The Alpha's Daughter

Chapter 15: On the Run

It has been about three weeks since I left the Black Mountain Pack. I am exhausted from running. The imminent threat of having to cover my tracks constantly is making me paranoid in a way I never imagined. It took me two weeks of research to find out where I could find Alpha Kaleb Black. From everything I have heard, I am actually afraid to meet him. He seems to generate a great deal of respect, and the wolves who have heard of him are more concerned with going against him than helping Alpha Rex track me down. It was much harder to gather information on the run, especially since I couldn't simply ask another pack for help. Any pack I came to has the potential of handing me directly over to Alpha Rex since I left the pack without his permission or informing him of where I was going. Who knew what story he was putting out there to gain sympathy for his mission to find me? One thing is certain, nearly a month later, and he still has trackers after me.

The stress of being on the run has really getting to me. I feel like I spend a lot of time looking over my shoulder. Sometimes I feel as if I am being watched, but that sounds ridiculous. If someone knew where I was, they would have captured me already. I'm not sure if I really want to be caught or if I want to find Kaleb and escape. Could there have been another option for me in the Black Mountain Pack? Did I give up too easily? Was Saphira right when she called me a pretty face but a coward? No doubt, Victor’s pride at being the best tracker will keep him from giving up.

My feet are tired from constant running. I am sure Victor will find me before I ever meet up with Kaleb at this rate. According to my calculations, I am still about three days away from Kaleb’s pack. Victor has almost caught me twice. The last time he missed me by mere minutes was when I boarded a bus and headed West. I happened to glance out the window of the bus and caught his wolf in the woods as we rolled out of town. That was way too close! If he gets that close again, he will catch me for sure.

On my journey, I had been alternating between running in wolf form at night and traveling as a human by bus during the day. This allowed me to sleep a few hours during the day. It was very exhausting. At night, I run as far as I possibly can; then cry myself to sleep. Three weeks ago, I was Alpha’s daughter, a top warrior, a girl ready to find her mate, and become Luna; now I am none of those things. Now I am nothing. I am basically a rogue.

It was colder tonight; the wind was whipping through the trees. The moon shone brightly in the sky. It was a perfect night to light my path, not that I needed much help with that in my wolf’s form. Up ahead, I could sense trouble. I heard a woman screaming in the distance, but I could not see where she was. I heard the fight transpiring long before I saw it. Growls were being carried along by wind along with yelling and screaming. As I sneaked closer, I saw a woman put down a crying baby before shifting to attack a rogue wolf. I noticed two other wolves, which looked dead, and as I came within charging distance, the two other wolves were battling. The female was struggling to hold her own. I wanted to help her, but as she saw me, the rogue took the distraction to snap her neck. He then focused his bloodshot eyes on me. He was no match for my wolf. As soon as he charged me, I sank my canines into his neck, ripping out his throat and throwing his dead body to the ground. After scanning the area around me to make certain there were no more rogues, I stared at the lifeless wolves in front of me. It was not my first kill, but it was the quickest. I suppose Max's dirty play was beneficial in some way. I did not think I could have been this ruthless if he had not prepared me for it.

Once I was entirely sure it was safe, I shifted and ran over to where the woman lay the baby down. The baby boy stopped crying instantly when I picked him up. He had the most beautiful blue eyes that sparkled in the moonlight, complemented by bright blond hair. I loved him instantly, and all of a sudden, a thought popped into my head. Victor would have been so happy to have a son, but I had to push that thought out of my head now. Victor would never be mine. As the baby played with my pointer finger, he babbled, and I smiled. “I will call you Valentine, my little pup. I will protect you from harm. I can see you have no family left, do you? Like me, you are all alone.” He started to cry, which made me tear up as I held him close to my chest, as I worked at soothing him.

Once I calmed Valentine down, I examined his father for injury because I could not see an obvious cause of death. I felt his throat for a pulse to be sure he was dead. When I felt no heartbeat, I started to push up off the ground, and I noticed something pink sticking out underneath him, which caught my attention. I placed the now-sleeping Valentine on the ground and rolled the father over. Underneath him, somehow protected by a small trench, was a vibrant baby girl who looked up at me with a huge smile on her face. She had beautiful curly hair that was so red it looked as though it was on fire, and bright green eyes. She held up her hands to me and stole my heart away with just one look. I shook my head and laughed out loud; it was already complicated to be on the run by myself, let alone to be on the run with two small children. I could not leave them here in the woods by themselves to die. I had no choice but to take them with me. Picking her up, I smiled, “You are a pretty little girl, Valentina, now let's get your brother and get out of these woods.”

I used their blankets to help secure their small bodies to me. I would have to stay in human form now for the night and figure out how to make this journey work. Since it was too cold to spend the night in the woods with the babies, I had to find the nearest town. I kept walking until I came upon a small town called River Falls. It looked like a small community, but at least it had a hotel, and that is all I needed for tonight. I paid for a room and discreetly walked inside with the babies. When I entered the hotel room, it was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I unstrapped the babies and laid them on the bed, double-checking I had remembered to lock the door. Then I headed to the bathroom. I was in desperate need of a shower. Coming out of the shower, I watched the twins sleep for a few minutes before curling up with them and letting sleep take over.

In the morning, I was awakened by their wailing. They were no doubt hungry. What was I to do? I have nothing here to feed them. I am not even sure if there was a*****e in River Falls; already, I was failing at being their mother. I cried in frustration and tried to shush them while I considered what to do next.