Chapter 5: An Internet Search

‘Hey, how’s vacation going?’ Was the first text that Zalena had received from Andros, well, the first one that she decided to look at. She had taken a break from the library computer, the overwhelming amount of information nearly giving her a headache as she rubbed at her temples.

‘Is it hot there?’ Was the second one that she had received from him.

‘Erik was telling me that it’s hot there, so I hope you packed accordingly.’ Erik was the beta of the pack, and wouldn’t go against Andros. They had been best friends growing up, or at least Zalena was told as she sighed softly, scrolling down to the next one.

‘Since you’re ignoring my texts, I’m assuming that you’re busy.’ Well, at least he was right with that one. At least the first part of it. She giggled quietly as she continued to scroll through them.

‘Answer me.’ Was the next one that popped up on her screen, she could see the three dots lingering at the bottom of the open chat, he was typing and pausing. No doubt carefully choosing his next words considering she was meant to be spending time away from him.

‘I can see you reading the texts, you could give me the courtesy of responding back to your alpha.’ She could practically hear the snarl that ended that sentence. Rolling her eyes, she began to type to him as a long sigh left her.

‘I was actually busy. I found a library and was just reading through your texts now. I’m browsing the books here, so I won’t respond again.’ She replied simply to the texts as she set her phone off to the side, focusing back on the website that was open before her, she scrolled through the list of topics. Finding one on forced marriages, she clicked on it and began to read.

‘Many wolf packs that linger in the old ways will arrange forced marriages between who they consider the best fit for the alpha. The chosen Luna will oftentimes be picked by the elders of that pack. Not given the chance to say no, they are trapped in a loveless marriage…’

Zalena frowned at the beginning paragraph of the blog, a long sigh leaving her as she closed out of it and continued to search through the topics until she had found an article worth looking through. Curiosity seeped into every pore as she clicked on the link, bringing up another webpage. She glanced around to make sure no one else was around her as she began to scroll through the page almost too eagerly. She had finally found what she was looking for.

‘I was stuck once in a forced marriage, the alpha cruel and unforgiving in many ways, he had not treated me like the rest of the pack, he had treated me kinder than that. Or at least what he thought his version of kinder was… For any of the other girls out there that may be stuck in the same situation… No doubt using a computer or phone that is not your own for safety’s sake… Here’s a list of things that could help you escape the situation.

Act out: I started acting out more, and more, turning some of the pack members against the alpha, which in turn caused him to despise me more and more every day. If that is a safe option, you can try it as long as you know that you won’t be harmed in the process.

If they have a temporary bond over you, there are those that can help. Have the time to research those who can break that bond, the elder’s magic does not hold against something stronger. I’ve listed links below for that to help start the process…

Fake as though you have found your real mate. Ancient rules state that even if you are in a forced marriage, you cannot remain in it if you have found your true mate. I’ve listed below several alphas who would be more than willing to fake being your true mate until you can make your escape and start over somewhere else. Many pack elders will ask for evidence in this case, and seeing you video chatting with the ‘alpha’ would help you get away quicker.

These are all the tips that I’ve had, but if anyone else has been in a similar situation, please, do not hesitate to reach out to me so I can post more.

Zalena could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she scrolled through the various links and profiles of the alpha’s that would help them for a few moments. She ran her fingers through her hair as she quickly exited out of all the tabs, she tapped her nails against the desk, almost impatiently as she stood and then grabbed her phone, ignoring the texts from Andros demanding that she respond back to him at that moment. She had seen an alpha that was close to Elmwood Spring, close enough that she could fake meeting him while she was here on vacation and get away with it.

She made her way out of the library, quickening her pace until she was nearly jogging by the time she had reached the motel again. She scurried into her room and shut the door loudly behind her, thoughts seemed to be racing through her mind as she stared up at the ceiling again. Taking a breath, she slowly calmed herself, she had found an article to help, that much she knew. But, she wasn’t sure if she could get away with it.

Glancing at her phone, she had thought for a few moments, replaying what she had read on the website as she relaxed, the quietness of the room with the fan still going helped calm her raging thoughts. After relaxing, she had slowly began to figure out what she would do to get away from Andros as she made her way to the front desk, asking the woman there for some of the best spots to go in town during the evening.

Making her way back out the door, she had headed towards one of the small cafes that the woman had claimed had the best coffee around. Glancing at her phone again, she had hesitantly pulled up the website on her phone in incognito mode, scrolling through the list of those that could help break the temporary weak bond the elders had placed on them when she was wed to him so long ago. Clicking on one, she read the reviews for them and sighed softly as she stood in line, tucking her phone back away.

She really needed to do some more research, and soon, as her vacation was drawing to an end. She wanted to have a plan set in place before she returned to the pack. But, finding a website for those in situations like hers was the first step, the next would be to set everything in motion.

After having grabbed a cup of coffee for her research that would no doubt take most of the night, Zalena made her way back to her motel room, scrolling through link after link, person after person as the plan slowly began to formulate in her mind. If things worked to her advantage as they had done in the past, she would be able to be free from Andros within the next week.

And that would let her be free to search for that silver eyed alpha that seemed to plague her mind.