The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

Cain gave me what I needed to get out of here unknowingly. These walls were made of metal that was meant to hold weaker sorcerers captive. He mistook me as a weaker sorcerer. I wasn’t weak. I just lacked practice, but Ginger had given me the tools to escape. Now that I knew it was possible to use magic here, I was determined to use it. I was the Daughter of Moon and Magic after all.

I took a deep breath, placing my hand on my stomach. I had the most powerful intention to imbed into my magic. I had the intention of protecting my family and my possible unborn child. I had the intention of returning to the man I loved more than any other person before. I didn’t care if I had Mark’s mark on my neck anymore or not. He was my mate, and nothing could possibly change that or the way I felt about him.

I took another deep breath, channeling the power and energy in my core. My body ached after Cain took away my mate’s mark, but I couldn’t stop just because of a little pain. Ever since I regained consciousness, I could feel the magic buzzing inside of me. Cain’s deep betrayal had the exact opposite effect he was going for. I refused to just lie down and listen to his wishes. He sparked a fire deep inside of me that reignited my magic, despite the metal in the walls trying to subdue me.

It was a weak buzz at first, but I had been sitting there for hours, cultivating the strength I would need to escape. I wasn’t there yet, but I knew I was on the verge of reaching a great potential. My hands glowed from the energy building up inside of me, and I felt like almost anything was possible.

With my eyes closed, I started working on sensing my surroundings. The magic flowed out of my body and started crawling around the room I was in, painting a clear picture of my surroundings in my head. When I could see the room I was in with magic, I pushed my magic to move through the walls. At first, I was met with resistance. It was like bouncing a ball against the wall, the magic getting flung back to me.

I took another deep breath, imagining what it would be like to be reunited with Mark, what it would be like to start a family with him, what it would be like to be happy and safe. I tried to push through the wall once again, and this time I broke free of it. My entire body jolted with the motion, but I quickly focused on my breath again.

I imagined moving through the complex, the magic giving me vision to the hallway I ran down when I first tried to escape. I made a point to mark out my path while trying to sense the presence of anyone else. When I made my escape, I wanted to make sure I left without being noticed. It wasn’t long before I sensed Cain’s presence. He was pacing back and forth in his room, and I could feel his high stress levels. This wasn’t working out the way he had hoped it would.

Noting where Cain’s room was, I continued my search. I hadn’t heard anyone else since being here, but I wanted to be sure. With my resistance, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had other sorcerers around. I continued pushing my magic more and more, sensing everything along the pathway to the exit. When I made it to the door I had tried to escape from, I picked up on the energy of two different sorcerers. They were standing outside of the building, but they still felt weak.

I would have to find another way out or a way to get through them. I decided it was best not to come in contact with anyone. My goal was to get out of here as silently as possible, so I could get far away from the prison before anyone noticed I was missing. I retreated, searching the building for another exit, but I wasn’t able to find one. I was going to have to create one myself.

One final deep breath and I recalled my magic. My eyes snapped open as the magic returned to my body like a stretched out rubber band returning to its regular position.

I felt more charged than ever, and I knew I was ready to escape. I stood up and broke my focus on my magic. I wanted to wait until after Cain dropped off food to try to escape. It would give me the largest window to actually be successful. I couldn’t let on that I had found a way to use my magic in this prison. It would ruin everything.

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes for a moment. Now that I had solidified my plan, I wanted to give my body the rest it needed. There was nothing else to do while waiting for Cain to arrive with the food, and I wanted to make sure I was taking care of my body for the sake of the baby.

It wasn’t long before the exhaustion overtook me, and I fell into a deep sleep. I didn’t end up in the white room of my subconscious. Instead, I found myself in something akin to a nightmare. It was dark and howling wind whipped all around me. I saw a glimpse of Mark in the distance, and my body moved before I could. I ran as fast as I could towards Mark.

He reached out to me, ready for me to join him, but when I got closer, he suddenly disappeared. I turned, desperately trying to find him, but when I turned around, I saw Mark being held up by a black tendril by the neck.

“Mark!” I screamed, my voice echoing back to me over and over again.

I reached up, shooting a ball of light at the tendril. The tendril retreated, dropping Mark to the ground with a thud. I ran to his side, holding his face.

“Hold on, Mark. Just a little longer. I’m coming home,” I whispered before pressing my lips against his.

Mark grasped my arm. “I will never stop fighting for you.”

Clack! The door opening to the prison jolted me from my sleep. I sat up quickly, staring at the door. Cain was standing there, a tray in his hand with the expected food. At the sight of him, I instantly felt sick. I turned on my side, so I was facing the wall instead of him.

Cain set the food on the ground, and his footsteps echoed in the room. His hand touched my arm, making my entire body go tense.

“I know it hurts right now, but it’ll get easier. When I removed your mother’s mark, it made it easier to accept that we were never meant to be.” With that, Cain turned and walked out of the room, and the familiar click of the door being locked, snapped me into action.

I went to the food tray first, taking a few bites of the food provided. At first I was nervous about eating the food Cain gave me, but when I realized that I was going to be here for longer than I hoped, I knew it was essential to nourish my body. I had to stay strong if I was going to fight my way out.

After I finished eating, I waited a few minutes and then used my magic senses to check on Cain’s location. He was back in his room, and it seemed like he was making some sort of phone call.

I figured it was safe to make my escape. I pressed my hands against the door and I closed my eyes. I focused on my breathing and then started imagining the molecules that made the door what it was. Ginger and I had practiced transmutation during my last training session with her. I had been successful on a smaller level, but I had never tried anything this large. This was my only chance to break free, and I had to do it for the sake of my future family.

I imagined the material the door was made of separating. This was separating me from Mark, and in the moment, I wanted the door gone more than anything else in the world.

After a moment to focus, the door started shifting beneath my hands. I opened my eyes and saw a hole melting into the door. As soon as it was large enough for me to fit through, I slipped through the hole, emerging into the hallway. I looked both ways, double checking that no one was around. When the coast was clear, I pulled off my shoes and started running towards the exit.

When I was near the exit, I took a sharp turn to the left and continued running until I hit a dead-end. On the other side of the wall, I could feel the freedom. I pressed my hands against the wall and started creating an opening. This one was much faster to create, since my magic was charged.

I stopped once I could fit through the opening, and I broke free, breathing fresh air for the first time in at least a week. I inhaled the cool fresh air, which gave me a burst of energy. Looking up into the sky, I saw the moon shining down onto me, making my body glow like a night light. I had never felt so much energy flowing through me before, and I knew my magic had reached a whole new level.

It was time to return home.

I began running, eager to get as far away from here as possible, but something dark and lurking reached my senses, making me stop cold.

Looking up, I saw his eyes glowing from the edge of the forest. Jori was standing there, waiting for me to break free. It was like he knew this was going to happen, and the smug look on his face told me he was coming for me.

“There’s no use in running from me,” Jori said. “You won’t be able to get away.”

I glanced at the prison behind me and then back at Jori, unsure of what to do. I couldn’t go back to the prison, but I wasn’t ready to face Jori either. I looked up into the sky, admiring the full moon. It was on my side, giving me what I needed to be successful. Now, I had a simple choice. Did I run or did I fight?