Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by His enemy

The Attempt

The Attempt

I didn’t wait.

The moment he left, I moved.

My heart was still racing from the conversation, his words echoing in my head but I pushed all of it aside.

This wasn’t complicated.

Stay… or leave.

And I wasn’t staying.

I crossed the room quickly, scanning everything,windows, doors, exits, anything that looked like a weakness.

There had to be one.

No place was perfect.

The main door was guarded. That much I already knew.

Too obvious.

My eyes shifted to the large window at the far end of the room.

Tall. Narrow.

Unlocked.

My pulse quickened.

I moved toward it slowly at first… then faster.

When I reached it, I pushed it open just enough to look outside.

Darkness.

Stone walls.

A drop.

High.

Too high.

I swallowed.

“Still better than staying,” I muttered.

Without giving myself time to think, I climbed up onto the ledge, gripping the edge tightly as I leaned out.

Cold air hit my face instantly.

The ground below looked distant but not impossible.

If I landed wrong, I’d get hurt.

If I stayed…

I didn’t even know what that meant yet.

Choice made.

I swung one leg over.

Then the other.

For a second, I hesitated.

Not out of fear.

But because of that pull.

It tightened suddenly.

Sharp.

Warning.

I ignored it.

“I’m not yours,” I whispered.

And then,I jumped.

The fall was shorter than it looked.

But not soft.

Pain shot up my legs the moment I hit the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs as I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before collapsing completely.

I didn’t stop.

Run.

That was the only thought in my head.

I pushed forward, ignoring the pain, ignoring the weakness still clinging to my body.

The forest wasn’t far.

If I could reach it

“Stop.”

My body froze instantly.

The voice wasn’t loud.

It didn’t need to be.

Slowly…

I turned.

He stood behind me.

Completely still.

Completely calm.

Like he had been there the entire time.

My chest rose and fell rapidly.

“That’s not possible…”

I had just jumped.

Just run.

There was no way

“You’re slower than you think,” he said.

Anger flared through me.

Sharp. Immediate.

“Or maybe you’re just used to controlling everything,” I snapped.

Silence.

Then

He started walking toward me.

No rush.

No urgency.

Which somehow made it worse.

I stepped back.

Once.

Twice.

“You said I could try,” I said quickly. “So I’m trying.”

“I did,” he agreed.

Another step closer.

My pulse spiked.

“And now you’re learning.”

I frowned.

“Learning what?”

He stopped just in front of me.

“That leaving isn’t as simple as deciding to.”

Before I could react,he reached for me.

I moved instantly, trying to pull away but he caught my wrist easily, his grip firm and unyielding.

“Let go of me,” I said, struggling.

He didn’t.

Instead, he pulled me slightly closer.

And then,that pull between us snapped tight.

Stronger than ever before.

A sharp gasp left my lips as something deep inside me reacted violently, like it was being dragged back into place.

“What,what is that?” I whispered, panic creeping in.

His expression didn’t change.

“The bond,” he said simply.

It burned.

Not physically.

But deeper.

Like something inside me refused to move any further away from him.

My strength faltered.

And I hated it.

“I don’t accept this,” I said through clenched teeth.

His grip tightened just slightly.

“You don’t have to accept it,” he replied calmly.

Another step.

Now there was nowhere left to go.

“You just have to live with it.”

I shook my head, trying to pull free again,but it was useless.

“This isn’t fate,” I said. “This is control.”

That word again.

This time, his eyes darkened slightly.

“Everything is control,” he said.

The forest loomed just behind me.

Freedom.

So close.

And yet,I couldn't reach it.

Because of him.

Because of this.

Because of something I didn’t understand.

Frustration burned through me.

Hot. Sharp. Unrelenting.

“I won’t stop trying,” I said, my voice steady despite everything.

That got his attention.

A pause.

Then,a faint, almost approving look crossed his face.

“I expect you won’t.”

The words caught me off guard.

And before I could react, he pulled me back toward him.

Not gently.

Not roughly.

Just… decisively.

The world shifted again as that connection tightened, forcing my body to respond in ways I couldn’t control.

And for the first time…

I realized something terrifying.

This wasn’t just a physical prison.

It was something deeper.

Something that wouldn’t let me go