The Alpha's pretend mate

chapter 24

KHYRIX

The moment her palm hit the bark, everything vanished from the clearing.

Avelora’s head snapped back, her eyes rolling into her head until only the whites showed. I lunged for her, catching her before her head hit the roots, but she was dead weight. Her skin was scorching, a fever so sudden it felt like she was burning from the inside out.

"Avelora! Drop the connection!" I growled, trying to pry her hand off the tree. It was stuck, as if it was held by a magnetic force

I couldn't break the connection without snapping her wrist.

Then, the air grew thicker.

The scent hit me, the smell of decaying wet fur and the unmistakable smell of a hunter. I stiffened, my own wolf clawing at the walls of my mind.

‘Let me out,’ he screamed.

I gritted my teeth, my vision blurring with a golden tint. "Not now," I hissed through clenched teeth. It was a Full Moon. If I let him out now, with how flimsy my stability was and Avelora unconscious, there was no guarantee I’d be the one to come back.

A low, guttural snarl echoed from the thicket. A massive, mangy rogue stepped into the silver light of the moon. Its eyes were making promises of ruin, its ribs sticking out. It didn't care about the Alpha standing before it, it only saw the defenseless girl tied to the tree.

I had no choice. I couldn't pull her away, and I couldn't fight a rogue in this skin.

I let the barrier in my mind crack. The transformation was an agonizing mess, my bones snapping and reforming in seconds. I didn't let the shift go full, I stayed in that half-state, a monster of muscle and claws, keeping just enough of my human mind to remember who I was protecting.

I needed my wolf to get out of here fast and unnoticed.

I pulled Avelora closer. My wolf's strength made it easy to finally break the bond with the tree. A loud roar came from way closer than I had anticipated. It knew we were there, and it was now hunting us.

I carried Avelora on my shoulder.

'Fight it, you can take it.’

I tried to shut Torin out, but he was clawing into my mind. Every time he suggested something, my body would snap, losing control for a second longer than necessary.

"We need to protect her," I reminded him, but he was bloodthirsty and restless. I had woken him up after putting him to sleep for two days, he wasn't going to listen to a word I had to say.

I could hear the pounding of the rogue's paws against the forest floor. I couldn't lead it to the school. Instead, I turned toward the rocky cliffs behind the forest. There was an entrance there, hidden by vines and ancient enchantments, the Sovereign Underground Cave. It was a place of isolation.

I struggled with the ancient lock, but I got it done. We really needed to change to a more modern security option.

I carried her into the darkness, the bioluminescent moss on the cave walls glowing a faint blue as we passed. I laid her down on the smooth stone dais at the center of the cavern, my heart still hammering against my ribs.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping, my skin itching as I forced the shift back down. I was bleeding from a gash on my shoulder that I had no idea how I'd sustained it, but I didn't care.

If she didn't wake up soon, I was going to lose my mind.

Outside the lock system of the cave, I could hear the rogue. It was clawing at the entrance endlessly, but that was the least of my problems. Avelora was totally out of it. Not even a pulse to confirm she was alive.

"Avelora," I called endlessly, but she was unresponsive. My hands shook as I gripped her. I raised her head off the floor, elevating her chin so I could resuscitate her.

Fuck.

I was never going to allow her to take a step near that tree ever again. Every time she did, it felt like she actually died.

"Avelora," I called again, desperate.

A loud roar vibrated through the cave, sending pebbles falling from the unstable structure. I used my body to shield Avelora's unconscious form.