Chapter 11

**Nerissa POV**

I watched after him when Alexander walked out of the kitchen while Ryder left the opposite way to do as Alex instructed him.
Emily looked over at me and whispered, “What happens now?”
With Alex gone, it gave us a better chance to run away, only, the timing would need to be perfect. Just thinking about running away from here, from him, made Bellania restless inside of me, but I didn’t care.
He kept us here, as servants, prisoners. No matter if we were free to walk around, we were still held captive and that didn’t sit right with me. I also couldn’t shake the promise I made to my mother about finding my Aunt Patricia.
Determined to keep my word to her, I couldn’t back down. I needed to stop and think of a way out from these lands, away from Alex.
Remembering that Emily asked me a question, I replied, “We will continue doing our chores, but I think while most of the guards and warriors are away with Alexander and Ryder, we will have a chance to try and escape,” I whispered back to her as I continued preparing everything for today's party.
“You think we could make it out of here?” she asked me worriedly.
Taking a moment to think about my answer I said, “Yes, I do, but only at the right moment, not any sooner, so be ready at all times and keep your eyes and ears open.”
“What about Reynard? Is he going with them too?” Emily asked.
“Damn… I didn't think about him.” I walked towards the sink to wash my hands, drying them with the towel afterward.
“Do you think he will go with them?”
“It would be better if he does, but even if he stays we will just have to be creative and find a gap in the guard’s rotation to make our escape happen,” I told her as she nodded in agreement. “As soon as they leave, go to your room, pack only the essentials that you might need. Take only what you can carry. As soon as you are done we can switch, and I will do the same. Be careful not to make yourself look suspicious.” We continued on with our task, and I felt hope rising inside of me, hope that soon, we would be free.
A couple of minutes later, Ryder came back to the kitchen and said, ”Alpha is calling the whole pack to gather outside. Now.”
“But we aren’t a part of the pack,” I said bitterly and watched as he rolled his eyes hearing me say that.
“Come, Nerissa, don't be difficult, please. Just come outside, both of you. You might not be official members of the pack, but you are still living with us so that counts,” Ryder replied.
"Because we are forced to," I mumbled under my breath as Emily and I left our duties and slowly followed him outside.
Walking through the front gate, I saw Alex standing at the top of the stairs, his eyes locked with mine for a moment. Ignoring him, I took Emily’s hand and started walking down the stairs where the whole pack patiently waited. Some of them were ignoring us while others gave us disgust-filled glares. We paid them no mind as we continued down the steps and stood off to the side.
I noticed Alex had his eyes trained on me, like a hawk. The damn asshole couldn’t let me take a breath without him knowing it first.
We all stood gathered around the front side of the pack house as we waited for Alex to speak.
He stepped forward, walking closer to the edge of the stairs, and taking his eyes off of me to look over every member of his pack as he spoke in a strong, booming, authoritative voice.
“Draconis! Today is supposed to be a good day, an annual gathering with our allies, yet, due to unexpected occurrences, our presence is needed to help the Luminus Pack fend off the attacks that they are currently being subjected to.” Alex paused and looked upon the crowd.
“The first legion of warriors will be coming with me, as for the second, they will be going with Ryder up north. He will provide you with the reason for that decision on your way there. My brother, Reynard, will stay with the rest of the warriors. He is in charge while we are away. You all will host the gathering and welcome our allies just like we would if we all were here. I don’t want any issues, so behave and be the true Draconis members you all are. We will be joining you as soon as we can, and Reynard?” Alex turned to his brother and said, “Take good care of our land.” Reynard nodded his head, standing proudly at his side.
Alex looked my way for a mere moment before he turned his focus back to his pack, “Have fun, and enjoy the gathering. Warriors, let's get a move on!” A roar sounded through the air as he said the last part, making everyone cheer as the warriors moved to the clearing where they waited for their Alpha.
Alex proudly walked through the crowd, power radiating off of him in strong waves. He stood in the middle of the huge clearing and called out to his warriors, “Shift!”
The cracking of bones sounded, filling the air. In the next moment, all we could see were dragons standing in the huge clearing. One, in particular, stood out from all the rest; I was captivated by the sight of him. He was the biggest of them all, with golden-red scales that covered his huge body and piercing, green eyes that were looking right at me.
I watched him with my mouth agape as he tossed his head back and let out an earthshaking roar.
All the dragons extended their wide wings, and soon enough, every one of them was in the air. Some of them started flying towards the west while the others followed Ryder to the north.
“What now?” Emily whispered to me as she watched the dragons disappear into the sky.
“Now, we finish what we started earlier before the other packs arrive.” We turned towards Reynard when we heard him speaking behind us.
“Yes, of course,” Emily said, startled that he had heard us.
Reynard smiled at us. “Go now and finish up, I will join you there in a moment and bring some reinforcements to help out.”
“Thank you,” I said, walking away from him with Emily at my side as we headed back to the kitchen.
When Reynard came and brought a few females to help prepare food for everyone it got a bit chaotic, but we managed. He even helped, something Emily and I had gotten used to, though not that I liked to admit it.
Everything was done in time. We finished a little bit before the two packs were set to arrive. Now, after everything was placed, cooked, cleaned, and set up, everyone went to change their clothes and got ready to enjoy their day mingling with the other packs.
The Sapphire pack, a dragon pack, was the first to arrive and was greeted warmly by Reynard. He escorted them towards the backyard where all the food and drinks had been placed. Music played in the background.
The two packs mingled pleasantly. I could tell they have known each other for a long time. They were all laughing, and some of them were even flirting with each other, which just added to the atmosphere. The second pack to arrive, Midmist, a werewolf pack, joined the party and the games began.
The alcohol was going in liters, as well as BBQ sausages and hotdogs; they were the most wanted snacks.
People really had a great time as they danced together; some even played sports.
Evening had arrived and all day, Emily and I had been trying to find a moment that we could use to sneak away, but it was impossible, especially as Reynard was with us the whole time, introducing us to the two other pack Alphas; Sapphire pack’s Alpha, Rexton Freeman, and Midmist pack’s Alpha, Bryan Chaney.
Later in the evening the three of them walked away, leaving two guards to watch us, making it impossible to sneak away with the two constantly behind us.
As the evening progressed, the party continued on and they lit the bonfires. Everyone gravitated to them, dancing, and drinking, as they continued to have fun.
After a day full of events, Emily and I were exhausted. We decided to go rest a little and try to sneak away later, hoping the two guards would be gone by then.
Wishing Emily a good night, I walked to my small room and went to take a shower, letting the warm water ease the tension in my body that I had been feeling the whole day.
As soon as I was showered and dressed, I checked the backpack that I had hidden at the bottom of my bed to make sure I had what I needed before collapsing onto my bed and falling asleep moments later.
A low distant sound, similar to one like when a door was slowly opening could be heard. It reached me but I was too exhausted to open my eyes and make sure I was not imagining the sound. Instead, I gave in to the bliss of the much needed rest.
A moment later, the mattress dipped next to me, and my eyes snapped open to find a dark, large figure looming above me. A strong male hand pressed over my mouth as the stink of alcohol reached my nose making me want to gag.
“Shhh… my beauty,” a familiar voice slurred, making my eyes grow wide as I tried to blink away the darkness to see better, waiting on my senses to wake up and sharpen.
He removed his hand from my mouth, and placed his arms on either side of my shoulders, making me feel uncomfortable.
“Reynard?” I called his name, unsure and hoping he would pull away. Instead, his hand went to caress my cheek as he slowly started to lean closer to my face, our lips a hairbreadth away from one another. The sting of an alcohol on his breath made me crinkle my nose in disgust.
“I’ve waited for far too long for this. You have no idea, my beauty, how much I want you, how long I have been wanting to kiss you,” Reynard told me, making me raise my palms and press on his chest, trying to put some distance between us.
“Reynard, don’t! Stop! This is not you!” I yelled, trying to reason with him, but he just chuckled, causing my blood to freeze in my veins.
“There is no Alex this time to stop me, I will have you, you will be mine!” he said darkly before his lips slammed down onto mine, trying to force me to submit and allow his tongue to enter my mouth.
Panic flooded through me for a second as I felt his wet tongue forcing my mouth open while his hands started to roam down my body. I started getting angry as Bellania woke up and roared in my head.
With her help, I managed to push Reynard off of me, startling him for a moment. He clearly didn't expect me to fight off his advances. He fell down on the floor, staring at me in shock before anger filled his gaze in the next moment. “You are mine!” he roared.
He started to get up, stumbling in his drunken state as I hurriedly looked around the room for a weapon. I grabbed a heavy vase and threw it at his head, knocking him unconscious.
Breathing heavily, I checked on him to make sure he was okay. Finding him asleep, I hurried to change my clothes and grabbed my backpack. I slipped out of my room, walking on tiptoes towards Emily’s room.
Once inside her room, I walked quickly to her bed and shook her awake, “Wake up! We are leaving now!”
She woke immediately and got dressed before grabbing her backpack. We slipped out of her room, checking to see if we could go downstairs, only to find a few pack members at the bottom of the stairs.
“What now?” Emily asked me. Feeling adrenaline pumping through my body, I looked around and noticed a small window in the hallway.
“We will climb down through the window,” I said as I pointed towards it.
We moved to the window and quietly opened it. Looking through the window, I saw there was no one around and slowly started to climb through it, holding onto the gutter I slid down to the ground one inch at a time.
Emily followed behind me. We stood there in the shadows, making sure no one was around to see us. Not seeing anyone, we made a run for it straight into the dark forest, not turning back to look at the house that was quickly growing smaller behind us.