The Cursed Alpha in Town

Chapter Two

The thundering of feet, or rather paws, though she could hear through the trees, encroached on her dangerously, but she found the strength to move on even though she was slipping and sliding her booted feet on the ground that had become soft with mud. The scarlet cloak she wore got attached to a bough and went away ripped, leaving her rather naked than before. She lost her balance and fell, ending up using her already hurting palms to break the fall, her heart racing as she quickly stood up again.

“Princeton...' She sighed, letting his name roll off her tongue as if saying it was a prayer. An appeal. Even now, she envisioned his face - that first look he had given her just before everything crumbled into nothingness. This blood had been on her hands, on her gown, and in her very existence. There was also the memory of him in the end; knowing that the cracked grin on his face concealed the promise in his soft voice that she would be alright at the end of it all.

She, though cold and quivering thanks to fear and general tiredness, was sure she could pull through. She had to. For Princeton, for the members of her family, for the heritage of her clan. She would find a way back. They would be made to suffer for everything.

Once more, a wail echoed in the nearby distance, making her cringe. She could sense the weariness taking its toll as her body was already reaching a threshold. Ducking behind a fallen tree, panting, she turned her attention to the sounds of men and beasts, growing and trying to trail off the other. He could hear the heavy downpour pummeling the leaves over her head such that the same rhythm rendered her pulse, which was beating erratically in quick succession.

She didn’t think she would remain there much longer. They were bound to spot her, and if she were to be spotted, that would be all she wrote. She cleaned her cheeks of the grime and the fluids earned in combat, gripping at her chest as though trying to halt the incessant racing of her heart.

Then, even as the footsteps and growls closed in, she raised her head, preparing to shake them off. She was not the timid Stoneheart Pack princess anymore. She had bared it all, the lone warrior who carried their might, honor, and the will of the tribe left. And somehow, through this night, she would be alive.

Veiling her face from the light, she inhaled, and abandoned the place in a full sprint.

The downpour had ceased at long last, but a copious fog poured across the forest floors. Shallowly, Lia inhaled, her chest bumped up and down and caused a lot of trouble to calm herself, the wet clothes feeling like a second skin to her person. Every fiber in her body screamed in pain from the nasty sprint she had had in the woods, but her primal self was restless for action. It was almost comical when she attempted to shake off the excess dirt settling on her dress surface, but it did little good. Her heart still raced with the vestiges of fear as she heard and strained in vain for any sound of pursuers, her body still.

Without warning, she became motionless. A silhouette was blocking her way, stepping out of the dark like a nightmare coming to life. He was a tall and broad figure stark against waves of pale moonlight, more jarring than encouraging. Her breath left her body as it made her aware of the figure, making her flashback to a certain man: Adonis, Alpha of the Red Moon Pack.

Another muscle-tensing smirk creased the man’s savage features.

“Adonis…” the name slipped from her mouth, almost too quiet to hear. Her wide, terror-filled eyes remained trained on him, and her body remained as still as a statue. She tried to repress her anger and terror, but it was futile.

Adonis stepped forward, separating the space between them with agonizing slowness, a predatory smile upon his face that appraised her. “You didn’t honestly believe you could run away, did you?” he said, his voice feather-light and thick with laughter. “Run away all you want, but you will never outrun me.”

He rotated his head slightly, briefly revealing his visage to the soft light of the moon, and Lia, held hostage by raging disgust and disturbing allure, was very much on the battleground. But her disgust drove her harder than fear, her palms became tough as she exerted pressure and the statements that followed escaped her mouth involuntarily.

"You ruined my childhood, stole everything from me!" "And now are you telling me that you can—can you simply make me follow you?” she exclaimed with uneven pitch.

There was an even wider smile on Adonis' face as he advanced forward to where she was and whispered threateningly. “I am sorry Lia, but your family was just a hurdle which needed to be crossed. "We do not care about your submission…” he said in a low voice, sending goosebumps down her spine, “that will come to you in due time."

The rain started up again, first as a light drizzle that quickly turned torrential, peppering down on the leaves and saturating the ground. Lia shivered at the discomfort, feeling the wetness of her dress and her hair clinging onto her face as she fought back tears. Fear was what he wanted to see most, and that was why she wouldn’t give up on the commanding look, even when every fighter in her was telling her to back up.

“You can do what you want, Adonis,” she said, with a significant effort to keep her voice even and level, “but I will never bow before you. I have given my loyalty to someone else and that will not change."

For a moment, Adonis' eyes held something almost threatening. Then, in a matter of a second, he was right in front of her, glaring down at her, and the heat radiating from his gaze made her temperatures drop.

"Do not even dare to mention loyalty while here, facing me,” he advised rather sweetly with menacing undertones. “You think you can defy me?”

There was a part of her that felt like screaming, wanting to throw her fists out, but her body was overcome with a sense of stillness from his dominating look. She stepped back, but he lifted his palm, stopping her from moving back.

“W-what exactly are you going to do with me?” These words escaped her lips in rather a threatening fashion, though a soft and a little scary tone filled her words.