The King's Awaited Mate

Chapter 9

She ran down the stairs as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her injured arm. She saw the reception where the lady on the desk had dozed off. Silently, she moved around to look for the exit. She found it, but a guard was standing just outside it. She was not officially discharged by the doctor yet. So, the guard probably would not allow her to go.

She started looking for other ways of escape. She came across an exit but the door was locked. She remembered the trick to open locks, that her brother, Theodore had taught her when they were younger. Since, She did not have a hair pin, she went back to the reception and looked around the receptionist's desk to see if she had one. She opened the first drawer and found a bunch of hair pins. She hoped that the receptionist did not mind losing a hair pin. She was rushing towards the exit when her eyes fell on the clock, which read 2:45 am. Ignoring the doubt that started to grow in her mind, she managed to open the door.

She went outside the exit. She was now in the parking lot. It was quite deserted except a few cars. She could not see a single person there. She exited the parking lot and the street lights shone on the path ahead.

It was dark outside. The cold wind made her shiver. She was still in the thin hospital gown that barely provided her any warmth. The clouds rumbled. It was about to rain. She was now unsure of her decision to leave. It was unsafe for her to leave at the odd hours. Moreover,  the wolf attack had shook her to the core. Calming her raging mind, she decided to get going.

She inspected her surroundings. She had two ways. She randomly chose one of them since there was nobody around to guide her.

She thought that she would find civilisation soon. But, she couldn't spot a person or even a building around. The path kept getting narrower and the Street lights were now sparsely placed. Was it even sane of her to have left the safety of the hospital and be out at wee hours of night?

But now, there was no going back. The number of trees started growing, which meant that she was perhaps closer to the forest.

She had been brought to the hospital through the forest. So, she could find her way back to the place where the carnival was held. The option was risky,  considering the wolf attack on her, but she would take her chances. She would be agile and quite, so the animals won't be able to detect her presence.

With a newfound courage, she made her way through the forest. It was really dark and the moon was the only source of light. The journey ahead was going to be difficult and she knew that. She had been walking for quite some time and her bare feet had all sorts of cuts and bruises. The wind had grown even more chilly that the flimsy gown did not help her with it. 

Though the sky had started to become lighter, the clouds still persisted. It looked like it would rain any minute now. She needed a rest after walking for so long. Her feet ached a bit. She found a place under a tree. She closed her eyes for a while when she felt a drop of water hit her cheek. It had started to rain. It was a hurdle in her path. 
But, there was nothing that she could have done about it. The dense tree cover allowed very few drops to seep through, initially. So, she was relatively dry. But, as the rain grew heavier, she got completely drenched. The splint on her fractured arm had grown heavier and it was aching.

She once again started walking, since the tree no longer helped her from getting wet. It rained for hours,  by the end of wish she was completely worn out. Her teeth were chattering and her body felt really cold. Luckily, she had not encountered any animals yet.

It was morning now. The sky was finally clear but the wind did not have any mercy on Mabel. She was completely lost. She did not know if she was going in the right direction. She hoped she was not walking in circles. This was one of the stupidest things that she had done in her entire life. She just wanted to go home. She felt cold and homesick. She could no longer contain her tears. Slight sobs wracked through her body. Everything was going wrong. She had completely lost hope.

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She finally managed to escape. I wonder if she'll reach her family before Valdus finds her. Or will Valdus find her first? 

Anyway, so this was the update. I hope you liked it. Also, I won't be able to update for a a week or two. I've got some exams lined up. And, don't forget to hit the vote button if you liked it. 

Bye!