THE ALPHA'S PROTECTION

Chapter 5: Dangerous Truths

The attack had changed everything. The fear was still there, lurking in the background, a constant, but now overwhelmed by a new, burning sensation: distrust. Axel's refuge, his authority… was it all a sham? Was I merely a pawn in some much darker game than I could ever have conceived of?

That I had been stalked raised new, unsettling questions. Who pursued me? And why? The answers, I surmised, were in the center of the pack.

Kael, all injured so grievously, came to my doorstep hours later. He was white, spent, but his rage still smoldered in his eyes. He appeared here to battle.

"You have to leave," he panted, his breathing low. "Axel can't find out that I am here."

"Why?" I spoke harshly, my voice strangled. The memory of the ferocious fight still fresh in my mind.

He glanced around nervously, as though to check that there were no eavesdroppers. "He is not what you think he is, Zoe."

His words coincided with my growing suspicion.

"What do you mean?"

"I ought to have explained that from the beginning," he gasped, close to me. "He's not protecting you, he's taking advantage of you."

He was explaining to me that Axel was taking advantage of the police in the criminal activity, the job setup. That Zoe was a witness, she was not a significant witness to something insignificant. She had learned something, something that would destroy Axel's power.

He was saying he was a liar.

"He used the police. He planted the evidence. You're here because… because he needs you to shut up."

"Shut up about what?" I demanded.

"The Silver Fang pack," he said quietly. "They're not the enemy. Axel is." He breathed in, his words strained with tension. "He's in something, something bad. Something illicit. Something that'll get you killed."

His words struck a chord. "What is it?"

"I don't know I can tell you. Not yet. Not here," he said, glancing back over his shoulder anxiously. "But you need to get out of here, Zoe. Before it's too late."

"And you?"

He looked at me, a glimmer of something – perhaps regret, perhaps hope – in his eyes. "I've got problems of my own. But I can get you out of here."

"How?"

"I've cached a few things, a few plans," snarled Kael, shifting. "I know the compound. I know the roads. I can pull you out. Tonight."

He stopped. "But you must believe me. You must believe that I'm being honest."

I looked at him, at the tiredness etched on his face, at the terror that actually was there. His actions and words were telling me something other than I had been taught to believe. It was a dangerous decision.

Then, I made my choice.

I had made my decision. I had witnessed death, I had witnessed betrayal, I had witnessed imprisonment. I knew the risk that I was taking, and I had to have faith.

"Oh," I breathed, barely above a whisper. "I believe you."

Bam. There was a knocking at the door. Axel. I could tell that he was standing directly behind it. Kael disappeared into a cloud of smoke, off who knows where.

Axel burst in, his eyes blazing with fury and possession. He loomed over me, his footing confident, his voice a growl.

"What have you been doing?" he growled, the question in itself a threatening one.

"I've been waiting," I replied, standing firm and locking eyes with him. "For answers."

His face hardened. "Answers to what?"

"To why I'm here," I snapped, my own confidence increasing. "And why you're holding me."

His eyes grew tight. "You are safe with me. That is all that matters."

"I don't think I think that anymore," I said. "Are you trying to silence me, or keep me safe?"

He edged closer, his eyes locked on mine. He touched my jaw, his fingers tracing the outline of my skin.

"You are mine now, no matter what."

His touch was a brand, a declaration, and a lethal warning. I was shocked, but I never backed down.

"We'll see about that," I panted, my voice shrouded in defiance.

The next few hours were a blur of preparation. The plan was set.

We were going to escape.

Okay, here are chapters 6-9 of "The Alpha's Protection," w*******l format and dominant male, vulnerable female, and escalating stakes.