Page 9 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

With another hard tug, the dress rips in two. Sunlight warms my skin as I take off, my bare feet pounding against the earth as I dart into the shadows of the forest. Branches tear at my skin, the foliage closing in around me like a living being, and I can hardly see, but I run anyway.

I hear the beta start to give chase before he curses. He falls. The sound of his body hitting the ground reaches me even as I keep running. He's more injured than he realized. Oh well.

I don’t look back. I run.

I run for me.

I fight for me.

Maybe they’ll catch up with me, but at least I try. Because this is my single chance to fight for myself.

After a life of no one else fighting for me.

Chapter 3

Hailey

The dense forest swallows me whole as I crash through the undergrowth, my bare feet finding purchase on the uneven ground. Every step sends jolts of pain through my legs, but I don’t slow down.Can’tslow down. The beta’s shouts fade behind me, replaced by the thundering of my own heartbeat and the rustle of leaves overhead.

The rough rope bites into my wrists, the friction burning as I stumble forward, my arms still awkwardly pinned behind me. My balance is off, every step like trusting in fate as my shoulders strain against the bindings. The blindfold has slipped some more, just enough to give me fleeting glimpses of green leaves and brown bark. It’s fragmented. Disorienting. I can’t…I can’t see enough to steady myself. When my feet catch on roots and uneven ground, it sends me lurching sideways.

But I can’t stop. Terror at my back, the slightest moment of hesitation, of pause, will result in my capture. I can’t stop. So, I push on.

When a branch whips across my face, stinging, I stumble. My shoulder clips a tree trunk, spinning me sideways. For a moment,I’m sure I’ll fall, but somehow I stagger, remaining upright, pushing myself harder. Faster.

Run, Hailey. Don’t stop. Just run. Keep on running.

The dress hangs in tatters around me, catching on every thorn and branch. I’d stop to rip it off, but a little voice is screaming that the moment I stop running, they’ll find me. So I don’t. Every rip, every tear shreds the fabric, but I keep on going. My breath burns in my lungs, my legs ache, but I can’t stop. Not yet. Not until I’m far enough away that the sound of my heartbeat drowns out the thought of their footsteps behind me.

Soft moss gives way to sharp stones, then back to springy earth. Everything smells green and alive and wild. So different from the sterile emptiness that has been my home for the last six years. So different it makes my head swim.

Or maybe that’s the exhaustion. The terror.

But I keep running.

Because for the first time in years, I’m choosing my own path. Even if that path leads nowhere. Even if they catch me. For these precious moments, I’m free.

And that’s worth everything.

When I slam into a tree so hard it makes my vision dull, that’s the only time I stop.

For a moment, the world goes silent except for the ringing in my ears. Then sensation floods back—rough bark scraping my cheek, my lungs fighting for air that won’t come. I lean against the rough bark, letting the tree hold me upright while my legs threaten to give way.

Sounds. Behind my heavy breathing, there are sounds, and as soon as they register, my pulse thunders again. Every sound makes me flinch—a bird taking flight, branches creaking in the wind, leaves rustling. Any of them could be danger. Any of them could mean they’re coming for me.

I strain my ears, trying to hear past my ragged breathing. Is thatjust the wind, or voices in the distance? My heart pounds so loudly it’s hard to tell.

And where is Vi? The thought hits me suddenly, sending another flood of panic through me. Is she safe? Did she make it far enough? I hope she’s still running. Even if I never see her again, I hope she makes it out of this alive. At least one of us should.

Finally allowing myself to take a measured breath, I squeeze my eyes shut. The blindfold is driving me crazy, the narrow strip of vision not enough to use for proper navigation. Turning my head, I press my face against the tree bark, using the rough surface to push the fabric up. The bark is rough, scratching my delicate skin, but I bear the discomfort as the piece of fabric moves, finally shifting enough that I can see clearly.

The world explodes into vivid detail, and for a moment, I’m overwhelmed. The forest towers around me, ancient pines stretching so high their tops disappear into a canopy of deep green. Shafts of golden sunlight pierce through gaps in the leaves, creating a pattern on the forest floor that shifts and dances with the breeze.

I stare at it for a long moment. Something so simple…something so beautiful…I haven’t seen anything like this in such a long time.

The ground is a patchwork of emerald moss, fallen needles, and exposed roots that twist like sleeping serpents between the trees.

It’s…magical. The only thing that pushes past the terror in my veins and steals my focus.

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