Luna Aleksa's Escape

7. Not long to go now.

Aleksa POV

Sleep eluded me yet again last night. My anxiety was next level. I kept going over our plan of escape, trying to think of possible scenarios we might come across. I prayed to the goddess that it all went to plan. All of our safety depended on it. If we got caught trying to flee, I knew I’d be locked up indefinitely or, even worse, killed for my actions. I’d never be able to see my pups again. Not to mention the penalties Caleb and Kali would face for betraying their alpha to help us escape. The penalty would surely be death.

I was really glad that I’d met Mason and Kaia, even though it had only been a few days. We’d instantly clicked and seemed to be on the same wavelength. I looked forward to getting to know them more as time went by.

It must be early morning now because I heard the trap door creaking open. I saw a flicker of light in this cold, damp, and darkened dungeon. And as fast as it appeared, it was gone, and we were plunged back into darkness again. I heard footsteps walking down the stairs. I smelled the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

What I would give for a strong hot coffee!

I heard Chad’s voice and felt a surge of anxiousness. Not long to go now. In several hours’ time, we would set our plan in motion. I hoped everything would just fall into place.

Chad walked up to my cell. “Luna, I don’t understand why you are still here. I’m sure Alpha will let you out if you just agree with his conditions. Just think of Liam and Layla. They will be missing you greatly.”

I looked up at Chad, and there was so much I wanted to say right now. I was furious that I was expected to live with my mates’ infidelity. To be his side piece when it suited him. I was supposed to be a subservient Luna who tended to her duties and played blind to things that happened right before my eyes. And then, he had the nerve to guilt trip me into thinking it was I who was doing wrong to my children!

It was important for me to stay on Chad’s good side. I needed to play along so that I could get out of here. I wish, Chad, that it was that simple. I think I just need more time. “It will sort itself out eventually, I’m sure,” I said with a half-smile, looking toward the ground so he couldn’t see the insincerity in my eyes.

“Luna, if you will excuse me, I must make my rounds. I hope Lachlan and you can work this out sooner rather than later. I will check in on you a little later,” Chad said, then he bowed his head and continued back the way he came.

Since I’d been down in the dungeon, I’d had three meals sent to me a day. The other prisoners were lucky if they got one small meal a day. So I’d been sharing mine with Mason and Kaia. It was cruel that people were treated this way. I guess when you’re in a privileged position, it’s easy to be unaware of how lucky you are and be blinded to many of the injustices that surround you.

Mason had made some polite conversation. He was quite striking at approximately six-foot-four inches, with a large muscular build and a dark tan, possibly from spending so much time outdoors. He had short golden blond hair and bright blue eyes.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I can’t believe that it was your mate who imprisoned you here. What kind of pack is this?” he asked.

“That makes two of us,” I replied. I was still in a state of disbelief. “I guess I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. Tell me, do you have a mate, Mason?” I asked.

“I do not, Luna,” he replied with the slightest hint of sadness. “I haven’t had the privilege yet.”

“Please, just call me Aleksa,” I replied.

“I haven’t met a rogue before, but from what I’ve been told about them, you don’t strike me as one,” I said.

“Well, I guess technically I am. I’ve recently left my pack,” he confessed.

“I can sense that you have a strong wolf. Am I right to assume you are of alpha blood?” I asked.

“I was Beta at my last pack,” he revealed.

“I’d trained all my life to become a beta, and I’d come from generations of betas. I took my role in the pack seriously,” he said, with a hint of sadness evident in his tone.

I felt that he was downplaying things. His aura resembled that of an alpha aura, but I understood he didn’t know me. He had no obligation to tell me anything.

Mason POV

It was the middle of the night. The guard that was watching us went outside an hour or so ago. I had the feeling he wouldn’t be back anytime soon. All bets were off at night. I knew how it worked. He was most likely sleeping somewhere, or screwing around with a she-wolf.

Aleksa, this pack’s Luna, was in the cell next to me, and I had a good feeling about her. We’d got to talking over the past day or so, and she’d asked what led me to be here in the dungeon. I felt like I had nothing to lose at this point, so I told her.

I felt like I could trust her for some reason. I had told her I was beta, although she seemed a little unconvinced.

“Which pack are you from?” she asked me.

“Formerly, Blood Moon Pack,” I answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with any packs. I wasn’t raised in a pack myself,” she said.

“How can that be?” I asked, stunned at her admission.

“I grew up in a human town,” she said, looking uncomfortable.

“I see,” I replied, not wanting to push her.

“Why did you leave Blood Moon?” she asked with the most innocent doe eyes.

“That’s a long story,” I said.

“Well, Mason, we have all the time in the world right now,” she replied with a small smile.

“Touché,” I replied.

Since we were escaping together, we needed to trust each other. I figured I’d tell her the whole sordid tale. “Grayson, the current Alpha of Blood Moon, and I were childhood friends. We were close, and got into a lot of mischief together in our teens, but we knew the time was coming for us to take on our leadership roles, so we had to leave our recklessness behind.”

“It was easy for me. I wanted to make my father proud. I was ready to settle down. Grayson, not so much,” I paused.

“Naturally, being that he was about to take over as alpha, he was popular with the she-wolves. He’d always been a playboy, but his attitude towards the ladies had taken a turn. He became bored, abusive, and even sadistic at times,” I confessed.

“Grayson’s excessive and frequent drinking made him easily enraged and irrational,” I said. “As you know, that’s not an easy feat for wolves because alcohol didn’t affect us easily, but when taken in large quantities, it did.”

Aleksa nodded her head empathetically in understanding.

“His attitude towards those with low wolf rankings changed, and by the time he became alpha at twenty-one, he was a tyrant. New pack rules encouraged and normalized the use of slaves, and he treated women as second-class citizens,” I said. “Further to this, he stopped training for omega-ranked wolves and took away the right for she-wolves to train.

I cleared my throat, and continued, “Things had changed so drastically over the past few years at the Blood Moon pack that I hardly recognized it. I tried to approach Grayson several times as his friend and as his beta, but every time I only enraged him further, and he dismissed my concerns.”

“Finally, I decided that I’d had enough. I spoke with his father, the previous alpha, although he was too fearful of what his son had become to take a stand. So I was alone in my crusade,” I remarked.

I paused for a moment. “I’m so sorry, Mason,” Aleksa replied.

“To make matters worse, his father then informed him of our chat. Grayson’s father then informed him of our chat, which made matters worse. As a result, Grayson became enraged and confronted me. We had a huge fight, and I challenged him for his position. Because I’d trained so hard alongside Grayson for many years, my strength matched his. Long story short, things didn’t go as planned. I was severely wounded and then banished from the pack. I had twenty minutes to get off Blood Moon territory before I was killed,” I remarked.

“I moved as fast as I could in my wounded condition and was chased for miles. I sought refuge in a remote forest canopy for the night and then stumbled onwards for a few more miles until I, unfortunately, wandered into Evergreen Pack territory. Your pack warriors outnumbered me and dragged me to the dungeon,” I told her.

“I’ve been here several days and I’m yet to have an audience with your alpha. Although knowing what I know about him now, I’m not looking forward to it. I think my chances of getting out of here are slim to none,” I said.

“You’ve been through so much, I applaud you on your efforts to protect your pack members. I wish I could help you some more, but I fear I might not be a lot of use to you in my current position,” Aleksa said.

Aleksa was beautiful. I could tell she was kind and strong. I could see that would not compromise her principles for anything or anyone. I respected her integrity and resolve.

Kaia POV

After hearing Aleksa and Mason speak of their experiences, I thought I would join in and tell them a bit about myself. It seemed that our lives had all taken unexpected turns, and we had some common ground.

“I’m sorry that you have both had to deal with so much. And since you are both sharing your stories, I will share mine too,” I said.

“When I met my fated mate, Ezra Anderson, I thought my prayers had been answered,” I smiled softly and paused for a moment.

“I was born a beta’s daughter. My parents were the beta male and female of our pack, and my brother was to take over as beta when my father retired. I trained hard alongside my parents and brother. Although I was never to become a beta, I insisted on being trained regardless,” I said, briefly pausing. “I wanted to become a warrior, so I trained every day, twice a day,” a proud smile crept over my face.

“The day arrived that I was to undertake my final exams and assessment, and to my surprise, I discovered my mate. It was none other than the pack’s top warrior, Ezra. We had grown up together, and I had no idea that he was to be my fated mate, not until my twentieth birthday. Most wolves find their mates at nineteen, but it appeared I was a late bloomer. In all honesty, I was worried my time would never come,” I confessed.

“The day I walked into the training grounds and my wolf screamed, ‘Mate,’ I realized that my life would never be the same. They say that the moment you meet your mate is the best moment of your life. They say it’s love or lust at first sight, that the sparks and tingles take over and the mate bond consumes you, and they were right,” I said.

“Not long after mating and marking one another, I realized he wasn’t being faithful to me. The pain would come throughout the day and he didn’t hide the fact that he slept with any she-wolf that walked past him. I confronted Ezra, and that was the first time he hit me. I fought back, but he was always stronger than me,” I said, shaking my head as I recalled the memory.

“I wasn’t going to stick around and let them treat me like that, so I made plans to escape one morning and I left the pack.” I rejected the pack, and I rejected my mate. The effects of rejecting our bond were still greatly afflicting me, and I felt so weak. So much so that I was picked up along the border of the Evergreen Pack and ended up in these cells,” I said.

“You are so brave and so strong, Kaia, you did the right thing!” Aleksa said softly.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Kaia,” Mason said.

“Thanks, guys,” I said, rubbing my arms as the cold and damp air of the dungeon affected me.

Since being here, I'd met Aleksa, who was in a similar position to mine. She was stuck in a mateship where she was being abused and mistreated and was planning to flee. We’d decided to join forces and take back our lives. We were kindred spirits, and I believed we needed to stick together.

Mason, another wolf who had been imprisoned here at the Evergreen Pack, was going to come along with us. I still feel so weakened because of the rejection. However, I was also feeling hopeful that things might improve soon. We were planning to escape, and I couldn’t wait to be finally free. I needed to get as far away from Ezra as possible. And far away from this pack. Only a few more hours to go.

Mason POV

After speaking with her and Kaia—another imprisoned rogue I have met since coming here — over the past few days, I felt a connection to both women. There was this overwhelming need inside me to protect them both. I wanted nothing more than to escape these cells with Aleksa, her pups, and Kaia. They deserved so much more than they had been given thus far. I wouldn’t stop until they were all safe, and maybe we could all start afresh.

After speaking with Aleksa, she invited us to join her in Colorado. I had never been there, but I heard it’s a nice place to live. And I’m looking forward to putting as much distance between myself and my former pack as possible. Only a few more hours to go and we could escape from this place.