The Alpha's Runaway Daughter

Chapter 3

Cleo

The moment Eric and I parted ways, I hurried toward my bedroom.

My room was on the first floor, tucked away beside the laundry room, far from the bedrooms where everyone else in the packhouse slept.

It had never really felt like a bedroom.

It was too small. Too bare.

A single bed.

A battered wardrobe.

Four walls that had never felt like home.

I had often wondered if, when the house was first built, this tiny room had been nothing more than a sewing room.

Tonight, though, it was the only place I had to gather what little remained of my life.

I grabbed my duffel bag and threw open the wardrobe.

There wasn’t much to take.

A handful of clothes.

Some toiletries.

And the photo album.

I hesitated when I saw it.

The worn album contained photographs of my family from before my mother died. Back when my life had been different.

Back when I still believed the word family meant something.

I shoved it into the bag.

Those photographs were the only pieces of my old life I couldn’t bear to leave behind.

I zipped the bag shut and reached for the door.

Then I stopped.

I was still wearing nothing but Eric’s jacket.

“Damn it.”

I dropped the bag onto my bed and opened it again.

I pulled out a pair of yoga pants, underwear and a top before quickly getting dressed.

Once I was ready, I sat on the edge of my bed with my bag beside me.

And waited.

Every second felt like an eternity.

What if Eric changed his mind?

What if he decided helping me wasn’t worth risking his future?

What if he never came back?

I couldn’t blame him if he did.

My life had become one disaster after another, and anyone who got too close seemed destined to be dragged into it.

I desperately needed to leave this place.

I needed a shower.

I needed clean clothes.

I needed to scrub away the sweat, blood and grime covering my body until there was nothing left of tonight.

But most of all…

I needed to forget.

Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t.

I hadn’t experienced my first shift yet, which meant my wolf couldn’t heal my injuries.

My body would take time to recover.

And my mind?

I had no idea if it ever would.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

I felt broken.

Completely and utterly broken.

A soft knock sounded against my bedroom door.

I jumped.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Then the door opened.

Eric stood there.

A black Nike sports bag hung from his shoulder.

Relief washed through me so quickly that I nearly cried.

He hadn’t left me.

He had come back.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

I nodded.

I stood and grabbed my bag before picking up his jacket and handing it to him.

“Thank you.”

He took it without saying anything.

Then he stepped aside.

I walked past him and into the hallway.

I glanced back at my room.

For years, I’d hated that tiny room.

Tonight, I realized something.

I might never see it again.

And somehow, that thought didn’t hurt.

It felt like freedom.

“I’ll follow you,” I whispered.

Eric nodded.

We walked through the house without making a sound.

Every creak of the floorboards made my heart race.

Every shadow made me wonder if someone was about to step out and stop us.

But nobody did.

We made it outside.

The cool night air hit my face.

I stopped for a moment and breathed it in.

Freedom.

It didn’t feel real yet.

Eric led me toward his truck.

I knew it immediately.

His brand-new dark-blue Chevy Silverado.

He’d received it for his birthday a few months earlier, and I remembered how excited he’d been when he’d been handed the keys.

It had been his pride and joy.

Now he was using it to help me escape.

He opened the back door and placed our bags inside before opening the passenger door for me.

I hesitated.

“Are you sure?”

He frowned.

“What?”

“My back.” I swallowed. “I don’t want to get blood on your seats.”

“Cleo.”

His voice was gentle.

“Get in.”

I did.

He closed the door carefully before walking around to the driver’s side.

Seconds later, the engine roared to life.

Then we were moving.

Away from the packhouse.

Away from my father.

Away from the people who had spent years making me believe I didn’t deserve anything better.

I watched the packhouse disappear in the distance.

The farther we travelled, the easier it became to breathe.

I didn’t realize how tightly I’d been holding my breath until I finally exhaled.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“My grandparents’ place.”

I looked at him.

“They’re part of the Lightning Ridge Pack. They used to be the Betas there. My uncle and aunt are the Betas now.”

My stomach tightened.

“What about the Alpha?”

Eric glanced at me.

“What about him?”

“Will he let us stay?”

Silence filled the truck.

My question had sounded simple.

But it wasn’t.

I had just escaped one pack’s hierarchy.

The thought of putting myself at the mercy of another Alpha terrified me.

I’d trusted my father because he was supposed to protect me.

He was supposed to be incapable of turning against me.

Instead, he’d been the one who had destroyed me.

The highest-ranking members of my pack had failed me.

So why should I trust another Alpha?

Especially when I didn’t know what awaited us at Lightning Ridge.

We drove through the night.

Eventually, darkness began giving way to the faintest hint of dawn.

The sky slowly changed from black to deep blue.

My anxiety returned.

People would be waking soon.

What had happened when the Beta and Gamma returned to the basement?

Had they found me gone?

Had they told my father?

Had an alarm been raised?

Were people already searching for us?

Or had they assumed my father had released me?

I could only hope it was the last one.

Our head start was the only advantage we had.

I looked across at Eric.

“Why are you doing this?”

He glanced at me.

“Doing what?”

“Helping me.”

I swallowed.

“You’re the Beta’s son. You’re supposed to become the future Beta. You have a future waiting for you.”

I shook my head.

“Why would you throw all of that away?”

Eric stared at me as though I had asked the most ridiculous question imaginable.

“Are you serious?”

“What?”

“Your father allowed you to be beaten.”

His jaw tightened.

“Then he left you with my father and the Gamma.”

His hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“My own father was willing to participate in what was happening to you.”

I looked down.

“And your brother stood there and watched.”

His voice hardened.

“And you honestly think I want to be part of that?”

I didn’t answer.

“There is no future for me in a pack like that,” he continued. “Not after what I saw.”

My eyes filled with tears.

“Thank you.”

He looked at me.

“For what?”

“For getting me out.”

He looked almost uncomfortable.

“It’s nothing.”

“No.”

My voice cracked.

“Don’t say that.”

I wiped at my eyes.

“It isn’t nothing, Eric. You saved me.”

He didn’t respond.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the road.

I looked out the window so he wouldn’t see the tears slipping down my cheeks.

But the questions wouldn’t stop.

What would happen when we reached Lightning Ridge?

Would they believe me?

Would they judge me?

Would everyone know what had happened?

Would there be whispers?

Pity?

Disgust?

Would people look at me and see Cleo?

Or would they only see what had been done to me?

And what about men?

Could I ever trust one again?

The thought terrified me.

I’d trusted my father.

Look where that had gotten me.

The only man I trusted now was Eric.

And even that trust was fragile.

I was putting my life in the hands of the Beta’s son.

The same Beta who had betrayed me.

Then another terrifying thought struck me.

“Oh, Goddess…”

Eric glanced at me.

“What?”

“What if the Alpha doesn’t let me stay?”

My voice trembled.

“What if he sends me back?”

“Cleo—”

“What if he does?”

Panic clawed at my chest.

“If I go back there, Eric…”

I couldn’t finish.

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

“I don’t think I could survive it.”

Eric’s expression softened.

“Don’t think about that.”

“But—”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I do.”

His voice was calm but firm.

“You’ve had one hell of a night. Don’t torture yourself over something that hasn’t happened yet.”

I stared at him.

He reached across the centre console, then seemed to think better of touching me.

Instead, he let his hand fall back to the steering wheel.

“I’m here.”

His eyes met mine briefly.

“And I’m not leaving.”

I swallowed.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Something inside my chest loosened.

“We’ll make whatever decisions come next together,” he continued. “You won’t face them alone.”

I nodded slowly.

“Thank you, Eric.”

He gave me a small smile.

“Get some sleep.”

I shook my head.

“You haven’t slept either.”

“I’m fine.”

“So am I.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You’re stubborn.”

“I’ll sleep when you sleep.”

For the first time that night, Eric laughed.

A genuine laugh.

The sound felt strangely out of place after everything we’d just escaped.

“Fine.”

He shook his head.

“We’ll stop at a hotel.”

I smiled faintly.

“Good.”

He turned his attention back to the road.

The sun was beginning to rise ahead of us.

For the first time in my life, I wasn’t watching the sunrise from inside a cage.

I was driving toward something I couldn’t see yet.

A new life.

A new beginning.

Maybe even a future.

But as the first rays of sunlight broke across the horizon, one terrifying question remained buried beneath my fragile hope.

What would happen when the Lightning Ridge Alpha learned exactly who I was—and what had happened to me?