Page 7 of Golden Desires

“I will not be prey,” I say with a shaking voice that betrays the fear I still feel. My heart races more furiously, and my breaths become thin. Fuck…

This is the first time I’ve ever truly dared defy my fate. I’ve always been too afraid to stand up for myself. If they kicked me out, I’d have nowhere to go. But now my fear of what's waiting for me at that altar is much greater than my fear of the unknown.

My fear of the forest. Of the stories I’ve been told about what lurks in its depths.

But death isn’t the worst fate for an Omega in this world.

As the window finally opens far enough for me to slip through, I send a silent thanks to my mother for passing down her slim frame. Granted, my stepmother feeds me only enough to keep me from perishing, so I’m a step beyond slim, and into the territory of sickly, but a win is a win.

Silver linings and all that.

Goal one in my new life? Eat three meals a day.

Well, I guess goal one is finding somewhere safe to live, but the food thing is really a top priority, worthy of being number two. Once I’m out the window, I make my way behind the house, and into the neighboring yards, and back toward my home.

I run hard, thankful no one spots me. I practically fly into the small barn. Am I stealing a horse? Yes. Do I care? No. If I leave him, my parents will let him starve anyway.

I’m the one that’s cared for him every day of his life since we got him when I was seven.

“Hi, Bear,” I whisper, patting his long forehead gently. Thankful for the small stash of hidden treats I snuck from our garden. I give him a carrot and grab his tack. In just a few minutes, I have him under the saddle and loaded with everything I could get my hands on. After slipping his bridle over his head, I also take a second to grab my hidden chest. It’s very small, and the only real thing of value in it is my mother’s broken locket. It’s rusted, and falling to pieces, but it was hers. Truly, it is the only thing of hers that I have.

I tuck it into a saddlebag on the back of the saddle and then step in front of Bear. I’ve always felt a special connection to him, and he’s honestly the only thing that’s kept me going during tough times.

“We’re running away,” I murmur, as a tear slips down my cheek. He understands me. I know he does. Our hearts are connected. He’s my only friend in this world. Bear noses me, stomping his hoof and letting out a little chuff. I rub my cheek against his head, accepting the comfort I know he’s trying to offer. “If I don’t run, I’m as good as dead. It’ll be a slow death. One that kills me from the inside out, Bear. My soul will be gone long before my body gives out,” I confess, and I can feel his agitation. “But we have to go into the forest. I know that scares you, but there’s nowhere else we can go, where they can’t reach us.”

This time, when he stomps his hoof, I sense determination. “I won’t make you go, if you’re too scared, but if you stay, I’m worried they’ll hurt you to punish me. You’ll have to run somewhere else–” Before I can finish my thought, Bear is huffing loudly, letting out a neigh, and shaking his head before doing a trot of sorts. I guess that's his way of telling me to shut the hell up, and that he’s not leaving me. “I love you, Bear. No matter what happens, we’ll get through this somehow.”

Before anyone notices I’m missing, I hop onto the back of my closest, and only, friend. He wastes no time getting us the hell out of here.

Chapter Four

Goldie

Low-hanging branches from the evergreens slap against my face as Bear carries us through the darkness of the forest. In order to give our escape some cover, I keep him off the well-used trail, hoping that the fallen leaves, grass and branches will hide his tracks.

If I want to successfully hide from my pursuers, I need to venture even further away from the path. The men who hunt this forest will have an easier time tracking us, but I’m praying that once we get deep enough, they’ll give up.

I hear them screaming after me now. I got a decent head start, but I can’t slow down.

The fear of being caught is overriding my fear of the forest. Something became terrifyingly clear in that drawing room. There’s a fate worse than a horrific death.

Time seems to creep by, but I see the markers for the boundary up ahead. Clucking, I press my heels into Bear’s sides, urging him to go just a little faster.

I haven’t ridden past the edge of the village before, and even through all the terror, I find joy in the foreign lands around me. The beauty that has been left without the taint of man leaves my heart feeling lighter.

The further I get from the village, the less frightened I am of the forest. It feels different now. More like acceptance. If I’m going to die in this forest, then let it be at the hands of the monsters that stalk and hunt these lands, and not the humans I spent my entire life with.

My father and stepmother would often use the threat of the monster's presence in the forest to deter the idea that I could escape their torment. That I was already terrified of what I’d seen the one time I ran off, only made it easier for them.

I realize now that the real monsters already lived under the same roof as me.

Bear’s growing anxiety and cautious trot tells me we are far enough into the forest now, that the lingering scents of the human hunters must be disappearing. If I’m caught, I know they’ll drag me back, kicking and screaming, to the altar. I won’t be caught alive. One way or another, I will find freedom. In this life, or whatever comes after.

My relief at making it this far is short-lived. The moment we cross a small stream, I hear Donald release a roaring Alpha bark, thankfully the distance between us lessens the effect it has on my senses. He must be on horseback as well. If I slow down, they’ll catch up to me. I need to hide, my instincts going wild after the bark. I need to find a cave large enough to hide both Bear and me once we reach the cliff face. The sound of hounds howling in the distance makes my anxiety spike, and Bear notices. He knows we’re in danger. Fuck, this is not how I wanted our escape to go.

Breaking through the tree line, I scan the rock face in front of us in a panic. Before I have a moment to consider where to hide, Bear’s ears pin back and he tosses his head. Raising back on his hind legs, he throws me from the saddle. Hitting the ground with a sickening crack of my wrist, I roll out of the way as Bear bolts deeper into the forest, leaving me behind.

“Bear…” I whisper, too scared to make more noise than we already have. My fall might have drawn their attention right to me.

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