The Cursed Mate

Elena woke in the morning with a sigh. She looked out the window, the snow still falling outside. She bundled herself up as she tried to absorb as much warmth as she could from her bed before walking out to make breakfast.

Their wood-burning stove was stubborn and took a little while to heat up, but she had mastered it. She quickly made some eggs and hot coffee, hoping for a warm pick-me-up.

She cradled her cup of coffee in her hands as her father walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning,” she smiled.

“Morning...” he said softly, his voice hoarse from the morning air.

“I think I might go out today and help around the settlement,” she said before taking another sip.

“No,” he grumbled.

“No?” she scoffed. “What do you mean, no? Since when am I on house arrest?”

“You are a councilman’s daughter. You will not go out and bother people as they perform their duties. The day you leave this house will be the day you are married and are someone else’s problem.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was such a burden, father,” she shot back.

He grumbled before standing and leaving the kitchen, ending any discussion to be had.

She listened as the front door shut and she yelled, throwing her blanket to the floor.

“That’s it. If I’m such a problem, then I’ll make sure I’m not.”

She walked down the hall and grabbed a small duffel bag. She packed some clothes and simple necessities, deciding to leave tonight after her father had gone to bed.

She had grown up in this colony and knew there was a weak spot in the guard at one in the morning when the shift changed.

She sat around the house all day like a good girl, reading or daydreaming by the window to make the time pass. She looked down at her watch to see it was almost time for her father to be home.

She sighed in relief, still filled with determination to follow through with her plan. She was alone, she knew Brandon wouldn’t go with her. She cared for him but last night he had shut her down so quickly. It was just like her father.

She stared at the map on her wall, the one she had placed stickers on all of the places she wanted to see. Her eyes followed the lines of highways down to California.

She knew it would take her a long time to get there and she would spend a long time by herself out in the world.

She looked for a moment longer before she took it down from the wall and folded it up. She shoved it into her bag and threw it under her bed, ready to go.

“Elena!”

She walked out as her father removed his coat. “Hello, father.”

He hummed at her before dropping his coat in her hands and walking to the study as usual. She rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen to start dinner like she always did.

***

She went to bed early, knowing she would need her strength to make it as far as possible.

She woke to her alarm, lying in bed for a moment hoping it didn’t wake her father. She jumped out of bed and got dressed, bundling herself up in layers of clothes to ward off the winter.

She pulled on her boots and made her way silently to the door, sneaking out as quietly as possible.

“Step one complete,” she whispered to herself as she tried to make her way through the snow without making too much noise as it crunched under her feet.

She walked south out of the settlement, trying to stay just inside the treeline to keep from being seen.

Not that anyone would see her. The whole colony was asleep except for the guards posted at the boundary.

She made it to the south boundary, hiding in the trees as she waited for the shift change.

After about five minutes she grinned as the guard turned and walked toward town, leaving the boundary unprotected. She looked around before quickly making her way toward the edge of the protected settlement.

Suddenly she stopped, frozen in her tracks as a large wolf walked past her to the colony followed by a few more.

She hadn’t been seen, the thick forest keeping her out of sight.

She panicked in her mind as she watched the wolf quickly attack the new guard, the man going down with a scream. The group of wolves broke into a run, making their way through the village.

She could hear the alarm bells going off as the colony was awakened to the attack.

Elena found herself sprinting back the way she came, running hard as her boots sank into the snow. She rushed back to her house, watching the village from the corner of her eye as everyone scrambled and panicked to get away from the attacking wolves.

She finally reached the house and as she ran up the back steps the door swung open. She jumped back with surprise, staring up at her father. As he looked down at her, she could see his glare moving from her to the bag clutched in her arms.

“Father... I—”

“Just get to the stronghold,” he grumbled, walking past her toward the mountain and the protection it offered.

She lowered her head and followed him, walking fast in the chaos to keep up.

As she sat in the caves of the stronghold, she watched as the council spoke in angry whispers, wondering how they had been found.

“We must have a traitor...” one muttered, looking around suspiciously at the people sitting in the dim lighting clinging to their families.

Elena looked up to see her father staring at her. She knew what that look meant. He thought she had betrayed them and that was why she was running.

It couldn’t possibly have been that she wanted to escape this place or that she was tired of being ignored and overlooked and trapped. It couldn’t be that she was constantly told she was a burden, a problem to be passed off.

“I almost made it out...” she whispered to herself, staring at the neverending darkness of the caves that for now kept them safe.