Page 157 of Wolf Outcasted

“I’m trying to keep up with her but fuck,”Jayce cursed.“How the hell is she running so fast in heels?”

Had I switched back again? That could explain why my feet were beginning to hurt. The cement path shifted to the muddy ground, and it slowed me down further which I couldn’t afford to deal with.

I just wanted to run away. Run and run until my body, mind, and soul hurt more than what I was feeling now.

Anything than feeling this sense of defeat.

Bria’s howl pierced through my head, and it made me realize how hurt she was by this. We didn’t even get to meet Aurelia’s wolf and play around like I’d always imagined in my mind. There was so much that I’d wished for, and it felt like it was all in vain because our friendship was over and I hadn’t even reached the levels of life achievements I’d assumed she’d always be there for.

That she’d be my maid of honor. That we’d be parents one day. That she’d be my child’s godmother.

Why was it all coming back to me when I’d easily buried such thoughts with the layers of ambition I had to reach the top? I now had all of what I’d dreamed of and this happened to make it seem insignificant.

None of it was fair, and I hated that.

It was all thanks to one culprit.

I began to strip out of my clothes, though I maintained my stride - one piece of clothing after the other. The chilled beads of rain drilled my flesh and contributed to the way my teeth chattered violently, but it would only be temporary because I couldn’t keep running like this anymore.

I need to be free.

Bria howled and raced forward, and without missing a beat, I shifted.

“Fucking shit! Willow?! William?"Dimitris sounded frantic.“Bria?!”

The last name almost caught my attention, but the feel of the surface of the muddy ground, the beating drops of rain from above, and the burning agony in my heart made the rest of the world fade away as my instincts completely took over.

I ran with the motive of running from the world. Running and running no matter how hard it was on my wolf body. The world was simply something I had to pass through, and in this state of questioning my worth, all I could do was distract myself from the pain deep inside.

My paws came to a stop as the bubbling tightness in my chest felt like too much to contain any longer, and that was when my haunting howl hit the air. The sound was so sad, a reflection of how we felt, and I hoped all the beings nearby could grasp a hint of my suffering.

Again and again, I howled until my very throat hurt, and when the pain was too much, I began to run once more. I ran slower now, zoning the world out until I found a place of shelter - a little cave to nestle into.

I didn’t know how long I lay there, the beat of the rain and the booming thunder being the perfect combination to zone the world out. A whimper would escape my lips once in a while, but whenever the sadness tried to creep in, I kicked it away.

My wolf form was my escape. I didn’t want to be sad anymore, but it was hard.

Why is this journey so hard?

Maybe this was the true definition of success. When you got everything you wanted, something came along to knock you off your horse so you could second guess if this was what your path really was.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me, and I had to decide if the success, fame, love, power, money, and sense of achievement was worth what I’d lose in the process.

Aurelia wouldn’t be the first person I’d lose for wishing to achieve my own life purpose.

The realization brought a little bit of comfort as I further curled up and continued to listen to the beating rain. I imagined what life would be like now, and frankly, the journey that almost felt like a dream made me realize all the pain I was currently feeling was temporary.

It hurt like a bitch now, but like memories, it would fade away. And I wouldn’t be alone.

This wasn’t ten-year-old me, threatened daily by the woman in the cloaked darkness. She couldn’t take my men away, nor could she steal Roberto from my life. I was in control of my businesses and finances, with the insurance to protect all mine and Roberto’s assets, and my men surely protected their own foundations -at least Dimitris would make sure everything was in order.

At the end of the day, I was still winning, and deep down, I knew this was another attack from the Vile Queen. A way to hit me where it would hurt.

It did hurt. It hurt so fucking bad. But would I survive? Yes.

The same way Aurelia would.

We’d be forced to move forward on our own paths, even if it felt like we started together. The reality was, we didn’t. We were born into two different families. Two different worlds.

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