The Alpha's Hidden Heir

Chapter2

THE ALPHA'S PRIZED MOTORCYCLE

CHLOE'S POV

I stared at the pregnancy test for so long that my eyes began to sting. Two pink lines. There was no mistaking what they meant, yet I kept turning the little plastic stick in my hands as though a different answer might appear if I looked hard enough.

I was pregnant. Darius's child was growing inside me, and he had just announced to the world that another woman was carrying his pup.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. If someone had told me that morning that my life would fall apart before midnight, I would have called them a liar. I had spent years believing Darius and I were building something unbreakable. Now, I wasn't even certain I wanted to remain in the same territory as him.

My first instinct was to tell him. Despite everything that had happened, a small part of me still hoped the news would change something between us. Perhaps he would finally understand how deeply he had hurt me. Perhaps knowing that I was carrying his child would remind him that he already had a future with me.

But the memory of his expression in the clubhouse stopped me.

This isn't about your opinion. It's about the survival of Ironfang.

I pressed a hand against my stomach. I didn't know what kind of mother I would become, but I knew one thing with absolute certainty. My child would never grow up believing that love meant accepting humiliation simply because the person hurting you was powerful.

If Darius wanted to prioritize the pack, he could do so without me.

I washed my face, changed out of my clothes, and began thinking through my options. Leaving Ironfang wouldn't be easy. As the Alpha's chosen mate, I had access to resources that could help me survive, but using them would immediately alert Darius to my plans. I couldn't risk him discovering my pregnancy before I was ready to decide what to do.

I packed a small bag with a few clothes, my identification, some cash, and the personal belongings I couldn't bear to leave behind. I avoided anything that belonged to the pack, knowing that Darius would have every excuse to track me if I took money or property he considered his and that left me with one problem.

I had no vehicle. I could borrow one from a pack member, but the moment Darius discovered I was gone, he would question everyone who had helped me. Besides, I knew the territory well enough to understand that the main roads would be monitored by morning.

Then I remembered the motorcycle. Darius's prized black motorcycle sat in the private garage behind the clubhouse. It was a custom-built machine he had owned long before he became president of the Black Howl MC. He spent hours maintaining it himself and barely tolerated anyone touching it without permission. I had once joked that he loved that motorcycle almost as much as he loved me.

His response had been to pull me onto his lap and kiss me until I forgot what we had been arguing about. The memory made my chest ache so I pushed it aside.

If I was going to leave, I needed something reliable, and his motorcycle was my best option besides, after what he had done, I wasn't particularly concerned about protecting his feelings.

I waited until the clubhouse quieted before slipping outside with my bag. The night air was cold against my skin, and every passing shadow made me wonder whether someone had noticed me. I kept my head down as I approached the garage, praying that the guards would be occupied elsewhere.

Fortunately, the side entrance was unlocked. Inside, the motorcycle stood beneath the overhead lights, its polished black body gleaming. I had always admired it, although Darius had made it clear that nobody was allowed to ride it without his permission.

"Well," I murmured, approaching the machine, "looks like we're both leaving tonight."

My hands shook as I reached for the keys hanging inside the small cabinet beside the workbench. I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether I was making a terrible mistake. Taking the motorcycle would guarantee that Darius would be furious when he discovered my disappearance.

But I was already leaving the only home I had known for years. I couldn't afford to let fear make my decisions for me.

I secured my bag, checked the motorcycle, and climbed onto the seat. The engine roared to life, and I winced at the noise, glancing toward the garage entrance.

I eased the motorcycle outside and headed toward the northern road, avoiding the main gate. I knew a narrow service route that ran along the edge of Ironfang territory before connecting to a highway leading toward the human settlements. It wasn't the safest road, but it would get me away from the pack without passing through the main checkpoint.

As the clubhouse disappeared behind me, I felt the mate bond tighten painfully in my chest. Darius was still awake.

I could feel his presence somewhere behind me, a distant pull that made every instinct in my body want to turn around. My wolf whined, confused by my decision to leave our mate, but I refused to listen.

The bond might connect us, but it didn't give him ownership of my life.

I continued riding until the familiar territory markers disappeared behind me. Only then did I pull over beside an abandoned gas station and take out my phone.

There were already three missed calls from Darius. A message appeared before I could decide whether to turn the phone off.

DARIUS: Where are you? I stared at the screen without responding.

Another message arrived. DARIUS: Chloe, answer me.

I switched off the phone and slipped it into my bag. I couldn't afford to let his voice weaken my resolve. If I answered, he would demand an explanation, and I wasn't ready to give him one.

I climbed back onto the motorcycle and continued toward the highway.

By sunrise, I had crossed far enough into the human world that the Ironfang patrols would have difficulty tracking me without attracting attention.

I stopped at a small roadside diner, bought a bottle of water, and used the restroom to wash my face. My reflection looked pale and exhausted, but there was something else in my eyes that I hadn't seen before.

I didn't know where I would end up, how I would support myself, or whether I could raise a child alone. All I knew was that I couldn't return to a place where my future had already been decided without my consent.

I rested a hand on my stomach. "You and me," I whispered. "We'll figure it out." I allowed myself to imagine a future that didn't include Darius and it frightened me, but it also gave me hope.

I was about to start the motorcycle again when I remembered my phone. Curiosity got the better of me, and I switched it on long enough to check whether anyone else had contacted me.

The screen immediately filled with notifications. Missed calls. Messages. A string of increasingly angry texts from Darius.

Then one final message appeared.

DARIUS: I've checked your quarters. Your belongings are gone, and so is my motorcycle. You have until tonight to tell me where you are. I swallowed hard and soon,another message followed.

DARIUS: If you think you can disappear with what belongs to me, you've made a very dangerous mistake.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

What belongs to him.

Apparently, even after everything, he still couldn't understand that I was a person, not another possession he could demand back.

I deleted the messages and switched off the phone again,then I tucked it away, started the engine, and pulled onto the highway.

As I crossed into unfamiliar territory, I glanced at the emptyroad ahead and whispered a promise to my unborn child. "Your father will never find us.”