Chapter Five, My Escape

Gemma’s POV

The handcuffs cut into my wrists the entire night.

Every movement sent pain through my arms and shoulders, but Richard didn’t care. After Khloe left, his anger had only gotten worse.

Apparently, everything was my fault.

Khloe leaving.

The arguments.

The chaos.

Me existing.

At least one of my tormentors was gone.

That thought alone brought me a tiny bit of comfort.

My body ached so badly that eventually I stopped fighting the pain and let my mind drift elsewhere.

To the Alphas.

Which was ridiculous.

After everything they’d done to me, they should’ve been the last people on my mind.

But thinking about them somehow made the darkness feel less suffocating.

Especially Asher.

I hated that.

The basement was silent except for the occasional creak of the house above me.

Then suddenly…

Movement.

At first, I thought I was imagining it.

But the longer I stayed still, the clearer the sounds became.

Footsteps.

Soft whispers.

Something moving outside.

My breathing hitched.

I inhaled sharply—

And froze.

Wolf.

The Alphas.

What were they doing here?

Fear shot through me instantly.

Had they come to finish what they started years ago?

Maybe saving me earlier had been a joke.

Maybe they wanted to drag me out and hurt me somewhere no one would hear me scream.

My heartbeat pounded violently as I listened to footsteps approaching the back door upstairs.

A quiet creak followed.

The back door had opened.

I held my breath.

More footsteps.

Careful.

Slow.

The kitchen floorboards creaked overhead before silence settled again.

Then—

The basement door opened.

At the same moment, Richard shouted from upstairs.

“Gemma! You better not be trying anything down there!”

I flinched violently.

“I swear to God, if you’re moving around making noise, I’ll come down there and snap your neck! Go to sleep and stop being a fucking problem!”

Tears burned my eyes as I stared down at the floor.

Then I noticed movement in front of me.

My head snapped up.

Three figures stood in the shadows.

The Alphas.

All three of them pressed their fingers to their lips silently, warning me not to speak.

Shock rooted me in place.

Logan immediately crouched beside the chair and examined the handcuffs around my wrists.

“Shit,” he muttered quietly. “These are reinforced.”

The brothers exchanged silent looks, obviously mind-linking.

Then Asher stepped behind me.

“Stay still,” he whispered.

Before I could even react, he grabbed the chain between the cuffs and snapped it clean apart.

My eyes widened in horror.

How strong was he?

The broken cuffs hit the floor with a soft clatter.

Instantly, Asher lifted me into his arms.

Pain shot through my body, but somehow it faded slightly against the warmth of him holding me.

“Hold on,” he murmured.

Then we were moving.

Fast.

So fast I barely had time to breathe.

The cold night air hit my face as we rushed through the back door and into the forest.

Behind us, the basement door slammed open.

Richard roared furiously.

“What the fuck?!”

I twisted slightly in Asher’s arms just enough to see him storm out of the house.

His eyes locked onto us instantly.

“Bring her back!” he screamed. “That girl is mine!”

A dangerous growl ripped from Jayden’s chest.

“No,” he snarled.

The air around him suddenly shifted with Alpha power.

Even I could feel it.

“Bow.”

Richard froze.

His body shook violently before, to my complete shock, he slowly lowered his head.

My eyes widened.

Jayden’s voice had forced him to submit.

“Gemma isn’t your property,” Jayden said coldly. “And if you or that witch touch her again, I’ll slaughter both of you.”

Pure terror crossed Richard’s face.

For the first time in my life…

Someone had stood up for me.

And somehow, that scared me almost as much as Richard did.

Asher kept running deeper into the forest while Logan and Jayden followed closely beside us.

The further we got from the house, the harder my thoughts spiraled.

Why were they helping me?

What did they want from me?

Nobody had ever been kind to me without expecting something in return.

Eventually, Asher slowed to a stop in a quiet clearing.

The second he carefully set me down, agony shot through my legs.

I cried out softly and stumbled.

Before I could fall, Asher caught me again instantly.

Concern filled his eyes.

“Gemma, are you okay?”

The gentleness in his voice confused me.

None of this made sense.

“We’re sorry,” he said quietly. “We should’ve helped you sooner.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Sorry?

The Alphas were apologizing to me?

“Why are you helping me?” I whispered shakily. “You hate me.”

The guilt that crossed their faces shocked me.

“We don’t hate you,” Logan said quietly.

I almost laughed.

“You’ve hurt me for years.”

None of them spoke.

Because they knew I was right.

Fear suddenly surged through me again.

I couldn’t trust them.

Didn’t matter what they said.

Didn’t matter that they’d saved me.

People always hurt me eventually.

So before they could stop me—

I ran.

Ignoring the pain tearing through my body, I sprinted deeper into the forest.

Behind me, I heard them shouting my name.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

Branches tore at my skin as I pushed through the trees toward the deepest part of the forest—the area everyone avoided.

Even wolves stayed away from here.

Eventually, I spotted a small cave hidden between rocks and quickly crawled inside, curling into myself as I struggled to steady my breathing.

Outside, distant howls echoed through the forest.

The Alphas.

Looking for me.

My chest tightened painfully.

Then suddenly—

Crunch.

A branch snapped nearby.

I froze.

“Who’s there?” an older man called out firmly. “Show yourself.”

Panic flooded me.

Another voice spoke, softer this time.

“We won’t hurt you, sweetheart.”

Slowly, trembling badly, I stepped out from the cave.

An older couple stood nearby.

The woman looked kind immediately, while the man’s expression softened the second he saw me properly.

“Oh, sweetheart…” the woman whispered.

The man frowned deeply as he looked at my bruises.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said gently. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen,” I whispered. “But I can leave. I don’t want trouble.”

The woman immediately stepped closer.

“You’re not causing trouble.”

She offered me a small smile.

“My name’s Maggie. This is my husband, John.”

John nodded warmly.

“You can come home with us,” Maggie said softly.

My eyes widened.

“What?”

“You’re hurt,” John said firmly. “And no child should be alone out here.”

I hesitated.

I didn’t know these people.

But they looked at me differently than everyone else had.

Not with disgust.

Not with pity.

With kindness.

And somehow…

That terrified me too.

“I don’t want to be a burden,” I whispered.

Maggie’s face broke slightly at my words.

“Oh, darling,” she said gently. “You could never be a burden.”

Something inside me cracked.

Nobody had ever said something like that to me before.

Slowly, I nodded.

The walk through the forest felt unreal.

Like I was trapped in a dream I’d eventually wake up from.

But when we reached the clearing, I stopped completely in shock.

A massive house stood beneath glowing lanterns shaped like stars and moons.

It looked magical.

Warm.

Safe.

Inside was even more beautiful.

Silver-white walls reflected soft hanging lights while moon-shaped decorations glowed gently from the ceiling.

I’d never seen anything so peaceful before.

Maggie led me into the kitchen.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

I immediately shook my head out of habit.

“I’m used to eating once a day.”

Silence filled the room.

John looked furious.

Maggie looked heartbroken.

“Well,” John said firmly, “that changes tonight.”

Tears stung my eyes unexpectedly.

Nobody had ever cared whether I ate before.

Maggie gently touched my hand.

“There’s something you should know, sweetheart,” she said softly. “I’m a hybrid. Half witch, half wolf.”

My eyes widened.

“I can sense magic,” she continued carefully. “And you… you have powerful magic inside you.”

I stared at her.

“No, I don’t.”

“You do.”

Her voice held certainty.

“Your power is buried deep, probably suppressed for years, but it’s there.”

My heart raced.

Richard had always called me cursed.

Dangerous.

Was this why?

“You could teach me?” I asked quietly.

Maggie smiled warmly.

“Of course.”

Emotion clogged my throat.

Nobody had ever offered to teach me anything before.

Nobody had ever wanted me.

“You’re family here now,” she whispered.

Family.

The word nearly broke me.

A short while later, the front door opened.

Emily rushed inside first.

The second she saw me, relief flooded her face.

“Oh my God, Gemma!”

She ran over and hugged me tightly.

“I was so worried about you!”

A boy with dark hair followed behind her, grinning slightly.

“This is my brother Sean,” Emily explained excitedly. “Looks like we’ve got another sister now.”

Sister.

Brother.

Family.

Everything felt unreal.

Emily dragged me upstairs moments later and opened a bedroom door.

I froze.

A double bed.

Soft blankets.

New clothes neatly folded on a chair.

Even makeup sitting on the dresser.

It was more than I’d ever had in my life.

“You like it?” Emily asked nervously.

I burst into tears.

That answer seemed good enough for her.

For the first time in years…

I fell asleep feeling safe.

And for the first time in years…

I didn’t dream about dying.