Outrunning The Alpha

Chapter 3

Lyra

I staggered back, holding my hands out in front of me, still trying to understand what was wrong with me.

Suddenly, the crunch of heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness behind me.

I whipped around, my breath catching in my throat as three massive gray wolves stepped out from the dense timber, their golden eyes locked onto me.

"Look at what the rain washed up," the lead wolf growled through the mind-link. "The broken Crescent girl. Julian said you wouldn't make it an hour, but here you are, bleeding on our rocks."

The second wolf bared its teeth. "He ordered us to bring you back if we found you."

My stomach tightened.

Even after banishing me, Julian had sent people after me.

I didn't back away.

The strange energy from earlier suddenly surged through my body again. Violet-black shadows spilled from beneath my boots, twisting around my ankles like living smoke.

Whatever was happening to me, it wasn't stopping, and I wouldn't allow these animals to have their way with me.

I was a runner.

I'd spent my entire life learning how to move faster than everyone expected. I wasn't going to become someone's prey tonight.

The two wolves lunged at me simultaneously, their jaws snapping in the dark air.

The moment my foot planted on the obsidian stone, a burst of liquid shadow erupted beneath my soles. I vanished into a blur of speed, leaving behind a phantom trail of purple-rimmed smoke.

The lead wolf snapped at empty air, crashing hard into the dirt.

Before it could recover, I appeared at its flank. My hand shot out, wrapping around the back of its thick neck. The dark energy coating my skin surged into the beast, instantly paralyzing its muscles. With a hard, physical shove, I slammed it aside.

The remaining two wolves skidded to a halt, their ears pinned back in pure, instinctual horror.

"What... what are you?" the second wolf whimpered, backing away as its tail tucked tightly between its legs.

"I am the one you should have left alone," I rasped, my voice vibrating with a terrifying, layered depth. "Now get the f**k out."

The two wolves didn't need to hear another word. They turned and ran off into the dense timber, scrambling down the mountain in absolute terror.

Silence returned to the high ridge.

Only after they disappeared did the reality of what happened finally crash into me. The violet energy suddenly evaporated from my hands, leaving me completely hollow. A wave of profound, crushing weakness hit me like a physical blow.

My knees buckled. I fell back onto the cold ground, my chest heaving violently as I struggled to breathe.

I stared down at my trembling hands. The skin was pale, and my vision started to blur at the edges.

What's wrong with me?

Before I could find an answer, a strange, suffocating aura filled the damp air. The pressure was so heavy it made the hairs on my arms stand up. I tried to push myself up, tried to make sense of what that dark energy was, but I was just too tired.

Fear pricked at my chest. Are they still coming back to hunt me? What the hell have I done to deserve this?

Hot, frustrated tears threatened to spill over my eyelids. I had lost my mate, my family, and my home. Now, I couldn't even die in peace on a restricted ridge.

"Impressive," a deep voice purred from the shadows of the high canopy above.

My breath hitched. I slowly lifted my heavy head to see a tall, powerful silhouette dropping silently from a pine branch onto the rocky ledge.

He exuded a massive, commanding Alpha status. He stood perfectly still, staring down at me as if he already owned the mountain. Two long strands of dark hair fell loosely across his face, framing features that looked like they were carved from granite. His eyes were dark, piercing, and completely unreadable.

I bared my teeth, gripping a sharp stone in the mud. "Who the hell are you? Are you here to hurt me too?"

The stranger tilted his head, a subtle shift in his posture showing his amusement.

"This is interesting," he murmured. "You really don't know who I am?"

"I don't care what you are," I spat, my voice cracking from the raw exhaustion. I forced my battered body to slide back against a boulder, keeping my eyes locked on him. "And don't bother thinking you've found an easy kill. I'll fight to the death with you."

The man let out a soft, low laugh. It wasn't mocking; it was intrigued.

Slowly, he reached up and lowered his dark hood, revealing a rugged, striking jawline, dark untamed hair, and piercing, storm-gray eyes that locked onto mine with intense focus.

Alpha Torin Sterling.

My heart stopped. This was the most ruthless, feared Alpha in the entire territory, and Julian Vance's most dangerous rival on the professional racing circuit.

"I've been monitoring the ridge's magnetic fields for the past hour," Torin said, taking a deliberate step toward me. His dark Alpha aura pressed against the edges of the air between us.

His gaze dropped briefly to the violet traces still clinging to my fingers.

"I came here expecting to find whatever was causing the disturbance."

His eyes returned to mine.

"Then I found you."

I held my breath, refusing to look down even as his power pressed against my chest.

Torin's gray eyes flashed with a dark, promise-filled intensity. He extended a dark, leather-gloved hand toward me.

"I came here to offer you a contract," Torin said softly, his voice slicing through the cold wind. "You want revenge on Julian Vance and the Silver Fangs. I want to burn their empire to the ground. Let me train you."