The Alpha's Choice

Chapter 2

Lyra's Pov

I staggered to my feet and followed him as he led me out of my cell.

The morning was grey and dark with the stars still twinkling in the sky, a silver moon glow.

I tailed behind closely without saying a word; a mix of hope and confusion lingered in me.

He led me through a secret route into the woods, then he paused and turned to me, taking off the veil on his face.

"Karl," I gasped. In surprise, Karl was a highly respected pack elder; I bowed slightly in respect.

He gripped my shoulder.

"You must leave," he whispered.

"Why are you helping me?" I muttered in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter; you must leave now," he handed me some food stuff wrapped in a skin bag and a silver-coated dagger before leaving.

"Thank you so much," I bowed as he left.

I hugged the bag tightly to my chest and took off, running at full speed, hoping to leave Revlon as far behind as I could.

I sprint through the woods without looking back, legs pumping and my heart racing; branches whip my face as I leap over roots. I was leaving the only home I ever knew with no destination in mind.

I stopped at a large tree, my heart pounding in my chest. I lowered myself to rest, the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. I reached out for a piece of meat from the bag and ate hurriedly, thinking of where to go now that I was away from Revlon Pack and Alpha Kaid.

My thoughts were interrupted by a rustling nearby. I pushed my feet against the ground and lean closer to the tree, startled at the sound. After a few seconds, the rustling became louder, and I saw a huge wolf emerge from the bush; he was huge and scary, at least 6 feet tall.

My limbs trembled; I wanted to run, only to discover they had me surrounded by eight heavily built wolves. I could tell from their scent that they were rouges.

"Please don't hurt me," I pleaded, but got no response.

They circled me and were moving closer. I tried to shift, but my wolf was too weak.

"Dilly," I cried out, and Dilly gave a faint growl.

I dashed forward and thrust my dagger into the rogue leader's heart; he fell to the ground bleeding. Wolves won't heal from silver injury, I was sure.

The other grabbed me and threw me to the ground. My head hit a rock, and I could feel warm blood gushing out.

"So pathetic," one spat.

They bundled me up.

As soon as they had me tied up, they began dragging me to an unknown location. Not too far before we ran into a strange wolf tall and muscular with a deep scar on his left cheek.

He howled loudly, and with fury burning in his eyes, his piercing gaze found me, and I trembled a little.

With a swift swipe of his paw, the strange wolf sent a rogue flying across the clearing, crashing into a tree with a sickening thud. The others pressed in, teeth bared, but the strange wolf was unstoppable. It dodged and weaved, its claws flashing as he took down the rogue wolves one by one.

As the last of the pack fell, the strange wolf stood victorious, his chest heaving with exhaustion, its fur matted with the sweat and blood. He let out a triumphant howl, and a group of wolves came running.

"Don't hurt me, please," I pleaded as he approached me.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he responded with a friendly smile.

And quickly snapped up the ropes binding me.

One of his companions threw him a bunch of clothes and he quickly disappeared behind a nearby bush to shift.

He reappeared after shifting to his human form; he was tall with a strong jawline and strong blue eyes, his chiseled features accentuated by the scar on his left cheek, adding a hint of ruggedness to his appearance.

"Come with me," he demanded, signaling to me.

"Thank you so much for saving me, but I can't come with you," I declined.

"We need to get you treated; you're going to bleed to death."

I felt my head and noticed the wound was still open; my wolf was too weak to heal up.

He helped me to my feet and scooped me into his arms.

I tried to speak, but my words slurred and trailed off as my head spun, and I was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness.

I woke up slowly, opening my eyes to faint lights. I looked around at the strange surroundings; I was in a hospital bed.

I tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through my skull, and I yelled in pain. A nurse came running in.

"Thank the goddess, you're awake," she gasped, heaving a sight. I stared at her as she drew closer; she was an omega, I could tell from her scent.

"One of my kind," I thought as she placed her hand on my forehead.

"Where is this place?" I inquired, confused.

"Don't worry, you're safe here; you need to have some rest."

Just then a dominating figure walked in through the door.

It was the strange guy from the forest; I can remember; he was the last face I saw before I passed out.

I stared as he walked in with an air of majesty.

He paused beside the bed where I was lying.

"How are you feeling?" his baritone voice echoed through the room.

"I'm fine," I gittered.

"My name is Riven," he said, beaming a charming smile. He looked cute, I thought.

"What's yours?" he jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, I'm Lyra." I stammered

"You're welcome to Wildwood Pack, Lyra."

"Take good care of her," he instructed the nurse before taking his leave.

"Yes, Alpha," she replied, bowing slightly. My eyes widened in shock at an alpha. I frowned as I pondered over Kaid.

"He seems to like you," the nurse teased.

"Why do you say that?" I enquired.

"I've not seen him smile like that since Our Luna died," she explained.

***

It was my third day and certainly my last at the hospital, as the nurse said I'd be discharged the next morning.

I was waiting for Riven to visit, as it has become his habit since I came in. I sat staring at the door in anticipation; eventually he walked in. I beamed with excitement as he walked towards me, returning the smile.

He sat beside me and wrapped his hand around my shoulder; a feeling of warmth and security enveloped me. I felt a refreshing autumal scent like the first bite of winter.

"You look a bit bothered," he said, pulling me closer.

"I was just thinking how different things are here from my old pack."

"I know how hard your life was there, and the rejection. I'm so sorry about that. I promise you will be saved here", he assured.

I simply nodded, and placing my head on his shoulder, his hand dropped to my waist. A thrill coursed through my veins like liquid fire as his fingers traced my skin.

"So what happened to Cardy?"

The moment the words left my lips, I knew I'd made a mistake.

A long silence ensued, the warmth on his face extinguished and replaced by a chill.

He got on his feet.

"Make sure you are ready by dawn tomorrow for your wolf awakening."

He stormed out before I could say anything.

"I shouldn't have reminded him of that." I muttered in remorse.

The awakening ritual was to commence in a few minutes. I was led by hand into a deep cave by a team of my kind; it shocked me how free Omegas lived here; it was nothing like the tyranny in Revlon.

I entered the cave, followed by the gamma. While the others waited outside, I lay on an altar while the gamma carried out all the rituals. It took nearly an hour before I heard a slow movement in my head.

"Dilly," I called out joyfully.

Dilly replied with a joyful twirl. I dashed out of the cave, eager to shift to my wolf form. I closed my eyes and allowed Dilly to take over. It took a longer time than usual, but I eventually shifted. Dilly was so excited, she stretched and started sprinting around. I understood she needed to exercise.

We dashed forward, the wind beating against our chest.

The other pack members looked on with smiles on their faces; they cheered as dilly sprinted on and on; suddenly the cheers faded. I paused and turned around, only to find the surroundings a bit strange. Have I run too far?

I heard some rustling, and I quickly turned towards it.

"How have you been, Mate?" Kaid emerged from behind the trees.