36. What if he is the one who needs you, not the other way around?

"Are you sure? I mean, are you entirely sure that leaving is the right thing to do? You, better than anyone else, know that I am not, by any means, the biggest fan of our Alpha. But Camilla, as much as I hate to admit it- he is your mate. He did some fucked up shit by rejecting you, but he tried to fix everything, he really did. We make mistakes; that is the human in us, and it's completely normal to fuck up time by time. Running away from your problems had never been the answer. I'll take you home, if needed I will stay for the night, and you will think. Give yourself some time, will you?" Aiden tried to reason Camilla, unaware of the plan she was coming up with.

She nodded, pretending to agree with his proposal.

"I think it's better if you go home. Just drop me off and give me some time to think about everything, okay? Please, I need some alone time. Aside from that, don't forget that the shithead is an Alpha; he could try to pay a visit without being invited over, you know. I don't want to put you under any kind of danger because of my problems. You're an amazing friend, and honestly, I would be happier if you turned out to be my mate. I don't know what was the crime I did to deserve someone like Zane. I don't need him in my life; I'd rather end up mateless." Camilla mumbled the last words, avoiding to sat them aloud. The thought of hurting Aiden scared her, and now, she felt like the most selfish person on the face of the Earth. She was sitting next to him, complaining about having a mate while he had lost his. Life was fucking unfair.

"Perhaps ot isn't about you," Aiden stated, focusing on the road, avoiding to spare a glance at Camilla. His odd behavior made her suspicious- was there something Aiden knew but wouldn't tell Camilla? Was he trying to hide something?

"Wait, what do you mean?" Camilla turned her attention to Aiden, throwing death stares at the young male. She was trying to challenge him. If he tried to lie- Camilla would know.

"I mean, what if this pairing wasn't for something you did or didn't do? What if the Moon Goddess chose you two as soulmates for a more significant reason? What if he is the one who needs you, not the other way around? Let's be honest here, Zane had lost his way for quite a while, and maybe she thought that you would help him? Soulmates make each other a whole, perfect, not drag each other down. Just think of it. Everything happens for a reason. Now, hop out so I can get back home and sleep. Unlike others, this grumpy, old wolf has a patrol to do early morning, and I'd appreciate a couple of hours of sleep." Camilla didn't notice how Aiden had stopped his car in her driveway. She felt so far away from reality; each of his words seemed surreal and absurd. She nodded her head and got out of the car, approaching the main entrance of her house without looking back. Camilla knew that she would drop any idea she held on if she did as much as glanced at Aiden's hopeful face.

As soon as Camilla closed the door behind her, she locked it, making sure that no one could enter without her approval. The young woman headed to her bedroom, closing all windows and curtains on her way. She didn't want to see anyone or to be bothered; right now, all that mattered was her privacy. The young woman grabbed her backpack and threw the most necessary things in it. She headed for the kitchen to make herself a couple of sandwiches, in case if she got hungry on her way. Now, Camilla had a real reason to leave the pack without waiting for official paperwork. She knew that Zane wouldn't bother to fill anything; he had the power to keep her trapped, locked under his control. He didn't think of how easily Camilla could run away if she ran to another pack, justifying her choice by a cheating mate. It wasn't like she had many things to hold her back- in fact, Aiden was the only person, but the young woman was sure that his life would get better as soon as she's out of the picture. Perhaps, he would find someone and build a future together, instead of holding onto Camilla.

She dropped her bag on the kitchen counter and looked around her kitchen for any products she would need. Camilla decided that she could grab a couple of fruits and a water bottle since those didn't take too much place in her bag. As she hummed to herself, holding a knife to slice tomato, a loud knock on the door startled her.
"Guess who's there?" She whispered to herself sarcastically, ignoring the aggressive knocks becoming louder.

"Camilla, let me in, or I will break the door down!" Zane yelled from the top of his lungs. He sounded drunk, but the intoxicated state didn't make him seem less dangerous.

Camilla sighed, dropped whatever she was doing, and went to the living room, standing a couple of feet away from the main door.

"Listen here, asshole, you dare as much as leaving a scratch on my grandmother's house door, and I will reject you without a blink of an eye. Don't play with me; you're not the one who's holding the fucking control, I am. Calm the fuck down; you're not getting inside my house. I still have the right to report your ass to the council, don't test me." Camilla spoke through gritted teeth, warning Zane about consequences he might have to endure.

"I'm sorry, Camilla. Please, let me in, I just want to talk. That's all, I promise. I swear, I won't come close to you if you don't want it, just let me in, and I'll explain everything." Zane pleases, nearly dropping on his knees. For the time being, while he was drinking and having fun with his friends, not even once did Zane assume that Camilla might go there. He was too intoxicated to think rationally or push those women away. Of course, Zane did know that he has a mate, yet her constant rejection didn't stand good with him. All the young Alpha wanted was to have a few drinks with his friends and relax, for a bit, forgetting about his problems.

"I don't give two shits about your apology, you're not coming in. You had time to talk, to explain, and make this better. Don't try to tell me that I didn't give you a chance to talk things out, because I did. Since the very beginning, you went out of your way to ruin my life, I tried to forget the pain and give you a chance, but you stomped all over it. You threw your chance in the trash, don't blame others for your poor choices." Camilla crossed her arms in front of her chest, determined to keep Zane away from her. It was easy to argue whenever he was away, or behind the door, but looking straight into his eyes would break her. She didn't want to be weak, but that was precisely what Zane made her feel whenever they faced each other.

"As you wish. I won't come in, but I won't leave either. If you decide to talk, I'm here; if not- I'm still here. I'll sleep here if that's what it takes to gain a little of your time. Just know that I'm sorry." Zane turned his back to her door and slid down, landing on his ass. He didn't know what more could he say, since all he had in his mind was that the right words would appear if he saw her. Now, he couldn't face his mate, which frustrated him more than it did his wolf. The wolf in him understood why Camilla acted as she did since he wasn't quite team Zane after tonight, either.

"You can live next to that fucking door for as much as I care." Camilla hissed and stomped away, back to her previous task in the kitchen.

The young woman was annoyed by his arrival since the Alpha was guarding her door- her plan might be more challenging to pull. But he would need to leave sooner or later, right? Or sleep.
A wide grin grew on her lips as Camilla thought of the perfect loophole in this situation. She would finish packing her bag and take a long, refreshing shower. The cold water would keep her awake, and using a bunch of body lotions would mix up her scent for at least a couple of hours. By then, Zane should be asleep, since he's been drinking for most of the evening and night, he wouldn't be able to resist much-needed rest.
Even his wolf needs to sleep, none of them would be aware of what happens in such a state. It was tonight or never, and Camilla intended to use her chance even if she had to kiss her life goodbye as she did.

Slowly, she tiptoed to the living room, listening to how Zane was stirring next to her door. Great, he might fall asleep any time now. Quietly, she went to her room and dropped the bag on her bed, quickly putting her phone to charge and rushing to the shower. Camilla brought all shower products she could find and mixed them all together in her sink. The smell was ridiculously sweet and disgusting, but she didn't care since it was perfect for the occasion. She dropped her clothes and jumped into the shower, letting the cold water run over her. Scooping the weird substance of shower gels with her palms, Camilla rubbed it all over her body and hair, and then rinsed it off. It took about an hour for her to go through all of the body was and feel somewhat content about her new scent.
Wearing her clothing was a big no since it carried her scent. Camilla wrapped herself into a towel and ran into her closet. She grabbed a few pairs of socks, some underwear, and two sets of clothing. Instead of throwing it into her bag, first- she packed everything in a zip bag to keep out as much of her scent as she could. The next step was finding something to wear as she ran.

"I'm sorry, mom," Camilla whispered under her breath as she headed for her grandmother's bedroom. That was the place where the young woman could find her mother's clothing, which was another perfect way to hide her scent. All those scents were mixing, and none of them would be hers. Zane wouldn't have a chance to find her.
Camilla quickly wore the warmest clothes she could find and sighed in content as she took a sniff of her mom's favorite hoodie.
"I miss you so much," the young woman cried out quietly, trying to hold herself together instead of breaking down in tears. Right now, she couldn't allow herself to cry over her parents.

Camilla let her eyes roam around the bedroom, wondering how disappointed her parents and grandmother must be in her. She had always tried to be the perfect child, worried about her education and future, yet she failed the easiest thing ever. She wasn't able to be good enough for her own mate. That was the biggest disgrace in the shifter community, yet she was more than happy to embrace the truth.
Her life would be better without someone hurting her all the time than forcing herself to stay with someone who didn't love her.

Raking in a deep breath, Camilla left the bedroom, closing the door and locking it. The young woman had no idea why she kept doing it, but for some reason, she left like leaving all their belongings behind a locked door was better. Not that she would come back, but still.
For the last time, she tiptoed to the main entrance; hearing a soft snore was her green light, she instantly bolted to her bedroom.

Camilla grabbed her phone and charger, tucked it into the backpack, and headed straight to the basement since it had a window facing the forest. She avoided squeaking steps on the staircase and breathed out as nothing seemed to change. Zane was still asleep, and she didn't make too much sounds around the house. She slid the window open and crawled out of it for a moment freezing on the spot.
Camilla forced all of her attention to the sounds around her, making sure that no one would stop her from escaping.

*"The coast is clear."* Eden whispered.
Camilla nodded her head and lunged at the forest, disappearing within the trees. Nobody noticed her absence, at least for now, she the young woman couldn't waste any time to rest or stop by anywhere.
If she didn't get to the borders before the patrol was sent off- she would get caught within a matter of minutes. Camilla ran until her legs couldn't move anymore, Eden instantly suggesting to shift. Her wolf, thankfully, wanted to escape Zane's torturous ways as much as Camilla wanted to.
The young woman stripped, placed her clothes in the backpack, and threw the bag over her neck, so the laces wouldn't snap as they shift.
Eden ran way faster than Camilla did, reaching the border minuted before the patrol would start their regular runs. They took the last look at the territory they used to call home and stepped over the border, crying out in pain. They were a rogue now, breaking all ties with the pack.

Eden refused to give up after getting that far; if they wouldn't keep on running- Zane could send out his warriors to track them down and drag them back with force. After about five more minutes, they finally heard it- the terrifying howl, filled with pain and anger. Zane.