The Alpha’s Defiance
1371 Words
Chapter 4
I stared at Kael standing in the cabin doorway. His words echoed in my head.
“I am here to get you out before he sends the real hunters.”
Lila stepped closer to me. “Kael, what are you talking about?”
He ignored her and kept his eyes on me. “My father does not make empty threats. If you are still in this space when the sun rises, he will send trackers who do not ask questions. You need to move. Now.”
I shook my head. “Why would you help me? You rejected me. You stood there while he threatened my life.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Because I did not know he would go this far. I thought the rejection would be enough. I was wrong.”
Lila looked between us. “We cannot trust him, Elara.”
“I know,” I said. But the bond in my chest was pulling toward him despite everything. It made me furious.
Kael stepped inside. “You do not have to trust me. You just have to come with me before it is too late.”
I grabbed the backpack Lila had brought. “Fine. But if this is a trap, I will make sure you regret it.”
We slipped out the back of the cabin. The sky was turning gray with the first hints of dawn. Kael led the way through the trees, moving fast and silent. Lila stayed close to my side.
After several minutes of tense silence, I spoke. “Why is the bond still there? You rejected me in front of everyone.”
Kael did not slow down. “I do not know. It should have broken completely. The fact that it has not means something is wrong. Or something is unfinished.”
“Unfinished?” I almost laughed. “You made it very clear how you feel.”
He stopped suddenly and turned to face me. His golden eyes were intense in the low light. “I rejected you to protect you. My father’s plans for this pack would have destroyed anyone who stood in his way. I thought pushing you away was the only option.”
“And now?” I asked.
“Now I am the one standing in his way.”
Lila’s phone buzzed. She checked it and her face went pale. “Kael, Father just sent out a message to the inner circle. He is offering a reward for anyone who brings Elara in. Alive or otherwise.”
Kael cursed under his breath. “We need to move faster.”
We started running. Branches scraped my arms and my lungs burned, but I kept going. The sound of distant howls reached us from behind. Trackers.
Kael grabbed my hand without warning and pulled me left, off the main trail. “This way. There is an old service road that leads out of pack land.”
We reached a narrow dirt road just as the sun began to rise over the trees. A black truck was parked there, half-hidden by bushes. Kael opened the passenger door.
“Get in.”
I hesitated. Once I got into that truck, there was no going back.
Lila hugged me quickly. “Go. I will cover for you as long as I can.”
I climbed in. Kael got behind the wheel and started the engine. We drove in silence for several minutes before he spoke again.
“My father will not stop looking for you,” he said. “Not while the bond remains. He sees it as a threat to his control.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
Kael kept his eyes on the road. “I am going to get you somewhere safe first. Then I am going to deal with my father.”
The truck hit a bump and I grabbed the door handle. “You are going against your own pack for me. Why?”
He was quiet for a long moment. When he answered, his voice was low. “Because when I rejected you, the bond should have died. Instead, it is still fighting. And every time I try to ignore it, it gets stronger. I cannot explain it. But I cannot let him kill you either.”
Before I could respond, headlights appeared behind us. Another vehicle was gaining fast.
Kael glanced in the rearview mirror. “They found us.”
He pressed harder on the gas. The truck sped down the narrow road. The vehicle behind us matched our speed. A gunshot cracked through the air and hit the back of the truck.
“Get down,” Kael ordered.
I ducked as another shot hit the rear window, cracking the glass. Kael swerved sharply onto a smaller path that led deeper into the woods. The truck bounced violently over roots and rocks.
The pursuing vehicle stayed close. Two more wolves in shifted form appeared on either side of the road, running parallel to us.
Kael slammed the brakes and turned the wheel hard. The truck spun and stopped facing the way we had come. He threw the door open.
“Stay here,” he said.
“Kael, do not—”
He was already shifting. Bones cracked and fur exploded across his skin as he turned into a massive black wolf. He launched himself at the nearest pursuer with a snarl.
I watched in shock as Kael fought two wolves at once. He was faster and stronger, but they had numbers. A third wolf jumped from the pursuing vehicle and joined the fight.
One of them broke away and ran straight toward the truck. Toward me.
I scrambled for the door handle, but it was too late. The wolf slammed into the side of the truck, rocking it. Claws scraped against metal as it tried to reach me through the broken window.
Panic and something else surged through me. The bond in my chest flared hot and bright. Without thinking, I reached out with whatever power was inside me and pushed.
A wave of energy burst from my hands and slammed into the wolf. It flew backward into a tree with a pained yelp.
I stared at my hands, breathing hard. I had never been able to do anything like that before.
Kael, still in wolf form, looked at me for a split second. Even in his animal shape, I could see the surprise in his eyes.
The remaining wolves retreated when they realized they were outnumbered by whatever had just happened. They disappeared into the trees.
Kael shifted back to human form, blood running down his arm from a deep gash. He climbed back into the driver’s seat, breathing heavily.
“You used power,” he said. “How?”
“I do not know,” I whispered. “It just happened.”
He started the truck again and drove. Neither of us spoke for several minutes.
Finally, Kael broke the silence. “That changes everything. If you have power, my father will never stop hunting you. He will see you as a direct threat to his rule.”
I looked out the window at the passing trees. My hands were still shaking.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“There is neutral territory about two hours from here. An old friend of mine runs a safe house there. We can rest and figure out our next move.”
I turned to look at him. “Our next move?”
Kael met my eyes briefly before returning his attention to the road.
“You are not facing this alone anymore,” he said. “Whether I like it or not, the bond is still alive. And after what I just saw, I am not letting my father get his hands on you.”
The truck continued down the winding road as the sun fully rose behind us.
I did not know if I could trust him. I did not know what was happening to me or why the bond refused to die.
But for the first time since the rejection, I was not running completely alone.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
- Writer
