Chapter 2

Kiara

"Miss Kiara, if you would cooperate," a beautiful girl with big blue eyes and a frown on her face told me. I scoffed and peeled her hands off my shoulders.

"I can bathe myself," I said with finality. She bowed and walked out silently, letting me drown in my own thoughts. I let the tears I was holding well out of my eyes, down my sunken cheeks, and taste them in my mouth.

"He burned them," I murmured to my wolf, who was always weak. Alpha Benna made sure that he would always inject me with wolf bane to weaken her out. I was a strong wolf, and he knew there was no way he would be able to handle me with my wolf at the back of my head.

I had spent almost a month writing that book. Forget the rewriting, editing, and all that stuff. Writing that book was like walking in hell barefoot, and he didn't take even a second to burn my manuscript. He could have beaten me, kicked me, or starved me like he always does, but he burned my manuscript. Unbelievable!

"Oh, godess, no!" I trembled with tears.

"Miss Kiara, do you need any help?" The girl I had asked to leave me alone asked from the door. I shook my head in denial, but when I realized she couldn't see me, I responded, although in a shaky voice, "I am okay, Mariana."

Mariana calling me reminded me of what I was about to do. What Alpha Benna needed help with was that he wanted me to be by his side during the mating ball. Honestly, I had no idea he was organizing a mating ball tonight, or else I wouldn't have stressed myself out by escaping early in the morning.

On that thought, I smiled genuinely. "We can escape Raika," I told my wolf, who I was sure, although weak and unable to respond, would be excited by this idea.

During the mate ball, there would be a lot of people coming to see if the moon gods had finally paired them with someone. When they are busy looking around and waiting for their mates, I will make sure to slip off Alpha Benna's watchful gaze and run.

"Mariana, help me wash my hair," I called back at her. Mariana walked in, a confused gaze locked in my eyes.

"You look excited," she murmured, pouring a handful of shampoo on her palms and massaging my scalp before washing the hair and finally rinsing it. "Won't you tell me?" She asked in curiosity when I walked out of the bathtub and retreated back to the room.

It was Alpha Benna's room, but he had already laid a beautiful blue satin dress for me on the bed. There was a small blue purse as well with glitter around it, which shone under the dim lights, and blue heels with colorless straps.

"Of course I am excited. Although I had written awful things on that manuscript, Alpha Benna didn't kill me," I lied while putting the dress on. Although Mariana was good at hiding things, I knew she was Alpha Benna's spy. I really don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate that I can read people.

"Everyone's shocked as well. After you escaped, he went to your room...I mean kitchen," she cleared her throat and then continued, "to see if he would be able to find anything that would help him track you, and that was when he found that manuscript. He cursed so hard and swore that if he laid his hands on you, he'd strangle you to death." She winced at that.

"Is that supposed to make me scared?" I scoffed, looking at her in the eyes. I read her again. She wanted to scare me, but what in this world would scare me? I had seen worse, and in honesty, the threat that he would strangle me to death wasn't that scary in my ears. Or maybe it was, but I was used to ignoring things, especially my feelings.

"Uh.." she stammered. "Anyway, forget it; Alpha Benna is waiting for you," she said while helping me tie the shoes.

"Of course he is waiting for me." I smiled while walking toward the door.

"Won't you look yourself in the mirror, Miss Kiara?" Mariana asked, but I raised my hand in denial. Whether I looked beautiful or ugly didn't matter.

"No, he's waiting," I reminded her, feeling my lips curl into an uncontrollable smile.

"Are you happy to attend this event with him?" I mean, after how he treats you?" Mariana asked in disbelief.

"Can we not talk, Mariana? He is waiting," I said, finally grabbing the door's bolt and pushing it open. What Mariana never knew, and I was never going to let her know, was that the person I was referring to was not Alpha Benna but freedom.

I took a deep breath while outside the door and put a smile on my face. Alpha Benna always forced me to smile when I was in front of his friends or when we went to these events. This time, I was sure he wouldn't remind me to do that because I felt like smiling.

"Moongods, I know you don't care about me, and that's why you gave me such a miserable life, but please, just this once, hear me out and don't let this escape plan flop." After shooting the prayer, I carried my dress and walked down the staircases to where the party was going on.

"Yezus!" Alpha Benna waved at me. I smiled, approaching him.

"Good, I didn't have to remind you to smile," he whispered against my ears, and I turned to grin at him. "By the way, you look beautiful," he said, licking his lips. I frowned at him, wiping the smile away.

"I said smile, Yezus," he said between gritted teeth, his nails digging into my wrists. His right hand was holding a drink, which he waved at every passing person, smiling at them.

"Do you think you'll find your mate today because, as far as I remember, you're turning eighteen tonight?" He asked, but I ignored him. To hell with the mate. I didn't want him; the only thing I wanted was freedom from this monster.

"I see the happy glitter in your eyes, Yezus," he smiled at someone while talking, and then turning to face me, he continued, "but don't worry, it will fade away in a short time because, trust me, I don't care who your mate will be. What I know is that you are not going away from here. Don't forget about the manuscript," he reminded me, making my heart shudder.

I gave him the 'fu*k you' eyes and turned my eyes to the coming guests. They would all come to us, Apha Benna, that is, and congratulate him for making me 'glow' and thank him for organizing that mate ball.

"See, everyone is saying you are glowing, but you don't see that. Such an ungrateful bi*ch!" he spat. I didn't know what happened to me, but I found his sentence really funny. Failing to control myself, I pulled my hand off his and laughed so loudly that everyone turned to look at us.

"Glowing? Me?" I asked while drumming my index finger on my chest. "Is this what you call glowing? Are you sure if I remove this makeup you are forcing me to wear, I will look all glowing? Forget about that; are you sure they will be left with the same expression if I were to strip down?" I asked, and I could see a flicker growing in his eyes. He was pissed off, and I didn't care.

"Yezus, enough!" He raised his voice just for me to hear and then smiled at the guests, who had their eyes still glued on us.

"Are you afraid?" I asked him instead. "Are you afraid that they'll see your true colors if I wash this make-up away and strip this dress? Should I show them my back?" I asked while attempting to push the dress's sleeve down and expose my back, which was filled with scars. Scars from his whips.

"I am losing it, Yezus. I said, Enough!" His voice was now so loud that the guests could hear it. "Sorry, sorry, she is drunk. I'll take her upstairs," he smiled at his gueats, but the red glow in his eyes didn't miss people's eyes, and they didn't dare question him.

Before he could lift me off the ground and carry me upstairs like he intended to, murmurs and screams broke into the crowd. That helped me because he diverted his attention to what people were screaming at, thus putting me down.

Although I also wanted to see who had walked in, Apha Benna's second man in command tapped me on the shoulder.

"Silly girl! What are you looking at? People only get one chance in their lives, not two." Upon saying that, he disappeared in the crowd, leaving me confused with his words.

It took a while for me to register and understand what he meant, and I didn't hesitate. I looked back and saw Benna making his way through the crowd to the door, and I took that chance.

"Where are you going? Alpha Benna said, that I shouldn't make you leave here." It was Mariana, his spy.

Pissed off, I looked at her and asked, "Oh really? So it means that I am not supposed to go to the toilet. Okay, I have no problem with that. Lay your hands on the ground," I demanded.

"What? Why should I do that?" She asked in confusion.

"Since you are my guard now and you have to make sure that I don't go anywhere, you'll have to help me with this," I said while closing the gap between us.

I pulled her into a hug and whispered against her left ear, "I want to go for a long call, Mariana, but because I am not allowed, you'll have to lay your hands so that I won't create a mess on the floor." I stepped back.

I grabbed the hem of my dress and made it look like I was pulling it to the waist.

Mariana, who already looked disgusted, pushed me backwards, and I knocked over a passing waitress. The tray of wine she was carrying slipped off her grip and poured on my dress.

"Perfect! This is what I wanted," I said inwardly. "Opps!" I exclaimed and looked at Mariana, who was shocked. "I'll have to tell Apha Benna that you ruined my dress." I made it look like I was following Benna.

"Wait, Miss Kiara," she panicked, "I can let you go up and clean your dress. You also wanted to go to the bathroom, right? You can go." She smiled. I was glad that the threat worked on her because, honestly, I wasn't sure.

I tightened my smile at her and made my way upstairs. I bumped into Alpha Benna's second in command, who pushed a note into my hand and disappeared once again.

I didn't open the note until I was safe in the guest room. I brushed off the thought of going to his room because I was sure there were cameras installed there.

"Kiara, you should know you have been nothing but a good daughter to me. I have seen the game you played with Mariana, and you have won. I want you to go to the rooftop. I have trusted men who will help you climb down. Don't worry about the guard at the gate. I have talked to him. He will give you something before you go out. Make sure that no one will see or follow you because, just like I said earlier, you never get two chances in life. All the best in your future life."

The letter read: I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn't believe that Alpha Benna's second in command was helping me escape. Among the thousand people living in his mansion, it was only him who had seen my efforts to look for freedom.

Making a mental note that I would one day thank him, I took off the dress and heels to avoid attention and went out in maid's wear. A light blue dress, an apron, and a white cape. I didn't forget the white sneakers they wore. I grabbed a mop while on my way to the roof and a bucket of water.

Just like the second in command, whose name I had never known, had written, there were four men present there. They looked at the picture each of them was holding and walked to me. "Good day, Miss Kiara; we have to be quick," one of them said.

I nodded, looking at them. One of them ran to the balcony and whistled at someone at the bottom. "Miss Kiara, you will have to jump down there," he explained while coming back.

I looked at him in horror. " Jump? I will die," I panicked. I was only looking for freedom, not death. I might have been looking for death earlier, but not anymore. I had someone to thank for always being by my side.

"There is an air mattress the guard has laid for you. You will fall on it, don't worry," he explained, and I sighed in relief.

Before I could run to the edge and hop, he called me back. "Just know that if you were to be caught, you don't know us, nor has anyone helped you," he said on a serious note.

"Done." I lifted my thumb to him, thanked him with his friends, who were on the lookout in case I was followed, and jumped.

"She is escaping!" I had someone yell the moment I fell on the mattress. I picked myself up from there and dashed to the gate. I felt thuds behind me, but I didn't look back. I was determined. This time, they won't catch me.

I knocked the guard down, who in the process shoved something in my hands secretly, and dashed out of the gate. The thuds still followed me, but I didn't look back—that is, until I bumbed into a brick wall.

No, it wasn't a brick wall. It was someone's chest.

"Oh godess, who is this again?" I thought inwardly while praying that it wasn't Alpha Benna I had bumped into.