Chapter 7

　　Thalia's POV

　　The Cursed Borderlands was no place for a powerless nobody like me. With every step I took, the trees seemed to growl and howl, as if they could smell my fear.

　　I couldn't stop thinking about Caspian. Was he able to escape?

　　Who was I kidding? No one escapes Adonis' wrath.

　　Guilt twisted in my gut knowing I had left him for dead like the weakling I was.

　　Oh Goddess, please help him.

　　I shook my head, forcing the thoughts of Caspian away. I needed to survive first. So, I kept running. Even when the voices and footsteps behind me faded into silence, I didn't stop.

　　The deeper I ran into the forbidden lands, the thinner the air got. It was becoming hard to breathe.

　　Branches tore through my skin like blades, while the wind whipped against my face, sharp enough to cut. I felt completely vulnerable. For the first time since losing my wolf, I understood what it truly meant to be completely useless.

　　Finally, I found a cave where I could wait for sunrise. I put together a shelter using palm fronds and tree branches. I was just about to lie down when the snap of a twig caught my attention. I might have lost my wolf abilities, but my hearing was still sharp.

　　I stood up immediately, straining my ears as another twig snapped. Then another.

　　My heart jumped right into my throat.

　　In the darkness, I heard voices whispering.

　　They found me! Fuck!

　　I wasted no time jumping out of my miserable attempt at a tent and pushed my body forward, even though my legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand.

　　Then, a distant howl echoed through the trees, sending shivers down my spine. It wasn't just close; multiple wolves were howling together. My blood ran completely cold.

　　They had crossed into the Borderlands. That meant only one thing: they weren't here to take me back to the palace; they were here to end my life.

　　I had just run past a tree when a sharp whistle sliced through the air. I gasped in shock as I looked ahead of me to see a burning arrow pierced into a tree. I barely had time to draw a breath before it exploded.

　　"Oh, my Moon Goddess, save me!"

　　Heat scorched my skin. I stumbled backward, screaming as particles from the flame flew into my eyes. The pain was blinding, forcing me to fall to the ground.

　　Another arrow wheezed past my ear, close enough to feel the heat. I forced myself up and ran. I didn't look back because looking back meant slowing down, and slowing down meant death.

　　By the time a third arrow narrowly missed my head and exploded right in front of me, my location had been exposed.

　　The fire bloomed through the forest like it was alive.

　　"THERE! I'VE FOUND THE HARLOT!" A voice shouted behind me.

　　"DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!"

　　Suddenly, another howl cut through the Borderlands, but this time it wasn't from any of the guards, and I would have sworn it was Adonis due to how dominant it sounded, but there was something to it, something dark and forbidden.

　　I whipped my head around, desperately searching the shadows, but I could barely see; the flame particles still stung my eyes like crazy.

　　Some branches had been caught in the fire, and it had begun to spread widely.

　　Smoke filled my lungs, ash blinded my eyes, and sharp branches tore at my skin as I pushed myself forward. The fire was definitely moving faster than I was.

　　At this point, if Adonis' men don't kill me, the fire would.

　　Then, my foot caught, and I tripped and fell, my ankle twisting in the process.

　　"ARGGHHH!!" I screamed in pain when I felt my bone shift.

　　I tumbled onto the ground, hitting my head on a sharp rock. I didn't hit it hard enough to knock me out, but it was definitely hard enough to leave me destabilized.

　　It wasn't until a fourth arrow hit the tree above that I realized I was surrounded.

　　The heat, the crackling of the fire, everything suddenly took me back to two years ago, and this time it wasn't just a random flash; I was THERE!

　　The howl pierced through my ears again, closer this time.

　　Panic blinded me; my hands clawed at the dirt, desperately searching for anything to defend myself with. My fingers closed around a heavy stone. I raised it, my arm trembling as I aimed it at the direction of the approaching guards.

　　"Stay back, I'm warning you!" I threw the rocks at them, it landed uselessly against a tree trunk.

　　I was about to let out the scream I had built up in my throat when a low guttural growl startled us all. Heavy footsteps began coming towards us, and the look on their faces just confirmed what I thought. It definitely wasn't Adonis.

　　"What the fuck is that…?" one of the guards whispered, his voice cracking with fear.

　　"Whatever it is, I don't want to know," the leader snapped, though his eyes were wide with fear. "Let's finish the job before we end up as something's dinner."

　　He turned on me, stepping over the burning debris with a murderous look.

　　"No! No, please, let me go!" I scrambled backward on my good leg, but he kept coming.

　　"The Alpha asked us to bring you back safely," he spat. "But our Luna wants you dead. You were never fit to be Luna anyway."

　　He raised his hand, and his claws grew out.

　　"HELP…!" My scream died in my throat as blood splattered everywhere.

　　The wet liquid streamed down my face and my clothes; I could feel the blood slipping into my eyes.

　　I patted every single part of my body, looking for the wound, but I felt no pain.

　　Then from the thickness of the smoke emerged a massive battle-scarred wolf with fur as black as ink, and claws as sharp as a sword. When he turned to me, his eyes glowed like embers, and it was at that moment I realized who he was.

　　It was the same wolf from two years ago, the wolf who had saved my life.

　　My breath left my body.

　　"It's you..." I whispered.