Chapter3:

THREE

I was alone in my room, my attention focused on the duffel bag that I was trying to zip close with the little things I could gather. I shuffled through the drawer one last time, searching for anything decent enough to wear to the palace since Kelly had stolen the last piece of clothing that could have passed the decency. All I found in my drawer were tattered jeans and faded shirts. I let out a frustrated sigh.

It took almost forever, but I found a simple, worn gown that was once blue but was now a dull shade of cream, dulled by too many washes. It was the best among the worst, and I decided it would do.

My heart hammered against my ribs, The decision to leave was a wild beast pacing within me, terrifying yet somehow empowering. I couldn't believe I really wanted to join the auditions to be one of the Alpha king's breeders. Deep down, I knew I was no match.

"I Just need to leave this house. I don't care what becomes my fate at the palace." I said to myself frustratedly. I would rather work as a maid at the palace if it came to that, than suffer the wickedness that is my step mother.

"No more enduring," I muttered to myself, gripping the fabric of the dress as if it were a lifeline. The choice lay before me. With a deep breath that hardly steadied my nerves, I picked up my bag, ready to step into the unknown. Because anything—anything—was better than the life I was leaving behind. The window had always been my secret exit. I stood before it now, my bag slung over one shoulder, ready to slip through once more. This time, though, I wouldn't be coming back.

A loud knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts. My pulse quickened. If Elaine or her daughter knew that I was trying to escape or even leaving the house at all, they would make my life more of a living hell than it already was. Fear prickled deep in my heart. Kelly's mocking tone or my stepmother's cold slap was waiting for me behind that door, waiting to shatter my plans into pieces.

"Freya?" A voice, soft yet firm, whispered. It wasn't Kelly or her mother. it was Gerard.

I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and approached gently, as if the floorboards might betray my escape with the noise. I held the doorknob, hesitating for only a moment before swinging the door open to reveal the house butler. His kind eyes met mine, confused for a second before he turned around, his eyes widening.

"Gerard," I whispered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I—I can't stay here any longer."

"Miss Freya." He always used formality when he was confused. "What's this about?"

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I explained. "The palace... the auditions for the Alpha king's breeders. Its madness, I know, but I need to go. To get away from..." My voice cracked, the thoughts of all the maltreatments I'd ever suffered from my step-family breaking my heart again.

"From all of this," I finished lamely, motioning to the room that felt more like a cage than a home.

Gerard's eyes softened, his aged face crinkling not in judgment, but empathy. He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"Would you believe I have always wanted to advise you to join those auditions? Who knows,"

he said with a smile on his lips.

"You might just be what the Alpha is looking for, Miss Freya."

I almost snorted at his words because I knew there was no way I would be picked at an audition like that.

"Thank you, Gerard,"

I managed to say, my throat tight with emotions I couldn't afford to indulge. Not when freedom was so close, yet so far away.

Gerard's hand rested on my shoulder, a gesture that held me to the moment. "It is a huge honor, Miss Freya," he said, his voice imbued with a warmth that filled the chilly room.

"Be careful, though," he continued, his tone dropping to a note of caution.

"The palace is not just graceful alone. There are lots of wicked people with power and they will not hesitate to use it against the innocent."

I smiled gratefully at his advise.

"Thank you, Gerard," I whispered, reaching out to him. My arms wrapped around his sturdy frame, clinging to the only semblance of family I had known. His embrace was reassuring—a silent promise that someone believed in me.

Tears pricked my eyes at the thought of leaving him alone. Gerard had been the only friend I had. I would miss him

"Take care of yourself, Miss Freya," he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. "And remember, whatever happens, you are braver than you believe."

With those parting words, Gerard stepped back, his eyes glistening with unshed tears that mirrored my own. A lump formed in my throat as I realized this might actually be the last time we would stand together like this—in my small room where I had grown up but never belonged.

"Goodbye, Gerard," I managed to choke out, the words heavy on my tongue. And with one last look at the man who had been more of a father to me than my own ever was, I turned away, ready to face the uncertain path that lay ahead.

I glanced around the small chamber that had been both refuge and prison. The bags lay by my feet, stuffed with the little belongings I could call my own—a few of my drawings, a book, and my mother's pendant. My hands trembled slightly as I hoisted one onto my back, the other gripped firmly in my hand.

I approached the window, Pushing it open, the cool night air caressed my face, whispering of freedom and unknown destinies. I wanted to hesitate for a moment, But tonight was different; there was no turning back. With a determined exhale, I swung one leg over and then the other, my hands steadying on the rough wood as I eased myself out.

The outside air assailed my lungs and I couldn't help but smile at myself. I really did this! The moon, hidden behind the clouds, offered illumination, but it mattered little because I knew every inch of this escape route by heart. My feet found the ground with a soft thud, and I paused, listening for any sign that someone might catch me. There was no sign. No sound except the owl that cried into the night.

Turning away from the house that never truly felt like home, I navigated through the shadows of the garden, my steps quiet on the grass. The shapes of trees stood as I passed. The leaves dancing. I couldn't help but feel that they were bidding me farewell—or perhaps warning me of the perils ahead.

Finally, the main street came into view. My pace quickened, anticipation mingling with the fear that writhed in my gut. The station wasn't far now, It was visible against the skyline, a beacon drawing me forward.

I reached the platform just as the train horned, preparing for departure. As I stepped aboard, the conductor nodded curtly, taking no particular note of me among the crowd of others seeking passage to the palace.

Finding a seat by a window, I settled in, my bags placed carefully beneath my feet. The train lurched forward, the mechanical rhythm quickly becoming a soothing sound. Leaning my head against the cool glass, I watched as the houses and streets of my childhood receded into darkness, swallowed up by the night.

Half a day's journey lay before me, half a day between the life I'd known and the one that awaited me at the palace. As the landscape outside transformed into a blur of shadows and starlight, I closed my eyes, thinking about the uncertainty of my future, or perhaps no future… I opened my eyes with instant force,

"What have I done?"