Alpha Magnus

Chapter 2: You Won’t Be My Daughter Anymore!

Mira Ashford POV

"Are you serious? Where are you going? Are you going to stay on the road? Or are you going to that unknown Beta who comes and takes you from the side of the house?"

I lowered my head, my voice cold and heavy, carrying the bottled-up pain pressing on my chest.

"It doesn’t matter… no one will care that I’m gone. I’ll manage… staying on the road is better than staying in that house… believe me."

He looked at me with burning eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in determination.

"There’s no going out from here… I’ll make them stop doing this."

I gave a bitter, faint smile, shaking my head slowly.

"Don’t get involved with them… stay alone as you are… your isolation is much better…"

I continued, my voice choking as if my heart was spilling out through my words.

"I’ll be fine… I’m used to being fine alone."

Downstairs, Carlos was trying to calm Jessica, who was crying and begging in broken tones, pain and fear screaming through her voice.

I reached the bottom of the stairs, breathing hard, feeling a heavy weight pressing on my chest like an invisible chain. I approached the door, and his words echoed through the house, strong, impossible to ignore:

"If you walk out this door now, you’ll dream of coming back here again, and you won’t be my daughter anymore."

I froze for a moment, but I didn’t turn. Then Carlos’s voice came, dripping with sarcasm and contempt.

"For God’s sake, father, let her go. She has nowhere to go. She’ll come back here by midnight anyway."

I stepped toward Ashford, standing in front of him, staring straight into his angry eyes. I had no intention of coming back. Ever.

"My preference would be death rather than returning here again. I won’t even think of passing by the side of the house anymore," I said, my voice rising despite the choking, despite the tears threatening to fall.

He answered in a rough, tense voice, trying to control himself.

"Mira, don’t make me angry… go back to your room."

I didn’t listen. I gripped my bag tighter and rushed to the door. I stepped outside, slamming it behind me, while Carlos’s angry voice pierced my ears, ordering me to stop.

I kept walking aimlessly until my feet led me to a park I knew. I sat on a bench, my fingers trembling as I held the phone to my ear, my heart pounding violently as if something inside me had exploded.

When he answered, I whispered, my sobs breaking through my words.

"Max…"

His voice trembled, full of worry.

"Mira? Are you crying?"

I answered quietly, barely audible.

"I… I stayed on the road, Max. I couldn’t stay at the house… I had no one else to call but you…"

There was silence for a few seconds, then he shouted.

"I’ll be there right away, come on!"

I told him where I was in the park, and hearing his voice know the place made my heart calm a little, though he was still trembling.

Then he appeared from afar, his voice filling the area.

"Mira!"

I stood without thinking, running toward him, my eyes searching his face like it was a lifeline.

He held me in his arms, gripping me tightly, his hands rubbing my back gently, silently.

He whispered, his voice choked between inhaling and exhaling, but tender.

"Calm down… I’m here, Mira… everything will be okay."

I sighed… are they looking for me?

We reached a hotel, a low building, a little isolated. We went inside, and I looked at the details. The style was old, but the room seemed comfortable.

Max went to the woman behind the reception desk. I noticed her scrutinizing gaze and felt tense. She took our IDs coldly, then smiled falsely.

"I hope you have a pleasant night… this paper has some instructions."

I nodded, putting the paper in my bag. Max closed the door behind us, then looked at me with eyes full of apology.

"Don’t worry, Mira… I’ll sleep on the floor, you take the bed. We’ll manage."

I smiled lightly, throwing myself on the bed, gratitude flooding my heart. I whispered to him.

"I’ll go to sleep… it’s almost midnight."

He nodded, turned off the lights, and I fell asleep…

Until I woke up in a panic, someone shaking me. The room was lit, and everything felt alarming.

Max, tense: "Get up quickly! The Alpha Magnus Thorn’s pack guards are here, led by the Alpha’s right hand. They’ll raid soon!"

I whispered, scared.

"Why? Did something happen?"

I stopped breathing, as if the air froze around me.

I had always heard about Alpha Magnus, the pack leader, the powerful Alpha of the Fire Pack, a living legend feared by everyone… but I had never seen him. His name alone made anyone approaching feel like hell had been written upon them.

Max, his voice trembling, pressing my hands:

"If anyone gets raided and justice is done to anyone… hell is written upon them… even the strongest wolves don’t dare stand before him."

I shivered, feeling cold run through my body despite the room’s heat.

The guards’ footsteps, heavy, echoed in my heart, as if the whole world went silent except for this sound.

I whispered, unable to control my anxiety.

"W-what do they want?"

Max, with sharp eyes, looking straight at me.

"Alpha Magnus cares about no one… except pack strength… or if he senses a threat. We… have to move fast. Take your bag, Mira… there’s no time to waste."

We reached a door marked "Emergency Exit." Max pushed it hard, we entered quickly, and the people running didn’t come near because they were trying to escape. I stopped Max, gasping, crying bitterly. He turned to me, standing in front, holding me, panting heavily.

His voice shaky and choked:

"Why did you stop all of a sudden? Before they catch us."

I hesitated, my voice trembling, barely drying my tears.

"Why are we running? What did we get involved in?"

"I’ll explain later, but now let me protect you."

The sounds of Magnus’s men screaming behind us, entering the place, shouting, chaos, everything like a battlefield. My tears blurred my vision, barely letting me move.

I heard a police officer yell, "Stay where you are!"

Max shouted for me to run. I ran, even though my breath was broken. The shouting grew behind us, threatening to shoot if we didn’t stop…

I screamed in terror when I heard two gunshots. Max stopped suddenly.

I cried loudly, gently pulling him down and whispering:

"Max, no, don’t do this. Look at me, please. Max, don’t leave me alone."

His breathing was hard, saying shakily:

"I… I’m sorry for the… what happened… it’s over… run, Mira… don’t let them catch you."

I begged in a strangled voice.

"Max, don’t close your eyes, don’t do this."

I jolted as two men grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me away from him. I saw him give me one last look, then close his eyes, letting his body go limp.

I turned my head in horror, screaming his name, begging him to wake up. Was this a dream? My hands were stained with his blood, trembling, thrashing between the officers’ hands, screaming his name hysterically.

Why is life so cruel? The only one who understands me and stands by my side, Max, this happens to him? I’m losing my mind. The other two men approached, surrounding him, and I heard one of them say,

"He’s dead."

I screamed even louder, shaking my head, unable to believe what I heard.

My voice broke, and the ghosts of fear devoured my breath.

"Impossible… wake him… damn you… leave me… we did nothing… please… don’t…"

Their iron fingers gripped my shoulders mercilessly. I felt my bones almost break, my voice ended screaming Max’s name. Heavy silence engulfed me after all those screams. They dragged me, walking me away, my tears falling nonstop.

The men holding me stopped in front of someone. I didn’t notice my surroundings; my tears poured endlessly, my sobs filling the place.

"Alpha, we caught her escaping with the one with her, but they didn’t respond to our warning to fire, so we shot the one with her. He’s dead."

I heard a voice rise, clearly angry, as if burning the place down.

"Damn it! Did you kill that bastard Max!"