THE ALPHA'S DEADLY PROMISE

Run

Chapter 3: Run

‎Rose didn't sleep.

‎She lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling, watching shadows shift as the moon moved across the sky. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the woman's face. Heard her begging. Watched Johnson's hand move to the knife.

‎And beneath it all, the bond pulsed like a living thing.

‎It had been hours since their encounter in the hallway, but Rose could still feel the ghost of his touch on her wrist. Her skin burned where he'd grabbed her, not with pain but with awareness. Her wolf paced restlessly, wanting more. Wanting him.

‎Rose rolled onto her side and pulled the blanket tighter around herself, but it didn't help. Nothing helped. The bond was there, constant and demanding, a connection she couldn't sever no matter how desperately she wanted to.

‎Dawn was still three hours away.

‎She couldn't do this. Couldn't meet him. Couldn't sit across from a murderer and pretend they were going to "talk" like the bond between them made everything okay.

‎But what choice did she have?

‎Rose sat up, pressing her hands against her face. Her thoughts were spinning too fast, crashing into each other. She needed to think clearly, needed to figure out what to do. But the bond made it impossible. Every time she tried to form a plan, her wolf pushed back, insisting that the only solution was to go to Johnson. To accept him. To submit.

‎"No," Rose whispered into the darkness.

‎She threw off the blanket and stood. Her legs were shaky, her body exhausted from fighting the bond all night, but she couldn't stay here. Couldn't wait for dawn and whatever Johnson had planned.

‎She needed to run.

‎Rose dressed quickly in the dark—jeans, a shirt, her worn hiking boots. She grabbed her jacket and her phone, shoving them into a small backpack. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely zip it closed.

‎Where would she go? She couldn't leave pack territory permanently, not without Alpha Paul's permission. And even if she tried, Johnson would come after her. The bond would lead him straight to her, no matter how far she ran.

‎But maybe she could buy herself time. Time to think. Time to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

‎Rose slipped out of her room and moved through the dark hallway on silent feet. The pack house was quiet this late, most wolves already asleep. She made it down the back stairs without seeing anyone.

‎The night air hit her face as she stepped outside, cool and sharp. Above, the moon was waning but still bright enough to see by. Rose pulled her jacket tighter and started walking toward the tree line.

‎She made it fifty feet before the bond yanked hard, stopping her in her tracks.

‎Rose gasped, one hand flying to her chest. The sensation was like a rope pulling taut, physical and undeniable. Her wolf whined in distress, confused by the conflicting commands—run away, go back, run away, go back.

‎Johnson was awake. She could feel it through the bond, could sense his awareness sharpening as if he'd just realized what she was doing.

‎"No," Rose said through gritted teeth. She forced herself to keep walking. "I'm not doing this."

‎The bond pulled harder.

‎Pain bloomed in her chest, radiating outward. It wasn't the searing agony of rejection, but it hurt enough to make her stumble. Her wolf was howling now, begging her to turn around, to go to him.

‎Rose broke into a run.

‎She hit the forest at full speed, crashing through underbrush and dodging between trees. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. But she didn't stop.

‎Behind her, she felt the exact moment Johnson started moving.

‎The bond lit up like fire, tracking him as he left wherever he'd been and started after her. He was fast. Faster than she was. And the bond was guiding him to her like a beacon.

‎Rose pushed herself harder, her legs burning with effort. She knew this forest better than most—had spent her childhood exploring every trail and hidden path. If she could just get far enough ahead, maybe she could find somewhere to hide. Somewhere to catch her breath and think.

‎The sound of footsteps behind her shattered that hope.

‎He was close. Too close.

‎Rose veered left, heading for a dense thicket she knew would slow him down. Branches tore at her clothes and scratched her face, but she pushed through. On the other side was a ravine, steep but climbable. If she could make it down and across the creek at the bottom—

‎A hand grabbed the back of her jacket and yanked her backward.

‎Rose's feet left the ground. She hit something solid—Johnson's chest—and then he was spinning her around, his hands gripping her shoulders. They were both breathing hard, faces inches apart.

‎"What the hell are you doing?" Johnson's voice was rough, almost a growl.

‎"Let go of me!" Rose tried to twist away, but his grip was iron.

‎"You're going to get yourself killed running blind through the forest at night."

‎"I'll take my chances."

‎Johnson's eyes flashed. Even in the darkness, she could see the gold beginning to bleed through the black as his wolf pushed closer to the surface. "You think you can outrun me? Outrun the bond?"

‎"I have to try!" The words came out desperate, broken. Rose's chest was heaving, and she wasn't sure if it was from running or from being this close to him. The bond was singing now that they were together, flooding her system with relief and want.

‎She hated it.

‎Johnson stared at her, and something in his expression shifted. The anger faded, replaced by something that looked almost like understanding. His grip on her shoulders loosened slightly.

‎"I know you're scared," he said quietly.

‎"I'm not scared of you." The lie was obvious, but Rose forced herself to meet his eyes. "I'm disgusted by you."

‎She saw the hit land. Johnson's jaw tightened, and for a moment she thought he might let her go. But then his expression hardened back into stone.

‎"That woman you saw in the clearing—"

‎"Don't." Rose shook her head violently. "Don't try to justify it. I heard her begging. She was innocent."

‎"You don't know that."

‎"I know what I saw!"

‎"You saw an execution." Johnson's voice was flat, emotionless. "I was following orders."

‎"She had a daughter." Rose's voice cracked. "She said she had a three-year-old daughter, and you killed her anyway."

‎Something flickered across Johnson's face—too quick to catch, but it was there. Doubt, maybe. Or guilt.

‎But when he spoke, his voice was steady. "I don't get to question my orders, Rose. That's not how this works."

‎"Then you're a coward."

‎Johnson's hands dropped from her shoulders like she'd burned him. He took a step back, and the sudden loss of contact made Rose's wolf whimper. The bond stretched between them, unhappy with the distance.

‎"You think I don't know what I am?" Johnson's voice was low, dangerous. "You think I need you to tell me?"

‎Rose wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold together. "I can't be bound to someone like you. I can't."

‎"You don't have a choice."

‎"There's always a choice." Rose met his eyes. "I can reject the bond."

‎Johnson moved so fast she didn't see it coming. One moment he was three feet away, the next he had her pinned against a tree, his forearm braced above her head. His face was inches from hers, and his eyes were pure gold now.

‎"If you reject this bond," he said, each word precise and controlled, "it will tear you apart from the inside out. Your wolf will go feral. You'll lose your mind before you die."

‎"Maybe that's better than this."

‎"No." The word came out like a command. "You don't get to give up. You don't get to take the easy way out and leave me to—" He stopped abruptly, as if he'd said too much.

‎Rose stared at him. "Leave you to what?"

‎Johnson's jaw worked, and she could see the war happening behind his eyes. Finally, he said, "The bond goes both ways, Rose. If you reject it, we both suffer. We both die."

‎"You're lying."

‎"I'm not." He leaned closer, and Rose could smell him—pine and earth and something uniquely him. "I've seen it happen. Watched a mated pair try to reject their bond because they thought they couldn't stand each other. It took three weeks. They spent every day in agony, their wolves tearing them apart from the inside, until finally their hearts just stopped."

‎Rose's breath caught. She'd heard the stories, but she'd always thought they were exaggerated. Cautionary tales to keep wolves from trying something dangerous.

‎But looking into Johnson's eyes, she knew he was telling the truth.

‎"So I'm trapped," she whispered.

‎"We both are." Johnson's voice was quieter now, almost gentle. He pulled back slightly, giving her space to breathe. "But it doesn't have to be like this. If we work together—"

‎"Work together to what? Pretend you're not a murderer?"

‎"To survive this." Johnson ran a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding through his controlled exterior. "I know you hate me right now. I know you can't stand to look at me. But the bond isn't going away, Rose. We can either fight it and destroy ourselves, or we can find a way to coexist."

‎"Coexist." The word tasted like ash.

‎"Meet me at dawn. Like I said." Johnson took another step back, putting more distance between them. "We'll figure this out. Set boundaries. Find a way to manage the bond without—" He gestured vaguely between them. "Without this."

‎Rose wanted to say no. Wanted to tell him to go to hell and find another way out of this nightmare.

‎But the bond was already pulling at her, dissatisfied with the space between them. And she could feel the truth of his words. Fighting the bond would destroy them both.

‎She was trapped.

‎"Fine," Rose said, her voice hollow. "Dawn. North border."

‎Johnson nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead he just turned and walked away. Within seconds, he'd disappeared into the trees.

‎But Rose could still feel him. Could feel the bond tracking his movement, counting the distance between them.

‎She sank down against the tree and pulled her knees to her chest.

‎The forest was silent around her, but inside her head, her wolf was screaming.

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