Madelineâs POV
I wasnât going to put up with that for another five months.
I closed my bedroom door and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. A lump in my throat was huge and I couldnât swallow it down no matter how hard I tried.
I wasnât going to cry, though. I didnât cry once in the last four months and I wasnât going to do it now either.
I will leave and I will find a way to survive until I turn 18 and get my wolf. I will hide somewhere. I will be okay.
And even if something happened to me, I wouldnât be missed. I had no one to miss me. I had no family left. No one would even know that I wasnât living and breathing anymore.
I approached my closed, opened it, and took out my backpack. I couldnât take my duffel bag. It was too big and I wouldnât be able to run with it. I needed something small and practical. I wasnât going to take much anyway. I wouldnât need much to hide in the woods for a few months.
I grabbed two pairs of sweatpants, two shirts, a hoodie, and a few pairs of underwear. I had some power bars in my closet so I packed those too. It was all I could fit into my backpack. I reached behind my folded shirts until I felt a small box under my fingertips. I pulled it out and opened it. Tears that I was so successfully holding back were now falling down my cheeks rapidly. It was a medallion with a picture of me and my mom in it. I took it out carefully and placed it around my neck. I didnât want to open it and look at the picture because I would never be able to stop crying if I did.
I missed my mom so much.
I pressed the medallion against my lips and closed my eyes.
âI miss you, Mom,â I mumbled quietly. âI miss you so much.â
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I didnât have time for this. I had to leave.
I grabbed some clean clothes and rushed to my bathroom. I needed to shower and change before I left.
I sighed contently as warm water relaxed my muscles a little. I hissed when it touched my split lip.
Janet fucked up. She never hit me so hard to leave a mark or to make me bleed before. She was always very careful so no one would find out.
Not that anyone would believe it if they did find out. She was a former Luna and I was nothing and no one. I didnât even have my wolf yet. I wasnât even a member of the pack. No one would believe that their Luna was abusing me.
Well, it wasnât just her anymore. A few weeks ago, Alpha Dimitriâs mate joined in too. She was surprisingly strong for a pregnant woman. Both of them hated me for some unknown reason and both of them enjoyed torturing me. They wanted me gone, and I would make their wish come true.
Mike was clueless and he was never home. He would make me breakfast every morning and then he would disappear until late at night. He kept grinning at me, calling me honey, and telling me how happy he was that I was here. Well, that made one of us. I wasnât happy to be here and I was going to run and never come back.
I finished showering, dried my body with a towel, and put on clean clothes. I tied my hair into a ponytail and looked at myself in the mirror. My lip didnât look that bad.
I took a deep breath and left the bathroom. I couldnât waste any more time. I had to leave before Mike came back home.
I grabbed my jacket and my backpack and approached the window I used to sneak out of the house.
I glanced back at the room and gulped. This room was my only safe space in this house. No matter what happened to me, I could always sleep peacefully in here. That changed in the last couple of days and it was another sign that it was time for me to go.
I sighed, opened the window, and threw my backpack and my jacket on the ground. I reached for the nearest tree branch and left my room.
I put my jacket on as soon as I stepped down on the ground. I threw my backpack on my back and started walking toward the forest. I never looked back. I didnât need to. I didnât want to see that house again. Other than my room, nothing in that house held a special place in my heart.
I barely stepped a foot inside the forest when I heard my name being called.
âMaddie?â Sethâs voice made me freeze.
What the hell?!
I looked to my left and saw him approaching me in nothing but short sweats. He was sweaty and his hair was a complete mess.
âWhat are you doing?â he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
Fuck.
I couldnât believe that I was caught so soon. I expected to have some issues at the border maybe, but not barely a few feet away from Mikeâs house.
âGoing on a walk,â I mumbled as I felt the nervousness inside me grow.
It was a lame excuse, but it was the only thing that came to my mind.
Seth narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. I gulped, trying to think of something to say. My mind was completely blank.
âWith a backpack?â he asked as he reached over to me and took the backpack off my shoulder.
I tried to stop him, but he was stronger. He opened the backpack and growled.
âWhat the hell, Maddie?!â he exclaimed as he looked back up at me.
I gulped again and tried to take a deep breath.
âYou are not leaving, Madeline,â Seth said as he grabbed my arm and started pulling me further into the forest. âWhy the hell would you leave?! Are you insane?! You will get killed!â
Where the hell was he taking me?!
âI will be okay, Seth,â I sighed as I tried to pull my arm out of his grip.
He growled and looked back at me.
âI am not letting you leave, Madeline,â he said angrily. âYou are my best friend and I am not going to lose you.â
I gulped and let him drag me further into the forest. I couldnât escape his grip no matter how hard I tried.