The Alpha's Runaway

Chapter Eleven

That night, after training, we finally gathered at the obstacle course for the challenge.

Grant went over the rules once more, and when he finished, Henry and I stepped forward.

“I, Laura Daniels, future Luna of the Silver Woods pack, accept the challenge.”

“I, Cameron Daniels, accept the challenge.”

Grant nodded as he, Lance, and Charlie removed their shirts and took their places on the field, “Ladies first.”

“I need you two to stand far enough away that we can’t mindlink.” I told Jess and Henry, “I’m testing a theory, and if I’m right, I don’t want anything interfering with this challenge.”

Both of them nodded before stepping back. Stepping to the edge of the obstacle course, I met Grant’s eyes and smiled, “Don’t hold back.”

He smirked and I ran toward them, sidestepping and catching his arm as he threw a punch. Using his own momentum, I flipped Grant onto the ground. Immediately, I was next to Charlie, elbowing him as hard as I could and shoving him away, causing him to stumble and fall into Grant. Lance approached cautiously. He shifted his weight, and I immediately ducked as he attempted a roundhouse kick. Sweeping his legs out from under him, I punched him in the face before I took off running. I could hear the guys chasing after me, but before they could catch up, I’d crossed the line and reached the first obstacle.

I scrambled up the eight-foot wall quickly, then jumped to the six-foot tall balance beam. Weights swung across my path, and I dodged each one, timing my movements perfectly. I grabbed the fifty pound backpack and rope, then swung across a mud-filled trench. Landing lightly on the other side, I grabbed the next rope and began climbing. When I reached the top, I hopped onto the platform and began the final obstacle. I leapt from platform to platform, clearing the first two easily. As I ran across the third platform, I shrugged off the backpack and threw it across the gap then jumped, shifting into my wolf midair. Landing on all fours, I scooped up the backpack in my jaw without stopping before leaping across once more. On the last platform, I dropped the backpack and grabbed the ring, then ran down the ramp toward the finish line.

The guys had already shifted, and I dodged Grant and Lance. Charlie charged at me, and when I jumped over him, Grant slammed into my side.

My breath left me and I landed hard. I gasped, drawing air into my lungs before climbing to my feet and finding myself surrounded by all three wolves. My mate looked particularly smug. I growled lightly at him, and he huffed, watching me with amusement.

I launched myself at him, taking him down. Lance pounced toward me and I rolled out of the way. Running toward Charlie, I acted as though I would attempt to jump over him again. When he leapt up to meet me, I quickly changed directions and shot across the finish line.

The gathered crowd cheered as the four of us shifted back into humans and quickly clothed ourselves. Gwen and Jess ran up to me, absolutely giddy.

“You beat Grant’s record by three minutes!” Gwen practically screamed.

I laughed, hugging her back when she threw her arms around me.

“You made that look easy.” Grant sounded slightly miffed, but when I looked at him, pride shone in his beautiful blue eyes.

I smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, “The challenge was to get past you three, not defeat you. Combined, you were stronger, but I was faster.”

He grinned, and I turned to a smiling Henry, “Your turn. You ready?”

“I was born ready.” He grinned before the course was reset and he took his place on the field.

Jess and I backed out of range and his time started. Henry charged forward, spending a bit too much time fighting with Grant, Lance, and Charlie before reaching the first obstacle. He breezed through the obstacles and skirted around the three wolves to cross the finish line. He beat Grant’s time by thirty seconds.

“I think you just took my place in future challenges.” Charlie grinned, clapping me on the back.

“I don’t know about that.” I brushed him off modestly.

“I think he’s right. Challengers must get past the three strongest warriors in the pack.” Grant said, “Sorry, Charlie.”

“I’m not part of the pack.” I shrugged.

“Yet.” Lance chimed in, “It’s only a matter of time.”

“Well until that time comes, Charlie is still in the top three.”

The guys let the topic drop and we all headed back to the packhouse. After a quick shower, we joined the rest of the pack for dinner, then retreated back to our rooms. I didn’t know where Grant was, so I grabbed the camera he gave me and headed back outside. The gibbous moon illuminated the clearing and I adjusted the settings on the camera for night photography. I took a few test shots before backing far enough away to capture the packhouse surrounded by trees, with the moon and stars in the background. Pleased with the outcome, I walked around to the back and continued taking pictures. Eventually, I ended up on the grassy expanse behind the playground, laying on my back and sorting through the photos, deleting the ones I didn’t like.

Footsteps drew my attention away from the camera, and I looked up to see Grant walking toward me. He smiled before laying down next to me, his head next to mine.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Sorting through pictures.” I told him.

“Can I see?”

I handed him the camera and he started shifting through them. After the picture of the packhouse was the moon reflected in the pool, the path leading to the garden, the silhouette of the surrounding forest with the moon and the stars above, and countless others. The last was just a picture of the sky.

“These look amazing! You have a great eye for this kind of stuff.” He commented.

“Thanks.” I said, placing the camera down and gazing up at the night sky, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this many stars.”

“This is a good place for stargazing. The packhouse and surrounding houses don’t give off too much light, and we’re far enough from town that there’s no light pollution. There’s this one spot, though. I’ll have to show you sometime. You have a perfect view of the night sky as well as the town and the ocean.”

“How did you find it?” I asked.

“I was just out on a run and went further than I thought.” He shrugged before sitting up, “Come on. It’s late. We should get some sleep.”

Grant helped me to my feet and we walked back to our rooms hand in hand. He kissed me good night and I shut the door between us. Setting the camera on my desk, I quickly got ready for bed. After getting under the covers, I remembered I needed to talk to Henry.

‘Are you still awake?’ I asked, mindlinking him.

‘Yeah. Is everything okay?’ Concern colored his tone.

‘Everything’s fine. I just wanted to talk.’

‘Okay? What did you want to talk about?’

‘Everything. A lot’s happened in the last few weeks. We never thought we would be in this position.’

‘I know. But is it such a bad thing? For the first time ever, you and Jess are happy.’

‘What about you? You deserve happiness too.’

‘I am happy. Or, as happy as I can be. I feel… settled. For the first time in my life, I can see myself finding my mate and settling down. I feel like I don’t have to constantly look over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop.’

‘Does this mean you want to stay?’ I asked apprehensively.

‘Yes. Don’t you?’ He seemed surprised at my tone.

‘Of course I do. Grant is here. Jess’ mate is here. We’ve made friends. It just… a part of me keeps wondering if it’ll last.’

‘Addie, we haven’t seen or heard anything from Dad since we changed our names. He’s lost our trail. He would have found us by now if he hadn’t.’

‘I know. Logically, I know that.’

‘So what’s the problem? You’re not one to be ruled by emotion. That’s Jess’ thing.’

‘The mating bond is affecting both me and Jess. I can’t tell if staying here is the logical thing to do, or if I’m being too emotional. Ultimately, I’m going to do what I need to in order to keep us safe, but whatever happens, I want to face it with Grant by my side. I’m tired of running.’ I could feel the weariness in my bones as I said the words.

‘So let’s stop running. You and Grant are stronger together. We don’t have to fight alone anymore.’ He said matter-of-factly.

‘I’ll never forgive myself if he gets hurt because of me.’

‘You’ll never forgive yourself for leaving him either. You have a future here, Addie. Don’t throw it away just because you’re afraid.’

‘So you’re willing to stay? You want to join the pack?’ I asked again.

‘I do. I want you and Jess to be happy.’

‘What about Jess? Regardless of Lance, do you think she would want to stay?’

‘Of course. She loved it here even before she met him. If you ask her, she’ll agree to join the pack without hesitation. Jess deserves more than a life on the run. We all do.’

‘I love you, Henry. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

‘Love you too, sis. Good night.’