I took a deep breath, wishing I could see the moon from my bedroom doorway. I knew it had to be close to midnight, I was sure of it, and I would not miss my chance. I had waited years for this night, and I would be damned if I wasted another second.

For as long as I could remember, I had been the outcast in my family. Hated for being different, despised for being born. The deep purple of my eyes, the raven black hair, even the dark tone of my skin; all things that separated me from the ones who were supposed to be my family. My mother was sure to let me know I had not been wanted, not planned like my older brother or younger sister. Her perfect children, with their reddish brown hair and their sparkling brown eyes: beautiful children who could do no wrong.

I jumped as I heard my grandmother stir down the hallway, and I leaned back into my room, not wanting her to see me as she did her usual rounds. Of course she would get up now, when I was so close to freedom. My grandmother was worse than my mother most of the time, considering she had been around more than the latter. Once my father left, it became another thing I was blamed for, as if a four-year old had anything to do with the decision of a grown man.

My grandmother was a matriarch of our pack and despite everyone knowing of the abuse I suffered, the whole pack turned a blind eye. Even the Alpha was too much of a whipped pup to say a word to the woman, ignoring the pleas for help I often threw his way. In public, my grandmother was perfect, an ideal member of the pack and of our little society but in private, she was the devil given form. She abused me in so many ways I had lost count, and I was certain there were several times she had tried to kill me off.

I held my breath as I heard her shuffle by, praying with all my heart that she would not hear me as she continued on her journey through the house. I went over my plan again in my mind, the details I had practiced and planned for months.

As soon as the clock hit midnight, signaling the start of my birthday, the magic that kept me bound to the house would be released and I would be able to escape the pack. I would first need to sneak out of the house via the porch, and then, as long as the Alpha was asleep, I would be able to make my way to the woods. Once off Grave Crest land, I would shift for the first time, severing my pack ties. I would be packless, a rogue wolf, but anything was better than staying. Anything was better than dealing with the abuse I had endured for years.

As if hearing my plea, I felt midnight arrive, the magic surging through my body like fire. I felt my wolf as he stirred in my chest, finally able to break the shackles that kept us separated all these years. He had been a voyeur to all I had endured, and he was as eager to leave as I was. I heard my grandmother start her path back to her room, closing my eyes as I counted each quiet step.

'Go,' my wolf whispered, his impatience higher than mine. Hearing his voice made my heart soar, but I did my best to squash my excitement.

'Not yet,' I insisted, holding my breath again as the horrid woman walked past my door to return to her room. Once she was gone, once I heard her door close once more, nothing would stop me from leaving. 'Soon.'

'Now!' my wolf insisted, and I chanced peeking out my doorway again. I saw as the last hint of my grandmother disappeared around the corner, and I took a deep breath. Good enough.

I dashed from my doorway, doing my best to run as quietly as I could. I had plenty of practice from the years of trying to be invisible, of trying to be as unseen as physically possible. I slid on the kitchen floor as I turned to face the porch, my heart pounding with excitement. As usual, the door was unlocked and I carefully pushed the glass door open, paying attention to the light of the alarm. I needed to be careful, to open the door slowly, otherwise the device would alert the whole house.

Squeezing through the tiny slit, I stood on the porch that faced our backyard, my eyes chancing a look to the sky. The moon hung above me in an ethereal way, and I closed my eyes as I breathed in the fresh air. I had made it out of the house and no shock ran through my body, no command forcing me back inside. I was free.

'Not yet,' my wolf reminded me, and I turned my eyes to the house behind mine. The Alpha's house and the last barrier between me and the woods. I noticed there was no light in his windows and I sighed with relief as I snuck through my own backyard. I made sure to stay close to the house, not wanting to risk my grandmother glancing out her window and raising the pack to stop me. As much as she loved to remind me I was worthless, she was equally unwilling to let me go, because she knew it was what I wanted.

I carefully scaled the fence, dropping as quietly as I could into the Alpha's yard. A shallow ditch separated the Alpha's house from the woods, and I moved as quietly and quickly as I dared. I could taste the freedom, the sharp pine of the trees that bordered our pack lands. It would be a short run through those trees to reach the edge and then I would be free. I was so close!

"Who's there!" A voice rang out from the house behind me, and fear filled my body. I ran for the ditch as I heard the backdoor open, giving no thought to the command coming from the voice. "Stop!"

I jumped the ditch, praying to land on the other side, but I was not as graceful as I hoped. I landed hard on the other bank and my whole body screamed with pain as I scrambled to keep moving. I wasn't safe until I was in the woods, until I was lost in the trees; I could still be dragged back to that house, that prison.

And I refused.

"Kira?" My name was a question as I scrambled to the top of the ditch, finally turning to see who had called me. It was the alpha's son, Damien, and his eyes were hurt as he saw me standing across from him. There were more sounds coming from within his house now and my heart pounded as I saw the door start to move.

"I'm sorry," was all I managed to whisper as I ran off into the woods.