The Alpha's Runaway

Chapter Ten

I ran through the familiar forest, my heart racing. I was late. As soon as I reached the pack house, I found Henry and Jess.

“Where have you been?” Jess hissed, eyes wide with fear, “He’s already not in a good mood.”

“I know. I’m sorry!” I said quickly as we hurried to the backyard, “I don’t know what happened. I lost track of time.”

“That’s not going to matter to him. All he’s going to care about is that you weren’t there.” Henry countered.

The pack was already gathered, and I saw Quinn standing before them, next to Mom and Dad. All three turned to look at us, and I saw Dad’s eyes narrow as he faced away from the pack. I glanced at the crowd, only to see that they disappeared. Dad advanced toward me with a hateful gleam in his eye. Quinn stepped in between us trying to stop him. Dad grabbed him by the collar and threw him aside. I grabbed Jess and Henry, and we turned to run. We stumbled through the trees blindly, and at some point, I lost track of them. Dad suddenly appeared before me and threw me into a tree. He leaned closely and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“You never should have run.” He growled.

I screamed as his hand wrapped around my throat and started to squeeze, lifting me off the ground.

I woke up with a start, my cry fading into the night. Panic gripped me and I struggled to breathe. It felt like every nerve was standing on end. Tears streamed down my face as I gasped for breath. The door swung open, crashing into the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Grant and Henry hurry into the room, looking around wildly. When they realized there was no attacker, Henry started toward me and was stopped by Grant. The two exchanged a few words before Henry left, closing the door behind him. I felt the bed dip as he sat on the edge, reaching toward me. His hand brushed against my arm and I flinched.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He said soothingly, scooting closer to me and pulling me into his arms.

I tried to push him away but it felt like I had no strength. Grant’s scent enveloped me and I slowly stopped shaking. Breathing became easier.

“Are you okay?” He asked once I’d calmed down enough.

“I’m fine.” I answered, my voice wavering, “It was a nightmare. I was back there with my pack. And my father…”

I didn’t explain further and he didn’t ask. Instead, he just pulled me closer and held me as my racing heart slowed. My eyes grew heavy and I slowly fell asleep.

I woke up to Grant pulling me closer, his arm draped over my side and my back pressed against his bare chest. A small sigh escaped me as he brushed aside my hair and planted a kiss just behind my ear. The events from last night came crashing back and I turned to face him.

“Good morning.” He greeted with a small smile, concern shining in his eyes.

“Good morning.” I mumbled tiredly.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded slowly, “I’m okay. Like I said, it was just a nightmare.”

“It must have been pretty bad to cause a panic attack.”

“That’s the first time it’s happened in a long time. I’ll be fine.”

He brushed a lock of hair out of my face.

“What time is it?” I asked.

He looked over his shoulder at the alarm clock. “6:30.”

I sat up abruptly, “Crap! I’m late! I was supposed to meet Viv and Cam to go running!”

Grant gently pulled me back into his arms, “Cam told me you weren’t going running this morning.”

I shook my head, starting to get up again, “He’s being overprotective. I’m fine.”

Grant tightened his grip on me, “No. Stay. They’re already back. Viv’s training already started.”

I sigh, giving up and relaxing in his embrace. I could feel his heart beating, and the steady rhythm soothed me.

Grant inhaled and paused, as if he were about to speak, then exhaled. I propped myself up on my elbow to look at him.

“What is it?” I asked gently.

He looked down, and after a long moment, met my eyes, “Laura, what happened to your father?”

I tensed. I’d forgotten I mentioned him last night, “I don’t want to talk about it.” I said.

He frowned sympathetically, brushing his fingers against my upper arm, “I know it’s hard for you…”

“No, you don’t.” I cut him off, “You have no idea. I know it hurts you that I haven’t told you anything about my past, and I’m sorry for that. I can’t tell you. I am trying to protect you.”

“When will you realize…” He said patiently, caressing my cheek, “The best way for us to protect each other is for you to tell me the truth.”

“Grant…” I sighed, “Please… Trust does not come easily to me.”

I could see the hurt in his eyes before he quickly hid it, “I understand.” He said quietly, leaning closer and pressing a kiss against my forehead.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered as he pulled me closer, feeling my heart break a little knowing I was the cause of his pain.

“Don’t be.”

I walked through the gardens with Selena and Jess, Zeke and McKenzie running ahead. The pups giggled as they darted back and forth between the flowers. Selena and I smiled as we watched them.

“So how did you meet your mate?” I asked, curious.

“I grew up in the Shadow Peak pack. I was just a couple weeks shy of my eighteenth birthday when Alpha Grant’s father paid our pack a visit. My mate was among those guarding Alpha Isaac and Luna Tianna. He recognized who I was immediately. It was love at first sight. Once I turned for the first time and recognized him as my mate, I moved here and we got married within two weeks.” She said dreamily.

“That almost sounds like a fairytale.” Jess commented.

Selena smiled, “When you know, you know. What about you and your mates? How is everything?”

“Complicated. Our lives are no fairytale.”

“Do you love them?”

Jess nodded while I sighed.

“I could… If I let myself.”

“So, what’s stopping you?”

I sighed, “Trust does not come easily for me. I know Grant would never betray me, but I can’t shake the feeling that he might. And I know I’m being irrational and that this feeling has to do with my past and not him, but the feeling is still there. I can’t help it. It’s like it’s hardwired into my brain.” I didn’t know why I was telling Selena all of this.

“It seems like you’re stuck in the past.”

“More like… Haunted…” Jess said quietly.

“Neither of you can change your past, but you can change your present. Don’t let whatever happened or whoever did this to you prevent you from living your life. That’s how they win. Don’t let them.”

‘If only it were that easy…’ I commented through the mindlink.

Jess glanced at me, ‘She’s right, in a way… It might not be as easy as she says, but Grant and Lance need to know. Maybe the first step to letting them in is joining the pack. No more running, Addie.’

Mckenzie and Zeke ran ahead and Selena shouted for them to stay close. We heard them keep running, and Selena sighed.

“I’ll be right back.” She mumbled before running after her pups.

Even with Selena gone, Jess and I continued to use the mindlink.

‘And what if Dad finds us? What then?’

‘There has been no trace of him since we changed our names. We can’t keep living in fear.’

‘The only way to join the pack is on the full moon. That was two days ago.’

‘So we wait until the next full moon. They’re kind of a recurring thing, you know.’ Her mental voice was dripping with sarcasm.

I shot Jess a look, which she returned, ‘Can we discuss this later? With Henry. This is something we all need to decide.’

‘Fine.’ My sister answered curtly.

Selena came back with her pups in hand. Both McKenzie and Zeke had dirt on their hands, clothes, and faces. Our friend excused herself to take her pups home and Jess left with her. I wandered through the garden for a while longer when one of Grant’s guards approached.

“Luna, the Alpha would like to see you in his office.” The guard, Steven, informed me.

“Thank you. I’ll be right there.” I headed straight for the office, wondering why Grant wanted to see me. I knocked and heard him tell me to come in.

“Laura.” He smiled as soon as he saw me.

I walked over to him and he stood, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me gently.

“You wanted to see me?” I asked, sitting on his desk.

“I did. I have something for you.” He said, smiling.

He reached into a cabinet behind him and pulled out a gift. He handed it to me and I looked at him curiously before unwrapping it. I gasped as the paper fell away. I looked up at my mate to see him smiling widely. I set the box on the desk and wrapped my arms around his neck. He laughed, pulling me into his embrace.

“You got me a camera.” I said happily.

“I did.” He grinned, “I remember you told me you loved taking pictures with your friends. I thought it was about time you had your own camera.”

“I love it. Thank you!” I drew him closer, kissing him. I couldn’t believe he remembered such a small detail.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.” He took the camera out of its box and slipped in the memory card. Pulling me toward him, he put his arms around me and turned the camera so the lens was facing us. Snapping a picture, he then set it aside and buried his face in my neck, breathing in my scent.

“I’m sorry about this morning.” I said quietly, “The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I just can’t bear the thought of putting you or your pack in danger.”

“Is that why you’re so hesitant to join the pack?” He asked softly.

I nodded, “I do trust you, Grant. Or, I’m starting to. My issues have nothing to do with you, it has to do with my past. Please, just be patient with me. I’m trying.”

“I know.” He murmured, pulling me closer.

I relaxed against him, silently thanking the Moon goddess for blessing me with such an understanding mate.