flashed a fang at her? She'd damn near tucked tail and hightailed it back to her home. 

But it hadn't been the vampire that had stopped her dead in her tracks... It was the slight form that had stepped out from behind him, and the soft voice that had said her name. A voice she thought she'd never hear again. 

“Anna," her best friend had whispered. Wren had been bathed in moonlight, her hair almost blue-black. She'd put on some weight, her hair was cut to her shoulders, and she was wearing a knee-length red dress with a deep v-neck. She looked amazing, and she was alive!

Their reunion had been short. A quick hug and rushed questions before the vampire grabbed Wren's wrist and tugged her behind him. Wren had fallen silent as the vampire prowled towards Anna. Some kind of force had held her in place as the male approached her, and, as if her arm had been attached to an invisible string, it raised of its own accord. The vampire didn't say a word as he placed a stone onto Anna's open palm.

“There is more to life than one of servitude and breeding." His accent had been formal, but the coldness from his soul seeped into every word. "This stone is a waystone. When it produces heat, you must follow it to find your freedom. The closer you get, the warmer the stone. You have two weeks to make your decision. The stone will begin to heat the night before you must make your run. You only have 24-hours to escape before the magic in the stone depletes, and the stone returns to its natural state."

Anna had stared down at the stone in disbelief. Wren remained silent, and the vampire loomed over them both. Her head had been spinning and her heart ramming against her ribs. 

The vampire then enclosed her hand with his much larger one, forcing her fingers to curl over the stone. His skin had been cool, several degrees colder than her own. Her body tried to recoil at his touch, but the invisible force hadn't released its hold. All she could do was stare up at him and watch as his blood-red eyes stared into her very soul

“When it is time, hold this waystone in the palm of your hand. Its magic will grant you temporary speed so that you can outrun the fastest males of your pack. The magic, upon its activation, will have adapted to your being and only your being. Should it fall from your hand at any point, it will fully deplete before it even touches the ground."

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He then took a step back, Wren disappearing completely behind his much larger form. The stone was heavy in Anna's hand, cool and so very unassuming. But still, her eyes didn't stray from the male. They couldn't even if she wanted them to. 

“Think about your future, Annaleia." His voice had been a hiss as shadows began to blur the edges of his form. "There is more to life than being mated off to a male twice your age; there's more to life than being a broodmare and watching your daughters be taken from you. Join your sisters in freedom."

And with that, the vampire and Wren had slipped into the shadows. Anna had been left there in the woods all alone, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. The waystone had sat heavy in her hand, its surface just as cool as the vampire's skin. All around her, the sounds of the forest slowly began to return. Insects resumed their calls, an owl let out a hoot, fireflies danced within the undergrowth. But she didn't see or hear any of that. All she saw was Wren. 

Wren had, just before her disappearance, looked so thin and frail. She had slowly been poisoned by her mate, a cruel male that had taken two other females as his mate before mating Wren. Her friend had been the third female and, much to his other mates' dismay, she had been his favorite. There had been many times that her face had been bruised, and her very soul many more times than that. But when the vampire appeared, Wren appeared healthy. Her hair was healthy, her body had filled out, and she was sporting a clear, unblemished face. Whatever life Wren had escaped to had to be world's better than the one they were born into. 

It had to be.

Anna ducked under a low-hanging branch, growling as the twigs yanked on strands of her long hair. Her scalp stung and her eyes began to water, but she couldn't afford to stop. Howls continued to sound, morphing into a chorus of primitive intentions. There were multiple members of the howl now, them being the alpha's best warriors no doubt. Stopping now just wasn't an option, not with them so close. 

Anna panted, every cell of her being burning with exhaustion but she pushed on. The waystone was practically on fire now, pulsing in her hand the closer she got to wherever the vampire was hiding. 

“He c- can't be much further," she nearly cried as she pushed her legs faster and faster. "Al- almost there!"

Howls, howls, and more howls. They were closer now, so close that she could almost hear their excited growling and snapping. Males loved a chase... But they loved catching the female much more. Anna couldn't let them catch her, there was no telling what they'd do to her with their inner-wolves at the forefront. And it didn't matter that she was only sixteen and hadn't hit maturity yet; most males didn't care about such a thing...

“Where the Hell are- are you?" She growled. The stone only continued to pulsate, growing infinitesimally hotter. 

Another howl, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. A small part of her, the part of her that was still wolf, snarled in response to the blatant threat. Her inner she-wolf had her hackles raised, flashing canines in the shadows of a caged mind. 

No. No, they can't get to me. I'm almost there. Almost-

Anna went flying into the dirt. All of the breath rushed out of her lungs as she collided with the ground, her ribcage screeching in protest. A massive weight then pressed onto her back, claws digging into her shoulders. Thick, coarse fur brushed the back of her arms and deep growls reverberated all around her. 

“No!" She screamed, bucking wildly. "No! Get off me!" But there wasn't much she could do to defend herself. She was completely and utterly pinned beneath this wolf. The wolf above her outweighed her severely, and with her chest pinned firmly to the ground, there was no way that she'd be able to get out from under him. 

A wet nose parted the back of her hair, right at the base of her neck. Teeth would follow, and then they'd be wrapped around her fragile, vulnerable neck-

A wicked hiss, then the weight disappeared from her completely. With the way that Anna's head was turned, she saw as the wolf was thrown ten feet and right into a thick tree trunk. The brown-gray wolf, who she immediately recognized as a warrior named Shaw, landed at the base of the tree in an unmoving heap. 

Just as quickly as a gasp left her lips, a hand fisted the back of her shirt and hauled her up to her feet. Startled hazel eyes met the lifeless red of the vampire's. He bared his fangs at her, black veins trekking up his neck and venturing onto the planes of his face. 

“You're fucking lucky that they want you so much, little wolf." His face was harsh, so cruel and sharp. "Or else I would've let the dogs finish you."

Then, in a flash of movement, razor-sharp fangs sunk into her shoulder. The vampire clutched her to him, claws sinking into her waist like daggers. A scream welled up into her throat, but the venom in his bite paralyzed her faster than she could let it out. A fire roared to life right at her shoulder, but within a single breath, the rest of her body was engulfed in its fiery inferno.

The waystone, which was still clutched in her hand, dropped to the ground. 

Darkness began to close around her just as the vampire swept her up into his arms and took off into the shadows of the forest. Vibrant blues, greens, and browns zoomed past her just as her mind shut down.

Darkness was all that answered her screams.