The Alpha's Reluctant Mate

Chapter 3-Runaway Bride

Elara’s POV

No.

No no no.

How did they notice so soon?

The thought slammed into my head as another howl ripped through the air—closer this time. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Looking back meant slowing down, and slowing down meant hands grabbing me, chains tightening around my future.

My legs burned as I pushed harder, boots slamming against wet roots and slick leaves. Branches clawed at my arms, my face, but I didn’t slow down. My heart was hammering so loud it drowned out everything except the blood roaring in my ears.

How? How could they have known I was gone already? I’d only been running for—what—ten minutes? Fifteen?

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.

Emma.

My best friend. The one I’d just hugged. The one who’d cried and begged me to stay. The only person who’d seen me climb out that window. The only one who knew exactly which path I’d take.

Betrayal sliced through me sharper than any claw. My chest tightened until I couldn’t breathe right. Had she run straight to my father? Had she told the guards the second my feet hit the ground?

I shoved the thought away. No time. No time to feel it.

I ran faster.

The border was close—I could feel it in my bones, that invisible line where Crescent Moon territory ended and no-man’s-land began. Half a mile. Maybe less. Just get there. Just cross it. Once I was over, their claim on me weakened. Once I was over, I wasn’t their property anymore.

Thunder cracked across the sky so violently the ground seemed to tremble.

My lungs screamed. Rain started—first a few fat drops splattering my face, then harder, turning the forest floor into mud.

Perfect.

The rain would wash my scent. Mud would cover my tracks. They’d lose me in this storm.

I didn’t run straight anymore. I zigzagged—sharp left, duck under a low branch, hard right around a fallen log, back left again. Confuse the trail. Make them work for it. My wolf howled inside me, loving the chaos, loving the fight.

Halfway there my legs gave out for one terrifying second. I stumbled, caught myself on a tree trunk, nails digging into bark.

I shifted.

Bones snapped, muscles tore and rebuilt in that brutal, beautiful way. Fur rippled over my skin—brown, thick and sleek. My bag strap caught in my teeth as I clamped down hard. Four legs were faster than two. Stronger.

I bolted.

The world blurred into streaks of green and gray. Rain lashed my fur, soaking me through, but it felt alive. Electric. Everything sharpened. The world became scent and sound and movement. I could hear their paws pounding the ground behind me.

The howls were closer now. They were gaining in.

Come on. Come on.

The border hit me like a wall of cold air. One second I was Crescent Moon. The next—I wasn’t.

Freedom.

But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. I tore deeper into the darker part of the forest, trees growing thicker, older, meaner. Rain pounded down in sheets now, turning everything into a gray roar. My muscles screamed, legs shaking with exhaustion, but one thought kept me moving:

I will not marry Alpha Thorne.

I will not be his.

I pushed harder.

Then I smelled them.

Blood. Sweat. Rot.

Rogues.

My hackles rose. Red eyes glowed in the dark—two, then four, then more. f**k. I knew they roamed out here, lawless, hungry, territorial. I just didn’t expect them this soon.

The first one lunged.

Big. Mangy. Snarling. He blocked my path like he owned it. I didn’t slow. I slammed into him full force—shoulder to shoulder, teeth bared. He yelped, tumbling sideways into the mud. I kept going.

But they were already moving.

Growls rolled from every direction. Shadows darted between trees. I caught glimpses—scarred muzzles, yellowed fangs, eyes burning with hunger. Six of them now. Circling.

One slammed into my side.

Pain exploded in my ribs. My bag slipped from my jaws, hitting the ground with a wet thud. I snarled, spinning to face them. They closed in—six dark shapes against the storm, rain streaming off their fur.

I planted my feet. Snarled back.

The one on my left charged first.

I met him head-on. Twisted at the last second, clamped my jaws around his throat, and threw him like a rag doll. He crashed into a tree and didn’t get up.

But the others were already on me.

Claws raked my flank. Teeth snapped inches from my face. I fought dirty—bit, tore, used every dirty trick my father ever taught me. Blood filled my mouth—mine, theirs, I didn’t know anymore. Rain made everything slick, slippery. One went down with a gurgle when I ripped into his neck. Another limped away whining.

But they kept coming.

More eyes appeared in the dark. Eight now. Ten. f**k. They were multiplying.

I was tiring. Fast. My breaths came in ragged gasps. Legs trembled. The rain soaked my fur so heavy it dragged at me.

This wasn’t how I pictured my escape.

Not like this—surrounded, bleeding.

They circled tighter. Snarls vibrated through the storm. I planted my paws, lips peeled back, ready for the next wave.

Then—suddenly—they froze.

Every single one of them.

Heads snapped up. Ears flicked. They looked at each other, hackles still raised, but something shifted. Fear? Recognition? One by one they backed off—slow at first, then faster. Tails tucked. Growls turned to whines.

They ran.

Just…ran.

Leaving me standing there in the pouring rain, chest heaving, blood dripping from my muzzle.

What the hell?

I shifted back. Human again. Naked except for the mud and blood and rain. My ribs ached. My side burned where claws had torn skin. I pressed a hand there—wet, sticky. Not too deep. I’d live.

I squinted into the dark. Shadows moved—bigger ones. Slower. Deliberate.

A man stepped out from between the trees.

Drenched.

Black hair plastered to his shoulders, dripping. Tattoos snaked up his neck—dark, jagged lines that disappeared under the soaked black shirt clinging to every hard line of muscle. Broad shoulders. Long, powerful legs. Abs carved like stone. He looked like a god who had somehow found his way among mortals.

And his eyes—

Silver.

The brightest, coldest silver I’d ever seen. They pinned me in place like twin blades.

My wolf lowered her head inside me without permission.

He didn't move closer. Just stood there, rain streaming down his face, watching me like I was a prey he'd already caught.

Then his voice rolled out—deep, low, edged with something dangerous.

“So you're my runaway bride.”