Wild Alpha and the Midnight Runaway

Chapter 3.

For a moment, I hesitated.

I was unable to hide my desire for him as he walked away into the dark treeline, and I wanted nothing more than for him to come back, press himself against me and take me for his own.

What had come over me?

I didn’t feel like myself but I couldn’t help the way my body was reacting to this man.

I wanted to follow him but first, I had questions.

“Wait!” I called out.

He stopped suddenly at my cry and turned around in an instant, his eyes alert and somewhat surprised that I didn’t immediately follow. He was obviously used to leading people, without any questions being asked.

“It’s just that.. I don’t know anything about you. Where are we going? If you think I’m going to blindly follow you into the forest without a word, you’re very much mistaken.”

At that, his eyebrows shot up and one side of his mouth curled up into a crooked half smile.

“Is that it? That you don’t trust me?” he asked, drawing the words out slowly as he closed the distance between us once again.

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you don’t stand much of a chance. I’m an Alpha and my beta and gamma are right here to back me, while you’re all alone.“

With each word, he came a little closer, and with each step, I felt the connection to him deepen.

“I could toss you over my shoulder and carry you any place I wanted.”

Under normal circumstances I’d be repulsed by the control he seemed to want over me, but right now, all I could think about was what it would be like for him to actually toss me over his shoulder and carry me to wherever it was that he wanted to go. I was shocked at the realisation that I almost wanted him to carry out his offer, or threat, or whatever it was exactly.

“But since you asked, I’ll tell you the truth,” he continued. “I’m a simple man. I’ll always be true and faithful to you, as I expect the same from you. I’m the Alpha of the Wildwolf Pack, and I’m taking you to our pack house, a little way west from here. You’re my mate, so I have no reason to hurt you. Rather, I’d put my life on the line to save yours. Now, are you going to come with me?”

The way he said it seemed straightforward and honest, as if that should have answered all my questions, but my curiosity was far from sated.

In fact, I had more questions now than I had started with.

What was an Alpha? What was the Wildwolf Pack? What on earth is a mate? And what did it mean that I was his?

I had so many questions, but I didn’t see any way that we could answer them all, here and now.

It only took me a few seconds to decide what to do.

I didn’t know much at all about him and I had no idea where he was really taking me but, for one reason or another, I felt that he was telling the truth and that I could trust him.

“Lead the way, Alpha Archer.” I said with a sly smile.

* * *

We’d been waking at an even pace in the dark for a least an hour by now, which was giving me a good chance to think.

Archer was in front, cutting through the trees in the thick forest with obvious skill that showed he was well familiar with the area.

I followed as closely as I could behind him, with the two men that I believe he called his beta and gamma walking along a few meters away on either side of me.

It seemed as if they’d formed a triangle of protection around me as we moved, and it made me wonder for the hundredth time time if I’d made the right decision coming out into the forest tonight.

There was no doubt that I was glad to have at least met Alpha Archer, even with as little as I knew about him, but what else was out there in this forest? What exactly were they protecting me from?

I hoped not to find out any time soon.

I strained my ears to listen to the sounds of the night, but I couldn’t pick up anything out of the ordinary. There was a light wind that would occasionally pick up into bigger gusts and crickets humming almost continuously. But beyond that, I couldn’t hear much else.

As I kept walking, I snuck a glance to my left and my right to get a better look at each of the men accompanying Archer on this journey.

On my right, there was a tall man, almost as tall as Archer, with a hard look on his face. He walked with determination, keeping an even stare in front of him and flickering his eyes towards me, and then to the other side where the forest lay at regular intervals.

To my left, the third man was slightly shorter than the other two and seemed less menacing at hurst glance. He took a similar approach to the other man, looking straight ahead and checking both directions at regular intervals.

After we’d been walking a few hours, Archer looked back at me and said, “We’re almost there. We’ll be at Wildwolf Pack house in a few minutes.”

Then he threw his head back and howled. Howled liked a wild wolf, coming home.

The sound split through the cold night air with stark contrast and a few seconds later, we heard a chorus of howls in response.

Not just one or two, but hundreds of wolves were howling in the night.

What was this place?!