After a while, the warriors’ distant murmurs faded into silence. Still, the vampires didn’t move. They remained hidden in the shadows, choosing to wait longer as they studied the patrol pattern.
They needed to morize the rotation schedule to avoid crossing paths with any warriors by accident. Changing their route wasn’t an option; it would only extend their journey and expose them to greater risks. Besides, no matter which path they took, the borders were tightly guarded.
Their only choice was to stay the course, using this ti to carefully observe and ti their escape through the cracks in the patrol coverage.
The thought of slipping past the werewolves undetected, right under their noses, thrilled the three vampires. The boldness of it, the sheer audacity, made them giddy with excitent. The more they entertained the idea, the more determined they beca to make it happen. And so, they did. They successfully bypassed one pack, and by the next day, their confidence had grown dangerously high.
With adrenaline coursing through their veins, they beca bolder, convinced they could escape the werewolves’ detection so long as they masked their scent. The thrill of the challenge made them reckless, arrogant even, and Addison noticed it. She began to wonder if she could take advantage of their overconfidence. But she also knew that any opportunity to escape would need to be swift and decisive.
Still, her body was paying the price. Battered and sore, especially around her abdon, Addison struggled to remain limp as they carried her like a sack of grain.
The vampire holding her had skin like tal, and every ti he moved, ran, leapt, or walked briskly, her stomach slamd against his shoulder, sending jolts of pain through her already numb core. It was getting harder and harder to keep up the act. Her body trembled under the strain, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep pretending much longer.
But since she couldn’t rember anything, nothing about her past, her skills, or her limits, Addison didn’t even know if she could fight, let alone run fast enough to escape. That uncertainty weighed heavily on her. She needed answers she didn’t have. All she could do now was pray.
’Moon Goddess, please... give a sign. Help escape. Please,’ she begged silently, her lashes trembling as her thoughts turned desperate.
"Shhh. I think another patrol’s coming," one of the vampires warned in a hushed tone.
Addison instinctively held her breath. Then, faintly, she heard it—"Alpha..." Just that one word made her heart skip a beat. The rest of the murmurs were too soft to decipher, but that word alone was enough to stir sothing deep within her.
There was an Alpha nearby.
The vampires realized it, too. Their expressions turned grim, and their movents grew more cautious. Only when the Alpha’s presence faded into the distance did they make their retreat, faster, tenser than before, eager to get far away.
Addison hadn’t caught the full conversation, but judging by the vampires’ reaction, they had heard it all. Their enhanced senses, especially hearing, gave them a clear edge. A cruel reminder of how much she lacked in this fight for her freedom.
Seeing how hastily the vampires retreated, without even pausing to study the warriors’ patrol sequence, Addison realized sothing crucial: either the Alpha nearby was powerful enough to defeat them, or they simply weren’t confident enough to face him in a fight. That realization sparked sothing in her.
’This must be the Moon Goddess’s sign.’ She thought. The further they moved from the Alpha, the more anxious she beca, her instincts screaming at her not to waste this opportunity.
Then, in a single sharp mont, Addison moved.
During their rush, the vampire holding her loosened his grip just enough. Addison, who had been playing dead all along, finally acted. While they had gone off to eat earlier, she’d secretly worked a shard of bone against the rope binding her wrists, weakening it little by little. Now, with a sudden twist of her arms and a silent surge of effort, the rope snapped.
She bolted toward the direction where she sensed the Alpha.
Her limbs trembled from weakness, but adrenaline surged through her like wildfire. She was nowhere near as strong or fast as the vampires chasing her, and her mind blared with warning alarms. Danger pulsed all around her. But her body, driven by sheer survival, felt as if it had broken through its limits.
As the vampires closed in and one lunged to seize her again, Addison veered sharply to the side. In the sa breath, her hand shot out, and she snatched a small dagger from the vampire’s belt. Whether it had been there as a tool or just for show didn’t matter.
Now, it was hers.
And this ti, she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
As soon as Addison seized the dagger, she slashed it in a horizontal arc, aiming straight for the vampire’s throat. Her strike landed.
A burst of hot blood sprayed across her face and clothes as the vampire staggered, clutching at his gaping wound. He dropped to his knees, eyes wide with shock and disbelief, staring at her as if he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Addison imdiately shifted into a defensive stance, panting through gritted teeth. The other two vampires froze, clearly startled. One hissed violently, baring his fangs with murderous intent.
Addison took a wary step back, bracing to strike first.
But then, the kneeling vampire suddenly let out a low chuckle, then broke into a full, deranged cackle. The others joined in, their laughter echoing in the forest like a haunting chorus.
"I acted so well, didn’t I? Look at her. She really thought she had a chance against us," the vampire rasped as he slowly rose to his feet.
To Addison’s horror, the grueso wound on his neck began to nd, flesh knitting together like crawling worms, muscle and skin sealing with unnatural speed. In seconds, the only trace of the injury was the blood sared down his chest.
"Ugh, look at . Now I’m filthy," he muttered with mock annoyance.
"That’s what you get for being careless," one of the others sneered darkly, his eyes now locked on Addison with a chilling mix of nace and intent. "Maybe we ought to teach her a lesson before we put her back to sleep. Wouldn’t that be... entertaining?"
"You’re disgusting, hardly worthy of calling yourself a vampire," one of the others snapped sharply, though the gleam in his eyes betrayed a hunger just as vile.
The first vampire only shrugged, utterly unfazed by the rebuke. A sinister grin spread across his face as he took a step toward Addison.
"Don’t co any closer," Addison snarled.
But her trembling form and bloodstained face made her look less like a threat and more like a cornered rabbit, fierce in spirit, but hopelessly overmatched. Her defiance only seed to excite them further.
Still, Addison wasn’t bluffing.
Whether it was instinct or muscle mory, her body moved on its own. She darted forward in a blur of motion, using her smaller fra to her advantage. Just as the vampire reached for her, she dropped low, sliding between his legs. With precise, fluid strikes, she slashed across the tendons at his ankles.
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