Luna Aleksa's Escape

5. Imprisoned.

Aleksa POV

I didn’t get much sleep last night. Apart from the fact that I was sleeping on the cold, hard, and filthy floor, I was suffering the effects of my mate breaking our sacred bond. The pain had started a little while after Lachlan left last night.

The other prisoners, who I found out were rogue wolves, were shocked to discover that I was subjected to the same conditions as them. I had ignored them initially, and then I realized it was going to be a long night, so I would at least make small talk with them to be polite.

A rogue wolf was a wolf that had been kicked out of their pack or had left of their own free will. A rogue wolf often had long unkempt fur and had a foul-smelling odor emitting from it. If a rogue wolf was found in pack territory, they were generally taken to the pack dungeons or killed on site, although at the Evergreen Pack, we detained them until we had questioned their reasons for being on pack lands.

The rogues I’d spoken with didn’t seem threatening. They engaged in polite conversation, and I was surprised to hear the reasons they had become rogue. Kaia, the rogue in the cell on the left of mine, left her pack because she was mated to a warrior who continued to betray their bond. She explained how females were treated in the pack and expressed concern for her friends, but she had to flee their cruel and barbaric ways.

Mason, in the cell to the right side of mine, had left as he didn’t respect his alpha and didn’t agree with his way of ruling, so he went out on his own as a lone wolf, which had been working fine for him until he accidentally stumbled on Evergreen Pack territory.

After speaking with the other prisoners for a few hours, the pain subsided. Lachlan must have fallen asleep. I would take this time to rest my body and try to come up with a plan to escape with my pups. That was the hard part, I guessed, as I didn’t know how long I would stay in the dungeons. If only I could enlist some help. The only way I could make this escape work was if someone could help me escape the dungeons, and then get to Liam and Layla so that we could escape.

There was no way I could pull this off on my own. I would have to leave with nothing. No clothes, no belongings, no money. We would run like our lives depended on it. And then we would hide. And pray to the moon goddess that Lachlan never found us.

A few hours had passed by because I noticed a change in the guards. They were chatting amongst themselves when they turned and looked at me. They finished their conversation. Then Chad bowed his head toward me.

“Good morning Luna. I’ve finished my shift. I hope I don’t see you here again. Good luck Luna.” He said, before he left the dungeon.

Rick, the guard relieving Chad, walked towards my cell and said softly, “Luna, I am so sorry. I have been ordered to watch you today. I don’t understand what has happened?” he said with obvious distress in his voice.

“Well, Rick, I’m still trying to understand things myself. But basically, my mate is not who I thought he was. He has been betraying our bond since we met and doesn’t intend to stop betraying it. So we are at an impasse.”

With that, Rick gasped. “Luna, I am so sorry. I don’t know what to say. Are you sure?”

“Yes Rick, I saw it with my own eyes and he has not denied it. He expected me to be happy with this arrangement and to share him with goddess knows how many others.” I paused to take a moment.

“But I have no intention of doing that. This is not what I signed up for! I will not subject my pups to this. Please… you have to help me!” I pleaded.

“Luna, I’m sorry, but I pledged to serve my alpha. I can’t go against him. Surely you can find a compromise?” Rick said hopefully.

I sighed in defeat. I realized Rick would not be the one to help me escape from this prison. “It’s okay Rick, I understand your position,” I said sadly. “You are right, we will work things out, I’m sure,” I said, with a half-smile.

I had no intention of making things work, and nor did Lachlan. But I couldn’t have Rick thinking that I would try to escape. I needed everyone to be clueless if this was going to go the way I wanted it to.

“Apologies Luna, I need to do my rounds. If you need anything, please let me know,” Rick said as he turned the corner of the cell.

“Gutless! He could help you, but he has his own agenda!” a deep and raspy voice called from out of nowhere.

“So, you are the Luna of the Evergreen Pack? What kind of Alpha imprisons his own Luna?” The gruff and masculine voice came from the darkened corner across from my cell.

I was curious about who the voice belonged to.

“That is kind of you to say,” I replied. Something felt familiar about that voice. It made me feel safe for some reason.

“You are brave to refuse and challenge your fated mate. Especially that of an alpha. Few she-wolves could do that, the mate bond would enthrall them. You must be very strong,” he said.

“I tried to reject my fated mate. He betrays our bond constantly. And I don’t want any part of it,” I said.

My curiosity was piqued, so I asked the mysterious voice, “Why are you in the dungeons? Can I ask what you did to end up here?”

“I was attacked near the borders of your territory by rogues. I managed just fine defending myself against the rogues until your warriors intervened and got in a cheap shot and blindsided me,” he said venomously. “I never set foot on your pack lands. So I’m waiting to speak with the Alpha.”

“I am sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Surely you will be on your way soon enough,” I said optimistically to the mysterious voice.

I sat back against the wall of my cell. I wondered if my gamma Caleb was aware of what was happening. Surely he would look for me this morning? I hoped he could help me. Because if anyone could, it would be him. He had always been there for me when I needed him in the past.

I wondered why I hadn’t heard from my Amber. She had been so quiet since we discovered our mate betraying us. She was angry at first and then she just disappeared.

Maybe she needed some time to heal.

The trapdoor to the dungeon opened, and I heard footsteps. Hearing distant voices, I realized that one of them belonged to Caleb. I felt hopeful that he may help get me out of here.

“Luna, I just heard about what happened. I was looking for you this morning and when I couldn’t find you, I bumped into Chad who had just finished his shift. How did this happen? I can’t believe Lachlan threw you in here. I’m so sorry Luna,” Caleb said breathlessly.

“I still can’t believe it myself,” I replied.

“I’m sorry, Luna. This is my fault. It was my job to protect you. I should have said something earlier. I promise you I wanted to tell you, but I was under an alpha command not to say anything. I physically couldn’t. And to be honest, I had hoped he would realize how lucky he is and just stop,” Caleb said with pity in his voice.

An alpha command was a strong and clear directive or order given by an alpha. Behind it is the full strength of the Alpha. So, the person who was given the command cannot resist it unless they have an alpha status or a higher ranking.

“I assumed as much, Caleb. Thank you for being honest with me now. Caleb — I need to get out of here. I need to leave this pack with my pups. I can’t live like this. We can’t live like this,” I said desperately. “I know it’s a huge ask, but I can’t do this without your help. I know this would be dangerous for you and Kali, too. But I am desperate. And I am begging you,” I pleaded.

Caleb looked at me. He took a moment to think about what I had just asked him. “What were you thinking, Luna?”

“Well, first, we need to make sure we can access Liam and Layla. I need you to find out whether they are still attending daycare. From there we must find a way to get them together without Lachlan or Eva knowing about it. I also need to get out of these dungeons and then get to the border as quickly as possible. Transportation needs to be located near the boundary so that we can escape with haste. From there I will figure out the rest as I go,” I said unflinchingly.

“Wow, you have really thought this out. I will have to talk to Kali, as she will have to be part of this. She will be at risk too. We won’t be able to stay here in this pack, as it won’t take Lachlan long to figure out who helped you. I will speak to her. She can help to organize the twins as she has been helping at the daycare recently as part of her training. I will come and see you later tonight and let you know what I have organized,” Caleb said.

“Thank you, Caleb. I really appreciate this. I look forward to seeing you later,” I said to Caleb with a sigh of relief on my face.

Resting my head for a while, I felt relieved knowing that I had Caleb on my side, and was feeling optimistic that I would get out of here soon. Just as I closed my eyes, I heard his voice.

“Have you come to your senses yet, Aleksa?” Lachlan said in a smug tone.

I looked up at him, feeling pure disdain for him, and wasn’t hiding it from him.

“I will never be okay with what you have done, Lachlan. Locking me up in this dungeon will not change my mind,” I said defiantly.

“You always were a stubborn one. I think a little more time down here will change your mind, Aleksa. I will win. I always win. I will have my Luna and I will have any she-wolf I desire. It is my right as an Alpha,” he said cockily.

Just then, a snicker came from the cell across from me. Lachlan turned to the sound. “Who are you to laugh at me! Show yourself now before I rip you to shreds with my bare hands,” he demanded.

At that moment, my mysterious cellmate moved to the front of his cell and I gasped. He was gorgeous. He was about six-foot-four, very muscular, and built with thick, wavy black hair. I couldn’t see him all that clearly because the dungeons were so dark and dingy.

Lachlan started laughing. “I knew your voice sounded familiar. It has been a while, old friend. What are you doing in my dungeons, Jackson?”