5/5
Fifty–Six
Isabella’s POV
Finally getting to the end of the vent, I pushed the cover l knew led to outside. The cool breeze on my skin and fresh air I was finally breathing really helped to calm my nerves and keep my head lighter and much more positive. I could also feel positivity and excitement radiating off my wolf, giving me all the courage I needed to push forward. I know I have barely started my journey to freedom and there was still the risk of so many things going wrong but I couldn’t help celebrating this small victory even if it was for a short time. Crawling through this vent was no small feat, truly.
I kept pushing until the cover finally gave way and when it fell, I realized that I never heard it hit the ground and when I peered over, I found out exactly why.
After I examined my windows, I seemed to have forgotten how high up my room seemed to be when I crawled into a vent inside the same room. Now that I was peering over the edge, I could see exactly how high it was and what a drop it would be if I jumped…when I jumped, because there was simply no other option. Well, it’s alright, I told myself anyway. It was do or die and I refused to die. It would have been easier to jump and shift in the air so I could land in wolf form, averting the risk of damaging any bones but it was risky to shift right now and shred the only clothes I had to pieces. While I didn’t hope to be caught, what if I was? I’d have to run about naked with ferocious rogues hot on my tail. It wasn’t a sight I even wanted to imagine.
1/5
Who knows what they’ll do to me in such a physically vulnerable state before finally killing me.
Sighing, I braced myself for the jump I knew I had no choice but to do…in human form. While I never imagined jumping from this height and neither did my father, I’m sure who taught me most of my skills in fighting and strength training, I remembered a few tips from my past lessons on how to jump from heights without shattering every single bone in your body. I took a deep breath and looked down once again. I may not have a phobia for heights but this height was particularly daunting.
When I exhaled, it was along with my literal leap of faith. I jumped then and felt my heart beating loudly like the they ripped out the organ and held it near my ears. I also felt the wind hitting my face and playing with my dress as I passed floor after floor on my way down until I finally landed on the ground with my two feet. The impact of such a fall shook me but luckily, my bones were still intact. Well, at least they felt intact and I hoped they were indeed.
I noticed the way my left ankle twisted on landing though and I was glad for the minute of calm it granted me before the pain associated with spraining an ankle finally hit. I clasped my palm over my mouth to prevent myself from crying out as I glanced around silently asking my wolf to take over my eyes for better night vision. She happily took over. It was
something she had been proposing to do ever since but I turned her down, wanting to use the flash light for as long as I could and not risk draining my energy. I was aware that I had not eaten properly in a while.
I finally looked around me, properly accessing my
environment ever since I jumped and saw that I was indeed on
2/5
288 Vouchers
the ground. I was by the side of the building, from what I could see and I had to be at the part where there weren’t any guards because I did not believe that such a building would be left unguarded. I looked around for where to run to and although it was a relief to see that the fence was only a short picket fence, all I could see beyond it was thick forest. The thought of getting into a forest in the middle of nowhere which could lead deeper into nowhere had goosebumps covering up my skin. My heart began to beat with fear and worry. Getting caught naked may even be a lot better than getting caught right now with my sprained ankle. At least with the former, I could still run but there was only so many steps I could take with an injury and a limp before I was caught and pinned to the ground.
The fact that I still could not yet see any sign of the sky brightening up into morning eased a bit of my tension because at least I was sure the maids weren’t going into my room anytime soon but I also knew that that didn’t mean that I should just stand around until I got caught. I looked at the edge of the building and wondered if there was a better escape path at the other side but I couldn’t risk them finding me if any guard happened to be stationed at that point. The forest at this point seemed like the only way through and I wondered why life always gave me the hardest options. What if I died of hunger and thirst in that forest. I scolded myself for not thinking of hoarding any long–lasting foods like bread and fruits that I could’ve carried on this journey. Those would have kept me alive long enough for me to find help at least because it was beginning to seem more likely for me to die from hunger than the idea of dying by Antonio’s hand.
This time when I glanced at the forest, I also put a step
forward. It hurt like a bitch and I shut my eyes, wincing bitterly
3/5
288 Vouchers
even as I took another step. I had finally decided that it was the only way and there was no point contemplating my options when it was the only option. I would never get anywhere with this limp and horrible pain though, I thought swearing in my mind but even at that I pushed all the fear and negative thoughts to the back of my mind and kept moving. I was slow but either Antonio and his men were psychopaths and waiting in ambush for me inside the forest to capture me as soon as they enter or they were even slower. I put all my eggs into the basket of that last option for motivation sake and kept going.
I kept walking, slow and steady even though it was as fast as I could with the pain in my ankle. I wondered if I was truly that good or Antonio’s men were just too terrible at their job because it was the only explanation for why I was able to waste the amount of time that I did, first with contemplation and then walking at the pace my injured leg would let me and not get caught. When I got to the fence, it took just as hard as I expected it to be to cross over it despite how short it was. On a regular day it was something I’d have easily jumped over but with my leg already in this state, I was trying to avoid making it worse. Having to crawl through the forest until I healed did not sound fun in the slightest.
Even with all my care, I still fell face flat into the dirt floor when I finally managed to cross to the other side. I felt weak as hell and cursed when I mustered up strength to raise my face from the ground. “Dear moon goddess,” I whispered silently, “I thought you had my back.” Getting back up to my feet was not easy as pain mixed with exhaustion and hunger pangs that I was sure would eventually fade away after it had been ignored long enough were determined to slow me down. Looking up ahead at the thick forest in front of me, I
4/5
Fifty
288 Vouchers
swallowed in fearful anticipation of what was to come.
I couldn’t sense my pack anywhere near and I hoped I wasn’t as far away as I imagined I was. All I needed right now was for my leg to get healed so I could break into a sprint and increase my chances of actually escaping. I also planned to take off my dress in the cover of the forest and change into my wolf eventually. It was the only way and I needed my leg to be healed first. Saying one last prayer to the moon goddess to speed up the healing of my leg and protect me in however way she could, I began my journey to the unknown.
5/5
N
288 (Vouchers!
