The Biker Alpha's Cinderella

Chapter 4

Jax’s POV

I stood there as I watched her disappear into the dark. I wanted to run after her, make her stop, and keep her away from everyone, but I found myself rooted to the spot. She was gone. The realisation that I may never see her again, I may never get a chance, hit me harder in the gut. My wolf wasn’t making it any easier, too; he was whining more in my mind, mourning a loss of what we had, even if it was for a split moment.

The cold winter air blasted my face, and I felt the loud ringing in my ears starting to come back. The feral madness was beginning to eat away at me again, and I snapped. I blame these bastard obsidian lapdogs for trying to get her away from me in the first place.

That lowlife actually called her Subject Zero.

I turned back to the hallway, ready to finish whatever was left of them. This would be their reminder that the Iron Claws MC isn’t just any pack to be messed with. The Retriever with the broken arm was groaning on the floor, clutching something silver in his good hand. I was on him in a second. I stomped my boot onto his wrist, hard enough to bruise. He yelped, and his fingers flew open.

I grabbed the object from the floor. It was a silver locket made with non-lethal silver. It looked old, like she had had it all her life. I brought it to my nose and inhaled. The relief was instant, though weaker than before. It smelled like her, but underneath that, there was the sharp, earthy tang of sage and wolfsbane. Magic. Someone had spelled this thing to hide her.

"Boss!" Kael came skidding around the corner, three of our Enforcers behind him. They were covered in glitter from the party, looking out of place and ready for violence.

"The cops are five minutes out," Kael said, breathless. "And the Obsidian backup is already pulling up to the parking lot. We need to leave now." I looked at the open door where my mate had run into the snow in fear.

"We aren't running from those bastards," I said, my voice low and vibrating with the growl I couldn't suppress. "We're going on a hunt."

Kael blinked back in surprise. "Hunting? Jax, look at you. You're bleeding. You look like you’re losing control. You need to get back to the compound before you shift."

"I found her," I said, holding up the locket. The silver glinted under the hallway lights. "My Mate."

The Enforcers froze. They knew what this meant. They knew the President of the Iron Claws had been slowly going insane for two years, waiting for this moment.

"Is she..." Kael looked at the unconscious Retrievers. "Is she with them?"

"They were hunting her, I don’t know why yet, but she must be essential to that old bastard," I said, a dark rage bubbling inside me. "She ran because she's terrified. She's out there, barefoot, in a blizzard, with the Obsidian Pack on her tail." I shoved the locket into my pocket, keeping it close to my skin.

"Forget the SUV," I commanded, striding toward the exit. "Get the bikes."

Ten minutes later, I was tearing through the city streets on my Harley. The wind bit at my exposed face, but I didn't feel the cold. I only felt the pull, and my wolf’s whimpers in my mind to find our mate. The bond was fresh, raw, and bleeding.

I twisted the throttle. The engine roared, a beast answering its master. Behind me, the rumble of twenty other bikes echoed off the skyscrapers. The Iron Claws moved like a single organism, a pack of steel and leather cutting through the traffic. We had a mission, and we don’t back down. Ever.

I let my gut lead me, and I led the rest of my men downtown. Since she was serving as a maid at the ball, it only meant one thing: she lived in the slum. No wonder it took me years to find her; she had been hiding in plain sight with her scent heavily masked. Good thing I was very familiar with the slum, and they knew better not to mess with me. I needed to find her before midnight, before the blood moon takes effect.

We turned down a narrow street with a couple of old government housing, and the pull was getting stronger. She was somewhere here, I could feel it. My wolf started pacing even more aggressively. We were close to being with our mate again. I stopped in front of the third building, close to the bus stop. If she wanted to run, this would be the perfect place to find her.

"Surround the building," I mind-linked my men with a hand motion. "Back exits, fire escapes. No one gets in or out." Kael nodded and disappeared to the back of the building with the rest of my enforcers. I got off the bike and took a whiff of the air. I could still smell her, but just faintly.

I walked toward the front door of the apartment complex. The whole building looked like it should be abandoned, but people are dirt poor, and they couldn’t afford a decent roof over their heads. The elevator was out of service, and I stalked towards the stairs.

Just as I reached the steps, I heard a nearby door creak open. A small woman stepped out in a winter coat, carrying a duffel bag. She was fumbling through her phone, and I walked towards her lightly, trying not to scare her off again. As if on cue, the ringings in my head slowed down.

I cleared my throat, and she flinched with her phone almost dropping out of her hands. She looked up to meet my eyes, and her color drained from her face.

"Going somewhere?" I asked calmly, ignoring the overwhelming urge to pull her into my arms and sniff that sweet scent of hers. She didn't answer, and I took a step forward. Her eyes grew wide with panic ,and she reached into her pocket for something. Probably a pepper spray or a pocket knife. I stayed calmly, not taking my eyes off her.

"Stay away from me," she whispered, her voice trembling. I didn't listen. I stepped into her personal space, blocking her path to the street and staring into her eyes. I hated how scared she looked of me, even though just minutes ago she had been hiding behind me to protect her.

"You dropped this," I said, pulling the silver locket from my pocket. I let it dangle from my fingers, and she tried to reach for it, but I only raised it out of her reach. I was fighting the lazy grin that was starting to spread on my face.

She stared at it, then at me. "Who are you?" she asked. This time her voice wasn’t trembling. I took one more step, towering over her, and trapping her between myself and the door.

"I'm the monster you don't run from," I said.