Page 11 of Until The Moon Ends

"How do you know if the mark is right?"

"My mother is a witch. She told me what to look for."

"Does it bother you to kill innocents?"

"Better them than me," he snorted. "Now, will you help me up?"

I paused, eyeing him at the bottom of the pit and thinking it over. I doubted he'd be of any real help to me. He was too clumsy and careless.

"I'll even show you where the break in the border wall is," he whispered loudly as if someone might overhear. "It's just up that way, but it's hard to find. I can show you exactly where it is," he smiled, pointing in the distance.

"Okay," I sighed, standing up and dusting off my bottom. "Toss me your clothes." He gave me a curious look. "I'm going to tie them together and pull you up."

"Oh! That's actually a good idea," he said as he stripped down.

He balled up both garments and flung them up towards me. It took a few tries, but I was finally able to grab them, immediately stepping away from the mouth of the hole. I quickly stripped out of my blood-soaked top and pulled on the Beta's dark pants and dirty, white shirt. They were too big, but they'd do.

"Omega! Where are you?"

I grabbed my shirt off the ground and tore several long strips of fabric off the end, fashioning a belt. Once I was satisfied the pants were secure, I tossed away what was left of the torn cloth and looked down into the hole.

"Help me up!" he yelled, his patience gone.

A piece of me wanted to feel bad for him. It seemed like such an awful way to die: dehydration, starvation, or possibly some unlucky animal that could fall in there with him and rip him to shreds.

I ran my fingers over the pearl tied to my wrist, letting it fuel my anger. "You let my mate die," I said calmly. "Now I'm going to let you die."

I walked off, hoping the break in the border wall wouldn’t be too hard to find.

The Madra Village Border

Tzidal

The border loomedtall over the trees in the distance. Just a little further and I could rest my angry feet before trying to find the break in the wall.

My back ached, and my lips were chapped, in desperate need of water. I had never envied an Alpha's ability to shift into their wolf at will, more than I did right now. It was a cruel trick of nature to force Omegas to be one with their wolf but never able to inhabit them.

I cast my eyes up at the large wall made of thick tree trunks. It was intimidating, easily as tall as three or four Alphas standing end to end, and appeared to go on forever. I sighed, looking at my swollen feet, and decided to rest for a moment. Hopefully, I could find the break in the wall before nightfall, but it could take days with how large the border was. And I only had a vague idea of what direction to go.

Spying a downed tree, I made my way to it. I dropped myself onto the forest floor and rested against the trunk, rubbing hard at my eyes and the back of my neck. I just needed a few moments. Then I'd move on.

I twisted the leather bracelet around my wrist, feeling exhausted and hungry. The berries I found along the way were nowhere near enough to fill me.

My fingertips grazed a few pebbles at my side, and I picked one up. Leaning my head back, I looked over the massive border in front of me, ready to toss the rock.

The break in the fucking wall.

It was right there.

Rotting wood near the base of the border had been hacked away, creating a sizable opening that I could easily slip through. I laughed at my good fortune and rushed forward, climbing up into the hole.

I paused, looking at the forest just on the other side. It was the same. I wasn't sure what I expected, but I was a little disappointed.

It was forbidden for Omegas to leave their pack villages. It was too dangerous, or at least that's what we were always told. But this looked just like the comforting woods that surrounded my home. The same trees swayed in the wind, the same birds chirped in the distance, and the same sun hung in the sky. No wild beasts or feral monsters. Just quiet woodlands.

I hopped down, placing my feet on the forbidden land. No one attacked me, and no one rang an alarm. It was all very disappointing.

"Okay," I mumbled to myself. "Vaesen is east. I know that much." I paused and looked up. "The sun sets in the west, soooo," I turned my body slightly. "This way."