Chapter 8

Chapter 8 She had to run!

CA SSANDRA

I remained in bed with Finnick for a while and stared lovingly at his adorable face as he dreamt. Part of me could have stayed here forever, holding my sweet baby boy in my arms, but the other part knew there was so much to do.

I carefully tucked Finnick deep into the covers, and once I was sure he wasn’t going to wake, I quietly sl*pped out of his room and headed toward mine down the. hall. I gently closed the door behind me, and once it was shut, I released the sigh I’d been holding onto for hours now.

This was all such a mess, and there was only one thing I could do.

I had to pack- not for Anemond, but somewhere else.

I needed to take Finnick and run as far away as we could.

I didn’t see any other choice. My son and I couldn’t go to Anemond.

So, I started moving around my room and got to packing.

I grabbed only the essentials- a few pairs of clothes, some money I’d stashed away, necessary toiletries, and the legal documents I needed to hold onto for Finnick’s sake. We wouldn’t need much for now and couldn’t afford to be bogged down by material possessions.

In a little while, I would pack a bag for Finnick. I knew this was going to upset him, but I saw no other option. I would try to entice the offer as much as I could, but with how sensitive he was… I could only hope he would understand one day.

After I had some things set aside, I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. When I stared at the mirror, I noticed my dark green eyes were bloodshot and my skin was paler than normal. I looked like a wreck, but I couldn’t

worry about that now.

So, I returned quietly to my room and found a notebook. I tore out a page and wrote a well-thought out note to Marley explaining the circumstances of my leaving. I knew that if my friend didn’t see me at the clinic tomorrow, she’d show up at my house and try to figure out what was going on.

I knew this was going to be difficult for Marley. The clinic was crowded with so many patients sick with whatever illness was plaguing the Pack. It was difficult to manage it all with two people, so I could barely imagine how she could do it all on

her own.

But I had no other choice.

Besides, Marley was well-qualified and a talented enough doctor to handle it. I. knew she would understand, especially when she got to the part of the note about Finnick. She knew our children were the world to us, and as my friend, I knew she would want what was best for the both of us.

Maybe, once everything was settled down, I could come back. The Alpha King would likely lose interest in a healer from a small backwoods Pack quickly. Perhaps it would all blow over in a couple of weeks, and Finnick and I could resume the lives

we’d built here.

Until then, we had to run.

I hadn’t been fully convinced of this decision until Finnick had asked his questions. If I’d obeyed orders, things would have become too dangerous for my son. He was eager to know all about the Alpha King, and I couldn’t fault him for his eagerness. So, we had to leave.

I was too afraid that Asher would find out about Finnick’s identity and lineage. I couldn’t lose my son. We had to get as far away from Asher Collins as possible.

I looked around at my room. It was paining me to know that we would have to -leave all of this behind indefinitely.

It was then I thought of Emmett.

This had been Emmett’s house. When he’d saved me from the deadly inferno

five years ago, he’d brought me out here. I’d been covered in blisters and my skin had been marred and blo ody. It took months to fully heal from the damage I’d sustained, but Emmett took the time to cure me. He’d saved my life and gave me shelter. Once I was better, he taught me to be the healer I now was.

Emmett had even married me so I could legally stay here in the Wild Crawler Pack. He didn’t love me, of course, but he still did it all anyway.

One day, I’d asked him why he had done all of this, why he’d take this risk to save someone who should have been dead back in Anemond. I asked why he’d bothered to save someone the royal family had wanted dead. He’d gotten a strange. look on his face and then offered me a simple answer.

“It’s a healer’s duty to help someone sick or in pain.”

Since then, I’d carried on this duty and worked hard to become a healer like him. I wanted to repay his gratitude by working hard and making a name for myself.

Emmett had died a year ago. He had been on his way to a neighboring Pack to help a patient, but he never returned. Reportedly, he’d been attacked, but they never found his b*dy.

I found it hard to accept that he was gone, but only because he had been so strong. He was a very capable werewolf, though he hardly ever showed off his physical strength to others. Someone weak would not have been able to save me in that inferno, not to mention heal me over the course of a few months.

So, I held onto hope that he was still alive. I remained here in the Wild Crawler Pack and ran his clinic while I waited for him to return. A small part of me wondered if I was being overly optimistic. After all, there was a small chance that he had died in some kind of accident or attack. Or maybe, he just didn’t want to return. He had been a royer long before we’d met. Perhaps he’d gone back to that life and couldn’t say goodbye to me.

I could have left long ago. In fact, I should have left Wegalla and settled down. elsewhere, somewhere far away from my past where I wouldn’t have to worry or be under the rule of someone like Asher Collins.

But, there was no time like the present. I couldn’t wait any longer, not when the danger was nearly at our doorstep. I wouldn’t go back to Anemond and neither would my son.

I glanced over at the clock. It was approaching midnight.

The guards would begin their night shift soon, but I had to take my chances. The Wild Crawler Pack was at the territory border of Wegalla. If I could get us out of here and through the forest, we could leave Wegalla.

We finally could leave my past, Asher Collins, and the threat of losing my son.

behind us forever.

I took a long deep breath and headed down the hall toward Finnick’s room. We had to go, and we had to go now if we were going to have any shot at surviving.