Seraphina’s POV

My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out everything else. Each heartbeat felt like a drum announcing my location to anyone within miles. I couldn’t slow down. I wouldn’t look back.

The garage where my parents had cornered me was nothing but a distant memory now, swallowed by the thick canopy of trees above. They thought they had me trapped. They believed I was just using the bathroom, buying time before I surrendered to their demands. How wrong they were.

The forest floor felt unforgiving beneath my worn sneakers. Every step sent twigs snapping like tiny firecrackers. Dead leaves crumbled and scattered with each footfall. The sounds seemed to echo through the trees, broadcasting my exact position like a beacon. My chest burned from running, but stopping wasn’t an option.

Freedom was so close I could taste it.

Then the howls began.

Deep, haunting calls that made my blood freeze. Most people would assume they were coming from regular wolves, but I knew better. These weren’t ordinary predators stalking through the night. These were my parents’ Warriors, and they were hunting me.

The realization hit like a physical blow. My parents hadn’t just sent anyone after me. They’d deployed their most skilled trackers, the ones who could follow a scent for miles without losing the trail. My human legs were no match for their supernatural speed and endurance.

But I’d prepared for this possibility. Before making my escape, I’d rolled in mud and crushed pungent herbs against my clothes and skin. The mixture was disgusting, but it might buy me the time I needed to disappear completely.

A massive oak tree loomed ahead, its trunk wide enough to hide behind. I pressed myself against the rough bark, feeling every ridge and groove dig into my back. My breathing sounded impossibly loud in the stillness. I forced myself to take slower, quieter breaths while straining to hear any approaching footsteps.

Heavy boots crunched through the underbrush nearby. The Warriors moved with purpose, their footfalls steady and confident. They knew these woods better than I ever would. This was their territory, their hunting ground.

One of them passed so close to my hiding spot that I felt the air shift. My heart hammered against my ribs so violently I was certain he’d hear it. I bit down on my lower lip until I tasted copper, using the pain to keep myself motionless.

Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Become part of the tree.

The footsteps continued past my position. Gradually, the sounds grew fainter as the search moved deeper into the forest. I counted each breath, forcing myself to wait until I could no longer hear them before moving.

When I finally peeled myself away from the oak, my legs felt like jelly. But I couldn’t afford to rest. I needed to put more distance between us before they realized they’d lost my trail.

The sound of running water reached my ears. A small creek wound through the trees ahead, its surface reflecting fragments of moonlight. Without hesitation, I waded in. The shock of ice-cold water nearly took my breath away, but I gritted my teeth and pushed upstream. Water would wash away any remaining scent, hopefully confusing their tracking abilities long enough for me to find real shelter.

My legs went numb from the cold, but I forced myself to keep moving. Each step upstream took me further from my old life and closer to something better. It had to be better.

I climbed out on the far side, water streaming from my soaked clothes. Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, but the distant sound of voices pushed me forward. Up a steep incline, then down into a dense thicket of thorny bushes. The branches tore at my arms and face as I squeezed through, leaving thin lines of blood in their wake. The pain barely registered. Physical wounds would heal. Being dragged back to my parents might destroy me permanently.

The voices grew louder. They were closing in again, spreading out like a net designed to capture anything in its path. My makeshift scent disguise wouldn’t fool them forever. I needed a better hiding place, somewhere they’d never think to look.

A fallen log caught my attention. Age and weather had hollowed out the interior, creating a natural shelter covered in moss and small plants. It looked cramped and uninviting, which made it perfect. I crawled inside, pulling vegetation over the entrance until I was completely hidden.

Darkness enveloped me. The space smelled of rich earth and decomposing wood, but it felt safer than anywhere I’d been in months. I curled into a tight ball, making myself as small as possible.

The Warriors’ boots thundered past my hiding spot. Through the thin barrier of leaves and moss, I could hear their conversation.

"She’s clever, I’ll give her that. But cleverness only goes so far."

Another voice, deeper and more menacing, responded, "Nobody escapes us permanently. The scent is weak, but we’ll find it again."

They were so close I could feel the ground vibrate under their weight. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I possessed the supernatural abilities they took for granted. A wolf form would have given me speed, strength, and fighting power. Instead, I had only my determination and the desperate hope that it would be enough.

Eventually, their voices faded as the search moved elsewhere. I remained in my hollow log long after silence returned to the forest. Hours passed before I dared to emerge.

The moon hung high overhead when I finally crawled out. Every joint ached, and dehydration made my head spin, but I was still free. That had to count for something.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were still out there, waiting for me to make a mistake. Without enhanced senses, I had to rely on instinct and luck. Neither felt particularly reliable at the moment.

The journey to the nearest town took most of the night. I caught a bus just as the sun began to rise, then walked for hours following half-remembered directions. My adoptive father’s house was the only place left where I might find sanctuary.

When the familiar blue door finally came into view, relief flooded through me. This small house had been my real home once, the only place where I’d ever felt truly safe and loved.

I approached on unsteady legs, each step bringing me closer to salvation. My hand trembled as I raised it to knock. Once. Twice. Three times.

The door creaked open slowly.

"Seraphina?"

Ice flooded my veins. My breath caught in my throat like a physical obstruction. That voice didn’t belong to my adoptive father. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

It was a voice I recognized all too well.