Chapter 23

After Levi’s call earlier that day, I made sure that I kept my phone secured on me. I didn’t want it anywhere that Mason could get a hold of it and ruin my chances of making an escape.

I was thankful that I thought ahead when I got a text later that night. We had just finished dinner, and I was, thankfully, washing the dishes by myself.

Looking at my phone, I saw that I had a new text from an unknown number. Can you meet after midnight tonight?

The message couldn’t be from anyone other than Alpha Glenn of the Red Moon Pack. If he was asking me to meet, that means he must have talked to his Luna and she was open to the idea of offering me refuge so I could make my escape.

This was my last hope. It had to work out.

Glancing around, I made sure that there was no one watching me before I typed out a hurried reply. Yes, Jan’s Diner at 1?

I gnawed at my lip as I waited for a reply. If they waited too long to reply, there was a bigger chance of Mason catching me and then I’d never get away. Right before I gave up and stowed my phone again, it vibrated.

See you then.

Relief and anxiety swirled around my chest, mashing into a confusing ball. I was starting to have hope, but I was still scared. At any moment, everything could go wrong.

Over the next couple of hours, the only thing I could think about was how I could get Mason to leave me alone long enough for me to make it to the meeting with Alpha Glenn and his Luna. He’d been more suffocating than ever lately, and it didn’t seem possible at all.

“Babe,” Mason said, striding into the bedroom while looking at his phone. “There’s a big pack meeting tonight.”

I’d nearly perfected my fake smile after all the pretending I’d been forced to do the past few days. “Okay, when should I be ready?” I asked easily, but on the inside I was screaming about my plans being ruined.

He looked up with a cocked eyebrow. “Who said you were going?”

I tried to not let the relief show on my face. “Oh, sorry, I thought that’s why you were telling me.”

“No, there’s very important business my mom needs to discuss with me. The rest of the pack needs to be there to receive their orders. I’ll trust that you’ll be good and stay right here, where you belong.”

His tone wasn’t overly hostile, but I could hear the unspoken threats clinging to his words. I nodded along as my mind raced, already thinking about a million ways that I would be able to get out of here and go to my meeting in a few hours.

Taking my silence as submission, Mason drew closer to me. His hand slid under my hair and gripped the back of my neck. Not tight enough to hurt, but it was firm enough that I couldn’t move without a fight.

“Don’t forget, Harper,” he whispered in my ear, sending horrible shivers down my spine. “We’re linked by a blood curse. No matter what you do, I’ll know about it. No matter where you go, I’ll find you.”

I ground my teeth together, breathing deeply to try and suppress my adrenaline response. If I could keep a level head, I’ll be able to finally be free.

“I understand.”

He leaned down and kissed me before finally letting me go. I wanted to throw up, I hated that I had to let him touch me.

“I have to go now,” Mason said, walking to the door. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

His final words coated the room like a suffocating wet blanket that I couldn’t free myself from. How did I never see how truly psychotic he was until it was too late?

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to manage sneaking out of the pack house. Once I managed that, all I needed to do was take the bus to the edge of the pack territory, hoping that no one recognized me. That was one of the reasons I picked the location. It was close to the border between the packs and isn’t super popular. As long as I can get there, we should be fine, I told myself.

Once everyone disappeared to go to the meeting, it was surprisingly easy to get out. So easy in fact that I was worried it was some kind of test. The hair on the back of my neck stood as I snuck around in the shadows. I was terrified that Mason would jump out at any moment, screaming that he caught me and would never let me out of his sight again.

Maybe he thought that he scared me enough that I wouldn’t try to leave.

I rounded the corner, entering the foyer, and almost made it to the front door when I heard voices coming down the hall. Panicking, I jumped to crouch behind one of the potted plants to my side. I covered my mouth with both hands while breathing slowly to try and slow down my heart and tamper my scent. If anyone caught me, they wouldn’t hesitate to be loyal to their alpha and turn me in.

“Do you think they’re really going to go through with it?” asked a voice that was vaguely familiar.

“That’s what Mason said.” The second voice belonged to one of Mason’s friends. “His mom said that after everything, it was the only way that they were going to be able to get what they want.”

So Vera was in on everything too? I should’ve known. There was no one else that would’ve been able to cover up Mason’s past except for her.

“But eloping? That goes against tradition.”

“Doesn’t seem like they have much of a choice now that Alpha Levi has gotten involved…”

To my relief, the pair kept walking until both of their voices and footsteps faded. I waited an extra minute before crawling out of my hiding place.

There wasn’t any time to process what I overheard, my main focus had to be getting to the diner to meet Alpha Glenn and his Luna, my last hope.

I opened the door slowly so that it wouldn’t make any noise. Hopefully, whoever was on security duty wasn’t paying that much attention. The night air was cold and there was already a dew settling on the grass. Without hesitating, I tracked across it as fast as I could without running. As soon as I made it to the main road, I sped up and ran to the bus stop as fast as I could.

I made it to Jan’s Diner five minutes before our agreed meeting time. Since we communicated as little detail as possible, I didn’t know if I should wait outside or inside. I glanced in the window pane, thankful that I could see Alpha Glenn already sitting at a booth with one of the most gorgeous women I’d ever seen. They had serious expressions and half empty coffee cups in front of them.

”Hi,” I say, sitting down and clasping my shaking hands under the table.

They both smile at me, assessing me. They were already probably trying to decide if I would be worth saving.

“I’m Michelle,” Glenn’s Luna said, holding out her hand. Her touch is warm and comforting, like she’s already trying to assure me that everything’s going to be alright. “Can you tell us more about what’s going on?