I laid down for two hours, waiting for the ceremony to start so I could begin escaping. An hour ago, I heard the last guard leave and the prison was completely empty, not a soul in the building.

I was surprised he really let all of the guards off duty for the night. The Blood Moon must really be important to this pack. I realized I didn't know much about their history, I just knew that Blood Lake was extremely old-fashioned and connected to the Moon Goddess through following old traditions. The Red Crescent pack, my former pack, was much more modernized and although had certain traditions, we did not take them as seriously as Blood Lake.

I got off of the hard ground and readjusted my cloak and pulled my mask on. I summoned a saw, and was pleased that I was able to, despite the fact that I felt weakened by the Wolfsbane.

I sawed the chains as close to my ankles as I could, but knew I wouldn't be able to get the shackles completely off. They were too close to my ankles to saw, and I didn't want to risk having to escape without my feet.

After my legs were freed, I moved to the cell bars and began sawing. This proved to be a more difficult task than I foresaw, and I had to saw for about thirty minutes before there was a hole big enough for me to climb through.

After I exited my cell, I cautiously walked through the prison, waiting for a guard to appear. To my surprise, Alpha Cain really had let everyone go to the Blood Moon ceremony. It really must be a bigger deal than I thought, and it made my interest pique further.

I opened the prison door and was greeted with harsh winds. I looked up at the cloudy sky for the first time in a month, breathing in the fresh air deeply. I relished in the feeling of my bare feet against the soft grass. I wasn't given shoes while I was imprisoned, only clean clothes once a day, the same pair of black leggings and a black t-shirt.

I looked around wildly, waiting for someone to jump out, but I couldn't sense people anywhere near my vicinity. Far in the distance, I heard drums beating loudly, and I assumed that's where the celebration was occurring.

I ran in the opposite directions of the sound, despite the fact that the music was calling directly to my wolf, urging her to come towards the sound.

I continued running in the forrest for hours, elated that I had escaped. I had a feeling that Alpha Cain wouldn't find me so quickly like he had the other times.

My feeling was confirmed when it began pouring rain. The rain meant he wouldn't be able to track my scent.

Laughing wildly, feeling free for the first time, I opened my arms up to the sky, thanking the Blood Moon for its occurrence

I let the rain wash away the dirt and dried blood that had accumulated over a month, and I felt happiness for the first time in years.

I kept moving through the woods until I came across a cave, which I took shelter in.

I summoned 5 wooden stakes and rubbed them together to create fire, since the twigs outside were too wear from the rain to be lit aflame.

I took off my clothes and let them dry by the fire, and I fell asleep, utterly peaceful.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When I woke up in the morning, the fire was now in ashes, and my clothes were dried. I got dressed and headed out of the cave. The sky was still stormy, but it didn't smell like it would be raining anytime soon.

I continued to move deeper in the forrest. My best chance at eluding the Alpha would be to either stay on the run forever as a Rogue or seek refuge in a foreign pack. I could prove myself useful as a pack warrior, and they likely would let me join their pack as long as I would fight for them.

I couldn't go back to Red Crescent, seeing how easily Alpha Wilson let Alpha Idiot take me the last time. Plus, it would be the first place he would check for me.

The only problem was, I had no idea where I was. I knew I was headed South, but I didn't know which pack that was towards. I suddenly wished I had paid more attention to the pack territories and geography.

I continued walking, ignoring my wolf inwardly howling at me to go back to my mate. This mate bond was being incredibly vexing. I could feel Alpha Cain prodding at my mind, trying to communicate with me to no avail.

I smiled, knowing he must be freaking out at my disappearance. Even when he was trying not to underestimate me, he still had. Alphas are idiots.

As if the Moon Goddess herself had heard me, a twig snapped to my right.

I summoned a dagger and looked to the source of the noise.

A tall, muscular man with brown hair and no shirt stood, his eyebrows raised. He was tan and tall, but not more than Alpha Cain. He stood in a manner that commanded respect and attention, but he stood alone. He looked unafraid, almost bored, even. I threw the dagger at him without hesitation.

He sidestepped it as if it were a minor irritant, and looked at me in amusement.

"Hello, Reaper." He spoke, although he made no attempt to attack me.

I summed two knives, throwing both of them in his direction, but he easily evaded both without getting nicked once.

"You're going to need a better weapon than knives if you want to kill an Alpha, darling." He had a wicked glint in his eye, but showed no signs of fear, and why would he? He was an Alpha.

Knowing I would rather die than be taken prisoner by another Alpha, and he would certainly imprison me for attacking him, I shrugged, and took his suggestion.

I summoned a three-ball Medieval flail, and swung it wildly as a warning.

The Alpha smiled in amusement, and I was wondering what made him so cocky. I ran at him, and wound my arm back, ready to swing the flail at him and crack his head open.

He ducked from the flail, and punched my kidney hard. Good thing you only need one of those, because I had a feeling that one was down for the count.

I dropped the flail, deciding that it was weighing me down and I should just do hand to hand combat.

I punched him across the jaw, hearing it snap. I then kicked him in the femur and went to punch his ribs, but he caught my hand. He broke all of the bones in my hand until it was just a flesh bag of bones and blood.

I kicked up at his jaw again, making him release my hand. I leaped backwards and summoned a sword in the hand that still had some structure to it, and not the structure of a bag of jello.

"I'm bored of this." He said apathetically, jerking his jaw back in place and rolling his eyes.

Entranced, I watched as his hand flicked haphazardly through the air, and a white photon ball was conjured in his hands. He blasted the photon ball at me, and not expecting it, I took the full force of the power with my stomach.

I groaned, clutching my organs and falling to my knees in pain. It didn't hurt as much as being hit with Cain's fire, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. Although, something told me this unconcerned Alpha had held back, although I wasn't sure why.

The Alpha walked towards me and did the hand-flicking motion again, but this time, instead of a bright white photon ball, it appeared more as a mist. I was entranced by his powers. The mist surrounded me, and when I tried moving, I was shocked to find I couldn't.

The Alpha stepped through the mist and it dissipated into the rest of the air until there was nothing left, even though I still was immobile.

He picked me up, cradling me much like Alpha Cain used to. For some reason, it send a pang of pain in my chest to think about it, even though I didn't understand why.

This Alpha didn't grip me as hard as Cain did, and I wasn't sure if it was because he knew I was paralyzed or because he overall wasn't as harsh as Alpha Cain. This Alpha seemed much more cool tempered and overall relaxed. Although, I suppose I didn't give Cain many reasons to relax. Then again, I had tried killing this Alpha like 5 times in the past minute.

Which led me back to the question: Why hadn't he killed me? I was a rogue, likely had trespassed on his land, and tried killing him. I will say in my defense though, I didn't know he was an Alpha when I tried killing him.

He continued holding me as we walked deeper into his territory, and the trees got more scarce until we were out of the forrest and in a huge clearing.

I saw many houses and people running around, going about there day. We passed by multiple people who looked at us curiously, but they were either too scared of the Alpha to say something or mindlinked him.

Slowly, I could feel the paralysis starting to wear off. "I wouldn't try running again unless if you want me to paralyze you for life" He disinterestedly told me, as if he were telling me that the sky is blue.

I wondered what his power was, as it didn't make sense that he could send photon blasts and a weird white mist that paralyzed people temporarily. People only get one Gift, and it didn't make sense that he could do so many things, unless if he was incredibly powerful or had an incredibly vague Gift... or maybe both.

Enjoying being able to use my limbs, I took his advice and didn't try running again. He carried me into a huge building, and when we were inside, I realized it was the Pack House.

It was completely empty, and I wondered if he had ordered everyone out of it, or if it was always so desolate.

The Pack House was more modernized than the Blood Lake one, and it was adorned with black steel appliances and leather furniture.

He continued carrying me up the stairs, into what I assumed was his office. He dropped me into the chair across from a huge leather one, which he then sat down in.

"You don't talk a lot." He remarked. I rolled my eyes. "You're also quite disrespectful for someone who can kill you where you sit." Again, I rolled my eyes. Surprisingly, he laughed, and mumbled, "Poor him." I raised my eyebrows in inquisition, but he waved his hand dismissively.

"Talk or I will cut out your tongue." He commanded, and I burst out laughing. I hadn't laughed that hard in perhaps my whole life. My stomach hurt and tears were streaming down my face.

The Alpha looked at me incredulously. "Are you slow?" He asked.

I laughed again and shook my head, but opened my mouth and showed him that my tongue was in fact, already missing.

"Ah, I can see someone already beat me to it," he teased. "Can't say I'm shocked, it doesn't seem like you respond well to authority."

He grabbed a pen and a legal pad of paper, handing it to me. I rolled my eyes and looked at him as if to say, "What do you want to know?"

"What is your name and what pack do you belong to?" He asked coolly, now taking on a more business-like tone.

Sarah Madden, I wrote giving him a fake name, lest Alpha Cain called around looking for me. I'm a rogue.

"You are what many packs call the Reaper. You kill rogues violently and are notoriously known for your black mask and cloak." He spoke this as a statement, not a question.

I shrugged. Aren't black cloaks and masks in style?

He rolled his eyes, "No, they're actually so last season." He sarcastically responded and I chuckled. I wondered why he wasn't my mate and why I was stuck with Alpha Asshole. He seemed much more relaxed than Alpha Cain, and I was sure that when he got a mate, he wouldn't be as possessive as Cain. I could tell by no marks on his neck that he was unmated.

As if reading my mind, he said, "You're marked. Where's your mate?"

I glared at him. Dead. I wrote.

"You're lying. I also can tell you haven't been a rogue long. Did you leave your pack to escape your mate?" He asked, and I nodded, surprised that he was so observant.

"Why?" He interrogated me, and I just glared in response. This was none of his business. "Is he the one who scarred your eye?"

Deciding to tell the truth, I wrote, No.

He looked relieved, but continued to press the topic. "Has he physically hurt you in the past?"

Yes, I wrote, but I instigated most of it, and damaged him more than he hurt me.

He raised his eyebrows at this, but decided to drop the topic of my mate. "Take off your cloak and mask." He commanded, and not wanting to push him, I obeyed.

He sharply gasped when seeing the scars and bite marks that littered my body. He reached out and touched the jagged edge of my halved ear, before recoiling his hand.

"You look like you've spent your whole life in war," He mumbled, and looked visibly sick. "If I found my mate in that condition, my wolf would kill anyone who had ever laid a hand on her."

I shrugged. I can handle myself. I don't need some big macho Alpha mate to kill my enemies for me. I prefer their blood on my hands.

"I can tell," he mused, recalling the way I was so quick to violence in his forrest. "I can see why your mate would have a hard time reigning you in."

I raised my eyebrows and wrote, you don't know my mate.

He smiled at this and responded, "I don't need to know him to know how much it probably hurts him to see his mate so scarred. Everything he does he does to protect you. And I'm sure because of whatever your past may be, he is more protective of you because of it."

I rolled my eyes. Who are you?

He read what I wrote and smirked. "I'm surprised it took you so long to ask. I'm Alpha Thane, Alpha of Blue Moon."

Blue Moon... The pack that Red Crescent was planning on going to war with.

Oh shi-