Bound by fate

Chapter 6:Run

Sofia's POV

"Mine."

The word echoed through my mind.

I stumbled backward, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst through my chest.

No.

No, no, no.

This couldn't be happening.

I was just an omega.

An omega without a wolf.

Why would someone like Craig Rhodes...

The most feared Alpha in the werewolf world...

Call me his?

I looked up.

His crimson eyes were still fixed on me.

They weren't cruel.

They weren't gentle either.

They were... conflicted.

As if he was fighting something inside himself.

"Alpha Craig," Elder Magnus spoke cautiously. "Do you know this girl?"

Craig remained silent.

His jaw tightened.

The silence was answer enough.

Whispers spread through the valley like wildfire.

"Did you see that?"

"The Shadow Alpha protected her."

"Impossible..."

"She's just an omega."

Alpha Victor quickly forced a laugh.

"There must be some misunderstanding."

Craig slowly released Victor's wrist.

"I don't make mistakes."

The words were calm.

Yet they carried enough authority to silence the entire gathering.

Victor swallowed nervously.

"If... if she has somehow offended you, I'll punish her myself."

Craig's gaze darkened.

"Touch her again..."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"...and you'll lose more than your pride."

A chill swept through the valley.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

I should have felt relieved.

Instead...

I was terrified.

Everyone was staring at me.

Some with shock.

Others with envy.

Most with hatred.

The last thing I had ever wanted was attention.

Now I had all of it.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my chest.

I gasped.

My knees buckled.

The same warmth I'd felt the night before spread through my body, stronger this time.

It pulsed beneath my skin.

Once.

Twice.

Then...

A distant howl echoed inside my head.

Not from the forest.

From within me.

I clutched my chest.

"What... what's happening?"

Fear consumed me.

If my wolf was finally awakening...

Why did it feel like it was crying?

The crowd began to back away.

An elder frowned.

"This isn't normal."

Another elder whispered, "I've never seen a delayed awakening react to a mate bond like this."

The whispers grew louder.

Craig took a single step toward me.

Instinct screamed at me.

Run.

I didn't think.

I didn't ask why.

I turned and ran.

"Sofia!" Alpha Victor roared.

Ignoring him, I pushed through the crowd.

People shouted as I raced past them.

Tears blurred my vision.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

I only knew one thing.

I had to get away.

Away from the whispers.

Away from the stares.

Away from the Alpha whose presence made my heart ache in ways I couldn't understand.

Behind me, chaos erupted.

"The omega is fleeing!"

"Stop her!"

"Catch her!"

I ran into the forest surrounding the sacred grounds, branches whipping against my face.

My lungs burned.

My legs screamed for rest.

But I kept going.

Please...

Just let me disappear.

The deeper I ran, the darker the woods became.

Finally, I reached a cliff overlooking a roaring river.

There was nowhere else to go.

My breath hitched.

I slowly turned around.

The forest had gone silent.

Too silent.

No warriors.

No guards.

No Alpha Victor.

No Craig.

Had I lost them?

A twig snapped behind me.

I spun around.

No one.

Another snap came from my left.

Then my right.

Something was circling me.

A low growl rumbled through the trees.

It wasn't a wolf from any pack.

Its scent was rotten.

Wild.

Wrong.

Rogues.

One stepped from the shadows.

Then another.

Then a third.

Their eyes gleamed with hunger.

One of them smiled.

"Well..."

His gaze swept over me.

"...looks like fate delivered us a little prize."

I took a step back.

My heel touched the edge of the cliff.

There was nowhere left to run.