08 ~ Running away
1801 Words
(Cain POV)
Cain frowns, discreetly sniffing the air. “All I can smell is macarons.” He mutters.
“That’s what you get for stuffing your face with them. Are you sure she’s not your mate?”
“Positive. I would know, wouldn’t I?”
Connie grins triumphantly and the twins roll their eyes.
Cain stands up. “Well, I better make sure she’s alright.” He says, ignoring the jeers and cheers coming from the young people as he hurries to catch up with Luna.
“Go, get her, Alpha!”
“Someone’s gonna get lucky tonight!”
“Give it up, Connie! It’s never gonna happen!”
He follows Luna’s scent and finds her in the kitchen, staring blankly inside the open fridge.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? I can call Doctor Callum to see you if you want…”
She jumps and blushes deep red, closing the door of the fridge with a guilty expression. “No, no, I’m fine… I just…I just needed a moment…”
He frowns. “What’s wrong? Was someone bothering you?”
She shakes her head. “No, of course not… I mean… Well, actually…it’s you…”
He blinks in surprise, completely taken aback. “Me?”
She sighs. “Never mind—”
“No, no, let’s talk about this. I don’t want you to ever feel bad because of me… What did I do that offended you so? Well, apart from the obvious, of course, of keeping you here while we try to keep you safe and hunt those…lowlives as well.”
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(Luna POV)
She stares at him for a few seconds, hesitant to tell the truth.
“Hey, it’s me. You can speak your mind.” Cain tells her quietly.
Taking a deep breath, Luna closes her eyes and…
Oh, but what if she’s only imagining this? What if it’s one-sided, after all? And worse, what if… it’s just a game for him?
Luna swallows with difficulty, suddenly feeling shy again and quite uncertain. He did say there is a spark between them but she wonders if he’s serious or just messing around with her.
“I just…I just really… I need to…” She exhales in frustration. “I’m sorry, I need to figure out a few things first. I am not really sure what I really want right now. Being kidnapped…and almost being sold…unable to return to a familiar environment… it has been a terrifying experience and…I need to be sure that whatever…happens between us…it’s because I want it and…not because I am just grateful to you for…saving me.” She finishes lamely, suddenly disappointed. Because the moment she said the words, she understood what she really wanted.
She wants him.
But as she is about to take back her words, he smiles at her and nods, putting his hands in his pockets and taking a deep breath as he shifts his weight back and forth, from his toes to his heels and back again.
“I can understand that.” He says after a few seconds. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts and head back to the picnic, otherwise...you know. People tend to talk and they will, if they aren’t already.... You’re welcome to return with me, or after me, of course, but I’ll make your excuses if you decide to just go to your room. You do look a little agitated.”
She sighs and nods. Maybe it’s better this way. She should be able to make a better decision when she’s alone, preferably with a clear mind, away from his intoxicating presence.
“I’ll see you at dinner.” She says and runs to her room, leaving Cain standing in the kitchen, watching her desperately scramble away before she embarrasses herself and begs him to give them a shot.
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(Cain POV)
Cain watches her go, a small smile on his lips.
She might not know it, but her obvious innocence and the fact that she’s so transparently fighting an internal battle between self-preservation and taking a step towards giving in to her own desires… It’s very… interesting.
Because for some reason he cannot explain, he is so incredibly turned on.
She seems like a fawn, wild and innocent, a vision to behold. Shy, reserved but curious enough to explore and watch from a distance…
He sighs as he wills himself to go back to the picnic. Patience. He's going to need a lot of it.
At dinnertime, she doesn’t come down to the dining hall, claiming to have a headache, so he sends a tray of food up to her room instead. No use pushing her too much, she’ll just turn skittish and run away from him again.
There is nothing more he can do at this point but wait for her to come to him.
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(Luna POV)
Luna is curled up in her bed, feeling confused and torn.
Torn between her desires and what is the sensible thing to do.
Honestly, even if she is hardly mistreated here, she really doesn't know these people and Cain is still keeping her here against her wishes, even if it’s for her own safety as well.
To develop certain feelings towards him…well, it’s probably not very smart and not very safe.
While she admits that she is very attracted to him right now and he seems to recognize it and even reciprocate, what will happen in the future?
Will there be any kind of future for the two of them? Does he even want one?
Because of one thing Luna is absolutely certain and that is that she wants and needs stability above all else. She actually believes, with all her heart, that she deserves it, after all, she’s been through. She craves it, from deep within her soul. A strong connection that will feed her joie de vivre, her love of life.
And Cain… Cain has responsibilities… and somehow she knows that when the worst comes to worst and he is given a choice… his people will always come first.
She will never be his priority.
In fact, isn’t that the main reason she is trapped here? She’s the bait so that he might take his revenge for what was done to the girls under his protection.
Suddenly feeling restless again, Luna stands up and goes to the open window. It’s dark now and judging by the silence, most of the people have gone to sleep.
She should probably do that as well, but…she feels suffocated, somehow.
Luna glances at the time, it’s past midnight. She turns to the window again. The forest looks very intimidating even during the daytime, and at night it looks downright terrifying but it also beckons her.
Freedom. Go home.
She might not get another chance, and tonight her courage is fuelled by her anxiety and unease.
Before she changes her mind, Luna makes her decision and quietly tiptoes out of the house.
She’s leaving. She doesn’t know how but she’s taking back control of her own life and will be her own saviour and protector. If whatever this…thing… with Cain is, is meant to be, he’ll find a way to be with her. If not, then it’s his loss.
A cold breeze makes her shiver and she takes a deep breath before stepping into the woods, praying she doesn’t meet wild animals or end up caught in a trap. The light of the almost full moon shows her various paths and she tries her best to stay out of those, just in case she meets patrollers along the way who will most definitely drag her back to Cain.
If she gets caught, what freedom she has will undoubtedly be suspended. She might even end up chained or imprisoned!
Well, she’s not coming down without a fight, even a weak one, so she picks up a sturdy-looking stick along the way, just in case she’ll need something to defend herself with.
An owl hoots, perched somewhere she cannot see, and it almost makes her jump, her breathing getting ragged from the effort and the roller coaster of emotions.
To her relief, she meets no one along the way, which seems a little odd because for some reason she has this feeling of being watched or followed, and yet looking around she sees nothing unusual, just the shadows of the forest trees and bushes.
“I can’t believe I didn’t try this sooner.” She mutters. “I could have gone home earlier.”
Still, she has to be prudent and hopes she’s going the right way.
The forest has to end somewhere, sometime. It cannot possibly go on forever!
She stops, groaning in dismay when she finds a river blocking her way to the other side. There are no bridges in sight nearby and the river doesn’t look very friendly. In fact, it seems quite deep and who knows what creatures lurk in those waters!? Luna knows how to swim a little but the current might be strong and she doesn’t feel confident enough to brave it.
“Oh, what am I going to do now?” She mutters to herself.
“There is a hanging bridge, to your right, ten minutes walk from here.”
Luna whirls around in shock, gasping as she meets the eyes of Cain himself, standing a few trees away, casually leaning against one.
“You… How did you..?”
Cain shrugs. “My patrollers called me. But I did see you walk out of the house so I’ve been following you to make sure you’re safe. You do know you’re being reckless, right?”
She takes a deep and exasperated breath. “I can’t stay here, please… you have to understand that—”
“Why?”
“Because… Because I don’t belong here!” She says, frustration affecting her voice. “I have my own life and I—”
“Go, then.”
She blinks, suddenly losing the wind beneath her wings, expecting a completely different reaction from him. “W…What?”
“I said you can go.”
“I…I’m… free to go?” She blushes, feeling dumb just hearing herself speak.
He shrugs. “I was keeping you here for your safety, believe it or not. You will not stand a chance against veteran human traffickers but you seem eager to embrace them again so… go.”
Luna stares at him suspiciously. “You’re going to let me go… just like that?”
It must be a trap. It has to be. There's no other explanation. Or maybe he's thinking of just sending someone after her.
Cain takes a deep breath. “Why are you really running away, Luna? You could have done so since day one… So why now?”
- Writer
