Chapter 03: Run before It's too late
1158 Words
Ryder's pov.
The moon was full making the air cold. And my heart? My heart was just a mess.
I should've stayed away from Ava. I told myself a thousand times not to get closer to her but something about her kept pulling me in.
The memories of the last time we met came ranging in my heart. I could remember the way she laughed, the way her eyes lit up when she was happy….
It was something that made me forget what I was. And what could that be?
But forgetting doesn't change anything, even the Truth.
I'm not just a man.
I'm a mentor.
And my bloodline? It's cursed.
I hail from a long line of alphas–they were strong, dangerous, and feared. My father was killed trying to stop the darkness that runs in our family. And now it lives inside of me.
But Ava….always made me feel human.
Until that night.
The night I heard a howl.
It wasn't mine.
It was Viktor
And he was close.
I froze, picking up every moment in the woods. My wolf stirred warning me.
“Ava,” I whispered, turning to her. “Hope you're okay?”
She forcefully entered the room with a heavy panting. I could see her smile fading and the panic in her eyes.
“They are here,” she said.
“Who are you referring to? What's wrong?”
“Some wild beasts were chasing after me. I believe they could be dangerous”.
“Then we have to go now” I grabbed her hands, pulling her into the trees.
“Wait what's even wrong?’ Who are those men? Do you have an idea who they are?”.
I kept mute without letting out an answer. There was no time. If Viktor scents her, it will create more scenarios than this.
He wouldn't just hurt her—he would claim her.
He would even mark her.
And there would be no going back.
We ran through the woods and her feet began to stumble behind me. I could feel her fear, her confusion, but she didn't stop.
She trusted me and that even made it the worst.
We reached her hotel just before midnight. I opened her room door and gently pushed her inside.
“Stay here and lock the door, don't even come out until morning”.
“Ryder, can you please tell me who those people are because you're scaring me. What's going on?”.
I looked at her, my chest rising with every breath.
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you who those men are”.
“Then try me and let me know who they are”.
I almost did. I wanted to. But if she knew the truth she wouldn't look at me as the same person she knew earlier on”.
“I just need you to trust me”.
She hesitated then nodded. “I do trust you but I don't know what to say in a case like this. Promise me you won't lie to me”.
I looked at her, memorizing every part of her face.
“I promise”
Then I left.
But I didn’t go far. I stayed close, hiding in the shadows, watching over her.
And that’s when I saw it.
The mark.
On her shoulder.
It was glowing.
I whispered to myself, stepping closer. "No... no, no, no,”.
The shape was unmistakable. A half-moon wrapped in flames.
Viktor’s mark.
He hadn’t touched her—he hadn’t even been near her.
But the bond had formed.
Which meant only one thing…
She claimed.
And not by me.
"How?" I loudly asked out, gripping so hard the bark of a tree as I cracked it under my fingers.
Ava had no idea what was happening to her. No idea what that mark meant.
I cursed under my breath. She was mine. At least, she was supposed to be. I had felt the bond forming the night we met. But now... it was tainted.
Victor had found a way to force the claim.
And if she stayed here any longer, he’d come for her.
I couldn't let that happen.
Not to Ava.
I knocked on the door the next morning, she slowly opened it, her eyes heavy with sleep.
“Ryder?” she asked, “What happened? You didn't come back last night”.
“I never left”.
She blinked at me. “Why are you acting like this? You're scaring me”.
I walked inside, closing the door behind me.
“I need to show you something”.
I reached for her shoulder.
She pulled back. “What are you doing?”.
“Just trust me”.
She looked at me for a moment, then nodded.
I pulled the strap of her top to the side. There it was. Glowing family.
Her eyes widened.
“What is that?”.
“It's a mark, and it means you have been claimed.”
I swallowed hard.
“You know those legends about werewolves?”.
She nervously laughed. “Yeah. The ones people tell to scare kids?”.
"They’re not just stories, Ava."
She stared at me. “Ryder, what are you saying?”
"I’m saying I’m one of them."
She stepped back. “You’re joking.”
"I wish I was."
“You’re serious?”
“Yes. And that mark on you? It doesn’t belong to me.”
“Then who—?”
“His name is Victor. He’s one of us, but he's... different. Dangerous.”
“Why would he mark me? I don’t even know him!”
“Because he wants to hurt me. And he knows you’re the only way to do that.”
She looked at me, tears forming in her eyes.
“What does it mean? This mark?”
“It means he’s claimed you as his mate.”
“I don’t want to be anyone’s anything!” she cried.
“I know,” I said, reaching for her hands. “But that doesn’t matter to him.”
“Can it be undone?”
I hesitated.
“I don’t know. Maybe. But we have to leave. Tonight.”
She nodded slowly. “Where will we go?”
“Somewhere he can’t find you.”
“And what about you? Will you come with me?”
I looked at her.
“I’ll never leave your side.”
We left that night.
The town faded behind us as we drove into the forest roads. I kept checking the rearview mirror, my senses sharp. Every shadow, every sound—it all felt like him.
It was old, tucked deep in the woods where no one could find us. But we made it to the cabin. I used to come here when I needed to escape everything.
- Writer
